Northern Paddle and Trail July 2026 Camping Trip to Lake Superior Shoreline, Huron River, Skanee, MI. July 15th, 2p.m. — 19th 2:00 p.m.
Description: This club camping event takes place on the beautiful shores of Lake Superior where the Huron River empties into a long shallow and sandy beach. The area provides plenty of possible activities such as waterfall hikes, sea and river kayaking, birding by kayak outings, day trips to look out points, evenings watching a sunset by a beach campfire, and shore fishing to name a few. A planned evening outing to attend an acoustic music festival just down the road is a major highlight. A moderate skill level and basic camping and kayaking equipment is all that is needed to join us for this trip..
Where: Lake Superior shoreline next to the mouth of the Huron River, on public land, dispersed camping without any services, 30 miles east of L’Anse, Michigan.
When: July 15, 2 pm. through July 19, 2:00 pm., 2026. Come and go as you please.
Because no reservations or numbered sites exist in this public dispersed camping area, a definite beginning and ending date is not necessary. You can arrive on the day that works for you and then leave when you want. However, the group leader will arrive on Wednesday to try and hold a few sites close to each other as the gathering area. Because the weekends get very busy with large groups and families, a weekday arrival is necessary.
Who: Total cap of 25 individuals with the ability to remote camp and kayak.
Skill Level: This is an easy to moderate leveled event. Uneven shorelines with sandy shelves, short hiking on wet rocks, and river kayaking require balance and moderate strength. No white water kayaking and no strenuous hiking are planned for this event.
Equipment: Typical equipment and supplies for camping and kayaking needed. No water or toilets available, so bring containment and fresh water. Day hikes will require you carry your own supplies and Sun/bug protectants. A first aid pack is also suggested.
Camping Area: Sandy trail with other RVs, camping trailers, and tents along the Lake Superior shoreline next to a river.
- A solid gravel road leads up to the free state owned camping area, which is a sand road for about 300 yards.
- Adequate cell signal the whole way from L’Anse and on site.
- Room for a few large RVs (25 to 40 feet long) is at the beginning of the camping area in a loop, plenty of flat tent sites throughout the area, and there are lots of little spots to back in small campers (12 to 20 feet) or pitch a tent along both sides (on water and off water) of this sandy jeep trail.
- Trailers, RVs and tents set up their sites in a stand of pines directly on the raised shoreline, about a 5 foot drop down to the wide beach and water edge, or backed up to the swampy edge of the Huron River just a few feet off the trail.
- AWD or 4×4 is best due to a few spots of loose sand. However, a front wheel drive car will do fine in most scenarios. A rear wheel drive is not suggested with a tow vehicle though.
- The water is sandy bottomed and shallow, good for swimming and kayaking.
- The area gets very busy on weekends but is quiet during the week usually.
- A small port-a-potty is on site but unknown if it will be clean and stocked, so plan accordingly. Most spots are shady, but a screen tent can still be useful for a common food area or if rain requires campers gather under shelter.
- One tavern and burger grill (Finns) is available about 20 miles away, and a small camping store (Huron Bay Trading Post) sells basic supplies in Skanee, MI. Otherwise, all food, water, toileting supplies, and power must be brought or purchased along the way.
- Many dogs come to swim and play fetch with owners or campers, but everyone is usually very considerate keeping their pet on a leash or away from other campers. If you plan to bring a pet, please plan to keep it contained and attended during all activities.
- Expect ATV and off-road vehicles in the camping area especially over the weekend.
- Photos: https://thedyrt.com/camping/michigan/mouth-of-the-huron-dispersed-camping/gallery
Activities:
Aura Jamboree Saturday evening. Finnish-American Folk music, food, drink, and dancing. The Aura Jamboree is a grassroots acoustic music festival held each July at the historic Aura Community Hall. Saturday evening dance features traditional Finnish music, with polkas, waltzes, schottisches, tangos, and humppas. More information at https://aurajamboree.org/
We plan to spend the days visiting many local waterfalls, kayaking both on the lake and up the Huron River, fishing off shore, hiking to peaks and along cascading rivers, exploring jeep trails, watching the sunset, taking day trips to points of interest, relaxing with a book, taking shoreline walks, and visiting around campfires. All activities are weather and interest dependent.
I hope you can join in on the fun for a few days and experience the beauty of the area with our NPT group! – Jane
A donation of $5.00 per event is requested for non-NPT members which can be paid at the event. Membership for NPT is $10.00/year. To become a NPT member go to https://northernpaddleandtrail.org/ and click in the upper right-hand corner and find membership. Non NPT members will be asked to sign a liability waiver at the event.
RSVP to Jane by text 715-337-5505 by Saturday, July 11, 2026 to be placed on the roster, then go to meetup.com/northern-paddle-trail and click Attend. If you have any questions, please text Jane. Once you are confirmed as attending, NPT will send you more detailed directions and map coordinates.
Northern Paddle and Trail 