Been there many times during the summer, but today was a family snow shoe day-trip. Arrived before 11AM to almost sunny sky. The park ranger let us purchase a state park sticker for 2010 and then let us in the park without paying the daily fee for todays visit. I was a bit worried driving in from the town on Ludington.
There sure was not much snow on the hills along the lake heading into the park. But not to worry, once we crossed the river and got into the main park area, there was plenty of snow. We drove back to the dam and only passed 3 other cars. The middle campground had a small loop cleared for winter camping. There was working electric outlets but no open restrooms except the out-houses. All the outhouses were shovelled, salted, clean, and had hand sanitizer inside each one. Very nice!
We parked back by the dam, put our shoe's on, grabbed the poles and off we went. Spent just over 2 hours walking a combination of trails doing a big loop. We came out just west of the middle campground, then walked the river trail back to the dam.
Out in the quiet woods, we saw many different types of woodpeckers. The only bald eagle we saw was on US 31 on the way up near Muskegon. This state park has eagles, but today we did not see any. Once we got back to the river we spotted some rare Bufflehead ducks, along with many other ducks & geese.
Our best sighting was a black mink along the shore of the river about 10 feet away from us. We tried our best to get a photo but he kept moving in and out of the bush.
We did not pass anyother cars exiting the park and only came upon 3 other people walking. I thought the park would be much busier. I know after the first of the year, they offer free snowshoes, and guided walks both during the day and after dark. There is a warming shelter which we did not even need to use, so I am not sure if it was even open.
It was beautiful, quiet, peaceful and well worth a days activity! We cannot wait to return again this winter.

this will be my third year camping at LSP. it is the most beautiful place to camp! ther is so much to see and do. youll never get bored. lake michigan is great the beach is wonderful. There is a lazy river that u can float down and it ends at lake michigan. BE sure to bring a bike! i just cant say enough about this park. you wont be dissapointed!

I so hesitate to even add to this review... Ludington State Park is my nirvana. I spent at least 14 summers of my childhood, young adult life camping in this park. We Michiganders have a love of camping and we have tons of beautiful state parks. None as nice as Ludington. It is the kind of place you can explore as a kid and never feel scared, you can ride your bike for hours, walk on trails that will stay tranfixed in your memory for life, meet new friends, roll down huge sand dunes, explore desolate spots in the dunes , get a killer sun tan, play in the big waves before and after a storm, go to town and get an ice cream, watch a movie in the downtown cinema, eat at the Sportsman's bar, walk the city pier, sit around a wonderful campfire. I could go on and on and on. It's where my husband took me to propose to me because he knew how important a place it is to me. It's where my father retired. It's where my heart will always be.

It has always been so popular but now it is nearly impossible to get a campsite unless you reserve one the first week in January. It is packed all the time. But you can still get lost on a walk, fish in the river and find a nice place on the beach. I just wish it was still the secret paradise I knew as a child.

I have met one or two people who didn't care for it. I think most people who have spent time there feel like I do. I highly recommend taking more than a weekend. It takes a while to see it all.

Must do's...

Walk to the Light House via the beach at least to or from.
Watch a sunset sitting on the top of a dune.

Ludington State Park is a beautiful park. It's a great place for campers that like something to do. It is especially great for biking. I definitely recommend the "lazy river". We bring rafts to float on down the river until we reach Lake Michigan, then, we ride the rough waves in the lake. It is sooo much fun. We stayed on site 97 last year in the Pines Campground which has it's own trail up a sand dune and over to Lake Michigan. The park and Ludington itself have lots to do but if you need even more, Michigan Adventures is about a 45 minute drive from the park as well as the sand dunes in Silver Lake. It's very difficult to get a reservation but it's definitely worth all the stress of getting one in the end.