http://www.cleverscampcamp.com/camping-sleeping-bear-dunes-mi/
Dog-friendly camping and lakes in MI/OH/IL?
My boyfriend and I go camping every year for our “anniversary”. We usually head down to Cedar Point and spend a weekend there. This year, we got ourselves a lab, who is now 7 months old. We would like to take him with us, but I am having a hard time finding a place we can camp and swim. I know you can at Sleeping Bear Dunes, but that’s a 5 hour drive (we live near Detroit). We’d like to go maybe 3 hours or less. It can be out of state.
So, we’re looking for dog-friendly tent camping and a dog-friendly beach. We’re not prissy and don’t need electricity or anything while we camp. We’d prefer not to be eaten by bears, however.
Any suggestions?
Try to stay away from established campgrounds, consider backpacking on NFS lands in your area.
In our neck of the woods, the number one complaint at established campgrounds is dogs. Many campgrounds now do not allow them. The ones that do allow them require you to keep them on a 6 foot leash and they must spend the night in the tent or the car. You can not put them in a dog cage or leash them out for the night.
Some inconsiderate dog owners have ruined it for the rest of us by allowing their dogs to bark all night or run loose in the campground or on the beach.
It looks like the Manistee National Forest is closest to Detroit. They allow dispersed camping and backpacking. Go to the link below and click the US Forest Service link, then select your state.
We have labs too, they are great camping dogs! Hope you have fun.
IICD Camping Sleeping Bear Dunes