Sept '22 - Planned to stay here a week and reduced it to 5 days. The campground sites are pretty tight and felt like you were on top of your neighbor. But the bathrooms were well-kept and they do have some lake-view sites (which are pretty hard to get your hands on for more than a few days). That being said, they have some FANTASTIC trails that pretty much make up for it. We went on several but maybe we'll try some multi-day hiking on our next trip. The best sites were on trail. Really nice boat launch here as well - great for star gazing too! Here's a video of our stay during that time. If we would do it over again, we'd consider Presque Isle campground as an alternate (no electric, though). VLOG with more info: https://www.joslynjourney.com/e91/ Video: https://youtu.be/zTYxDXs2J-Y

I really don't know how I got this lucky (I don't remember reserving this site) but we found ourselves on site 9. Which backs right up to the lake! On our first night we slept to the sound of two foot waves gently splashing on the rocks. The second night it was as calm as could be and we sat on the rocks looking out over beautiful Lake Superior. Wow. The campground was almost completely full in mid-September but it really didn't feel overwhelming. Lots of big-rigs but quite a few small RVs like us too. However, that was likely due to our terrific site. If you're situated on the inside loop on top of the hill (near the bath house) you'll get to know your neighbors. Very close together! Although it rained quite heavily over night, the campground didn't get too muddy and seemed to drain pretty well. Bathrooms and showers were clean and adequate in quantity for the number of campers. However, I don't think most people choose Union Bay for the campground. It's chosen for its location which can't be beat! Great proximity to all hiking trails and the South Border Road to the South end of the park. And, the Visitor's Center is very nice and inhabited by a tremendously helpful group of Rangers. Although the campground isn't very "wilderness" the surrounding park certainly is. Thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Overall, enjoyed our experience. The outer side we were on had a little shade. Middle area was very exposed and sites close together. Sites on the lake loop obviously are best. Electric was on opposite side of camper as it is shared so you need a long cord. Also site had large roots to drive over so a little precarious in how to park but overall enjoyed our stay.

The Porkies are a huge park yet this, the developed campground is insanely crowded on a postage stamp sized piece of unlevel ground. The sites along the lake are spectacular, if you are able to book one in the 5 nanoseconds they're available. Otherwise, you're up on the hill in a campground much more like what you'd expect in a city park or county fairgrounds. Distances fire-ring to fire-ring are about 25 feet, and if you're on the very top you have sites on all three sides. There are some trees and a nice new shower house, but IMO this campground leaves a lot to be desired, especially since it's in such a beautiful natural area. Verizon service with a booster was OK.

We wanted to spend three nights in the area so we had to move once to another site a few doors down. Site #91 was better than Site #80 but the ground roots were huge and made hooking up dangerous and a bit frustrating. The black flies were awful until it turned cold and rainy on the last day. AT&T connection was lousy, and even though it showed one or two bars it was pathetically slow and not worth the time nor trouble except for checking email. The price for electrical hookup was $39 per night. The shower facilities were great. Dump station had only one sewer connection but two fresh water hoses. The water was much better than our western travels proved to be. The natural area in the Porcupine Mountains is astoundingly beautiful. A bit too hilly for my tastes for hiking these days, but there are many trails to choose from. We were lucky to discover Porkies Trading Post about a couple miles from the campground which served only pizza and burgers but they were both very good and fit the bill. The Lake of the Clouds overlook and the park’s several waterfalls were beautiful. You must drive or hike to get to these natural wonders but it is well worth the trouble.

We were fortunate to reserve a spot on the loop on the shore of Lake Superior. This loop has well spaced sites and was much quieter than the two upper loops where there were lots more kids (and the playground and shower house). The bathroom was kept clean and also has a small coin operated laundry facility.

This was the third state park we visited on this trip and it felt like the most organized as far as checkin/hang tag/etc. I will say we thought we watched a good enough video and google earth to know that site 40 would work for us, but we didn’t want to get too close to the trees and the fire ring was in an odd spot, so I would not choose this site for our 39’ big rig again. As someone else said, be ready to get creative with how you park your RV. And it is shared power poles for each 2 sites, so have your extension cord ready. There are a few big 5th wheels on the waterfront row, some at all sorts of angles and some parallel to the road. The sites in the middle section are mostly level once you get away from the entry area. I would choose sites 36, 38, 43 or 45 if on this back row again. Or maybe even 61 or 63 to get a little privacy. Maybe one bar of cell service.

You can't beat the Porcupine Mountains if you're looking for wilderness experiences in Michigan. Union Bay is a nice campground to use as a base camp for lots of day hikes in the area. It can be busy and weekends are louder with kids, dogs, loud neighbors, etc , just like most state parks. Weekdays tend to be quieter even when busy. Many sites are quite close together and there isn't much privacy in those. Some sites have odd sizes and shapes so be prepared to adjust your rig on the site to get best placement and be level (back in vs. sideways, etc ). Also consider having leveling blocks with you. Sites in bottom loop offer great views and access to Lake Superior. But even the upper loops are a short walk to awesome shoreline and amazing sunrises. Also a great spot for stargazing if the neighbors' lights aren't too bright. Bathrooms are clean and showers have good design, although shower heads could use some maintenance. Staff working the office seem to really know their stuff about hiking the area, so check with them for ideas in addition to the Visitors Center. If you want the wilderness feel of the Porkies but modern amenities at the end of the day, this is the place. Note that cellular service can be extremely weak if you don't have a booster.