West Michigan doesn’t always make the top of the RV bucket list, but it should. The Gun Lake area sits right in the middle of some of the best day-tripping territory in the Midwest with charming beach towns, one of the most unique ferries in the entire country, a freshwater beach that rivals anything on the East Coast, and enough to do that you could honestly fill a week without repeating yourself.
We used Sun Retreats Gun Lake as our home base, and it turned out to be one of the better decisions we’ve made when planning a trip around a region rather than a single destination. If you’ve been looking for a spot to anchor yourself in West Michigan and actually explore, this is it.
We also put together a full video covering our time in this area you can watch it here
Where We Stayed: Sun Retreats Gun Lake
Sun Retreats Gun Lake sits in Hopkins, Michigan right off US-131 between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. That location alone makes it a strong home base. You’re not fighting to get in and out of a beach town every day, but you’re close enough to everything that day trips are easy.
The campground itself is resort-style and well set up for families. Full hookup sites, cable TV, heated pool, splash pad, pickleball, horseshoes, shuffleboard, there’s a lot going on inside the gates. But the thing that stood out most for our family wasn’t any of that.
It was the lake.
The on-site lake for boat and canoe rentals ended up being one of our family’s favorite parts of the whole trip. Amanda and the girls were out on the water constantly. It’s calm, it’s beautiful, and it’s right there. No driving, no planning, just grab a boat and go. For families with younger kids especially, that kind of built-in activity is worth its weight in gold.
What we loved about Sun Retreats Gun Lake:
- On-site lake with boat and canoe rentals
- Heated pool and splash pad for the kids
- Full hookups, cable, and WiFi throughout
- Tons of on-site activities like pickleball, horseshoes, shuffleboard, fishing
- Gated and well-maintained grounds
- Great location for day trips without being in the middle of a busy tourist town
Honestly, you could stay here an entire week and never leave the campground if you didn’t want to. We did want to because the surrounding area is worth exploring, but having that option made the whole trip feel more relaxed.
You can get 25% off select stays at all Sun Outdoors and Sun Retreats by using our Sun Outdoors Creator Link!
If you’re still in the RV buying or planning phase and trying to figure out where to even start, our Ultimate RV Buying Guide is a great first step. And if you want to see how we plan our routes and find campgrounds like this one, we use RV Trip Wizard by RV Life, it’s been one of our most-used tools on the road.
Day Trip: Saugatuck & Douglas
This is the crown jewel of the Gun Lake area, and it deserves the most time on your itinerary. Saugatuck and Douglas sit side by side on the Kalamazoo River, about 30 minutes from the campground, and together they punch well above their weight for a small beach community. Artsy shops, good food, a stunning Lake Michigan beach, and one of the most genuinely unique experiences we’ve had anywhere in the country.
Getting There: The Saugatuck Interurban
Before we get into what to do, let’s talk about how to get around because this matters more than people realize.
Parking in Saugatuck in the summer is a headache. It’s a small town and it fills up fast. The move for RV families is the Saugatuck Interurban, an on-demand public shuttle that covers Saugatuck, Douglas, and the surrounding area. It’s $1 per passenger. You call or book through their app, they come to you, and you get dropped off wherever you’re going. No parking, no circling, no stress.
We used it and were glad we did. For a family, it’s the kind of thing that turns a potentially frustrating arrival into a non-issue.
The Saugatuck Chain Ferry (Diane)
This was one of our favorite experiences on the entire trip and we almost skipped it because we didn’t fully understand what it was until we got there.
The Saugatuck Chain Ferry, named Diane, is the last remaining hand-cranked chain ferry in the United States. It’s been in operation since 1857. The crew literally cranks a vessel across the Kalamazoo River by hand, guided by a chain strung from bank to bank below the surface. There’s no motor. No engine. Just human effort and a system that’s been working for over 160 years.
It crosses from downtown Saugatuck to the east bank of the river, where you can hike up Mount Baldhead or follow the path to Oval Beach. The whole crossing takes about five minutes.
What to know before you go:
- $3 per person each way, $1 for kids ages 3–10, cash only
- Operates Memorial Day through Labor Day
- Runs approximately every 10–15 minutes based on demand
- Shuts down in high winds, lightning, or heavy rain
- Carries up to 24 passengers per crossing
Even if you turned around and came right back, it would be worth the $6. But you shouldn’t turn around, because Oval Beach is waiting on the other side.
