Van Buren State Park: Camping & Activity Guide for South Haven
VISITING VAN BUREN STATE PARK
Located in Southwest Michigan, Van Buren State Park is situated next to beautiful Lake Michigan and is home to a modern wooded campground. This Michigan State Park is a prime place to visit during the summer with tons of opportunities for biking, hiking, splashing in the Lake Michigan, climbing sand dunes and savoring gorgeous sunsets during your vacation.
Convenient Location to South Haven
If you enjoy the atmosphere of Michigan beach towns, then camping at Van Buren State Park is ideal since it’s conveniently located 3 miles from the downtown of South Haven. This area has cute shops, delicious restaurants, a splash pad and beaches to explore.
For reference we’ve camped here on two separate occasions, once in a tent and the other in a 27ft travel trailer with our family of six. This is our honest review of Van Buren State Park, which will hopefully make your trip planning easier.
Ideally we’ve broken down all the questions you may have when considering if Van Buren State Park should be one of your next camping trips.
PROS/CONS
PROS
Brand new modern bathhouse/restroom (2022) with handicap facilities and a dish washing station
Beautiful beach and sunsets on Lake Michigan
Shaded, wooded sites
Trails through the park
Easily visit nearby towns for a day trip to Saugatuck, St. Joe or Holland
Sand dune to climb on the north end
Only 3 miles into South Haven, which has great shopping, dining, ice cream shops, a lighthouse and large city beaches
Kid-friendly activities in the area for families
Dogs are allowed throughout the campground on a 6ft leash, plus a dog friendly beach
CONS
No alcoholic beverages allowed in day-use and beach areas
Near the power station
The campground is strict on “no beach” after 10pm, the DNR regularly patrols the sand every night.
Gypsy moths can be bad
CAMP AT VAN BUREN STATE PARK
The Campground
Newly constructed bathhouse at Van Buren
The campsites are mixed in size and are situated in five, U shaped loops. Featuring a nice wooded campground, the sites include spots with a decent amount of shade, a good bit of natural vegetation and trees. Rule of thumb: the lower the number sites, the closer the campsite is located to the beach. Most recently, we camped as a family on site 143, which is on loop 3 located across from swings, with no sites behind.
Map of Van Buren Campground from Shorline Vistor’s Guide
Facilities/Amenities
Play structures at Van Buren
220 campsites (66 with electric hookups)
Only electric 50 amp/ 30 amp, no water just a fill station
Dry camping, no alcohol permitted
As of 2022, the large newly constructed bathhouse is one of the nicest facilities we’ve seen. A spacious family/handicap accessible bathroom and shower were also available.
New dishwashing station and drinkable water stations around the park.
Small playground structures, swings and sand volleyball court.
Dogs are allowed in the campground and beach area on a 6ft leash.
Cell Reception Experienced good cell reception at Van Buren State Park for all carriers.
Cost of Camping
Entrance to a Michigan State Park requires a Recreation Passport. Michigan residents can purchase a yearly pass for $13.00 with their vehicle registration. There's a $5 convenience fee when the Recreation Passport is not purchased at the time of your license plate registration renewal through the Secretary of State. Non residents can purchase a daily pass for $11 and an annual pass for $40 as of 1/1/24.
Campsites per-night costs are typically $38 for electric hookup, $15 for a rustic site to $45 for a full hookup site in a prime location. Reservations can be made 6 months in advance. Remember popular campground sites fill up fast, so book early.
Other Options for Campgrounds
Ruby Campgrounds in Emmett
Covert/ South Haven- pool, splash pad, barrel train rides, and playground.
THINGS TO DO AT VAN BUREN STATE PARK
Camper’s Day Use Beach
Beach
The beach is a nice size, with a 1 mile stretch on gorgeous Lake Michigan. Be prepared with water shoes since the beach is quite rock and can be rough on your toes. We did find that although it is rocky near the shore, it gets sandy farther out. Kids and rock hounds will enjoy combing the rocky shorelines of Lake Michigan. The beach is dog-friendly and has a nice sand bar, which is a plus. There are also restrooms and foot washing station, which is a nice feature.
Accessing the Beach You can easily drive, bike or walk to the beach. From the campground, walk a quarter mile on woodchip path, then across the asphalt parking lot to the beach.
