Big Bay, Michigan
Big Bay is a small village north-west of Marquette, Michigan. Nestled in the wilds of the north, it offers plenty for those seeking isolation and outdoor adventure. Perkins Park is one of the many recreational opportunities in this area.
Perkins Park offers access to the beautiful Lake Independence. Lake Independence is a 1,860 acre lake well known for great fishing. It is the gem of the park. A boat launch and swimming area is available for those staying at the campground or for visitors.
The park also offers a 72 site modern campground. The site we stayed at (#34) had one of the best view of the lake.
What We Liked
The beautiful scenic view of Lake Independence is without a doubt the best aspect of the campground. We couldn’t see the sunset from our site, but we didn’t miss out on the soft pastels of a fading day.
There are three bath houses, two of which had showers.
There is no camp store, but the campground is across the road from Cram’s General Store. Cram’s has everything you need, including items you may have forgotten.
The location is minutes from Lake Superior, stunning waterfalls, and some hiking trails.
What We Didn’t Like
Loud, loud, loud. Especially at nights on the weekends. Multiple sites we loud well past 1 a.m. Perkins claims they enforce the quiet time policy but even when visiting in the past, we’ve noticed this campground has a tendency to be loud.
Showers cost 25 cents for 6 minutes. Not too bad, but something to be aware of.
Some of the sites were confusing. There was even someone who accidentally set up on someone else’s campsite due to poor marking. We had no problems at our site, but our electricity was on the neighboring site.
No privacy between sites.
Several sites have s;p[es that may be difficult for tents and campers. On the plus side, Perkins is very upfront about this on their website. The site descriptions are excellent. Be sure to read them.
Conclusion
Perkins Park is a beautiful park. However, the loudness, especially at night, makes it a challenge for us to want to return to camp. With Big Bay being such a special place to us, we are disappointed that we can’t recommend it to family and friends.