Scenic State Park — Hotel in Grand Rapids

Would have loved to give the park more stars, as the scenery really is beautiful and the trails were wonderful, but the campsites leave a lot to be desired.

In Lodge Campground, there were some sites hospitable for tents - ours was not, mostly gravel with what seemed like a concrete layer about 1.5 inches into the ground, so we were not able to properly secure our tent spikes. I would advise not even considering trying to tent camp in Chase Point Campground - most of those sites were pure grave or straight up concrete. It rained pretty heavily while we were there, and the park does not have any covered picnic areas or shelters open to the public, so we had to bunk down in tents or cars until the storm went through. Definitely more of an RV or camper park.

The mosquitoes were THICK, though the site that we were in (site 70) was in a corner surrounded by woods, so I'm not sure how the bugs were throughout the rest of campground. Also, for that particular site, we had nightly raccoon visits as they attempted to get into our closed coolers and secured boxes - if you stay near the woods, definitely put things away in your vehicle each night.

Bathrooms had moldy show curtains and lots of mildew/grime - though not the worst camp showers I've ever used. The beach area was alright, shaded with lots of room to set up chairs, but no real beachy, sandy area.

We tried to rent kayaks, and only 4 were available for the whole park. We got down to the rental spot (not monitored) and though we rented three, only two were there, and they were not beginner-friendly, very narrow and shallow, pretty likely to tip in the water. I will say though, the staff was WONDERFUL - the woman we spoke to several times at the welcome center and who helped us with the rentals was so friendly, and gave us a full refund when we let her know we had changed our minds on the kayaking.

I might come back for a day trip or a one-night stay, but probably wouldn't return for an extended stay unless it was in an RV. Highlight of the trip was the 2mi round-trip hike to Chase Point, definitely worth it for the beautiful old-growth pines and view...

I'm only giving it a four because of the beauty of the lake and the super amazing staff. Otherwise, I'd give it a three. When I think of camping I think that you would have your own little area surrounded by trees and be slightly secluded. If you plan to stay here don't expect that. We got stuck at a site that was shared with another group of about 10 kids and 6 adults who also had another adjacent site. And we ended up being about 3 feet away from these people. Which was highly annoying and not at all what we wanted. So just expect that you may get stuck right next to campers, other groups, etc. The porter potties need to be dusted and cleaned badly. They also have these lovely things called dark fishing spiders(which you should really look up because they're creepy asf). They only hunt at night usually and don't typically bite but when you go to the bathroom at 1am I'd bring a shoe with you ;) the mosquitoes are crazy bad here and are totally resistant to 20 layers of bug spray. I would suggest bringing some peppermint oil to rub on to repell them and a bug zapper is a good idea. There's also A LOT of horse flies and deer flies especially on the lake by the shore. We did end up going kayaking and that was the highlight of the trip! It was so gorgeous and the lake was mesmerizing. ♡ lots of islands to stop at and there's a part of the lake that is entirely covered in water lilies. The lakes connect so there's a lot to explore and really has a rustic look. Lots of lunes on the lake who have no problem getting close to you. Only thing is again there's lots of bugs and spiders here so when you get a kayak or canoe except to find lots of spiders. The first one they gave me had at least 10 spiders and I just gave up and got a new one. Some of the other kayaks smelt like rotten something or other. We also couldn't go to the firetower because the trail was so bug infested which...

On this visit we took our bicycles. After inquiring at the office...we parked and biked to a suggested trail. Let me tell you..it isn't for wimps (me). As you bike along the grassy, windy, rock-laden, trees in the path, trail you are mesmerized by the beauty of nature. Bybno means was it an easy trail. Up hill 90% of the way. Just when you think you've mastered the climb you rejoin beach sand and the rocks, again, as the trail twists around standing trees and rocks guarding the path. There is no room for day dreaming! Just as I gave up hope the trail wound its way to the foot of the retired fire tower. We caught our breath and went down another suggested trail (maintenance Rd) back to the park road. This was still difficult but it was practically downhill with no obstacles in the trail...just beach sand and grass. We made it back to the road - but not before I wiped out and cut my knee. We made it back to HQ to freshen up..I looked like I'd been swimming - I was perspiring so much. We cooled off in the picnic area, shaded by pines and a cool breeze as we looked out over the pristine Loon Lake, as we ate. There are 2 camping areas to choose..and 1 camping cabin...reserve that well in advance. Historical bldgs to explore. Several places to set up camp. When we camped, the Loons and Wolves entertained us through the night with their cries...so soothing. Great place to get out and enjoy...