April O'Neil / news@WHMI.com

The reservation window to book lodging at Michigan's state parks and recreation areas has changed.

To help streamline camping and overnight lodging reservations in Michigan state parks and recreation areas, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says they are shortening the overnight lodging reservation window from 12 months, to just 6 months.

Michigan has many overnight lodging options available, such as cabins, yurts, mini-cottages, tents, and "tiny houses." Some of those options are available locally, including facilities at the Highland, Holly, Brighton, Pinckney, Proud Lake, and Island Lake State Recreation Areas, among others.

In the past, officials with the DNR have discussed the booking changes. Recent information shows that overall, people are booking their reservations within six months of their trip.

By making this shift, the DNR acknowledged challenges for customers who can't plan 365 days out. But, the six-month window is a strategy will allow for better management of site and building maintenance.

To introduce the new six-month window with as little disruption as possible, a “shrinking” booking window will begin Nov. 1, 2023, and will be fully implemented May 1, 2024.

More information can be found at the provided link.