You are here

Home » Reservations For Backcountry Camping At Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Going Online

Reservations For Backcountry Camping At Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Going Online

Share
By NPT Staff - December 21st, 2016

Backcountry permits for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore will be available online beginning in March/NPS

Beginning in March you'll be able to book your backcountry campsites at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan online.

According to park officials, backcountry camping at Pictured Rocks has doubled in growth in the last five years. The increase has made it more difficult for backpackers to get reservations and a more labor intensive process for park staff to fufill reservations with the park's current system, they said in announcing the move to recreation.gov. 

Begininning at 10 a.m. on March 28, all backcountry camping permits and reservations must be obtainted via www.recreation.gov. Phone reservations can be done by calling 1-877-444-6777 or 518-885-3639 (for international travels). The phone system hours are: 10 a.m. - 12 a.m. EST March 1-October 31, and 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. EST November 1-February 28. While it is highly recomended during the summer season to make reservations in advance, if backcountry campsites are still available, day of reserving will still be an available option. This can be done via the backcountry campers' own devices (via phone/internet) or with help from park staff at Munising Falls and Grand Sable visitor centers. For those using the visitor center reservation services, a credit card will be required.

Recreation.gov allows backcountry campers to make reservations, go over rules and regulations, and print out their permits. Backpacking campers will no longer have to go to a park visitor center to pick up their permits. This is good news for those backpackers who in the past, arrived after the visitor centers closed for the day. Only those utilizing kayaks (or other paddling vessels) to access backcountry camping sites will be required to check-in at visitor centers before heading out. All backcountry users should still check for the latest weather and safety conditions before starting any trip.

Until Pictured Rocks switches to recreation.gov, backcountry camping permits mut be obtained in person at the Interagency Visitor Center in Munising, Michigan. For anyone who wishes to make a reservation for backcountry camping for the time period from January 1 to March 27, 2017, this can be done through the old mailing or faxing form.

For more information on backcountry camping at Pictured Rocks, visit this page.

Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.