Lake Superior
While it is somewhat off the beaten track, Oahe draws more than 1.5 million visitors a year who take advantage of its 50 public recreation areas. Most areas offer boat ramp facilities or marinas, campgrounds, hiking trails and plenty of fishing and hunting opportunities. Enough prologue. Let’s take a look at camping possibilities at a half dozen lakes across the country— and in neighboring Canada—that we believe offer the very best in shorefront sheltering. Lake Superior This 94-square-mile park is located on Sibley Peninsula off the Trans-Canada Highway east of Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is named for its distinctive mesas that resemble a reclining giant. The park offers terrific views of Lake Superior from Top of Giant Trail and Thunder Bay Lookout, accessible as part of a 50-mile network of hiking and mountain biking trails, plus more than 30 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails. The main campground for RVers is Marie Louise Lake Campground with some 200 sites, about half of them electric. Sites are spacious and well maintained and offer fire rings and picnic tables. There’s also sugary sand beach, boat launch, and visitor center / museum.
bear, lynx, wolf, and fox, plus more than 200 bird species.
Advance reservations are a must and can be arranged online at www.ontarioparks.ca, or by calling 888-668-7375. Lake Okeechobee Florida is noted for its excellent network of 175 state parks and one of the best of them is Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park at Lake Okeechobee. Part of the Everglades headwaters, this 54,000- acre preserve protects the largest remaining tract of Florida dry prairie, an ecosystem shaped by seasonal cycles of flooding and fire. It is a land dominated by an expansive blue sky during daylight hours and an inky black night sky so free of pollution that it qualifies as an International Dark Sky Place. Campers can spot the Milky Way, along with a full array of luminescent stars, without telescopes or binoculars. Visitors can find a deep connection with natural Florida here. More than 100 miles of multi-use trails beckon hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders. Trails roam through dry prairie, wetlands, and cool, shady hammocks offering expansive views of the grassland and its abundant wildlife. You’re apt to spot white-tailed deer along the trails and, of course, alligators in the wetter areas. Scanning the skies, you will probably see bald eagles and
The park’s boreal forest hides a variety of wildlife. Viewing possibilities include such species as moose,
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