I highly recommend bringing bikes, jogger strollers or a wagon to get across to the beach. My littlest one was only a few months old and I loved running in the mornings on the trails. During our children’s infant and toddler stages, we appreciated the Instep Bike Trailers. Even now that our children are older we still utilize it for hauling our towels, cooler, and sand toys when the beach is a farther distance away from our campground, which fits the bill at Van Buren.
Another option is to take the trails over the dunes for a fun adventure, but expect a climb back up. This is our preferred route in the evenings when enjoying the stunning sunsets on Lake Michigan and aren’t encumbered by beach toys and towels.
*Van Buren County has several other parks and beaches, such as South Beach and North Beach, with the famous South Haven Lighthouse that we share more details about below.
Dune Climb
On the North end of the park there is huge sand dune that is always a highlight. Offering visitors a challenge with a rewarding view of Lake Michigan. Get your legs ready for tackling the Van Buren Dune climb and the thrill of running down it. To reach the dune you can come directly from the beach or take the less steep path through the woods from the parking lot area. Our kids love an adventure challenge, so we often take the steeper climb via the route through the woods and go straight up the dune. The path access is behind the restrooms at the accessible entrance to the beach.
Festivals and Celebrations
Fourth of July
Planning to visit South Haven during the Fourth of July? Light Up the Lake is occurring on July 3, 2024. This impressive firework display is synchronized to music. If you camp at Van Buren State Park, the view isn’t great from the actual state park, but if you head to the nearby city beach at Riverfront Park or North and South beaches, you will enjoy an impressive show. Looking for the best camping spots for the 4th of July, check out this list.
South Haven Blueberry Festival Occurring Aug 8-11, 2024. South Haven comes alive with a parade, live music, a craft show, kid activities and, of course blueberries.
NEARBY AREA ATTRACTIONS
Visit South Haven
No summer trip is complete without visiting the town of South Haven. This Michigan beach town is filled with great stores, cute shops, and restaurants. A memorable highlight of our trip is spending the day strolling down the pier with an ice cream in hand with the picturesque red lighthouse as the backdrop. It’s definitely a place to add to your Michigan summer bucket list.
View the South Pierhead Lighthouse
The lighthouse is a stunning backdrop on Lake Michigan’s shoreline. The iconic South Haven ’s bright red color marks the entrance of Black River on Lake Michigan.
The lighthouse station is still operational today and was built and lit in 1872. The original catwalk is a showstopper in both the summer and winter months. There are only four remaining lighthouse catwalks in the state of Michigan. I’d recommend choosing an evening or morning to visit the beach for the stunning sunsets and beautiful photo opportunities when it’s less crowded.
Farmers Market
On Saturdays head in town and grab some fresh produce or flowers. Enjoy some heirloom tomatoes which make some of the best BLT’s sandwich’s or some fresh fruit for a yogurt parfait.
Blueberry Picking
The West side of Michigan boasts some of the best blueberries in the country due to the Lake Michigan affect. Blueberry season starts in early July and runs till August. Two local farms that have u-pick include DeGranchamp Farms and Bumbleberry Farms, which has family activities including a petting zoo and wagon tours, plus a market and bakery. If you’re in town on August 8-10, 2024, you’re in for treat as the South Haven Blueberry Festival is being held.
When heading to South Haven, our family passes through Paw Paw and always stops at Brookside Farms to pick delicious blueberries, play on the large modern playground and enjoy their delightful triple berry smoothies! Here is a list of blueberry u-pick farms in West Michigan, that you could visit on the way.
Nearby Hiking
Pilgrim Haven Nature Area
Located about a 1/2 mile from the state park, Pilgrim Haven is a great little park with hiking trails. Rock hounds will love the beautiful pebbled Lake Michigan beach. Kids can spend hours playing in the creek and exploring the trails and habitats.
Mount Baldhead: A one mile loop hiking trail that showcases the sandy dunes and includes a 302 stair climb with lovely views of Saugatuck and the lake.
Biking
Take advantage of the smooth paved path just outside the campground. The Kal- Haven Trail runs along the road which leads to the beach, about 0.6 miles. Great for leisurely biking or walking. Another enjoyable bike ride is the Van Buren State Park Spur Trail, which runs into the beach town of South Haven, approximately 4 miles away.
Along the way, visitors can utilize Van Buren Trail State Park (gravel surface) which is a total of 14 miles.
The Kal-Haven Trail connects in South Haven and provides 33 miles of additional trails, all the way into Kalamazoo. This rail to trail route is enjoyable for bikers, dog-walkers, runners and even rollerbladers. We especially love that it is handicap and stroller accessible.
