103 parks. Strong opinions. Zero apologies. Michigan has 103 state parks. You've been to maybe six of them. Possibly the same six everyone else has been to. Sleeping Bear, Pictured Rocks, Porcupine Mountains, Holland, maybe Tahquamenon Falls, maybe Mackinac Island if you're counting that. The greatest hits. The ones that show up on every list, every Pure Michigan commercial, every "best of the Midwest" article written by someone who spent four days here in August and felt qua

The places the brochure doesn't mention. The ones worth finding. Every Michigander has a list. Not the official list. Not the Pure Michigan commercial list with Sleeping Bear and Mackinac and the Pictured Rocks kayak tour that books up in February. That list is fine. Those places are beautiful and they earned their reputation and you should go to all of them. But the other list. The one you share carefully, with people you trust, with the mild internal conflict of wanting the

You're closer to more of Michigan than you think. Here's something Warren doesn't get enough credit for. It sits almost exactly in the middle of everything. Two hours north and you're in the Thumb, where the shoreline is quiet and the campgrounds don't have waiting lists. Two hours west and you're in the Irish Hills, the lakes, the kind of Michigan that people from other states picture when they think about Michigan. Two hours northwest and you're touching the edge of the nor

The gear, the rules, the parks, and why your dog is about to become the most popular camper in the whole loop. Let us tell you about Milo. Milo is a four year old Boston Terrier. He works at Red Run — loosely, in the sense that he shows up, supervises, accepts attention from everyone, and contributes to office morale in a way that no human employee has ever matched. He has a following. He has opinions. He takes his responsibilities very seriously, specifically the responsibil

Fireworks From the Water: Your 2026 Guide to the Fourth of July on Lake St. Clair Where to be, what's actually launching, and what experienced boaters already figured out the hard way. There is a moment that happens on the Fourth of July when you're anchored on Lake St. Clair, the sun has started its descent, the water has gone from blue to gold, and the first barge light flickers on somewhere in the distance — and you think: this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Not at a

Where to put in, what to expect, and how to avoid being the person blocking the ramp on a Saturday morning. Let's talk about the boat ramp. Specifically, let's talk about the boat ramp on a Saturday morning in July. Fourth of July weekend. Maybe Labor Day. The sun is up, the water is calling, and approximately four hundred other people in Macomb and Wayne County had the exact same idea at the exact same time and they are all currently in line ahead of you at the one ramp you

25 things to do before the bonfire burns down and the boats go back in storage. Summer in Michigan doesn't ease in. One week you're scraping frost off the windshield and questioning every life decision that led you to this state. The next week it's 74 degrees, the water is sparkling, and you're standing in your driveway looking at your camper thinking we need to leave. Right now. Today. That's Michigan. No warning. No transition. Just suddenly, gloriously, summer. And because

(And a Respectful Nod to Michigan’s Other Favorite Waters) Dear Lake St. Clair, You are the reason we start counting down to summer sometime in February. You are the reason boat bags stay half-packed year-round. You are the reason “just a quick evening ride” somehow turns into tomorrow. And yes—we love other lakes in Michigan. But here at Red Run… this one has our heart. Lake St. Clair is where you can go to find JOY! It’s big enough to feel exciting, but friendly enough that