Camping yurt style

If you are looking to get away from it all this weekend, you might want to try Craig Lake State Park. Craig Lake is one of Michigan’s most remote state parks and is very secluded. If you’re driving on U.S. 41 you might even miss the turnoff to the park. The road is only open during certain months because the terrain is pretty rough. But, visitors say the fish are well worth the trek.

“Some really big muskies, I’ve heard stories where guys have caught huge muskies where the head is hanging over the canoe and then it comes down inside the canoe, then comes up the other side. Some really good fish stories come from that lake,” said Doug Barry, Craig Lake Park Supervisor.

The park contains six full lakes with some only accessible by foot or boat. One of the very special and unique features of Craig Lake is that is has 2 yurts. If you are unsure of what a yurt is, think of it as a very comfortable tent.

Or, more of a very luxurious tent located in the middle of nature’s wilderness wonderland. Hand–built by DNR personnel, the Keewaydin yurt has layers of insulation, 4 bunk beds, a wooden table and chairs, it comes with a skylight to capture sunsets and rises and also has a wood burning stove. Craig lake has 8,000 acres of wilderness and a variety of wildlife to explore.

“The hiking, the scenery, the waterfalls and wilderness areas are all beautiful.  We are always on the lookout for moose and bear, I’ve seen one moose which was very exciting and we are hoping on this walk to see more,” said Gerry Larson, Durham, NC.

“We love the walks, we always come out to Craig Lake every year. The wilderness area, the chance to see wildlife and get away from it all is great. Michigan does such a good job with it’s State Parks, we just love the wilderness aspect of it all,” said Ray Larson, Durham, NC.

This wilderness wonderland was once owned by the Miller Brewing family. In the late 1960’s it was acquired by the state of Michigan.