D.H. Day Campground
1Heads uppark alert
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Closed for the seasonOut of the season the agency publishes
- A night
- $20From, per site
- Sites
- 8782 on recreation.gov
- Season
- May 1 – October 15Open May 1 through October 15
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 5 notices
In the agency’s own words
D.H. Day Campground is located in the northern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. This rustic campground is one of the most popular in Northern Michigan and is open (weather permitting) from April 27 through the 4th Sunday in November. Reservations are required May 15 through October 15. Campsites are within walking distance of the Lake Michigan shoreline and a short drive to many popular features in the park. Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25° to 32° C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10° to 25° C) at night. Keep reading
Recreation
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore's rustic D.H. Day Campground is beautifully wooded. Campers can swim, canoe, kayak, fish and relax along the shoreline of the campground. The multi-use Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail passes through the campground opening up 20+ miles (32 km) of biking and hiking. There are canoe and bicycle rentals nearby in the village of Glen Arbor. The historic village of Glen Haven is a short 15-minute walk away. Multiple hiking trails, the Dune Climb, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive are just a short drive away. D.H. Day Campground is the perfect launching point for a fun-filled stay at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Facilities
With 81 beautifully wooded campsites, shared water spigots, and vault toilets, D.H. Day provides a more rustic camping experience. Free hot showers are available at Platte River Campground, located 17 miles (27 km) south along highway M-22. Each campsite has a parking area, large picnic table, fire ring and tent pad. Firewood is also sold in the campgound at a self-pay station.
Natural Features
D.H. Day Campground lies in the middle of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near the historic village of Glen Haven. The spacious wooded campsites are no more than a 5-minute walk to the Lake Michigan beach. Features include northern hardwood and conifer forests, old farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs, and splendid examples of glacially formed landscapes. The beautiful, perched sand dunes, for which the parked is named, are just a few minutes' drive from the campground.
Nearby Attractions
To the East and North: 1.5 miles - Village of Glen Arbor - the Crystal River winds through on its way to Lake Michigan 5.7 miles - Port Onieda Historic District can be found 5.7 miles to the North. 20 miles - The Harbor Town of Leland serves as the gateway to both North and South Manitou Islands . To the West and South: 0.7 miles - Alligator Hill Trail 0.8 miles - Historic Village of Glen Haven & the General Store bookstore (0.8 miles), the Maritime Museum (1.1 miles), and the Sleeping Bear Point Trail (1.4 miles). 2.0 miles - The Dune Climb and Dune Center bookstore . 4.2 miles - Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, the location of the Lake Michigan Overlook 7.5 miles - Village of Empire Contact Info For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information. Charges & Cancellations
What the agency tells you
Entrance Fees - Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore charges a variety of entrance fees, depending on how a visitor arrives at the park. All visitors must have an entrance pass (separate from camping fees). The park also honors Federal Recreational Lands America the Beautiful (e.g., Resident Annual, Non-Resident Annual, Senior, Access, Military, 4th Grade, Golden Age). For more information visit the park's Fees & Passes web page. The Michigan Recreation Passport is not valid for entry at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which is a federally managed site.
