Menominee River State Recreation Area

I solo camped the Pemene Falls "Pemebonwon" site in August 2025. It's a pretty cool spot deep within the forest, right on the rivers edge, very secluded. Not a great view of the river because of the trees. You can swim there but getting down to the river isn't easy, steep 7ft ledge, kind of a muddy bank. Cell reception for my AT&T phone was little to none. I included some photos to help you get there and know what to expect. • The main entrance is easy to miss from the dirt road. Look for an opening with a small ATV sign. • The grassy parking circle within the forest is about 1.5 miles from the campsite. If you walk to the campsite, make it light cuz it's no joke of a walk from your car, at least a 25-30 minutes. • You cannot drive up to this campsite, unless the gate is unlocked - but don't count on that - if it's open I recommend driving down to drop your stuff off and drive back so you don't get locked in behind the gate in case a warden comes to lock it. Trucks, SUV's, and 4WD vehicles shouldn't have a problem driving down the trail, but cars would def struggle and could get stuck especially if it's been raining. • Campsite has a fire ring, picnic table, and two benches, room for several tents. • Not much large firewood around, unless you bring an ax to break down some dead trees. Might have to bring your own. • Mosquitos weren't too bad for me, they were out but I wore long clothes and didn't affect me bad. • Saw bear, coyote, deer, and raccoon scat along the trail. • Heard several bald eagles in the morning and a couple owls at night. • The DNR number on the campsite sign was disconnected when I test called. And the reservation number does work and can lead to an actual person, but it's not exactly an emergency number. So it's probably a good idea to have great cell service carrier or a sat phone.

We stayed at the Pemebonwon site over Memorial Day weekend. I'm posting pictures of the site and entrance because I couldn't find ANY pictures anywhere, so I'm hoping these could help someone hoping to stay here! The 1st photo is the marking to the parking lot off the main road, it doesn't indicate for the campsite. We actually had a local man help us out, because otherwise we wouldn't have known! The path from the parking lot to the site is about 1.5 miles, instead of the stated 1 mile. It's fairly hilly, nothing too hard but it isn't a flat trail. It does have a primitive toilet, which I didn't see mentioned in the reservation, so that's a bonus. The ticks and mosquitoes were plentiful. Please prepare yourself accordingly for with bug spray and several tick checks a day. This spot is gorgeous, and I do recommend for those who are into primitive camping spots.

This place is amazing! We went to hike and find some geocaches. The trail is really fun and challenging. We hiked a field on the way and and the pier four route on the way back. We saw river rafters and kayaks. The rapids look pretty challenging; one kayaker flipped over! But he was okay. It started pouring, but we still had a great time.

No hiking trails or places to walk. Very small fishing spot?

There is no information or signage that we could find to show where you are, or where to go. We drove through it for about 1/2 hours and just gave up and turned around without ever making it to the river ...

Thanks