Menominee County park passes and Shakey Lakes camping rules explained

Menominee County’s campground system is easiest to use when you treat it as three different trips, not one generic park visit. Shakey Lakes Park is the full-service weekend base, Kleinke Park is the shoreline option with RV-friendly hookups, and River Park is the small, quiet river stay that rewards people who want less infrastructure and more water access. Before you arrive, the county’s rules make one thing clear: every vehicle entering county parks must display an annual park pass or pay daily admission, and camping at county-owned sites is by reservation only.

Passes and reservations: what you need before you pull in

The 2026 Menominee County Annual Park Pass costs $20 per vehicle and is valid from the date of purchase through December 31, 2026. It covers access to all Menominee County parks, and the county says it is mailed in 2 to 3 business days after purchase. That makes it the simplest choice for anyone planning more than one visit, especially if you expect to move between parks during the season.

Daily passes remain an option for shorter visits, and the county says they can be purchased at park entrances or online. Camping sites are not first-come, first-served anymore. The county has moved Shakey Lakes, Kleinke Park, and River Park to a reservation-only system, but it also allows same-day online reservations if a site is still available. That matters on peak summer weekends, when showing up without a reservation can mean learning the hard way that the site you wanted is already taken.

One important exception keeps confusion down: Fox Park is not part of the Menominee County Parks System, and it does not require a county admission fee or park pass. If you are heading there instead of one of the county campgrounds, you do not need to budget for the county pass.

Shakey Lakes Park: the most complete weekend destination

Shakey Lakes Park is the county’s biggest all-in-one option. The park covers 240 acres and is surrounded by four lakes, Resort Lake, East Lake, Baker Lake and Bass Lake, with the Menominee River nearby. For campers who want a place that can handle a family weekend without requiring extra driving, it is the most versatile stop in the system.

The campground has 128 electric sites, 10 primitive sites and 4 handicapped-accessible sites. It also has two boat launches, a swimming beach, hiking trails, pavilions, shower buildings and vault toilets. That mix gives Shakey Lakes a broader practical reach than a simple overnight campground: you can launch a boat, swim, host a gathering under a pavilion and still keep the trip centered in one place.

Shakey Lakes also functions as a community venue, not just a campground. The park hosts the Menominee County Fair, Music in the Park and a trick-or-treating and site-decorating contest. Those recurring events are part of why the park matters to local residents beyond the camping season. If you want a campground that feels connected to the county’s calendar, Shakey Lakes is the place.

Kleinke Park: shoreline camping with power and beach access

Kleinke Park is a very different stay. It sits on M-35 along the Bay of Green Bay and covers 27 acres, so it feels smaller and more focused than Shakey Lakes. The campground has 30 electric sites and 13 sites directly on the shore, which gives it a strong appeal for people who want water views and easier access to the bay without committing to a large, event-heavy park.

The county highlights a sandy beach, camper sanitation station, shower building, playground and pavilion at Kleinke. Michigan.org notes that the electric sites offer 20, 30 and 50 amp service, which makes the park especially practical for RV campers and anyone who needs reliable hookups. If your priority is a shoreline base with modern electric service, Kleinke is the most straightforward fit in the county system.

Kleinke also makes sense for visitors who want to stay near the water but avoid the busier, more multipurpose atmosphere of Shakey Lakes. It is still a full county campground with a reservation requirement, but its smaller scale makes it a better match for people who care more about access and less about event programming.

River Park: the small, quiet river stay

River Park is the most stripped-down of the three. At 23 acres, it has just 4 primitive campsites, which immediately sets expectations for a much quieter and more secluded experience. Instead of power hookups and a larger amenity mix, the county emphasizes kayaking, tubing, swimming and world-class bass fishing along the Menominee River.

That makes River Park best for campers who want a river-focused trip rather than a broad recreation base. It is the right choice when the goal is to spend time on the water and sleep close to the river, not when the goal is to bring a large group, set up a complex rig or rely on a long list of campground services. Because it is reservation-only like the other county sites, the small number of primitive sites means planning ahead matters even more there.

How to choose the right park without guessing

The county’s park system works best when you match the site to the trip, not the other way around. Shakey Lakes gives you the widest mix of camping, boating, swimming and event access. Kleinke gives you Green Bay shoreline camping with electric service and beach access. River Park gives you a smaller, more secluded river stay with primitive sites and direct access to kayaking, tubing and fishing.

For local residents and weekend campers, the practical question is not which park is “best” in the abstract. It is which one fits the weekend you actually want. If you are bringing kids, gear and a schedule built around multiple activities, Shakey Lakes is the strongest choice. If you want shore access and hookups, Kleinke is the cleaner fit. If you want a quieter camp tied closely to the Menominee River, River Park is the one to target.

What the county’s park network says about place and planning

Menominee County says it is about 360 square miles, with roughly 223,500 acres heavily forested, and Legend Lake remains one of the county’s major recreation areas. That landscape helps explain why the county’s parks carry so much weight locally. In a county with extensive forest cover and major water access, public campgrounds are part of the everyday recreation economy, not a side attraction.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources notes that not every Wisconsin county has county parks or forests, which makes Menominee County’s system more notable as a public asset. The county also says its Planning Commission guides land use and capital improvements, a reminder that these campgrounds are not just weekend amenities. They are part of county-level decisions about access, infrastructure and how residents use shoreline and forest land year after year.

For anyone heading out this summer, the rulebook is simple enough to avoid surprises: buy the pass or pay the daily fee, reserve the campsite before you leave home, and choose the park that matches the kind of stay you want. In Menominee County, that is the difference between arriving prepared and arriving late to a full campground.