Perch Lake State Forest Campground

public land records

Agency-confirmed — The managing agency's own record names this as a campsite and puts it at these coordinates. About as good as it gets short of standing here.

MICHIGAN STATE FOREST CAMPGROUND. Michigan DNR, https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds read 2026-08-17: 'If you're looking for a more rustic camping experience, check out our 140-plus state forest campgrounds located throughout Michigan's Upper and northern Lower Peninsulas. Each campground is located on a river or lake... Most state forest campgrounds are first-come, first-served. A select few can be reserved ahead of time at MiDNRReservations.com. Please note, vehicle entry into all state parks, recreation areas and state forest campgrounds require a Recreation Passport.' The same page lists what every one of these campgrounds has -- vault toilets, a hand-pump well, parking for two vehicles per site, a picnic table and a fire pit -- and what none of them has: 'Electric hookups: There are no electrical units in campsites or common electrical sources' and no wi-fi. THIS CAMPGROUND, per the DNR amenity table https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds/amenity-table read 2026-08-17: listed as 'Perch Lake State Forest Campground' in Luce County. Type: rustic. Nightly fee: $20. Campsites: 32. Managed by: Muskallonge Lake SP (906-658-3338). Seasonal closure: the table records 'open all year' -- but read that as the DNR not closing the gate, not as a promise the access road is plowed. Reservations: not reservable -- first-come, first-served. DNR DESCRIPTION (from the agency's own recreation-search record): Situated on the shore of Perch Lake, this rustic campground offers great opportunities for paddlesports and fishing. Located in Luce County, 23 miles northwest of Newberry. This campground is managed by Muskallonge Lake State Park . DNR LONGER DESCRIPTION: This rustic campground is on the shore of Perch Lake and offers great opportunities for fishing and paddlesports. Kayaks and canoes can be launched from the boat launch on the south side of the campground or carried down a set of stairs centrally located in the campground. This campground offers a boat launch complete with a skid pier. The boat launch can be accessed off County Road 410 or through the main entrance of the campground off County Road 407. There are 32 sites for tent, small trailer and large trailer use. Site #12 and #14 are walk-up sites, suitable only for tents. Camping is limited to a 15-day maximum stay. Amenities include vault toilets and potable water from a hand-pump well. The campground is located 23 miles northwest of Newberry via M-123 and County Road 407. Sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No reservations. View Campground closing and opening date NEAREST TOWN: Newberry, about 23.0 miles, per the DNR description quoted above. STAY LIMIT AND HOUSE RULES, Michigan DNR FAQ 'Camping in a state forest', https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/faqs/state-parks-and-camping/camping-in-a-state-forest read 2026-08-17: 'There is one camping unit and six people allowed per site. A responsible adult (18 years or older) must register and sleep at the campsite each night. Campsites are for overnight stays. If a campsite is left empty for more than 24 hours, it's considered abandoned. To give everyone a chance to enjoy state forest campgrounds during peak season (May 15-Sept. 15), the maximum stay is 15 nights. Once you hit that limit, you'll need to take a 5-night break before returning to the same park.' Check-in is 3 p.m., checkout 1 p.m. 'Camping fees and registration procedures are posted at the information kiosk at each campground.' Quiet hours 10 p.m.-8 a.m., and fuel-powered generators are not allowed during them. 'Paying and holding' a site before you arrive is prohibited. COORDINATE PROVENANCE: Michigan DNR's own ArcGIS feature service https://services3.arcgis.com/Jdnp1TjADvSDxMAX/ArcGIS/rest/services/State_Forest_Campground_Recreation_Search_Points/FeatureServer/0 (layer RecSearchPts_Join_SFCG, 143 points), pulled 2026-08-17. This is an agency coordinate, not OpenStreetMap and not a field visit. Attributes (fee, season, manager, campsite count) come from the DNR amenity table https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds/amenity-table read the same day. The two datasets were joined on county + name + campsite count; see the header of _mi_f920_insert.py for the method and its failure modes. NOT CHECKED: I did not verify any site-specific fire restriction or burn ban for this campground. Michigan issues burn permits and restrictions seasonally through a separate DNR system (Michigan.gov 'Permission to burn'); check it before publishing any fire-related claim about this site. | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.

The public land listing's own fields for this site (site type, whether tents or trailers fit, capacity, toilet, water, campfires, reservations). Printed as the record states them, unchecked by us, and never used to make a cost claim -- the cost verdict above is decided separately and audited before every deploy.

US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.

On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.