State narrows camping reservation window

News Photo by Mike Gonzalez
Harrisville State Park Secretary Colleen Higgins on Tuesday points at the road leading up to cabin site 300 at the park.

ALPENA — In the future, campers will only be able to reserve cabins, cottages, tents, and campsites in state parks up to six months in advance, instead of the year in advance offered now.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources started on Nov. 1 to gradually change the reservation window for state campgrounds and overnight buildings because, officials say, the change helps park leaders plan for needed maintenance or construction.

Because the state only budgets for its departments a year at a time, officials can only plan maintenance a year out at most. When campers can make reservations a year in advance, that makes it hard for park leaders to find windows when facilities are vacant so they can be fixed.

“You almost need to have a plan in place two years in advance,” said Jeremy Spell, DNR Parks and Recreation central reservation system analyst. “Most governments give a one-year budget for these departments, and you can’t really make those longer plans. It’s hard to close these places for maintenance, and this will really help park managers.”

In 2022, 84% of all state lodge reservations were made within six months or less, Spell said, so he said the change won’t affect most people.

News Photo by Mike Gonzalez
The inside of cabin site 186 at Harrisville State Park is seen on Tuesday.

Harrisville State Park Secretary Colleen Higgins said the park is happy with the change and that it will help with newer projects.

“Say we wanted to work on the flooring of a cabin or fix a bunk bed,” Higgins said. “This helps us out so our staff can get things done for the cabins sooner rather than later.”

The shift in reservation times is gradual, as the DNR will not allow people to set up reservations with an arrival time after Oct. 31, 2024. Campers can reserve a stay that lasts beyond the end of October, but the latest arrival time currently available is Oct. 31, 2024.

Once May 1 comes, campers can reserve an arrival date of Nov. 1, exactly six months out.

“We’ve been watching booking patterns for some time now and have observed that most people book within six months of their stay,” Christa Sturtevant-Good, DNR reservation specialist, said in a statement. “We hope moving to the six-month window will help out customers who can’t always plan 365 days out.”

: News Photo by Mike Gonzalez
Harrisville State Park Secretary Colleen Higgins on Tuesday points at the road leading up to cabin site 300 at the park.