Ludington State Park Visitor Information.
**For all of our Ludington trip reports scroll down to the bottom of this page or click here.
 Ludington State Park is one of the most visited parks in the entire Michigan State Park system and a favorite summer vacation destination in lower Michigan. One visit and you will see why visitors return year after year for the sandy beaches, beautiful lakes and forested dunes.
The park protects the almost 5,300 acres sitting between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan. This includes 7 miles of undeveloped Lake Michigan Shoreline. There is another 4.5 miles of frontage inland on Hamlin Lake. If you were to include all of the islands and inlets that can be explored on Hamlin Lake the actual amount shoreline is much greater. The interior of the park is a split of forested hills and open sand dunes. From the Hamlin dam the final mile of the Sable river also flows through the park on it's way to Lake Michigan. Ludington State Park is also home to the historic and often photographed Big Sable Point Lighthouse.
To help you access all that Ludington State Park has to offer there are over 18 miles of well marked hiking trails. There are boardwalks along the hidden part of Hamlin Lake that is called Lost Lake and along the Sable river. There are also swimming areas on both Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake. The Hamlin Lake day use area also has a boat launch and the start of a unique 4 mile marked canoe trail.
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If you would like to stay at the park there are 352 total modern campsites split between 3 different campgrounds. Sites can be reserved up to 6 months in advance through the Michigan DNR reservation system. If you wish to visit during the busy summer months the campsites fill up quickly so you should plan on making your reservations as early as possible. Each campground also has a mimi camper cabin that sleeps up to 4 people. These cabins are available year round and can be reserved 1 year in advance. For more information on the cabins visit our Michigan State Park cabin page and check out our trip report below.
Finally for those looking to escape the crowds and RVs Ludington State Park has the Jack Pine Walk-in Campground. These 10 rustic campsites are about a mile walk down the gated service road to the Big Sable Lighthouse. Each campsite has picnic table and fire ring. There are also 2 pit toilets and a hand pump for drinking water nearby. See our trip report below for more information and photos from our stay at the Jack Pine Campground. |
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