Camping Staycation at D.H. Day

Our group at Northern Swag doesn’t need much convincing to spend a few days chillaxing off the grid at D.H. Day campground in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. So when the annual Dunes Concert was approaching, we decided to set up camp for the weekend right along the shores of Lake Michigan and close enough to the Dune Climb to easily bike our cooler of wine and snacks over for the show.

Life doesn’t get much better than “residing” within walking distance of Sleeping Bear Bay for only $12 a day. Who wouldn’t love waking up in an MSR tent (I had the MSR tent reviewed here if you’re curious), mornings consuming camp stove pancakes and cowboy coffee, afternoons visiting the sites in Leelanau County, and evenings full of laughter and Short’s brew around the fire?

A few tips from our trip:

D.H. Day doesn’t take reservations. Arrive early to scope out the sites and claim your spot in line. We arrived at 6:20 a.m. and were fifth in line. Each site has a reservation slip showing the date the current tenants will check out. Mark down a few that interest you. In addition, a sign in the office window shows how many sites in total of the 88 will be available when they open at 8 a.m.  These fill up quickly! If you don’t get a site you love, try again the next day. Moving isn’t hard, especially when you leave the tents intact (see instructional photo below).

Bring your bikes. The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail winds right through the campground and connects you to Glen Arbor, Glen Haven, Empire, the Dune Climb, and the Scenic Drive. You really could access all you’d need to keep you occupied for a weekend via bike.

Bring your bathing suits. The beach is easily accessible. And remember, there are no showers at this campground so a dip in the lake may be a welcome gift to your fellow campers!

Hammocks from the Totem Shop and a few good books kept the young ones in our group very content. For us adults? A few days away from the hustle and bustle of real life was all we needed to make us sigh with regret when the next campers tacked their reservation slip to our sites, marking the end of our staycation.

Our resident chefs – Nick and Jack

Heading out on the trail

Hammocks

The camp vehicle

Site Switching

Sunset from the beach path

Light painting under the super moon by Jack Beckwith