Reviews of Fort Wilkins Historic State Park (Park)

jason kluczyk

Very cool spot rich with history. The fort is a great spot and the camp grounds are worth thr drive. Our campground host was Art and he super hospitable even we rolled into the campsite late. The general store had some odds and ends we needed with a bonus treat of ice cream. I would def return to this area.

David Draper

Cute Lil place

Will Turcotte

Beautiful location and great exhibits. There's a lot to learn there even. Very cool to see the bunk houses and officer quarters. As a bonus there's a playground for the kids for after the tour.

Trevor DeLand

Excellently restored fort in Copper Harbor. Informative displays about life in the fort in the 1800s as well as the efforts undergone to unearth and restore the various buildings. Best of all, it’s free for state rec pass-holders!

Patricia Ryerson

Very interesting. Got there early, missed the crowds

Joe Renaud

Nice campground with lots to do in the area!

Karen Zastrow

Nice campground, the fort was interesting and very interactive for my daughters.

Marah Wood

Great place clean bath rooms

Ari Adler

Nice chance to see a restored historic fort that most people don't even know exists. The restored buildings also have exhibits inside to explain life at the time.

William Shazer

We'll preserved on beautiful grounds.

Mary Torrey

Great gift store and ice cream place! The fort is just beautiful! The campground is beautiful!!! I didn't want to leave.

Nick Vece

One of the nicest state parks I've ever stayed in. Beautiful scenery. Access to both Lake Superior and Lake Fanny Hooe. We were able to kayak right from our campsite. Very nice playground for the kids. The fort is also fun for the kids and adults to tour.

Denise Crapse

Very nice campground...bathrooms very clean..the Fort is within walking distance and so is the camp store...the store carries the essentials..butter eggs & milk

Amanda Fleminger

Hmm, not impressed by this place. We were camping at Porcupine Mts and decided to take a day trip up to check out the fort and the Copper Harbor light house. Waste of a day. I like history and museums but this was boring. It was nothing compared to White Fish Point which is a very nice interactive place. Bathrooms though where very nice and clean. Staff in the store was nice. The town of Copper Harbor was a little underwhelming as well.

Kevin Smith

Awesome historical fort with a lot of information

Angela Farley

It's amazing the places you can visit with the state park passport (yearly pass). The heavily descriptive narratives in the buildings are nearly as good as a private tour, if not better, as you go at your own pace. The benefit the being able to bring dogs truly makes it a family vacation destination. (Be aware animals aren't allowed in the buildings.) Any history buff would find this place truly fascinating; someone that loves Michigan history would also hate to miss it. A visit to the area shouldn't be considered complete without checking it out. Especially if you already have state park pass.

Shannon Yoder

Great park. Quite a lot a large sites. Very clean shower rooms and bathrooms. Very little Wi-Fi, only by the restroom. No cell service either. But we've been twice and we will go back. It is a long drive, we do it in two days.

timothy brockett

Nice place

Scott Shoemaker

Civil War fort with live reenactments.

Юрий Богданов

I love the actor that was there that reenacted a soldier from that fort! And a lot of cool things to see!

Terri Beyersdorf

Interesting, but then I love history. Wish there had been more to read, but I had my dog with me, so I had limited access to the plaques, primarily the ones in the buildings. Nice, well-kept grounds.

Cathy Pauli

Loved it. Great sceenery

Richard Bensel

This is a wonderful park and place for hiking, biking and sightseeing. Unfortunately construction at the adjacent sewage treatment plant until 8:00pm severely detracted from the camping experience during our August 2019 stay. Park ranger patrols were non existent so enforcement of rules does not happen. That being said, most campers were quiet and considerate during our stay. The self guided tour of the Fort itself is always fun and educational. There a numerous walking and bike riding paths around the park and Copper Harbor is very easy to get to with any mode of transportation. If camping during the summer it is best to make reservations well in advance.

Deanna Leddick

It was a cool place to stop and visit on a drive to other places. Makes a nice short stop or longer for some.

Shaun Cohen

Good state park. The showers are probably the nicest I have ever seen at a state park

l catalla

Nice campground, clean bathrooms and shower stalls, big playground for kids to spend all their energy. A gift shop located within the park is a plus, shop also serves ice cream and sandwiches. We stayed 2 nights at the north side, sites are very close to each other and lots of biting flies. South campground is better and would stay there next time if happen to be back here again and still with easy access to lake Fanny hooe.

Tony Austin

I love this place!

Latte Mocha frappe

Great learning place to bring kids. Kids get very excited coming to it and more.

