Interlochen State Park is located in the town of Interlochen in Northwest Lower Michigan, about 15 miles from Traverse City.

We stayed at Interlochen State Park primarily as a base camp to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore which is located about 25 miles away.

Campgrounds at Interlochen State Park

Interlochen State Park is divided into 2 sections by M137 highway.

The Duck Lake campground side has the majority of the modern campsites and amenities such as the snack bar and the equipment rental area.

The Green Lake campground side has rustic sites and no amenities (not even flush toilets).

Site Review:

We had site 387. It was a large, level, electric site in the Duck Lake campground with a view of the lake.  There were steps down to the water from the site.

There is a boat launch about 5 sites down with a small dock, which was convenient for putting the kayaks in. The Duck Lake waterfront sites are all generally very good. Sites 413 and site 383 are just a couple of examples of some really nice spots.

Site 365 has an asphalt pad and it backs up to a private home (which looks really close actually) – It’s the only site that does that.

• There are over 400 sites with 50 amp electrical service, but there are no water or sewer hookups available.
• A dump station is easily accessible.  
• All sites have fire rings for fires.
• Pets are allowed.
• The comfort stations are large and clean, although dated.
• The privacy between sites is average. You know you are not alone, but the sites are large enough that activity at other sites is not distracting.

Activities:

• You can bike along the campground roads or along M137 into town etc. The road is flat and paved and has wide shoulders for cyclists.
• Swimming is available at the Duck Lake beach. It is unsupervised.
• there are 2 boat launches for motorized boats.
• Fishing is popular
• There are private homes and cottages around the lake, so it can be busy,  but we didn’t find it to be too bad when we were there.
• The lakes are ideal for canoeing/kayaking etc. You can rent equipment at the Duck Lake beach store.

Interlochen Center for the Arts

I had read some reviews before booking, and many had referenced the Interlochen Center for the Arts camp. The camp is across the road from the Duck Lake campground, and right beside the Green Lake campground.  

The Arts camp was established in the late 1920s and caters to young people in the arts (music, drama, visual, writing, dance, etc.) It is clearly not your typical band camp. It attracts campers from all over the world. In the drama area, there is a wall of famous alumni that includes Linda Hunt from NCIS and Felicity Huffman from Desperate Housewives.

You are free to enter and walk around the grounds. There are information booths and kiosks near the main entrance. Helpful staff are there to answer any questions, and will happily provide you with a lengthy schedule of events that you can attend. You can enjoy everything from various practice sessions to staff recitals, to full-blown orchestra performances. All are free. The only event that I saw that had a small fee was the drama performance, and you had to buy those tickets in advance at the box office.

During our stay, we attended a staff recital, full orchestra practice and a drama performance. The quality was impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Things to Know:

1. It is an easy walk over to the Arts Centre from the campground.
2. No car is required. There is a lot of parking at the Centre though, should you decide to drive.
3. Noise from the camp was not an issue at all. You could hear it sometimes, but it blended with the background noise of the park in general. I did not find it distracting, and I’m the camper who usually prefers radio-free sites because other people’s music does generally bug me. Any noise from the camp was definitely done by 9 pm anyway, and I never heard it at all in the morning.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Interlochen State Park is a good base to explore Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is about a 45-minute drive away.

There is RV camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes at the Platte River campground, it is very busy though and difficult to secure reservations. Interlochen was a nice alternative.

The campground host has lots of information to assist you with any touring you want to do in the area.

If you are a non-Michigan resident there is a fee for the Recreation Passport on top of campground fees to use the Michigan State Parks. It is a one-time purchase and is good until the end of December of the year it was purchased.

IMO:

Some reviews had talked about how you could hear the music in the campground from the Center and that the noise was invasive. I wasn’t sure how this would impact our stay, and honestly was a bit reluctant, but decided to book anyway. This turned out to be a great decision. What a treat!

It was a great campground, nicely laid out in a treed environment with large sites. Duck Lake was perfect for any water-based activities. The location was good for other attractions in the area.

I really liked the idea of listening to a free symphony concert and then going back to the site and having a campfire. An excellent Michigan State Park and a unique camping experience. I would definitely recommend Interlochen State Park as an RV Place to Go.