Murray Bay Group Campsite
- from $35
- fee
- Friday before Memorial Day
- season
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Murray Bay Group Campsite open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Hiawatha National Forest. It doesn't name Murray Bay Group Campsite, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).
Brevoort Lake Autumn Drawdown
Agency closure covering Hiawatha National Forest · USFS · Hiawatha National Forest
Haymeadow Trail and Bridge Closed
Agency closure covering Hiawatha National Forest · USFS · Hiawatha National Forest
Restricting Public Entry to Stonington Quarry
Agency alert covering Hiawatha National Forest · USFS · Hiawatha National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Hiawatha National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
- At 609 ft
- Munising Ranger DistrictHiawatha National Forest
Grand Island is a Congressionally designated National Recreation Area with fascinating history, beautiful overlooks, pristine sandy beaches, dense hardwood forest, serene inland lakes, and miles of hiking and biking trails. This is a unique destination to spend a day or more biking, hiking, exploring, or just hanging out and recharging. Visitors get to the island by passenger ferry from Munising or private watercraft. The dock at Williams Landing can be used for loading and unloading, but boats may not be left there. Jet skis/motorboats are prohibited from landing on shore. Murray Bay, Trout Bay and North Light Beach have sand beaches with little to no obstructions where a kayak or paddle boat can land. Most locations on the northwest and northeast sides are sheer cliffs. There are 21 designated campsites, including 2 group sites. Reservations are required Memorial Day through Columbus Day, except for Cobble Cove, Flat Rock, and Muskrat Point, which are first-come/first-served. All reservations must be made through Recreation.gov and can be made up to, and including, the day of arrival. Campsites provide picnic tables, campfire rings, benches and bear poles or lockers. Drinking water is available at Williams Landing, Juniper Flats, Farrell Cottage and Murray Bay. If traveling elsewhere on the island, bring water with you or filter/boil/treat surface water. Murray Bay Group campsite is found at Murray Bay. The site is designed to hold a large group of between 7 and 25 people. A day use picnic area and vault toilet are nearby. Camping is not allowed at the day use site. The Murray Bay sites can be accessed either by the island's trail system or by water. The beach is beautiful. Via trail, the site is located 2 miles from Williams Landing.
- Loon Call CampsiteCamping0.1 mi
- Bermuda CampsiteCamping0.1 mi
- Duck Lake CampsiteCamping0.5 mi
- Muskrat Point CampsiteCamping0.8 mi
- Grand Island BikeHiking0.9 mi
- Trout Bay Road HikeHiking0.9 mi
Grand Island Thumb Hiking TrlHikingPhoto: Joe Passe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)1.4 mi- Munising Ranger DistrictLake fishing4.3 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Bay Furnace CampgroundCamping · ~6 min drive
- Au Train Lake CampgroundCamping · ~18 min drive
- Island LakeCamping · ~24 min drive
- Loon Call CampsiteCamping · Next door
- Bermuda CampsiteCamping · Next door
- Duck Lake CampsiteCamping · Next door
- Muskrat Point CampsiteCamping · ~1 min drive
- Little Duck CampsiteCamping · ~2 min drive
- Driftwood CampsiteCamping · ~2 min drive
- Little Dune 2 CampsiteCamping · ~2 min drive
Best time to visit Murray Bay Group Campsite
Best months: May–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
26° / 13°
20 wet
Feb
28° / 12°
16 wet
Mar
36° / 20°
13 wet
Apr
46° / 29°
11 wet
May
59° / 39°
12 wet
Jun
68° / 48°
12 wet
Jul
75° / 55°
11 wet
Aug
74° / 55°
10 wet
Sep
67° / 49°
12 wet
Oct
55° / 39°
17 wet
Nov
42° / 29°
18 wet
Dec
32° / 19°
19 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Munsing Lakeshore, MI, 3.8 mi away at 612 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

