Platte River Campground
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore · Michigan · 171 sites
Photos: National Park Service via Recreation.gov
Overview
Platte River Campground is a National Park Service campground in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, with 171 sites in 6 loops. Very shady: nearly every site is under trees. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T report coverage at every site.
164 of 171 sites shaded
0 of 171 sites in full sun
11 of 171 sites with clear sky
Map of the campground
Every site from the Recreation.gov listing. Choose a layer to see it across the campground; tap a site to open it in Roam.
Layers
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Questions
Which sites at Platte River Campground are the shadiest?
Nearly all of them. 164 of 171 sites at Platte River Campground have good shade from the trees, including from the hot afternoon sun.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Platte River Campground get the most sun?
None are truly sunny; the sunniest still have trees over most of the site.
See the tree canopy in RoamWill Starlink work at Platte River Campground?
Only at a few. About 11 of 171 sites have a clear gap in the trees for Starlink and 40 a partial one; most sit under tall trees. Satellite texting on a phone needs less open sky, but still works best from the most open spot you can find. This is our estimate from tree heights — check with the Starlink app's obstruction check when you arrive.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Platte River Campground are the most level?
39 of 171 sites are flat, and 52 more have a gentle slope most RVs can level with blocks; 80 are steeper, better for tents. Sites that take RVs or trailers fit rigs up to 40 ft.
See the slope at each site in RoamDoes Platte River Campground have cell service?
Yes. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all report coverage at every site at Platte River Campground. That's the coverage each carrier reports to the FCC, not a measured signal, so under trees or below a ridge it can be weaker.
See the coverage map in RoamWhen is the best time to see fall color at Platte River Campground?
October. In a typical year the leaves around Platte River Campground are at their best in late October, though any one fall can run a week or two early or late. Much of the forest here stays green, so expect color in patches. Roam’s fall foliage map shows how far the color has come this week, free every September through November.
See this week’s fall color in RoamWhat’s the weather like at Platte River Campground in October?
In October, expect highs around 56°F and lows around 42°F, with about 4.1 inches of rain over the month. Every month’s averages are in Roam Premium.
Open Platte River in RoamCampground facts
- Sites
- 171 in 6 loops
- Kinds
- 141 for RVs or trailers · 25 tent-only · 5 group sites
- Hookups
- 90 with electric
- Longest rig
- 40 ft
- Accessible
- 10 sites
- Elevation
- 589–606 ft
- Amenities
- Food storage lockers
- Every site
- Picnic table · Campfires allowed
- Managed by
- National Park Service
- Booking
- Reserve on Recreation.gov
How we know Sources and limits
Shade, sun and Starlink are our estimates from Meta and the World Resources Institute’s canopy-height model (about 2 m pixels, from satellite imagery calibrated with space lidar; CC BY 4.0). From 2 m above each site we trace 72 lines out to 60 m and note the tallest tree in each direction. Shade counts trees overhead, the canopy within 30 m and how much of the afternoon sky is blocked. Sun counts how open the southern sky is. Starlink needs open sky above 35°, with the northern half counted twice because US dishes tilt north, and we keep the best spot within 8 m of the site’s post. The model sees tree heights only, not trunks, buildings or hills, so check with the Starlink app when you arrive.
Slope is the ground at each site’s post over about 4 m, from USGS 3DEP 1 m lidar: level under 2%, gentle to 4% (most rigs level on blocks), sloped to 8% (fine for a tent), steep beyond.
Cell coverage is from the FCC Broadband Data Collection (carrier filings as downloaded May 2026): each site is tested against each carrier’s modelled outdoor 4G/5G coverage. It is what the carriers report, not a measured signal.
Fall color is the typical peak from NASA’s MODIS satellite record of when leaves change (2001–2023), limited to deciduous and mixed forest with USGS land cover (NLCD), calibrated to the USA National Phenology Network’s ground reports of colored leaves (CC BY 4.0). It is an average of many autumns, so the page gives a window, not a date.
Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the campground. Sites and facts are from Recreation.gov’s open data (July 2026). Map imagery: USGS The National Map. Photos: Recreation.gov.
From the campground’s Recreation.gov listing: “This facility is well-maintained, well-organized and offers a wide variety of sites, including back-in and pull-through sites with electric hookups for RVs, non-electric sites, walk-to sites, group sites (hike-in, tent-only) and a nearby backcountry campground. Each site has a campfire ring and picnic table. Each loop has restrooms with flush toilets and sinks. Hot showers are also available. The group sites allow no more than 25 people per site; pets and RVs are not permitted in them. The campground lies in a wooded area within walking distance of the Platte River and less than two miles (3.2 km) away from the beaches of Lake Michigan. Although the lakeshore is long and narrow, it has northern hardwood and conifer forests, abandoned farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs and splendid examples of a glacially formed landscape. The most prominent features in the park, and those for which it is named, are the perched sand dunes above Lake Michigan.”
Page data as of October 15, 2026. Full source notes are in each layer’s info in the app.