Tina Schwartz

Very interesting history

Chauntee Engebretson

The people in costumes were awesome. The displays were fascinating.

Jake Mager

Pretty interesting and historic place to visit. Really cool to see how the old timers used to live up here in the cold

Angel Rice

Love the reenactment. The actors were all very knowledgeable of the era and their character's role then. The grounds are lovingly maintained and the area is beautiful!

Kevin Cheadle

Something free to do with the family

Mac Ward

Neat old fort in Copper Harbor at northern tip of the Keweenaw peninsula. The state is doing a great job of restoration and there are a lot of artifacts in the old restored buildings. The fort is part of a very nice state park facility with camping and other facilities.

Chilumula Ravi Kumar

A must place to go if you visit copper harbour

Greg Miller

Cool slice of history.

Jared Greanya

Great history, nice people dressed up to talk to and interact with.

Diane Lind

This an awesome visit to the past in the UP. Very well done

Lori Bollinger

Beautiful place and not a lot of traffic

Gordon McLellan

Very quiet here. Neat bit of history in the old buildings. Campgrounds are spacious and well maintained. Only negative is the communal showers in the west campground.

Kay Wulff

Camping here for ten years. Lots to do, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking or quiet days sitting by Lake Superior. Rock hounding and history around every corner. Nature walks in every direction, and scenic overlooks of lake Superior.

Diane Ebert-Challiss

Nice camping park

Kent Hadley

History comes alive. Very good restoration, wonderful displays and artifacts. Best of all it is free with a state park pass.

Paul Altman

Awesome displays and the video tells a lot if you don't like reading

Dave V

Beautiful area. Great bike trails. Nice campground.

jmillin1966

Great state park. Visit when the kids are doing reenactment from the 1870s

Diane Cerven

Nice place for seeing history. I toured the fort and saw the lighthouse. They have a boat to the lighthouse that I didn't take. Nice park to have lunch at as well, volleyball, and a playground.

Jason Brittingham

And interesting place.

Jamie Jarvi

The fort is well kept and the exhibits are always being updated. If you have the option I highly suggest you go during the annual reenactment. Though not large in scale, the reenactments are very authentic and include much more than just soldier life at the fort. You will see soldiers as well as civilians and children. A few years ago a wedding was included in the reenactment.

John Henry

Such a nice place to visit and learn about the history of the Keweenaw peninsula and Fort Wilkins. Self guided tour with live actors in staged scenes. Kids loved it!

Deborah Pelton

Educational historic spot. Nice setting on Lake Fanny Hooe

tylus francisco

Very cool and very educational

Not Ur Dad

Beautiful scenery and very historic.

Christopher Warren

Beautiful!

Anita Maki

Love coming here. The kids love playing on the park and exploring the fort. The public area is nice.

White Birch Outfitters

great history saw a flying squirrel and the northern lights

Barbara Bell

Enjoyed it! We were there late in the day so there was hardly anyone there. It was a self guided tour so the lack of people made it all the more enjoyable. You need to buy a day pass for $9 or a $32 pass good for a year to all Michigan state parks. We were from out of state so we paid more than if you lived here. It was a beautiful fort. Well worth your time to visit!

LakehouseKSLG

A beautiful place in history.

Nichole Scherr

The children always love to go everytime we are in Copper Harbor.

ron wiley

Long drive but very well worth it

Mike Maples

Beautiful place,great reenactments

Mike McKnight

Beautiful area. Campground host on the east campground was amazing - offered coffee every morning and was always available to chat. Lots to see in and around this campground. Could afford to have a bit more privacy - but even on July 4, it was quiet at night.

Kaye Moss

Enjoyed! Love History

Drew McCauley

Good campground nothing really unusual here, but the fort is really cool to visit for a couple hours the scenery is beautiful and the nearby town has enough, a store a microbrewery a few restaurants and a park with a better playground than one would expect from a one room school, not to mention the dock. I met some people who lived there in the bar and they were friendly and helpful. They seemed happy to have all the tourists spending money.

John Egleston

We didn't explore the whole site, but the main attractions seemed to be a view of the inlet where the Great Lakes' first large sailing vessel foundered - and the interpretive signs telling that story.

Daniel Randolph

What a funny story. Basically they used this fort for 3 years, closed it for the Mexican war and then opened it for 2 years and then realized how dumb it was to have a fort in the middle of nowhere. The views from the park are really cool as it sits on this idyllic lake on one side and lake Superior on the other. It has a nice campground (crowded but nice).

Mark Maslonka

Great location, beautiful country....no cell signal, but camp has wi fi.....highly recommended!!

Robert Oneill

Nice campground and park. Well taken care of in the farthest north location in Michigan.

Taresa Giese

Was a lot of fun exploring the fort

Jessica Russell

A must stop when we come to to the U.P.!

K Rather

Great Outing!

Melchior Vester

Nice place to walk around and look

Charlie Liggett

Unique site. Not a whole lot to see in my opinion, but there is definitely noteworthy story to be told and preserved here.

Becky Herrington

Very clean and very accommodating

SESquatch 75

Always growing, they are always adding to the collection of artifacts.

Ellen Beno

Great site for history and fun time.

Jason Pugh

My family and I very much enjoyed exploring the fort and learning about the life and hardships of the early soldiers. Definitely worth the trip.

Mike Welch

Love it

Michael Schultz

We drove up to Copper Harbor from Michigan Tech, not know what to do. Fort Wilkins was a nice surprise. It's well-restored and quite interesting. I'd like to visit some time when they have period actors on duty.

Mike Siegwald

Really really really far away from my house but so glad I came. Peaceful. Quiet and really truly pretty area

stacey scola

Absolutely beautiful! Bring your atv to tour the trails!

Beth Baldwin

Nice state park! Great camping facilities and educational fort to walk through.

Amelia Kruse

Such a cool place to visit!

Carl Black

Nice historical presentation.

Aaron Hodges

This fort had a lot of historic views in there go and enjoy EH.

Scott Cowling

Fun history trip for the kids. Best part is it's free.

Tami Beaudoin

So much cooler than Calumet! Beautiful historical buildings and lake. The park store was Soo cute! Lots of souvineers.

Charlie Chapman

What an incredible place. The campground employees were very helpful. The historic Fort Wilkins is full of history and such a nice short walk from the campground. And just across the street is a public park that is a perfect overview of the lighthouse for those of us unwilling to hike out there.

Jeri Stiles

Beautiful, good sites, some paved, great location next to lake, no sewer, some w/ water, close to town with path, some in trees, some open, clean, well maintained.

Rick Post

Fantastic summer get a way nestled at the tip of the Kewenaw Peninsula. During the summer months the park is ran like the mititary fort it is. Folks churning butter, soldiers at parade, blacksmith clanging away. It's a treat when the cannons go off.

Roger Beauchamp

Lots of history and well narrated

julius johnson

Awesome

Brandon Wagner

Gorgeous area

Laura Clingman

Another great place for a history buffs. So much to see!

lj macd

Wonderful park and the fort is awesome and constantly improving.

David Barncard

Nostalgic

Kim Toorenaar

By far one of the nicest state campgrounds I have ever stayed at and I have camped at quite a few. The east side seems to have larger lots that are open and grassy, where as the west side is a bit more woody. Most the sites on the west side looked more privately tucked away in the woods with dirt sites. It's absolutely beautiful being next to lake fanny hoe and Lake Superior. And of course the fort is just a short walk from the campground. The bathrooms are very nice and are kept clean.

Gary Roehm

Awesome place to visit for the day, or to camp. Hike, fish, kayak, explore old copper mines, whatever you want to do you can do it here.

Tim Havens

Beautiful place to visit!

Louis Leroy

Very interesting great views

Nathan Thayer

Fun place to see while in copper harbor

Aaron Wilson

Great hidden park at the top of Michigan. A must see.

Cole's gaming

Such a cool place to look at the history of Michigan and a great place for a nature watch.

Amy Jo

Walked all through the fort to the different cabins and bunker houses and was able to see things they used way back in the mining days.

Richard Denno

Good look in to the life in the Copper Harbor in the 1800s

John Withrow

Great campground

Craig Galehan

Originally built in 1845, this has to be one of the coolest and well preserved historical forts i have visited. This fort is fully accessible to walk through all the buildings and learn alot about the history of the keweenaw and the copper boom that started in copper harbor. So much to do here and see, spent a good 5 hours wandering around looking at things, and would highly reccomend visiting this piece of history if your ever in the area

Joanne Schultz

History, nice campground, friendly people.

Ashley Mathis

What an amazing place! I wasn't expecting such a detailed history of the place. Very impressive! Will recommend this place to family and friends!

Kelly Minto

We stumbled into Fort Wilkins by pure luck. We came to Copper Harbor to visit the lighthouse, and stopped at the Astor Shipwreck Site. Fort Wilkins is across the road, and we walked around the facility. I love historical sites, and seeing the displays was awesome! Definitely the hidden gem of Copper Harbor.