Warren Dunes State Park | Exploring & Camping in the Park

We kicked off spring with our first camping trip of the year! Our go-to state park with our friends is hands-down Warren Dunes State Park. We love the views, the amenities, the general store, the trails, the campground, and the parks. The entire State Park is well taken care of and just gleaming with nature (also, who doesn’t love a good view of Lake Michigan?). Bonus: This State Park has a pet-friendly shoreline!

This State Park also has recycling bins - so if you have the means to sort recycling from trash, please do so!

We actually got there a day early for an extended trip and some much needed family time. We recently upgraded all of our camping equipment too with some new-to-us gear and wanted to test it out before everyone got there (in case we need to run to the store for emergencies). But it all went well! We later figured out how to connect our sleeping bags, so we didn’t get to do that this trip.

After setting up our camp, we headed to the general store for wood and we like to browse their goodies. I ended up leaving with a bucket hat and Evelyn left with a pocket of candy!

Then, we headed to the trail to go watch the sunset. We made the mistake of not bringing her carrier for this trip (lesson learned - always bring the carrier). But none-the-less, it was a beautiful hike!

As we neared the shore, I noticed some pretty dark clouds quickly approaching. It was supposed to be clear skies all weekend, but there’s no Liggett trip without rain. Charlie (my husband) and the dogs quickly booked it to get the car while Evelyn and I played in the sand.

He picked us up just as it started to sprinkle too! Perfect timing.

Day 2

We woke up to quite the freezing morning! We immediately started a fire and made some breakfast (which ended up being one of our packed dinners because we forgot to pack a breakfast). Thankfully, a couple of our friends showed up bright and early and we headed out for a late morning hike to warm us up!

We always start our hikes by letting Evelyn stretch her legs and run out her energy. Then after she starts to get tired, we load her up into the pack and she falls asleep not long after. Well, we forgot that this pack comes with a sunshade! We strapped Charlie’s jacked around her - oops! haha

She napped for 30 minutes or so while we all had lunch. Then we sat around and relaxed for another half hour before the rest of our group showed up. Of course they, too, were eager to get out and explore! So we headed for a short walk inside the wooded areas to keep it nice and simple.

Related: Wilderness State Park

There are so many trails to explore while you are at Warren Dunes State Park. Not only that, but the dunes are constantly changing so some trails might not even be the same when you come back. I have video footage from us hiking these dunes a few years back and they were drastically different!

When we got back, we had one of our favorite camp meals - hobo packets! We loaded these packets up with peppers, onions, sausage (Tempeh for me), corn, carrots, and zucchini (such an amazing way to clean out the fridge). Then, of course, we had to end our night with mo-mos (s’mores). We recently found a vegan marshmallow company that taste so good! That bag was quickly devoured.

Day 3

Although it wasn’t nearly as chilly, the morning was still crisp. We started off our morning with our choice of coffee or tea, pancakes, washed up, and headed to the trails. Today was a big hiking trip because we always like to take the dunes head on, scale them, and end at the shoreline, then back to camp.

Like I said, Evelyn is a trooper and would much rather hike herself. It won’t be much longer until she won’t need to sit in the carrier anymore (although hikes might take MUCH longer!). We love using these opportunities as a way to teach Evelyn about vegetation and how to care for the environment though. She loves to observe the bugs, critters, and plants around her.

Once we rounded the corner and started to leave the woods, it was time to put Evelyn in the pack. I knew this was going to be difficult for me, so I couldn’t imagine how difficult it would have been for her. This would have been a good trip to invest in trekking poles, but we made it up with the help of our friends! And I’m so glad we did - these views were breathtaking!

Yep, still forgot we had a built in shade. The wind was starting to whip sand and it would have helped so much!

After we made it back to camp, we took a small break before loading back in the car to head to the beach. Lake Michigan’s waves were at peak height and some of our friends wanted to see them - this beach is absolutely stunning so I wasn’t going to say no! By the time we got back to camp again, we only had a few minutes to shovel down dinner and get back up to the top of the dunes for sunset. Some of us opted out while the others - myself included - were winded and dripping sweat by the time we scaled the top!

Depending on the location, I love to use our trips as a way to practice my night photography. I’m still learning but I like to think I get better with each trip!

I can’t believe I forgot to mention this, but our camp neighbor was the sweetest! He had just ventured off on his first week of retirement and was living in his camper with his beautiful dog. They were traveling all over the Midwest for the next year and frequently came over to chat, say hello, or ask where to visit next. He even brought us a big batch of chocolate chip cookies that were gone within seconds. I wish we had more campers like him these days! I hope he is out there enjoying his summer.

Related: Huron National Forest

Going Home

On our last morning, everyone packed up while Charlie warmed up left over pancakes and scrambled some eggs. It’s always a wonderful stay at this campground!

As always, please be sure to leave your campsite better than you found it, say goodbye to your neighbors, and thank the park rangers on the way out.

If you loved some of these pictures, you can find them on my Etsy for purchase soon!

What was your favorite part of our trip? Mine was definitely watching the sunset from the top of the dunes?

Exploring Michigan | Warren Sand Dunes State Park

Day 2

Day 3

Going Home