Popular Michigan campground won’t close in 2024
The popular campground on Round Lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forests will be open this year, after all.
The U.S. Forest Service had planned to close the site in 2024 for repairs. In a news release Wednesday, the Forest Service said costs were higher than anticipated and that the work would be rescheduled.
“Estimates to perform the work planned was assessed higher than anticipated for Round Lake, which impacted the start date of the project,” said Huron Shores district ranger Benjamin Wiese in the news release.
The Huron-Manistee National Forests are “currently looking into alternative sources of funding so that the project can occur in 2025,” Wiese said in the release.
Campers can reserve a spot at Round Lake through Recreation.gov for the upcoming season, which starts May 15.
Wiese asked that the public be patient while the district examines the planned work and creates a new schedule that will not impact visitor use. The retaining wall between the boat ramp and the campground is a primary focus for repairs.
The campground and day-use area are the only public access on Round Lake, northwest of Tawas in northern lower Michigan. Camping is $14 a night and a day pass costs $5 or $30 for the season, according to the Forest Service website.
The campground has 33 sites; 13 require reservations, and the others are first come, first served. Along the shore of Round Lake, the wooded campground is described as scenic and rustic.
Higher costs included an increase in building materials and other supplies for the Round Lake repairs, prompting the Huron-Manistee National Forests to reexamine preliminary designs and priorities, and alternate funding sources, according to the release.
“Opening the site until we resolve funding issues was a logical decision since Round Lake experiences high use,” Wiese said, adding that “chances are we will see all the construction take place in 2025.”