travel – Our Family Reviews

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is one of those rare places where you can still feel completely off the grid in the best way possible.

With endless forests, quiet lakes, and rugged backroads, it’s a dream for anyone who loves the idea of dispersed camping and finding their own slice of wilderness.

Special thanks to Felicia Fullwood on YouTube for these ideas.

This content specifically relates to free camping in the U.P. Of Michigan, north of Wisconsin, USA.

Wherever you camp, pack out what you pack in. Before you depart, have a look around to leave your camping space better than when you arrived.

“In Michigan you can legally camp for free on any State owned or National Forest land*.”

There are restrictions and this is called dispersed camping. State land is owned by the Michigan DNR and National Forests are owned by the USDA Forest Service.

Finding Free Camping in UP Michigan

Apps and websites like iOverlander and freecamp…net can be great in a pinch, but most recommendations will be busy and sometimes not ideal.

Do use Google Maps, Google Earth and Landgrid. They’re free!

Landgrid.com tells you who owns the land you’re looking at on Google Earth/Maps.

To find a free dispersed camping spot, start with Google Maps by finding a clearly mapped area like a National Forest.

Look for clearings with a fire ring, campfire ring within a pull off from the trail, or two-track dirt, gravel or sometimes paved road. The indicator is the fire ring, so often. Dispersed campsites are the best near water!

While zooming into specific areas using Google Maps, see if you can locate roads or two-tracks that lead to a spot.

Find the opening of the two-track road to a larger highway or main road that leads to your possible camp spot.

Drop a pin and copy/paste the coordinates into Landgrid.

Check the owner name of the parcel where your camp spot is located to verify it is in fact State or NF property. Once you know it’s public land, switch back to Google Maps to find other potential dispersed camping spots nearby.

Take the copied coordinates from Google Maps of your potential camp spot and switch over to Google Earth and paste your coordinates. Look for clear “camped” openings with lots of trees and underdeveloped. Google Earth lets you look at defined 360 degree view of the topography and to look at the two-track road conditions. This is to be sure your vehicle can make it to the spot on the road and is the spot drivable.

Take a visit to the location and use the landgrid app on site if needed.

Sometimes proposed spots will have no camping or no vehicle signs on the two-track roads, these are no-go’s for free camping.

Iowa is actually killer for overlanding, northeast of Mequoketa, IA is underrated!

I’ve recently been interested in trying OnX Off-road as a tool for finding free dispersed camping, but this app does have a steep learning curve. An opportunity for learning!

Once you’ve made sure it’s safe and public, bring your gear and camp!

Image by: https://www.tripsavvy.com/dispersed-camping-in-natl-forests-503960 / THERESA CHIECHI

Image by: https://www.campingforge.com/blog/what-does-dispersed-camping-mean/

General Rules for Free Dispersed Camping

Before you pack up for your next trip to the U.P. Michigan, it helps to know a few basics about dispersed camping so you can keep the land wild and open for everyone. Across the U.S., a few simple guidelines go a long way:

Camp at least 100 to 200 feet away from any water source.
Pack out everything you bring in, including trash.
Use existing fire rings when possible and always check local burn restrictions.
Stay on established roads and durable surfaces.
Limit your stay to around 14 days in one area.

Following these basics helps preserve the natural beauty of the U.P. for everyone who loves exploring it. If you want more information about finding dispersed camping, this video is a great place to start.

We finally got a camper! Made by manufacturer Jayco, our new travel trailer is 21 feet long and features a bathroom with shower, a queen size bed, an excellent kitchen, dinette, and a couch. The kitchen features a microwave, 3 burner stove, oven, double well sink, fridge and freezer, lots of storage and enough counter space to prep dinner.

The model year is a 2014, and this purchase was off of Marketplace.

The camper RV sleeps 2-3 adults or 2 adults and 3 kids.

I’m the third owner of this travel trailer and the gentleman we bought it from install the bike rack on the back bumper which I’ll be removing as it seems completely unsafe! I certainly don’t want to be adding extra weight to the back of the trailer, which is just dangerous and would make sway more pronounced, while hauling down the highway.

Upgrades

One of the things I’m going to be installing right away, is a Friction sway control bar. This really helps with stabilizing the trailer when a semi passes or in high wind situations. I also found out that before leaving on each trip, I also want to check the tire air pressure on both the camper and the Ridgeline tires. Here’s a quote from the Honda Ridgeline Owners Forum at https://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/posts/523937/

“A friction anti-sway bar will generally help, but you will find that there is always a “push” when you are passed by (or pass) a big rig. I find that if I limit my speed to 60 my gas mileage is better and my sway issues are less.”

The previous owner put in a lot of upgrades, including a new queen size mattress for my Kia, as well as a new water pump and a new toilet. He also installed an extra battery and an extra propane tank.

I was able to use the VIN to contact Jayco to ask about what options the original owner had installed upon purchasing. One of my favorite upgrades is the diamond plated from cover. Here’s all the upgrades:

Our StarCraft AR-One is 21 feet long and it’s also a widebody so there’s lots of room inside. There’s even a power awning and pass through storage in the front which is also accessible from underneath the queen size bed.

I pull the travel trailer with my 2008 Honda Ridgeline RTL with factory upgraded towing package. The trailer weighs around 4.3k lbs loaded and 3.8k dry.

Here’s all the photos from the interior and outside.