D.H. Day Group

Summary

D.H. Day Group Campground is a year-round tent-only facility located in the heart of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan. It has four sites which accommodate groups of 7 to 25 people and includes picnic tables, campfire rings and access to water activities such as motorized and non-motorized boating, canoe and kayak rentals, beachcombing and more. The campground is also close to the Dune Climb, where visitors can climb 200-foot sand dunes and take in panoramic views of the area.

Overview

D.H. Day Group Campground is a tent-only facility located in the heart of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, about one mile north of the Dune Climb, where visitors can walk over miles of sand dunes. This year-round campground has four sites which accommodate groups of 7 to 25 people.



Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90s during the day and can drop 20 degrees at night. Winters are cold, with daytime highs in the 20s to 30s and lows in the 10s and 20s; snow is usually on the ground from late November through March.

As with all NPS sites Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is following all CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting public spaces found at: https://www.cdc.gov/.../pdf/Reopening_America_Guidance.pdf This includes routine cleaning of outside surfaces, showers and restrooms, plus twice a day deep cleaning/disinfecting of showers and restrooms using EPA approved disinfectants against Covid-19. Our campground offices have implemented once a day disinfecting at opening, then all touched surfaces will be disinfected after each group uses the office, barriers have been installed on the desks, our staff wear masks, and only one group will be allowed into the office at a time. For more on how the NPS is responding to Covid-19 you can also go to: https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/public-health-update.htm Please call the visitor center at 231-326-4700, ext. 5010 if you have a specific question about one of the park's safety measures. 

Recreation

D.H. Day Group is a hub for water activities. Motorized and non-motorized boating is allowed on the lake, with restrictions, and there is a boat ramp about six miles away by which boaters can access Lake Michigan. Campers can also rent canoes and kayaks in the town of Glen Harbor to float the nearby Crystal River. The beach at Glen Haven, which is popular for beachcombing and swimming, is about one mile away from the campground. There are no lifeguards on duty at the park's beaches.

The facility is also close to the Dune Climb, where visitors can climb on sand dunes over 200 feet high, walk more than 1.5 miles on the dunes to Lake Michigan and catch a great view of Glen Lake.

Facilities

Picnic tables and campfire rings are provided at the campsites. The campground has drinking water during the reservation season, but the water is shut off from October through April. Pets and RVs are not allowed in the group sites. Access to the campground is via a dirt road.

Natural Features

The campground is open with sparse vegetation. Contrary to the park's name, bears are rarely sighted here, yet other wildlife such as birds, deer and wild turkey may be seen.

Although the Lake Michigan shore is long and narrow, it has northern hardwood and conifer forests, abandoned farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs and splendid examples of a glacially formed landscape.

The most prominent features in the park, for which it was named, are the perched sand dunes above Lake Michigan. The overlooks at Sleeping Bear, Empire and Pyramid Point bluffs are about 400 feet above the lake. With 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams, the park is wonderfully water-oriented.

Nearby Attractions

The historic area of Glen Haven, which features a working blacksmith shop, a 1920s-era general store and Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum, is within a short drive of the campground.

contact_info

For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.

Charges & Cancellations

Campers must notify the campground office at 231-334-4634 if they will not arrive within 24 hours of the check-in time or their reservation will be cancelled; 

• They will be charged a $20 no show fee and forfeit the first night’s recreation fee for the campsite.

• Staff will hold a campsite until 2:00 pm on the day after the scheduled arrival date.

Other www.recreation.gov fees include:

• Any cancelled reservation refund will have a $10 service fee withheld.

• Switching to dates that are entirely outside of the original reservation dates: $10 change fee.

• Cancelling a reservation, the day before or on the day of arrival: $10 service fee AND forfeit the first night’s camping fee.

• Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid but will not be subject to an additional service fee.

• Group Site Reservations cancelled less than 14 days before the arrival date will pay a $10 service fee AND forfeit the first night’s camping fee.

For a complete explanation of all recreation.gov change and cancellation policies visit https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies