Sunshine Motel Rustic Camping

The sites themselves were large. The walk to carry items of all sorts was up hill and more than we had expected since I have a 5 year old and a son with a broken leg. We let the owner know we were leaving and did not expect a refund as it was our decision to leave. What was unexpected and uncalled for was the owner running into the parking lot yelling at me through my car window!! Scaring my kids and telling us we would never find another place to stay and that we needed to stay there. I had to roll up my window to get away, and he then tried to stop my older kids in the vehicle behind me!! I would never recommend anyone go to there and deal with that crazy man!! I drove 10 minutes down the road and found an amazing campground that was literally half the price!

Response from Anthony ( Rev.), the Host, on August 5th, 2020

You are correct my husband did run after you and tried to stop you. He was only coming to you to let you know that the site was still here for you had you not found lodging, but you didn't even give him the chance. You also forgot to mention that he offered to haul your things up to the site for you in his utv, and allowed you to park as close as possible because of your son's broken leg. The website does say that it is rustic and without parking and that it is at the sites up a hill behind our cabins.

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Very kind owners (I think they were the owners anyway), personally showed us to the campsite which had a natural privacy fence of trees. There are tiny lights in jars on the trees next to the trail to the campsite, which I thought was a helpful touch at night. They provide a grill, little campfire pit, a small picnic table and a trashcan with a lid on it (but still cautioned us to take care of anything smelly because of bears). The campsite was pretty large and well taken care of. There were a lot mosquitoes at times (which is to be expected!), but they seemed to come out in waves, not a constant barrage of mosquitoes. I would highly recommend this site for someone who is visiting Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park doing day hikes.

Sunshine Motel was absolutely lovely. My friend and I camped on one of the eco friendly spots. It's very private, and a very short walk from your car. Close enough that we went to our car often to store our food. Mason jars with candles line the way on all the paths.
In the mornings, we bathed in Lake Superior at their private beach. In the evenings, we went down to watch the sunset and sometimes swim again (yes the water is cold but you adjust). Also the campsite is very close to a small town, and about 15min from Porcupine Mountain State Park.
The owners of Sunshine motel couldn't have been more helpful. They gathered trash everyday at the campsite, they taught us how to find glowing rocks in the evening, and accompanied us down at the beach. Truly lovely people.
I honestly don't think we could have found a better campsite in the UP. We loved it!

Response from Anthony ( Rev.), the Host, on August 20th, 2020

That's the way nature is meant to be enjoyed thank you for telling others about us.

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Great hosts that provided grill, table, firepit and access to woods to gather firewood. No bathroom or water but gas station 2 miles away. Site includes access to lake superior within walking distance!

Response from Anthony ( Rev.), the Host, on August 6th, 2020

We appreciate the review. Although running water or utilities probably won't happen for a while as we are trying to keep the sites as eco-friendly as possible we are considering a composting toilet for next year. Thank you.

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So much better than the state park campground! Private space with a big site. Charcoal grill, table, and fire ring are present at the site. We brought a camping toilet and small pop up, standing tent for our bathroom - it was so much better than using the bathrooms at a state park (if we were staying there). Site is close to the hiking trails within the state park and the beaches.
Would do it again a thousand times over.

Response from Anthony ( Rev.), the Host, on August 20th, 2020

We are so happy that you enjoyed your stay with us. See you soon.

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Great host, he came and told us when bad weather was expected, which was much appreciated since we didn't have service to get weather reports.

Response from Anthony ( Rev.), the Host, on August 26th, 2020

Thank you for staying with us. We are glad that the storm wasn't as bad here as they predicted. Hope that you come to visit us again soon.

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Pros: -campsite 1 had a little hut which helped keep things dry with the rain
-amenities included a garbage can, little fire pit, grill, and table
-hosts were very nice and invited us to a community bonfire each night
-private access to lake superior beach just a short walk across the street
-each campsite was large and had plenty of space
-hosts took away garbage at least 1x/ day

Cons: -the campsites aren't super private- while spaced apart, we could see our neighbors and people staying at the motel could walk through the campsite (to walk dogs of just explore)
-it's right off a busy road so there is some road noise
-extra dog fee (only $10) wasn't added so we had to pay more upon arrival- not a huge deal

Overall it didn't totally match our expectations, but served the purpose of having a nice camping trip up north! Thank you!

Response from Anthony ( Rev.), the Host, on October 2nd, 2020

We thank you for staying with us. We enjoyed the time that you spent with us.

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Fantastic location! The host is amazing. Really wonderful. If you’re looking for off road camping, I’d go elsewhere, as you’re a bit closer to the road than expected. But you’re tucked back behind the hotel and a bunch of trees and have your own little place. It’s delightful. You can see all the stars. Traffic dies down in the evening and you don’t hear cars really at night. Lots of beautiful trees and everything is kept up really well. The twinkle lights are a nice plus! The host was super helpful and attentive. We spent the next day hiking and it was the perfect place to come back to. Great that you can have a campfire also. Would highly recommend!