Grand Haven State Park

I didn't go...my boyfriend was seeing up his new girlfriend there. So I'm sure he was thinking of me

This one was kind of a mixed bag.

We were here during an unseasonably warm off-season (Mar 2025). That made for fewer crowds & bigger waves. It was quite lovely & we enjoyed the boardwalk, as well as beach strolls. The lake is huge - might as well be the ocean.

I will say the notes of stores/shops along the walkway are slightly exaggerated, as it's 99% ice cream. Of course, off-season, they were closed. I'm good there.
The bigger negative comes with all the restrooms being closed. This left one very defiled porta-potty. It was criminal having that as the only option. I spared you all by skipping the feces smeared, dirty underwear shoved inside, overflowing with booze bottles & feminine hygiene products pic. You're welcome.

For camping, it is just a parking lot, so I'd probably skip that and just come enjoy the park while camping elsewhere. Still, it's beautiful.

Grand Haven State Park has always been my go-to for a beach destination. I've never camped there, but to be honest, I don't think I'd actually want to. It's basically a parking lot that's right next to the beach and the sites are pretty crammed in there. The beach itself is wonderful! It's a huge sandy beach that can get pretty busy. Parking is available there but you can also park at the YMCA up the street and walk down. I highly recommend getting there super early on weekends, because lines to park start forming pretty early in the afternoon. Most recently we arrived around 10 am on a Sunday in late August and as we were leaving around noon it was getting a bit busier.

The beach is wide enough to have room for lots of people, and it's fun to walk around and look at everyone's beach set up! Lots of fun tents and shelters. Walking on the pier in good conditions is fun but be careful and check out all postings. If there's bad weather, just don't go out on the pier. People have been swept away off of it and it can be pretty scary. Lake Michigan is beautiful and so vast and we're lucky to have it. Be respectful, pick up your trash, and enjoy this slice of paradise.

Grand Haven State Park was a blast! So much to look at. The place was huge! We got blessed and found on street parking right next to the Lake. This lake was so big! I couldn't believe how big it was! The lake looked just like the ocean! Seagulls flying all around! Sandy beaches! And the Lighthouse adds that final cherry on top! Walking way out onto the lake by the lighthouse was magical! I couldnt believe the visuals, the boats, the people! We had a blast watching Yachts, speedboats zooming across the waters of Lake Michigan!
We spent some time sitting at the end of the pier watching boats and people. Some guy caught this huge Rainbow Trout. The park was clean with plenty of beach and sand to get in between your toes. They had plenty of porta potties. The park was clean, we felt safe. I was impressed.

I booked five days in May at this campground. Not a lot of people on Wednesday so it was perfect! The weather was a little cool, but we did have some sun. The park is clean. The showers are great. I was in site #2 and I have a big window in the back looking at the lake just beautiful.

Had such a great time at the beach today. The waves were good and it was fun to walk out on the pier to the lighthouse. The parking happened to be full when arrived, but we paid a local resident $10 to park on their driveway. It was very convenient.

Beach front park with many options from pleasant stroll to overnight camping.

We visited to see the pier and lighthouse on a beautiful September late morning. The wind was blowing, creating some waves as we walked along the pier. Be prepared for some spray or even waves hitting you on windy days. It's a fun walk out to the end of the pier with sweeping views of the coastline.

The restrooms at the campground were clean. Overall, the park was clean. Looks like RV camping might be the best route with all the sand and wind.

Some swimmers in the surf.

Tip: if you don't want to pay for parking at the park, park up the road and walk in along the waterfront path from nearby free parking.

Just to be clear, the Campground and staff were great!
The reason for the bad review is the size of the camping lots/lack of parking for campers.

If I'm paying for a campsite, it should be more than big enough to keep my vehicle in my campsite along with my camper. If it is not, there should at least be dedicated parking for the people whom are camping.
I shouldn't have to walk a half mile or drive in circles for 20 minutes until a parking spot opens up because the only parking is shared with the public.
This is how every other state, county, and private campground we've been to has been!

After checking out the light house in Holland,decided to check out this park as well.

Grand Haven South Pierhead Inner Light is the inner light of two lighthouses on the south pier of Grand Haven, Michigan where the Grand River enters Lake Michigan.


Loved walking the River Walk to the pier.It's nice to sit and relax for a while.

This really is a great beach and it feels like you're on the eastern shores! Clean and pretty busy with locals and tourists alike. Volleyball nets and lots of room for roaming around, with a boardwalk pier if you want to go for a nice long stroll.

There were several food trucks there which is nice because there's not too much around, and the nearby walk-up food and ice cream places had very long lines.

One thing I did not like is the portable toilets for use. I saw a building under construction, so it's possible this is a bathhouse? But I literally had to try to get dressed in the car with a towel blocking the windows. I gave up, and went to the campground bathroom and changed. It was a far walk with chairs and bag and towels and drinks and such, but it was better than nothing.

On the plus side, the place was completely packed for Memorial Day weekend and we were still able to easily find a nice parking spot, within reasonable walking distance from the sand. Not bad at all.

My biggest gripe is - who pays daily to enter a state park?? That's just craziness! It's literally supposed to be created and maintained with tax dollars, but this can get really costly if you don't quickly find out the difference between a state park, county park, etc. I was paying more for those than for my campsite in the evening. Next time I will get the annual pass for sure.