Permit Conditions: - Campers must check in at the campground office upon arrival. Change sites only with approval of the park ranger at the campground office. - Campers are required to notify the campground if they will not arrive within 24 hours of the scheduled check-in time, which is 2:00 pm ET. If they do not, their reservation will be cancelled, and they will be charged the first night's camping fee plus an additional $20 no-show fee. Please call 231-326-4700, ext. 5045 to notify us promptly. - Check-out time is 12:00 pm noon. - Check-in time 2:00 pm. - Camping is permitted ONLY in designated areas on parking pads & established tent pads. All vehicles and trailers must remain on roadway surfaces and off vegetation. - No more than six (6) people will be permitted on a site. - LIMIT TWO (2) VEHICLES permitted on a site: only one may be a truck camper, camper trailer, boat trailer, or motor-home. - Quiet hours are 10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. Noise levels must be controlled at all times to avoid disturbing other campers. - Generator use is allowed only in campsites 1-31. Generators may be used from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. - Camping is limited to 14 TOTAL DAYS per designated campground between Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day. Camping equipment may not remain on a site for more than 14 days, even if used by a different person or group. - ACTIVE BEAR AREA: Store food, drinks, ice chests/coolers, toiletries, trash/recyclables, and all scented items in a sealed vehicle, RV, or food storage locker day and night. Never feed wildlife. - To prevent and slow the spread of forest pests and diseases, You may only burn firewood from NPS approved vendors. A list of approved vendors is available . - Confine all fires to the fire ring and burn ONLY dead, down and detached wood or charcoal. Fires must be completely extinguished with water before leaving a campsite. Do not leave fires unattended. - It is unlawful to cut, destroy, damage or remove ANY standing tree, shrub or plant, or possess any green vegetation within the park, including flowers. Do not injure trees with nails or by hanging hot lanterns on or against the trunk. - Bicycles are to be used on roads or the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail only and are prohibited in walk-in and group campsites. Roller blades, skates, skateboards, scooters, and similar devices are prohibited in the campground. - Wheeled devices are prohibited on foot trails, including wheelbarrows, wagons, carts & trailers. Do not create short-cuts. - Pets must be on a six-foot (6 ft./1.8 m) leash at all times. Do not leave pets unattended and tied to an object. Pet owners are responsible for the cleanup of all excrement. - Containers must be kept under drains and emptied only at the dump station. - The washing of dishes, hands, hair, or brushing teeth, etc. at outdoor water faucets is prohibited. Washing vehicles at the dump station is prohibited. - Do NOT burn trash/garbage in fire rings. ALL trash/garbage must be disposed of in provided dumpsters. - Do NOT relocate fire rings. - Do NOT park any portion of your vehicle or camper on tent pads.
Violation of terms may result in permit suspension, revocation and/or issuance of a citation by law enforcement.
Everything else this campground posts · 2
Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy is abundant at the campground and throughout the lakeshore. Tent pads and campsite driveways are kept clear of poison ivy. However there may be poison ivy lining the boundary of the campsite. Ticks. Ticks are common throughout the Lakeshore & are often found in tall grass and shrubs. To learn how to avoid and remove ticks, visit the Avoiding Ticks page on the Centers for Disease Control DC website.
Beach Safety. The park has pebble beaches rather than pure sand. Water shoes are recommended. There are no lifeguards on duty at any of the park beaches--swim at your own risk. Beach fires are only allowed between the water and the first dune. No fires are permitted in dune grass. Never leave fires unattended and extinguish them with water only. NEVER BURY A BEACH FIRE WITH SAND.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 87 · 12 tent-only, 13 walk-in
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 35 ft
- Accessible sites
- 1
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets - year round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Store
- Nearby
- Firewood
- Sold here
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek, Beach, Meadow
- Auto Touring
- Beachcombing
- Biking
- Birding
- Canoeing
- Evening Programs
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Ranger programs
- Kayaking
- Ranger Station
- Scenic drives
- Water access
- Night sky · 134th darkest of 192 in MI
- Bortle 3
- Fall color · reported 12 days ago, 36 km away
- Minimal color
Full this Saturdayread 15:32 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
1 campground has sites open within 30 miles, read 14:45 UTC. See them
OpenBookedNot reservable
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 24
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $20 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
Open within 30 miles this weekend · 1
Sites the agency is offering this Friday and Saturday that nobody has taken, nearest first. read 14:45 UTC
- Platte River CampgroundSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 14 mi · 1 of 171 site-nights open
recreation.gov availability, read 15:32 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
87 sites
All 87 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 68 of the 87 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| Generator | 01 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 02 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 03 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Generator | 04 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 05 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 06 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Generator | 07 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 08 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 09 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 10 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 11 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Generator | 12 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Generator | 14 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 15 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 16 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 17 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 18 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Generator | 19 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 20 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Generator | 21 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 22 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 23 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 24 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 25 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 26 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 27 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 28 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 29 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 30 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Generator | 31 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Lower | 82 | type not stated | 25 ft | 30 amp | ||
| Lower | 83 | type not stated | 25 ft | 30 amp | ||
