Camp on South Manitou Island

South Manitou Island is situated off of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Lake Michigan. The island is only accessible by a two-hour ferry ride, which leaves once a day from Leeland.

Upon arriving at the island boat dock, you'll soon realize this isn't an ordinary experience. South Manitou is designed for back-country camping and does not allow vehicles or motorized transportation onshore. The only buildings are for the park rangers who live there, and there are only two water sources available on the entire island.

Camping can be done at one of three campgrounds. The Bay Harbor Campground is the most common and easily the most popular, because it is conveniently located only .4 miles from the ferry dock. A campground known as Weather Station is roughly a two mile hike, and Popple campground is a 6 mile journey across the island. Pack light - don't forget that all equipment must be hiked to your destination.

The island loop hike is a 10 mile journey along the beaches of Lake Michigan. You'll stumble upon hundred-foot sand dunes, rocky shorelines, a lighthouse, and even a freighter shipwreck that ran aground during a storm in 1960.

The interior of the island is filled with hiking routes which allow hikers to wander about some of the oldest cedar trees in the country, discover an old school house, and crawl up dunes that seem to last forever.

Be sure to arrive at the ferry dock at least 45 minutes prior to departure and make reservations ahead of time. The South Manitou Transit Ferry is almost always booked in the summer months. After unloading, all overnight vehicles must park at specified lots and then be transferred back to the dock via shuttle.