Onaway State Park, Michigan, United States

4tymetraveler222 5:00 PM Aug 11, 2010

A first time visit for us....
Though we have driven thru Onaway State Park a couple of times over the years, we finally had a chance to actually camp there recently. Located in the northeastern area of the lower peninsula of Michigan, it is a beautiful old park (1921) on Black Lake. The very tall pines in the park speak to its age. Sites are kept clean. There are two sections of park, one being on the lake with a limited number of sites right on the water and some across the street. The other section is above the hill, where the modern bathroom is located. The old bathroom is no longer used in the lower section, and there is a vault toilet, but well, it was not pretty and so we used the modern bathroom. You can climb a set of stairs and walk a path up to it, or drive. We drove. LOL. We had a water site and it was lovely. I consider the lots fairly large. Firepit and picnic table provided. Combination of grass, dirt, gravel and sand. Plenty of trees. Campground was fairly quiet. Black Lake is gorgeous, and we did some canoeing along the shore and over to the day use areas. Dark pine hills surround the lake when viewed from afar. There is a nice day use area, lots of grass. Playground. Bathhouse. Firewood for sale as well as ice at the office. They have an old log building that can be rented near the fishing launch. Playground here also. Bathrooms. It is a beautiful old building that I am glad they have preserved. Bathrooms were very clean. Good showers. Nice rangers for the most part. Town of Onaway is about 5 miles. Take a drive around the lake, check out the beach in the state forest campground-it appeared to be busier than the state park's. Located on other side of lake.

3justjo-7 5:00 PM Aug 1, 2015

To close for comfort
We booked on a last minute. One remaining spot, #51 now we know why it wasn't taken. It was located on an incline with lots of tree roots. There were several campsites in our area that weren't very level. Thanks to my husbands good nature and patience we were able to jockey it into position. The task was quite daunting not to mention the camper was raised quite high in order to level it. We watched others experiencing the same difficulties. The park has some positive qualities, but the atmosphere is a bit cramped. The lack of privacy with adjourning sites made it much to close for comfort. Dust was an issue through out the park due to lack of rain, maybe a little dust control on the roads? Every time anyone drove by, we were marinated in dust. The park does have some nice sites down by the waters edge #1 thru 16, they looked level, cramped, not many barriers, but on the water. The beach is small and consists of mainly rocks. There is a boat launch incorporated into the camp grounds down from swimming area. Restrooms seemed adequately spaced for our needs. There are 3 showers, one of which was handicap w/ a bathroom. They are not coin operated (a plus). Bathrooms were maintained fairly well, showers could of used a periodic cleaning through out the day, especially when the park is full with so many families. There are no garbage receptacles throughout the park, you must use the dumpster located near the registration building. Upon entrance to the park is a Diner (211 Bar & Grill) and a party store. This is very nice and accommodating especially if you forget something or (Ladies...if you don't want to cook). We truly enjoyed the pizza & cold brews on Friday night, the place was packed and food was great!! The park has beautiful sunsets along Black Lake, picnic tables and benches spaced through out the beach area, some hiking trails, and a great working staff and a friendly, helpful park host, so all is not lost. You decide, it's a personal choice when it comes to camping; what are your expectations?