| Lower | 84 | type not stated | 30 ft | 30 amp | ||
| Lower | 85 | rv nonelectric | 35 ft | $20 | ||
| Lower | 86 | rv nonelectric | 35 ft | yes | $20 | |
| Lower | 87 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Lower | 88 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Lower | 89 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 32 | rv nonelectric | 30 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 33 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 34 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 35 | type not stated | 27 ft | 30 amp | ||
| Upper | 36 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 37 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 39 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 40 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 41 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 42 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 43 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 44 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 45 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 46 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 47 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 48 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 49 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 50 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 51 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 52 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 53 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 54 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Upper | 55 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Upper | 56 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Upper | 57 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Upper | 58 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 59 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Upper | 60 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 61 | walk to | 20 ft | |||
| Upper | 62 | walk to | 17 ft | |||
| Upper | 63 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 64 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 65 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 66 | type not stated | 25 ft | 30 amp | ||
| Upper | 67 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 68 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 69 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 70 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 71 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 72 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 73 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 74 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 75 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 76 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 77 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 78 | tent only nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 79 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 80 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | $20 | ||
| Upper | 81 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft |
25 of 87 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
D.H. Day Group CampgroundSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 1.2 mi
Weather Station Campground - South Manitou IslandSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 8.5 mi
South Manitou Group Campground8.7 mi
Bay Campground - South Manitou IslandSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 9.3 mi
Popple Campground - South Manitou IslandSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 11 mi
White Pine Backcountry Campground PermitsSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · 12 miFrom Empire, MI: Drive north on M-22 for 2 miles (3.2 km) to the intersection of M-109, turn left onto M-109, continue for another 5.3 miles (8.5 km) past the Scenic Drive, Dune Climb & entrance to the D.H. Day Group Campground. The entrance to this campground will be on your left.
From Glen Arbor, MI: Drive west on M-109 for 1.4 miles (2.2 km), the entrance to this campground will be on your right.
Physical Address: 8000 W. Harbor Hwy, Glen Arbor, MI 49636
The weather
the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Typical weather
Typical October night 40°F, day 58°F.
Coldest night of the open season: typical October night 40°F. Bring the bag rated for it.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or moreOutside the published season
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it · a letter you can send
Who answers for this land
D.H. Day Campground is in Michigan’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Jack Bergman (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 4
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The office that runs itSleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreNational Park Service unit
- The member who votes the moneyJack BergmanU.S. Representative · Michigan’s 1st district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationElissa SlotkinU.S. Senator · Michigan
- Your senator, on the same appropriationGary C. PetersU.S. Senator · Michigan
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.
Subject Hold back a share of sites at D.H. Day Campground for campers who drive up
To the National Park Service, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: I tried to camp at D.H. Day Campground in Michigan and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 82 of the 87 campsites the agency files at D.H. Day Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 7 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. D.H. Day Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at D.H. Day Campground as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked. Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one. Sent about D.H. Day Campground (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at D.H. Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
Dear Jack Bergman, I’m a constituent in Michigan’s 1st district. I tried to camp at D.H. Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 82 of the 87 campsites the agency files at D.H. Day Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 7 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. D.H. Day Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run D.H. Day Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about D.H. Day Campground (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at D.H. Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
Dear Elissa Slotkin, I’m a constituent in Michigan. I tried to camp at D.H. Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 82 of the 87 campsites the agency files at D.H. Day Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 7 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. D.H. Day Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run D.H. Day Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about D.H. Day Campground (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at D.H. Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
Dear Gary C. Peters, I’m a constituent in Michigan. I tried to camp at D.H. Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 82 of the 87 campsites the agency files at D.H. Day Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 7 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. D.H. Day Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run D.H. Day Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about D.H. Day Campground (Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan) via campanac.com