Sleepy Hollow State Park

It’s safe to say I love camping and Halloween almost as much as I love sunshine and motorcycles.  This was the weekend I’d been waiting for – a fall camping excursion at a new location, Sleepy Hollow State Park in Laingsburg, MI.

I love fall camping but without extra PTO, it’s tough to not arrive in the dark.  We made our way west on I-96 and were treated to a spectacular sunset.

Upon arrival, we learned from a fellow camper the water had been shut off due to the freeze warning overnight.  No worries, we were full.  Making our way into the campground, we came upon our site occupied by a young couple who mistook our site for theirs.  Because 1) it was late 2) the site wasn’t bad and 3) they immediately offered to move, we chose to swap and set up camp on the site next to ours.  In the morning, they packed up, were pulling away and left us the remainder of their firewood..  Aww..  Flagging down DNR as they circled the park, we then learned that our new site wasn’t booked by someone else.  Thank God.

Cold, but dry, the day was bright, crisp and clear, exactly what I’d hoped for to get out and explore on Saturday.  In researching the park, I found it on Google Earth, and noticed four separate parking areas near the beach.  Zooming in, three of the four looked abandoned.

The trail to the beach was right next to our site, and a very short walk.

The road leading to the first abandoned lot looked as creepy as I expected.

Closed to traffic, we walked past the gate and saw that the road passes through their disc golf course.  It then made sense that this area was repurposed when the disc golf course opened, and the remnants of its past use sit forgotten.

Piles of dirt and gravel now occupy this open space, making it a great spot for RC truck fun! Taking a closer look, we found this message:

I give you the crazy stick?  We’re hoping that was a friendly geocaching message.  The other lots are now access to the cabins that were built, leaving one for access to the beach.

We spent the remainder of the day walking through the park and noting what sites we’d like to try on our return. I really liked how woodsy the park is, like a huge patch of woods with campsites carved out. Not a huge open grassy field where you can look out your window into your neighbor. The only drawback are the power poles aren’t necessarily close, but when booking it’s made clear about how much power cord you’ll need. One of the sites in the south campground had a creepy looking walnut tree, even creepier in black and white.

We returned to light the fire and deck out the site with Halloween decor, making it back just in time for Michigan’s heartbreaking loss and the eruption of State fans throughout the park. Oh, and the brief snowfall, like Dippin Dots falling from the sky!

My last shot of the night, my attempt at the moon and clouds. I’ll get it one day.

LOOOVED this campground and can’t wait to return next season!