Oval Beach
Oval Beach is consistently ranked as one of the best freshwater beaches in the country, and after visiting, we completely understand why. Soft sand, clear water, dune backdrop, it feels like a Great Lakes version of the kind of beach you’d expect to find on a coast. The fact that it’s freshwater almost doesn’t register until you’re there.
We used the Interurban transit to take us to Oval Beach, where it dropped us off right at the sand!
The Root Beer Barrel
The Root Beer Barrel is exactly what it sounds like and exactly what you want after a morning on the beach. It’s a local landmark, a classic small-town stop, and the kind of place that becomes one of those trip memories your kids actually hold onto. We stopped in and did not regret it for a second. We left with a hot dog covered in mac n’ cheese and a root beer float!
Uncommon Coffee Roasters
If you need a morning coffee before hitting the beach or the ferry, Uncommon Coffee Roasters in downtown Saugatuck is worth finding. Good coffee, local feel, no pretense. It’s the right way to start a Saugatuck day.
Downtown Saugatuck & Douglas
Saugatuck’s downtown is small, walkable, and genuinely charming without feeling manufactured. Good shops, local art, places to browse without feeling pressured. Douglas sits just across the river with a quieter, slightly more local in feel, and worth the short walk or Interurban ride over. Together they make for a full, easy day of exploring without ever needing a plan.
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Day Trip: Holland, Michigan
Holland is about 20 minutes north of the Gun Lake area and worth adding to your itinerary if you want a day that looks completely different from the Saugatuck experience.
The Dutch heritage here is genuine and visible with windmills, tulip-lined streets during spring’s Tulip Festival, and a walkable downtown that has a lot more substance than most small towns its size. Holland State Park has a great beach on Lake Michigan if you want another beach day, and the Big Red Lighthouse at the harbor entrance is one of the most photographed spots in Michigan for good reason.
It’s a shorter day trip than Saugatuck but a good one, especially if you’ve got kids who need variety or you want to break up the beach town pattern with something a little different.
Outdoor Option: Yankee Springs Recreation Area
If you want a day that doesn’t involve driving 30 minutes and navigating a tourist town, Yankee Springs Recreation Area is right in your backyard.
It’s a state recreation area with hiking and mountain biking trails, fishing, swimming, and a lot of room to just be outside without crowds or planning. For a family that’s been moving hard through day trips, a slow morning at Yankee Springs is the kind of reset that makes the rest of the trip better. It’s close, it’s easy, and it’s genuinely beautiful West Michigan scenery.
Practical Tips for RVing This Area
A few things worth knowing before you go:
- Use the Interurban in Saugatuck. Parking in peak summer is frustrating. The shuttle is cheap, easy, and takes the stress out of arrival.
- The Chain Ferry is cash only. Bring small bills, $3 per adult, $1 for kids. Don’t get there without cash.
- Oval Beach parking fills early. If you’re driving instead of taking the ferry or local transit, arrive before 9 AM on a summer weekend or expect to wait.
- Holland is an easy add-on. It’s in the opposite direction from Saugatuck, so you can do both in the same trip without significant backtracking.
- Sun Retreats is centrally located. US-131 puts you within 30–45 minutes of most of what we’ve covered here, which makes it a genuinely useful home base rather than just a place to sleep.
Final Thoughts
The Gun Lake area is exactly the kind of place that gets overlooked because it’s not a destination name people recognize. You know Saugatuck. You’ve heard of Holland. But Gun Lake as a base? Most people drive right past it on US-131 and don’t think twice.
That’s what makes it worth knowing about.
You’ve got a solid campground with enough on-site to fill a week, a charming beach town 30 minutes away with one of the most unique experiences in the country, a freshwater beach that earns every bit of its reputation, and enough variety in the surrounding area that no two days feel the same. West Michigan is underrated as an RV destination, and this corner of it is a big reason why.
If you’re mapping out a Michigan trip and looking for a home base that puts you close to everything without putting you in the middle of the chaos, add Gun Lake to the list. We’re glad we did.
Check out our full video of staying at Sun Retreats Gun Lake here:
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Still figuring out the RV buying process? Start with our Ultimate RV Buying Guide – it covers everything from floor plans to financing in plain language. And if you want to see how we plan trips like this one, the 50 Things to Consider Before Going Full-Time is a good read wherever you are in the process.