LUDINGTON BEACH

As luck would have it, our campsite at Ludington was right next to the camp host.  I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  It turned out to be neither because they were rarely there.  I thought that was a little strange because aren’t they supposed to make sure all is good day and night?  I think it is different for state parks.  Their role seemed to be more of an informational resource for campers.  The DNR (the armed DNR) drove around to ensure all was well.

Not that it mattered though, Ludington State Park was super nice!  It wasn’t a parking lot type atmosphere, and it wasn’t a woodsy atmosphere.  It was grassy campsites with trees and shrubs.  They had fire pits and allowed alcohol!

In addition, there was a nice camp store which sold ice cream cones with super delicious flavors.  My favorite was peanut udder licious!  Also, at the camp store were bike rentals, kayak, canoe, paddle board rentals and postings for other things going on in the state park.

The night we arrived there was a celtic concert at the ampitheater in a woodsy atmosphere.  And the next morning was a fishing tournament which I encouraged Kevin to participate in.

What I first noticed when arriving Ludington was the sand dunes.  I have to admit, I think it is the first time I have ever actually seen sand dunes!  I’m not 100% sure that is a true statement, but I think it is!  

They are pretty amazing!

What I loved most about Ludington was the bike paths.  It was like we were in a little village of bike paths.  They were designed to take you everywhere.  

They took us to the celtic concert that night, they took us to the dam where the fishing tournament was the next morning.  They were a way to travel between the different campgrounds within the state park, they took us to see lighthouses and they took us to the beach.  We rode our bikes everywhere as did everyone else.

The first night, we started off with a delicious ice cream cone which we sat at our campsite and ate.  Then we jumped on our bikes and found our way to the celtic concert.  For those not familiar with celtic music, it is like folk music from Ireland, Scotland and Wales.  There were three members in this band, with one playing an accordion and occasionally a flute.  She was also the singer.  Another played the violin and one played the guitar. On the night we were there, they had some young girls (age 8 – 10) that were learning to do Irish step-dancing.  They got up several times and performed along with the band.

Very cute!

Then we headed over to the dam which had bike paths to take you right up over the top of it, and then over to the beach to see the sunset.  The sunset is very popular at all beaches on Lake Michigan.  It is very beautiful and you will see people lined up on the beach taking pictures 🙂

The next day, Kevin got up early and headed over to the dam to do some fishing and to participate in the “invasive” fishing tournament.  Apparently, fish from different places find there way into Lake Michigan by way of boats going from one place to another, or from people who purchase exotic fish for their ponds at home, and for one reason or another no longer want them so they dump them into Lake Michigan.  These exotic fish become predators for the traditional fish that are caught in the lake for purposes of taking them home for dinner.  These are the “invasive” fish and they are quite a problem.

So the purpose of this “invasive” fishing tournament was to catch these fish and put them in a bucket because they claim they know someone that likes to eat them.  The goal is to put a dent in the removal of these fish.

Later that day, we biked our way over to the beach and I parked my beach chair right on the water’s edge to enjoy the sun and the water, and to do a little people watching which I find to be super fun.  Especially the kids.  They can be so fun to watch.

Kevin went exploring and came back with some interesting pictures.  He came across a beautiful lighthouse, a fairy garden that a little girl had made with all of the treasures she found on the beach, a sand monster someone had formed and some other beautiful shots of the beach.

All that and we were only there for two nights!

The amount of time spent at each state park was driven by availability at the time I booked the reservations.  Also, I had no idea which we would have preferred at the time.  And I have to say, so far we have found things we liked about each one of the parks.  And Kevin and I have different ideas about what makes a good campsite but all in all we are both pretty easy.  And after 40+ years of tent camping, we absolutely love our camper!  It’s nice to have a place to go when the weather’s not great!

The air quality from the Canadian wildfires was a little worse here than at the other spots we have been to.  Kevin and I are both feeling it in our lungs, both have a cough and a little raspy voice.  We should be home staying indoors, but unfortunately we couldn’t predict the air quality issue during our beach tour 🙁  Hopefully, the fires will get under control soon and the air quality will return to normal.

So, what did we love about Ludington?  EVERYTHING!!!

sand dunes;

3 lakes, a river and a dam;

places to fish;

bike paths everywhere;

scheduled events including tree walks and nature walks;

spacious campsites;

alcohol allowed;

fire pits;

yummy ice cream

What we didn’t like:

No rocks to run;

no boat marina;

no water hookup

RATING

On a scale of 1 – 10, Kevin and I both give Ludington a rating of 8.  No reason for not giving it a higher rating except we want to leave room for maybe loving another spot more. 

So for now it is our favorite!