Bay Furnace Campground — Hotel in Au Train Township

If you're younger (18-35 years old) DO NOT camp here. This is a senior living center with trees. My friends and I booked this trip 3 months ago and have been counting down the days ever since. Our trip was for the 21st through the 24th and we paid in advance (60 something/$20 per night.) We left after about 24 hours. When we first got there we found our site and circled around a couple times to try and find someone to check-in. We didn't have any luck so we decided to unpack (maybe that was wrong? We're still not sure what we did.) An hour or so later this older lady pulls up in a golf cart and starts griping at us immediately. No hello or anything, very first impression. We didn't want any trouble because our vacation just started and we had just been on the road for six hours, so we were nothing but nice and apologetic in return. She told us that we parked way too far into the campsite (we were parked on the flat/hardened area and there were very visible tire marks from previous campers already there, but okay) I immediately apologized and tried to explain that I didn't know and she cut me off with, "Yeah. I know you didn't know!" She came off very hostile. Then she told us that we needed to pay an extra $20 a night because we had an extra vehicle, even though their big wooden sign and website both say $6 extra per night for additional vehicles. Again, we didn't want any trouble so we agreed to pay $20. She said to put it in the box and they would collect it in the morning. Early the next morning, no later than 10 am, a guy came looking for the money and our friend apologized for the delay and paid the $20. Shortly after that our camping neighbor (an old man in his 80s) came over to our site and asked us to keep it down after 10 pm. Apparently, we were too loud last night and kept him up until quarter past 11pm, on a Friday night. No music, no drinking, just wholesome talk around a campfire about Starwars mostly, nothing obnoxious at all. We again apologized and started wondering who else we were going to offend. We started to feel discouraged but carried on with our first full day in the UP. We got back to our campsite around 3pm and shortly after that a different older lady pulled up in a golf cart and just shouted from the road, "Are you guys staying 'ANOTHER' night!?" (Again, we were prepaid through the 24th.) I politely said yes even though I was really feeling fed up by this point because we were starting to feel harrassed. She said, "Well then you need to pay another $20." I said, "Yeah, we know. The ATM was down when we went to the gas station earlier so we're just going to pay in the morning again." And she said "No, it doesn't work that way." Like she busted us trying to get away with something! I said okay, we'll go back out and she then asked me like 3 times, "Will you!?" At that point we all just kinda looked at each other and the feeling was mutual. We were done. We packed our things and left. We don't know what their problem was, but we have it narrowed down to 3 possibilities; we were age discriminated against, Uppers don't like Wisconsin folk, or we weren't supposed to unpack before finding someone to verify our reservation. Either way, their hospitality is trash (always thought people up north were friendlier?). The campsites are way too close together so you get very little privacy, (site makes them look more spread out.) There are no showers, not even a place to wash your hands after using those stinky outhouse hole in the ground toilets. Oh, and they drive around on those golf carts like prison guards. I'm legit scared of the sound of approaching golf carts now... I am typing this review from my apartment in southern Wisconsin. My friends and I should still be in the UP on vacation right now, THAT'S how bad Bay Furnace Campground was. Totally killed our vacation vibe... Thanks a lot for being jerks to all of us for no...

A total blessing to find another National Forest campground right on Lake Superior. I absolutely loved this campground, despite its "character-building" entrance road. The road coming in was a minefield of potholes big enough to swallow a small car – quite the adventure! But thankfully, it was short, and any vehicle could make it just fine. There are reservation only campsites and first come first served with a self pay and register station at each loop. At $24 a night for a primitive site (no electricity, but clean pit toilets, a dump station, and potable water), it initially felt a bit steep. Most National Forest primitive spots are much cheaper. However, with my America the Beautiful pass, it was a much more palatable $12, which, for this area, felt like steal. Honestly, for being right next to Lake Superior and having surprisingly few mosquitoes and horse flies (a huge win in the UP!), it might even be worth the full $24. The campsites are mostly level, well-shaded (great for privacy and hot days, but not ideal for solar panels – hence why I snagged the one sunny spot in the first loop, right behind the self-pay station!). Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. I was lucky to even get a spot, as almost every site was taken! Beyond the campground, there's so much to enjoy and the reason it gets 5☆s. It's walking distance to fantastic rock collecting spots along Lake Superior. The historic furnace nearby is both informative and cool, and the water is beautiful (just a heads-up, there are leeches further down the shore, but not right in front of the campground). It's not a great fishing spot, but that's perfectly fine by me, as I don't fish. Cell signal and data were pretty hit-or-miss with Straight Talk, but that seems to be the norm everywhere in the Upper Peninsula. Dumpsters are available, and there's a host on site if you need anything. There's also a day-use area with picnic tables right on Lake Superior, and the lake and trails are within walking distance of most campsites. Although my campsite was perfect for my solar set up, it was unfortunately within smelling distance of the dump station. Thankfully the wind seemed to only blow my direction a few times. After experiencing other camping fees in the area, I've come to realize that $24 isn't horrible for what you get in the UP. But seriously, for that price, they should really fix that road! Friendly host, very well maintained campground and day use area, more rocks and less sand than most places which made it perfect for...

8/3/2022 - 8/16/2022

Had a great experience at Bay Furnace!

SITE 10: Very spacious. Enough trees for shade or a hammock if you want it, but not so many as to create a lot of barriers or limit space. It gets a bit sandy toward the lake edge of the site, so bring a hand broom to brush off picnic table and belongings. Sand stakes useful if using tent (though our 18" steel spirals may have been overkill). This site has direct access to Lake Superior; the site's access point is steep and sandy, so any mobility issues may limit its usefulness. The beach itself is mostly sand, but definitely becomes rocky right inside the water line (bring water shoes). (All photos in this review were taken at site #10)

VAULT TOILETS: Bring hand sanitizer (no sink), a lantern (only have skylights for lighting, so it gets VERY DARK in there at night), a mirror (no mirrors), and a bit of courage (because... well... vault toilet). Definitely cleaner here than any of the other vaults we encountered during out two-week stay.

NO SHOWERS: Bath wipes, wash basins, and large water containers / dispensers are crucial for longer visits.

BUGS: Didn't really have too much of an issue at our site. Deet worked just fine for mosquitoes (which were not really a problem during the day). Thermacell wasn't very useful at this site, likely due to being right on the water (breezy) - though that may also be why there wasn't much of an overall bug problem either. A bee or two may follow you around if you're holding an open beer. Luckily, the flies which visited our site must not have been of the biting variety.

FIRE PIT: Comes equipped with fold-over grill... bring tinfoil or pans if you plan to use it, as it's a bit rusty and caked with old remnants. Drinking water was nearby (only two sites over for us). Firewood was not being sold on site during our visit (not sure why). Plenty of places to get it nearby though.

WEATHER: ...is fickle! Bring a variety of clothing types. Temperature and precipitation fluctuate a lot - both from day to day and, also, within the same day.

CELL SERVICE: Flawless at this site if you have AT&T (though my data plan somewhat...