Michigan / Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore / Manitou Passage State Underwater Preserve

South Manitou Group Campground

Closed — Closed for the 2025 season. The island will be closed throughout 2026 due to dock construction and infrastructure upgrades. Typically operates Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day with a 14-day camping limit per campground during that period.

About

South Manitou Group Campground provides a unique backcountry camping experience on South Manitou Island within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The island, part of a chain extending north to the Straits of Mackinac, is accessible only by Manitou Island Transit ferry from Leland, requiring a 1.5-hour journey across Lake Michigan. All camping gear must be backpacked from the dock. The facility consists of six group sites accommodating 9-20 people each. Three sites are located at Bay Campground, the closest to the dock at less than a mile, with easy beach access. The remaining three sites are at Weather Station Campground, perched on bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan on the south side of the island, approximately 1.3 miles from the ferry landing. Each site accommodates groups only; smaller parties must reserve multiple individual first-come, first-served sites at other island campgrounds. The island offers exceptional recreation opportunities including a 10-mile perimeter trail along pebble beaches, summer lighthouse tours at South Manitou Island Lighthouse, viewing the 1960 Francisco Morazan shipwreck, old growth white cedar groves dating back over 500 years, and unique sand dune formations. The island's geology features limestone layers buried under glacial debris, creating diverse terrain among younger forests on sandy soils.

Directions

From Traverse City, take M-22 to Sutton's Bay. Go west on M-204 from Sutton's Bay towards Leland. Turn north at the junction of M-22 and M-204 to Leland. Take the Manitou Island Transit ferry from Leland to South Manitou Island. Ferry reservations must be made in advance through Manitou Island Transit at (231) 256-9061 or manitoutransit.com.

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