Aloha State Park campground forced to close some campsites, cancel reservations
Some Michigan state park campers recently got a dreaded email notification: Your reservation needs to be canceled or moved.
The closure of several campsites at northern Michigan's Aloha State Park in Cheboygan for an emergency electrical issue has campers bummed and trying to find reservations at other parks for dates that include popular Memorial Day weekend.
Park staff discovered water coming up through three campsite electrical pedestals, according to Ron Olson, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' parks and recreation division.
"We suspect that the electrical conduit somehow got compromised allowing the water to enter," Olson said.
In response, electric to all sites on that circuit in the North Campground was turned off, and reservations for those waterfront sites (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16-21, 23, 25, 27 and 29) were canceled through May 30, according to the DNR website and reservation system. The park also stopped accepting new reservations for nearby sites and currently has 29 sites closed, Olson said.
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"We had an electrician out last week to do an assessment and will be reaching out to engineers to evaluate the situation to find the best solution," Olson said. "We will be working to expedite the evaluation and repairs but do not have a time frame on when that will take place."
The South and Middle campgrounds at the park are not impacted.
Campers were alerted of the cancellations via email and have until May 10 to change their reservation with no modification fee, according to the email. After May 10, reservations will be automatically canceled with reservation, cancellation and reduced stay fees refunded.
Campers with a reservation that starts prior to and ends after May 31 had arrival dates adjusted to June 1 and modification fees waived. However, they can also contact the reservation center by May 10 to request a cancelation for a full refund.
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Jeremy Claybaugh, 48, of Clare was one of the reservation holders affected by the closure. He was supposed to stay on site 12 from May 26-29.
He was able to book a site a Young State Park in Boyne City instead, which he said was the only site in the Lower Peninsula available at that time.
"We were initially disappointed but understood that it was out of their control and they didn’t want to have to cancel us," Claybaugh said. "I was called a few days later with options available to me. Since I had already booked an alternative, I chose to just be refunded. They processed the refund and it was back in my account within two days. Overall happy with how it was handled."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aloha State Park campground closes sites for electrical issue
