P.H. Hoeft State Park
We spent July 1-5 at P. H. Hoeft State Park just north of Rogers City, Michigan, which is located directly on Lake Huron, and has about a mile sandy beach frontage on Lake Huron. The park is almost 100 years old, but has been maintained well for its age. Some elements of the park (like the pavilion pictured below) date back to the early times of the park, but others are almost brand new. The park appears to have a strong local support base, as the Friends of Hoeft State Park were visible throughout our stay, and even offer a small camp store and other events for campers.
Campsites at P.H. Hoeft are average-sized and close together. Some sites are very wooded and shady, while others are more open. We chose a site near the Lake Huron shoreline, and it fit our 28' camper and it was wide enough to fit our 28' trailer and truck, but would not have had room for another vehicle, so visitors would have had to use the visitor's parking lot located near the campground entrance. Our site was listed to hold up to a 35' long RV, but the site itself is only 35' deep and had a hill at the back of the site which would make anything much longer than ours hang out on to the road. Our site was shaded by trees, which was nice for keeping cool, but made parking and getting into the site somewhat interesting. Our sight was also slightly sloped, and it took placing boards under one side to help get it level. Also, sites share power poles, so we needed to use our 30amp extension cord to plug in.
If you are not coming with your own camping equipment (or just want a break from setting up a camper but want the camping experience!), Hoeft State Park has a cabin to rent, but also offers a "modern lodge" which is Sears and Roebuck lodge. Rental of this lodge includes a fully stocked kitchen, silverware, appliances, specially crafted wood furniture, dining room for eight, master bedroom with attached bathroom, sun room, game room, a private yard, a Weber grill, fire pit, picnic tables, linens and towels, and also has two extra pulldown futons. Reservations for this lodge can only be made by calling the park directly, but it looks like an interesting place to stay!
The park has a couple different pathways to the Lake Huron beach, one directly in the campground and one at the rental pavilion.
There are also two separate sand volleyball pits available between the campground and the water. For kids, the park has a fairly new playground right in front of an older swing set and slide. The newer portion offers climbing options, monkey bars, and other options for kids. It was a hit with our 3-year old daughter!
Cell phone service in the park is available, but getting access to the internet is limited. We had to drive into Rogers City to get reliable internet access on our phones (but it was nice to get a break from being connected 24/7). We picked up a few local network TV stations on our antenna, but other than searching for channels, never had the TV on so I can't say how strong the signal might be.
Just a couple miles north of the campground is 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, which is a working lighthouse built in 1896. Self-guided tours are available Tuesday through Sunday for free, with volunteers giving information during the tours. You can climb 53 steps to the light itself, but beware that the stairs are a spiral staircase, and somewhat narrow. The view from the top is great! Just a short walk along the beach from the lighthouse, you can view the the remains of a shipwreck from a wooden ship that ran aground very near the lighthouse in the early 1900s. The grounds are well-maintained, and there is a small gift shop for buying souvenirs.
About 30 minutes away from the campground is Ocqueoc Falls, which is the only waterfalls in the Lower Peninsula. The parking lot at the Falls is maintained by the DNR, so you can get a parking spot with just a Recreation Passport. There is not a ton of parking, so on the weekends or holidays, several cars end up having to park on the street. Just a short walk from the parking lot, however, is a place were you can get in the river and swim in the falls. We spent several hours there on the 4th of July, which was a beautiful day! The river water is clear and refreshing, but be sure to bring sandals or water shoes, because the river bottom is quite rocky and uneven. The water moves somewhat quickly, but is fairly shallow in most areas. There are some places in the river where you can swim, but most people just wade in.
This park is somewhere we might consider visiting again, and if we're in the area, we will certainly visit again. This is probably not somewhere that is a destination in and of itself, but is a great place to visit if you have another reason to visit the area (which, quite honestly, Ocqueoc Falls might be worth it alone!).
Campsites at P.H. Hoeft are average-sized and close together. Some sites are very wooded and shady, while others are more open. We chose a site near the Lake Huron shoreline, and it fit our 28' camper and it was wide enough to fit our 28' trailer and truck, but would not have had room for another vehicle, so visitors would have had to use the visitor's parking lot located near the campground entrance. Our site was listed to hold up to a 35' long RV, but the site itself is only 35' deep and had a hill at the back of the site which would make anything much longer than ours hang out on to the road. Our site was shaded by trees, which was nice for keeping cool, but made parking and getting into the site somewhat interesting. Our sight was also slightly sloped, and it took placing boards under one side to help get it level. Also, sites share power poles, so we needed to use our 30amp extension cord to plug in.
If you are not coming with your own camping equipment (or just want a break from setting up a camper but want the camping experience!), Hoeft State Park has a cabin to rent, but also offers a "modern lodge" which is Sears and Roebuck lodge. Rental of this lodge includes a fully stocked kitchen, silverware, appliances, specially crafted wood furniture, dining room for eight, master bedroom with attached bathroom, sun room, game room, a private yard, a Weber grill, fire pit, picnic tables, linens and towels, and also has two extra pulldown futons. Reservations for this lodge can only be made by calling the park directly, but it looks like an interesting place to stay!
The park has a couple different pathways to the Lake Huron beach, one directly in the campground and one at the rental pavilion.
There are also two separate sand volleyball pits available between the campground and the water. For kids, the park has a fairly new playground right in front of an older swing set and slide. The newer portion offers climbing options, monkey bars, and other options for kids. It was a hit with our 3-year old daughter!
Cell phone service in the park is available, but getting access to the internet is limited. We had to drive into Rogers City to get reliable internet access on our phones (but it was nice to get a break from being connected 24/7). We picked up a few local network TV stations on our antenna, but other than searching for channels, never had the TV on so I can't say how strong the signal might be.
Just a couple miles north of the campground is 40 Mile Point Lighthouse, which is a working lighthouse built in 1896. Self-guided tours are available Tuesday through Sunday for free, with volunteers giving information during the tours. You can climb 53 steps to the light itself, but beware that the stairs are a spiral staircase, and somewhat narrow. The view from the top is great! Just a short walk along the beach from the lighthouse, you can view the the remains of a shipwreck from a wooden ship that ran aground very near the lighthouse in the early 1900s. The grounds are well-maintained, and there is a small gift shop for buying souvenirs.
About 30 minutes away from the campground is Ocqueoc Falls, which is the only waterfalls in the Lower Peninsula. The parking lot at the Falls is maintained by the DNR, so you can get a parking spot with just a Recreation Passport. There is not a ton of parking, so on the weekends or holidays, several cars end up having to park on the street. Just a short walk from the parking lot, however, is a place were you can get in the river and swim in the falls. We spent several hours there on the 4th of July, which was a beautiful day! The river water is clear and refreshing, but be sure to bring sandals or water shoes, because the river bottom is quite rocky and uneven. The water moves somewhat quickly, but is fairly shallow in most areas. There are some places in the river where you can swim, but most people just wade in.
This park is somewhere we might consider visiting again, and if we're in the area, we will certainly visit again. This is probably not somewhere that is a destination in and of itself, but is a great place to visit if you have another reason to visit the area (which, quite honestly, Ocqueoc Falls might be worth it alone!).
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