This year I participated in The Legend Half Marathon at Sleepy Hollow State Park. For the event, I decided to set up camp for the weekend and enjoy all that this state park has to offer.
Sleepy Hollow is located 4 miles outside of Laingsburg, Michigan. While merely a 30-minute drive from the city of Lansing, this campground still manages to serve up that “up north” feel that most of us drive hours to achieve.
The park itself contains over 2,600 acres of hardwood forest and prairie grasslands surrounding the beautiful Lake Ovid.
The modern campground consists of 181 sites. In addition, there are 5 walk-in rustic sites and two cabins available for renting. The walk-in sites are close together but far enough away from the main campground and beach activity for a little privacy from the crowds.
Campers staying within the modern campground have access to electricity, modern bathrooms, showers, and water.
Most of the sites are fairly large and can accommodate every type of camper. Some of the sites are paved and are ideal for campers or RVs while others, like ours, have large grassy areas for tents.
What We Liked
The sites had large trees and brush that created privacy fences around each site.
The campground was incredibly quiet.
There are lots of ways to recreate – go swimming, go kayaking, hike the trails, play a round of disc golf, etc.
The bathrooms were reasonably clean.
Every night the host campsite had activities for all ages.
The DNR staff were very friendly. Every person we saw waved and/or said hi.
There were butterflies. Everywhere.
What We Didn’t Like
Our site was not ideal for hammock camping – my preferred method. But there were sites elsewhere that would have been fantastic. If a hammock is your preferred way to camp, make sure to do the research before you pick your site.
We enjoyed the brush for it’s privacy but there were some places where it seemed like our site would have been more efficient if the brush had been cut back some.
The beach trail was in a bit of an awkward spot and not labeled very well.
More Information
Sleepy Hollow State Park makes an excellent campground for a weekend escape from the city or a getaway. With lots of things to do, it is an easy way to have a fun-filled weekend.
For more information or to book a campsite, visit Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources Parks and Trails.