Working remotely just got more beautiful at six of our gorgeous Upper Peninsula state parks which now provide WiFi, making it easy for everyone to stay connected. Heather Johnson Durocher took her remote work life on the road to check out working from a state park and shares a four-step guide to ensure you have a successful and stunning remote work experience. Dive in and reserve a campsite midweek to take full advantage of working remotely. And don’t limit yourself to the warmer months—yurts, teepees, cabins and more fun lodging options make an overnight stay in any season a cozy delight.

It’s late—11 p.m. late—and we’re those campers. The ones pitching their tent after quiet hours, when most everyone else has tucked in for the night save for the few still huddling around their crackling fires. We move as quickly and noiselessly as we can, so as not to disrupt our sleeping neighbors, though we’re tired from the end-of-work-day three-hour drive north and, yes, a tad testy with each other because, well, we’re tired … and assembling our tent in near darkness. Why didn’t we leave earlier in the day, I wonder to myself—not for the first time.

Still, we get it done, close the zipper, snuggle in—it’s downright cold on this mid-October night—and remind ourselves how great it is to be away, just the two of us, and during the workweek no less. This several-day getaway to the Yoop is part-21-year-anniversary escape and part-remote-work excursion. A silver lining of these interesting times: The ability to work literally anywhere. Or as my friend Maia Turek, resource development specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, describes it, “working from ‘here’”—wherever ‘here’ may be for each of us. From our home, from our car, even from a campsite.

As we planned this autumn trek to the Upper Peninsula, it’s Maia who tells me that midweek camping at state parks across Michigan is on the rise—maybe not a big surprise, given the pandemic and our increased interest in getting outdoors to stay healthy (and sane), but we’re talking a BIG uptick: 52% compared to last year, she says. It’s part of a trend the DNR and Michigan travel leaders expect to see continue (and grow) this fall and over the next several months with more of us working remotely and our kids learning virtually.

Camping and exploring our great state provide learning opportunities, for school-age kids and really for all of us. We see new-to-us places, all the nooks and crannies of Michigan that we’ve been thinking about checking out, someday.

And when staying at our beautiful state parks, some of which provide WiFi and cool amenities like kayak and camping gear rentals, combining work and play becomes a pretty awesome experience. During our four days of state park exploring—we started at Tahquamenon Falls State Park near Paradise and ended in Baraga State Park at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula—we visited a few of our fave spots and discovered new gems. Read on for four ideas and some insight for making the most of your traveling-while-working adventures at Northern Michigan state parks.

1. Find Your Midwest State Park

A simple way to secure your midweek camping spot, given the increased numbers of people visiting state parks, is to check the handy DNR campground maps showing availability. This is a newer tool from the DNR and helps locate available sites on shorter notice. Check out the Northern Michigan map here. The campsite availability map is posted each weekend for the upcoming week on the DNR’s Facebook page and is sent out to DNR newsletter subscribers. If you’re interested in receiving the weekly newsletter, you can sign up on the DNR’s website.

WiFi is available at these Upper Peninsula state parks:

2. Consider Your Lodging Options

While we decided this trip would be tent-camping all the way, we’ve stayed in cabins and campers during past state park vacations. Lodging options keep expanding at state parks, so if pitching a tent, especially during the colder months, isn’t your thing, no problem. There are many overnight options available in state parks and recreation areas, from cabins, yurts and safari-style tents, to lodges, cottages and pop-up campers—some with many of the amenities of home. Even tepees are available. Check out a list of lodging and locations. And on Mackinac Island, at least two hotels—Mission Point Resort and the Grand Hotel—started offering field trip/family outing getaways that involve educational lessons connected to the state parks.

3. Ask Some Questions Ahead of Time

Maia with the DNR suggests calling your desired destination ahead of time to confirm that WiFi is available. You may also want to inquire about the best spots for accessing the WiFi, too, and how great the cell reception is in that area.

4. Mix It Up and Soak Up the Sights—All of ‘em

 

You can also, of course, find your I’m-off-the-grid bliss in non-WiFi parks, too. Maybe mix it up, like we did. We had zero cell service at Tahquamenon Falls State Park; we knew that ahead of time and enjoyed our time spent “out of range.” But when we headed to Baraga State Park we did so knowing there would be WiFi and we’d be able to connect and work. The common thread? Gorgeous places to explore.

I can’t count how many times we’d driven by Baraga State Park before we stopped and stayed for a few nights this time around. I’m so glad we did. Located across from Lake Superior along a stretch of M-41 about a half-hour south of Houghton, it not only had WiFi, but it also was not far from Michigan Tech, where our daughter is in her final year. The park’s proximity to the highway meant we had some louder traffic sounds during the night, but the brilliant fall colors, a delicious hot breakfast at the Hilltop Restaurant in L’Anse (home to the famous one-pound cinnamon roll) and the peaceful trail winding through the woods at the back edge of the campground were even more memorable.

Our daughter, Emma, also suggested we explore nearby Canyon Falls, another treasure I couldn’t believe we hadn’t spent time at as a family before. What appears to be just another roadside park along the highway between Marquette and Houghton is actually so much more. A rugged yet any-level-hiker-friendly trail from this park along the picturesque Sturgeon River leads to the stunning Canyon Falls and Gorge. Taking our time exploring the trails—blue blazes along the way indicated we were on the North Country Trail—and climbing down twisty, root-filled paths and over slab rocks to views of the rushing falls and gorge, the “Grand Canyon of the U.P.,” was the perfect way to spend an afternoon not far from our campsite.

This trip, even with work time woven in, felt like a true Northern Michigan vacation—one of those escapes you look forward to and which you realize along the way was even more needed than you’d initially thought. Maybe it’s the culmination of home-office fatigue and the ongoing uncertainty we’re all experiencing as the pandemic carries on. Or maybe it’s just the magic that is time spent outside, breathing in the fresh air, experiencing new places and believing that all is going to be just fine.