Bay Campground — South Manitou Island

Bay Campground is South Manitou Island’s backcountry tent campground, closest to the dock. It has 25 individual sites and three group sites, all tent-only and walk-in or boat-in. It suits campers who want an island night and are ready to carry their gear from the landing.

There’s no food or supply shop on the island. Potable water is available only in the village; treat other water and bring a filter or other treatment. Bay has communal fire rings and campground outhouses; fires belong in the shared rings. Individual sites allow up to four people and two tents; group sites are for nine to 20. A backcountry-use permit is required, and group campsites need a reservation. Pets aren’t allowed on the island.

The sites are secluded, with Lake Michigan views from bluffs south of camp and easy access to one of South Manitou’s larger beaches. Bay makes a good base for a beach walk, though the campground itself is a backcountry stay rather than a serviced camp.

South Manitou rises along a ridge of tilted limestone covered by glacial debris. Logging and farming once supported its island community, while the 104-foot lighthouse guided ships through Manitou Passage for nearly a century. The underwater preserve protects more than 50 known wreck sites dating from 1835 to 1960.