In this blog, we’ll review Holland State Park in Holland, Michigan. The state park sits next to Lake Michigan in one of the nicest lake-side summer communities in the Midwest. Even on warmer summer days, the area is blessed with what seems like a constant breeze, which puts the state park in a great location to enjoy the long, relaxing summer days.
According to the Michigan Dept of Natural Resources, “Holland State Park is best known for sugar sand beaches, beautiful sunsets and views of the iconic ‘Big Red’ lighthouse. The park is home to two large campgrounds, an accessible playground, opportunities for paddling and fishing, and connections to nonmotorized trails. The state park consists of separate Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan units on the northern side of the channel connecting Lake Macatawa with Lake Michigan. A boat launch with a fish cleaning station is located 1 mile east of the park.”[1]
The Lake Macatawa Campground is about a mile away from Lake Michigan. It has a whopping 211 campsites with two dump stations and features wooded and sunny campsites with grass or gravel and 30- or 50-amp electrical service. Like most Michigan state parks, the campsites have no city water.
The Lake Michigan campground called the Holland-Modern Beach Campground, has 98 sites on a large paved lot right next to the beach on Lake Michigan. Most sites have 30-amp service only, but there are 31 coveted campsites with 50-amp service, water, and sewer. This campground has little shade, so these sites can get hot in the summer.
I especially enjoy the shaded hikes at Holland State Park, including the hike up Mount Pisgah and into the wooded area on the top of the dune behind the park. There are also plenty of options for snacks and ice cream treats near the park as the summer crowds facilitate good business for the vendors along Ottawa Beach Road.
There are five criteria we look at when rating a campground. First up, Hospitality and Check-In. We give this a 5 out of 5 as it was easy to check-in. You have to park and leave your vehicle to check in, but it was easy to stop at the ranger station, check-in, get your site tag, and be on your way.
Next in our review is Infrastructure & Amenities, which we are giving a 5 out of 5. The main park roads and campground loop roads are paved and in good condition, yet they are a bit narrow in some places at the Lake Macatawa campground, so you do have to be careful when maneuvering your tow vehicle and trailer.
The bathhouses at the Lake Macatawa campground are in excellent condition, at least the newer one near the east side loops, Sites 1 – 116. The older bathhouse at the Lake Macatawa campground, nearer Lake Michigan by sites 117 – 211, is much older but in good condition. We did not use the bathhouse at the Modern-Beach campground.
There is a dual dump station at the Lake Macatawa campground that works fine to dump tanks, but be aware that with over 200 sites, this dump station gets very busy during prime exit times. If needed, there is a dump station at the Modern Beach campground.
One of the things I enjoy while camping at Holland State Park is the nearby beach vendors, especially Dune Dogz, which is very close to the Lake Macatawa campground and the Ottawa Beach General Store on Ottawa Beach Road. Both carry typical beach-style treats like specialty ice cream, uncommonly good hot dogs, and an assortment of other treats. Grabbing a great float, cone, or Dole Whip and taking a warm summer evening stroll down to Lake Michigan to watch the sunset is memorable.
Site Quality gets a 3 out of 5 as most campsites were composed of hard-packed gravel or grass at the Lake Macatawa campground and pavement at the Modern-Beach campground. Some sites were generally level, but many near the tree line were not level or very private. Be prepared to level your RV.
Some sites on the east side of Lake Macatawa campground have a considerable mature tree canopy for shade. Yet, many of the sites toward Lake Michigan at the Lake Macatawa campground and all of the Modern-Beach campground have very little shade. Also, you need to be aware of the size of the lots when booking, as many sites are very small and won’t fit larger RVs.
Our Exercisability rating is 5 out of 5, as there are road surfaces, off-road paved trails to run and bike on, and great nature trails to explore. The hiking was quite good, with a considerable variety of brush, trees, and dunes. For boaters, there is easy access to Lake Macatawa nearby. The main concern with exercise is the many bikes and excess foot traffic on the off-road paved trail to Lake Michigan, as plenty of people use the trail to bike and exercise, especially in the summertime.
For our final rating, we are giving a 5 out of 5 for Workability, as the bandwidth on my Verizon iPhone was very usable for work and streaming. We had 31.0 Mbps down and 9.37 Mbps up using our Verizon iPhone 13 pro, which made it easy to use.
Overall, I greatly enjoy Holland State Park as an excellent option for camping in the summer months in Michigan. It is closer to the large towns in south central lower Michigan versus other Lake Michigan state parks, making it a much shorter drive for most people in West Michigan. It has a great summer beach-town vibe with plenty to see and do nearby. The campgrounds are simple but well-kept, and access to the big Lake, hiking, paved off-road exercise options, and those close by cold treats make Holland State my go-to when in Michigan in the summer. I highly recommend staying here in warmer months. You just need to remember to book the full six months in advance to land that great spot.
That should do it. All the best in your camping adventures!
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https://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/details.aspx?id=458&type=SPRK ↑