Baraga State Park — Attraction in Baraga Township

Disclosure: Tent Camping Purist; 3 nights

Baraga (“Bear-uh-guh”) State Park. This is a state park that has lots of potential. Unfortunately that potential has not been realized.

In short:

Pros: Location; Modern, hot and spacious and clean showers and bathhouse. Cons: Extreme Road Noise, Cloistered Conditions, poor layout.

In detail:

Baraga State Park on paper looks like a gem. Located at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula an hour and a half from Copper Harbor, an hour from the Porcupine Mountains, an hour from Marquette, A half hour into Houghton Hancock, not forgetting nearby Canyon or Agate Falls, Adventure Mine, Mount Arvon and many other points of interest. And let’s not forget the magnificent view of L’anse Bay and Lake Superior and the two adjacent towns. Baraga, on the map makes absolute sense. Throw in the amenities of a warm shower and a flushing toilet to someone who has car camped in the backwoods? Sounds like heaven. Sounded like, I should say.

It can be for no other reason than the unreasonable, borderline unsafe closeness to the active highway of US 41. I had a site unacceptably close to the road, with only two trees between our site and the shoulder of the road. I could hear semi trucks pass through L’Anse, round the three mile distance of the bay, and with a long crescendo, thunder passed my site. In a tent, and having come from the similar but considerably less bad Lake Gogebic State Park, needless to say my first night here was almost sleepless. I went into L’anse and bough earplugs, no joke.

I was less than 50 feet from the road. At around midnight one night, a State Policeman pulled over a speeder directly next to my tent, I could see nearly everything. You can imagine my surprise at a blaring red light and the sudden opening and shutting of car doors lying half asleep in a tent.

It just struck me as so odd that the state has access to such large swaths of land, but then would build this. The park sites are very crowded, the state has maximized use of what limited surface area there is available to cater to a high quantity of campers. This chokes out privacy and may explain the absolutely tiny vehicle entrance that surely causes traffic jams onto US 41. For a park that boasts access to a boat ramp across the highway, the trailer length and use of watercraft furthermore adds for a cumbersome and cloistered environment. The entire park needs to be moved further from the highway or, a major tree planting project needs to take place and some sites issued with a noise advisory. Clearly I was in a spot meant for a trailer, ideally owned by a deaf narcoleptic.

The site did have its perks, the showers were warm and the locations was excellent. But I would not recommend any site near the road, and if so, bring something to cancel out the noise.

Fun fact for those who read the review: This park is oddly close to a Maximum Security Prison. Like 1/2 Mile through the woods with trail access in the back...

TL;DR Stayed in the cabin. It was clean and nice. Recommended for anyone as long as they don't have any sort of disability/mobility issues. Bring a mattress topper because the mattress is uncomfortable. Read on for details!

We stayed in the cabin. It was clean and decent size for 2 adults and 1 child. It has a full size bed with a twin size bunk. Inside has a fold up table and chairs, broom and dustpan, heater, mini fridge and freezer, microwave, and coffee maker. No plumbing, so no toilet or sink, which is not a surprise at all. The beds are very springy and uncomfortable, but we had a foam mattress topper we put on it that made it better. The full size bed is very low to the ground, so would not be ideal for people who have mobility issues to be able to get out of bed. I was miffed to find there are no obvious handicap bathrooms available in the main bathroom building nearest to the cabin, I am unsure if there is one in the building on the other side of the park. There is a vault toilet (outhouse) next to the cabin which is larger and has grab bars and is far more accessible. It was a bit smelly, as expected with an outhouse, but next time I would bring some air freshener with me and it would probably be fine. I was put off by the ableist set up of not having real toilets available for people who are disabled or just need a bit more wiggle room to use the toilet (the stalls are so small I basically had to stand over the toilet to open and close the doors.) I find that pretty unacceptable. But otherwise the stay was nice and we had a good time. I just have a hard time understanding why they are allowed to not have accessible accommodations for people with disabilities. It would be nice if they addressed this and added more...

Wonderful state park and friendly staff. Campsites for tents to mansions on wheels. The park has 2 buildings with bathrooms and there are private showers with hot water, clean restrooms and well manicured grounds. Sites don’t offer a lot of privacy from your neighbors but there are lots of small trees that may provide decent shade depending on your site. The fire pits are unlike any I’ve seen before and they do not put off a lot of heat because of the design and CANNOT be moved.

There’s a great trail that begins at the campground and goes through town and ends at a lighthouse, about 6.5 miles round trip. Wide side walk is great for walking or bike riding. Pics included for trail reference.

::TIP:: Try to get a site away from the road, if possible, the road stays busy all day and night with commuters and truckers and you’ll hear em.

The train tracks don’t seem to be in use?! Never heard it running throughout the stay, so don’t be afraid to stay in the back close to the tracks.

You can/SHOULD get the Michigan state parks Passport if you plan on visiting or camping in the state’s recreation areas for 4 nights or more a year. Daily non Michigan plated vehicle rates are $11 or $40 for the year.

Call ahead to check availability at your preferred campground, you can save $8-$10 on your reservation by doing a walk up campsite. Reservations online or over the phone...