Central Avenue Walk-in Sites
41.7015, -86.9485 · Park boundary: National Park Service
The Central Beach Walk-In Sites has 5 sites, and you will walk a distance to get to your campsite. There is a primitive toilet (porta-potty) by the Central Beach parking lot for the entire season. There is no drinkable water in the area so you must bring your own water.
- Every day
- All Day
• SEASON DATES: May 01, 2023 - October 31, 2023 • Individual sites at this campground operate on a 6-month rolling basis: • Availability is released from Mon, May 1st 2023 through Tue, October 3rd 2023. Select dates for availability. On April 04, 2023 at 09:00 am CDT, availability will be released through October 04, 2023.
- Winter Closure · Sep 30, 2026 – May 1, 2027 · Closed
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
$25.00 per night.
The Access Pass provides a 50% each night.
Senior Lifetime and Senior Annual
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Reservations can be made up to 6-months in advance. Reservations are made through recreation.gov.
- Cell reception
- Yes - year round
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets - seasonal · Portable Toilets - seasonal
- Amphitheater
- No
- Camp store
- No
- Drinking water
- No water
- Dump station
- No
- Firewood for sale
- No
- Food storage lockers
- No
- Host on site
- No
- Ice for sale
- No
- Internet
- No
- Laundry
- No
- Showers
- None
- Trash & recycling
- No
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
- RVs
- Not allowed
- Trailers
- Not allowed
- Access roads
- No Roads
- Classification
- Primitive Camping Areas
The site is not wheelchair accessible.
There is a large hill with uneven terrain to walk up to get to each site. The site is grass covered. There is a porta potty at the entrance of Central Beach and seasonal restrooms are located downhill at the Central Beach shoreline.
All fires must be made in the provided fire ring. Please do not collect sticks for fires. • Damaging trees, especially cutting down or driving nails into trees is prohibited. • Fireworks, including sparklers, are prohibited.
• 1 picnic table at each site. • 1 communal fire ring with 2 picnic tables. Firewood will be supplied by the park. • Primitive toilet (porta-potty) located at the parking lot for the entire season. • No potable water is available at the campsites. Bring your own, use the comfort station (do not count on the comfort station as a water source), or purify water from Lake Michigan. • No trash receptacles at the campsites or parking lot. Pack out all trash to your home. • Parking for 2 cars per site at the Central Avenue Beach parking lot. You cannot drive to your campsite. These are primitive, walk-in only campsites.
Per the National Park Service, as of 2026-08-04
Central Ave Beach Parking Lot Location: One mile north of the intersection of Central Avenue and U.S. Highway 12 in the Town of Pines. | GPS Coordinates (Decimal Degrees) of Important Locations: • CAMPSITE 1 = 41.701817, -86.947814 • CAMPSITE 2 = 41.702065, -86.946963 • CAMPSITE 3 = 41.702318, -86.945316 • CAMPSITE 4 = 41.702482, -86.944833 • CAMPSITE 5 = 41.702718, -86.944243 • COMFORT STATION (seasonal) = 41.702805, -86.950888 • PARKING LOT = 41.701407, -86.949050
On average, the warmest month is July and the highest recorded temperature was 105F in 1934. The coolest month is January, with the lowest recorded temperature of -25F in 1985. June sees the most precipitation with an average rainfall of 4.66 Inches.
• Stays are limited to 14 days in a 30-day period. • Check-out is noon. New "check-ins" cannot occupy a site until noon unless the site is vacant. • Quiet hours are daily from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. • All tents and equipment must be set up in the designated camping area. • A maximum 8 people per site. • A maximum of 2 vehicles per reservation. Park in the Central Avenue Beach parking lot. You cannot drive to your campsite. These are primitive, walk-in only campsites. • Pets are allowed but must be attended to and on a leash of 6 foot or less. • Bicycles are allowed. • Docking and launching of kayaks and canoes is allowed from Central Avenue Beach. • Responsible alcohol use is allowed. • Wood and charcoal fires are allowed only in the communal fire ring using the wood provided or by carrying in charcoal. Fires are strictly prohibited everywhere else including at the campsites and at the beach. • Gas cooking stoves are permitted at the campsite. *More regulations can be found at the link below.
Drive to Central Avenue Walk-in Sites
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