Directions
Hog Island State Forest Campground can be accessed by driving east of Naubinway 7.5 miles, turn south (right) into the Hog Island Campground entrance. A recreation passport is required for entry and one can be purchased at the self-guided kiosk if necessary. The campground has a day use area for parking and picnicking, pit toilets throughout the campground and hand pumps for water.
Hog Island State Forest Campground
Naubinway - St. Ignace
Birding Information
This site is an excellent spring and fall migration hotspot and houses wonderful summer habitat. The road into the campground passes through wet lowlands dominated by cedar where blackburnian warblers, northern parula and golden- and ruby-crowned kinglets may be seen. Throughout the campground you can catch glimpses Lake Michigan where resting waterfowl species may be viewed nearshore. A spotting scope may be helpful to observe colonial nesters using the small islands off the shoreline of the picnic area during the breeding season. Note that fluctuating water levels can change how much, or little, of these islands are exposed in any given year. Road birding or a walk through the campground affords habitats including tall shrubs of hazel, grassy swales and alders which make good resting places for warblers such as American redstarts and magnolia, yellow, black-throated green and yellow-rumped warblers during migration.
Area Information
Hog Island is an approximately 2000-acre island in northern Lake Michigan and is the 4th largest in the Beaver Island archipelago. Formerly known as Isle St. Claire by the French, it became known as Hog Island because of an immense hog population at one time. Pigs were kept on the island to avoid wolf predation and to keep rattlesnakes away. Little Hog Island, a mere 3.5 acres, sits closer to the shore and lies east of hog island point. Gravel island is visible from the campground and varies annually in the species of colonial nesters that reside there. Michigan State Forest campgrounds are rustic campgrounds open year-round on a first come first serve basis with pit toilets and hand pump water stations. The campground is not plowed during winter and pit toilets and water pumps are likewise disabled in winter. Sightseeing opportunities include nearby Garlyn Zoo Wildlife Park, a family attraction along US-2 that offers a unique view of wild animals, both native and non-native to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Bathrooms
Pit Toilet
Parking
Yes, day use area
Road Birding
Yes
Hiking Trails
No
Viewing Platform
No
Winter Access
No