There are a couple different places that you can hit including the new disc golf course right off the trail, at the trail head in downtown South Haven and at the state park.
PLAYGROUNDS / SPLASH PADS
Kids Corner Wooden Play Structure
This impressive wooden playscape across from Lake Michigan is a hit with kids. It features a large grassy area that is perfect for a picnic lunch to relax during your visit. *currently under construction
Splash Pad
Modeled after the Michigan Maritime Museum's tall ship, Friends Good Will, this unique splash pad will entertain your little ones. Located just East of South Beach on the Black River channel that connects the Marina to Lake Michigan.
Lake Arvesta This outdoor adventure water park is fun for the whole family. It features floating obstacle course, paddle boarding, cable wakeboarding, and pickleball. A full serve restaurant helps provide everything you need for a day of fun.
Beaches in South Haven
The North and South Beaches are the most popular and largest beaches. Both offer concession stands, restrooms, playgrounds, and parking lots. South Beach has the iconic red lighthouse. North Beach features volleyball nets for games.
Museums
The Michigan Maritime Museum offers boat rides and even a pirate ship cruise, plus features exhibits about maritime history. Other museums include Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum and Flywheeler Museum.
Visit Saugatuck
Take a day trip to Saugatuck Dunes State Park, which has a gorgeous walk through the woods to get to the beach and sand dunes. Take a thrilling Saugatuck Dunes Ride that will excite the whole family or cruise on the Star of Saugatuck as you sit back and glide down the Kalamazoo River. They offer both daytime & sunset cruises. Saugatuck Chain Ferry, is another activity to try. This hand-pulled chain ferry travels the Kalamazoo River and connects downtown Saugatuck to Mount Baldhead Park and Oval Beach.
Art Barn ( Fennville) if it’s a rainy day, try pottery painting at this nearby place.
Day Trip to St Joe Head to St Joe’s splash pad, carousel and gorgeous beach for the day.
Overheisers Orchards Pick your own apples, cherries, blueberries, pears and more in the fall or summer months. Take a wagon ride complete with a history lesson and visit with the farm animals .
WHERE TO EAT
Fields Store This grocery store on the way has everything you need.
Sherman’s Ice Cream Choose from a wide variety of flavors of ice cream as you sit under the shaded picnic tables and take a leisurely stroll down the canal to the lighthouse.
The Lodge is one of the best restaurants in South Haven. Everything is locally sourced. The outdoor area has live music on the weekends, plus giant jenga and yard games to entertain the kids.
Clementines One of our favorite restaurants, which serves delicious fresh fish in a historic building. Clementines is quite popular, so expect a wait on weekends.
Three Blond’s Brewery This local brewery is owned by three sisters and serves delicious food and drinks.
Root Beer Barrell Visit the enormous root beer barrel. This unique stand, in the shape of a massive barrel, is the place to grab a hot dog and root beer float.
Winerys St. Julian Winery & Distillery and Cody Kresta Vineyard and Winery are great spots to stop in the area.
Crane's Pie Pantry & Winery (Fennville). The original one is a great spot to visit the family farm for u-pick peaches. The restaurant is the ultimate “I Spy” place and the food is delicious with great prices. Make sure to wander around the beautiful grounds and try the desserts.
Salt of the Earth (Fennville) Offers a great atmosphere with farm to table food.
Where to Stay /Accommodations
If camping at Van Buren State Park isn’t in the cards for you this season, there are lots of nearby places to stay in South Haven. You can still visit this Lake Michigan beach town by choosing from quaint bed and breakfasts, like the romantic Carriage House or the Yelton Manor Bed and Breakfast. Another wonderful option is the beautifully restored, Historic Hotel Nichols, which is in an ideal location near the river and is easily walkable to downtown restaurants, art galleries and shopping. Search VRBO to discover the perfect place for your next vacation whether its a small cottage or a house right on the beach.
Closing Thoughts
Enjoy delightful summer days camping at Van Buren State Park, as you explore the beauty that Michigan’s Great Lakes has to offer. Follow Discovering Anew for more camping reviews and Michigan day trip adventures. Visiting Van Buren State Park is bound to be a memorable experience. Make sure to Pin and Save for later and if you found this helpful please share with a friend. We’re constantly producing new content and strive to create honest reviews to help make planning your next trip easier. From our family to yours…HAPPY CAMPING!
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