Some years over 200 inches, with snow on the ground from late November through late April
Winterising is routine work here
Freeze protection is the service call that defines the season. With snow on the ground from late November through late April in the north, water systems, heaters and batteries take the abuse, and a camper stored outside needs a plan rather than a hope.
Size is a service question too. Rustic state forest campground roads can be rocky and narrow with a tight turning radius, Seney’s wildlife drive takes nothing over 28 feet or 9 feet wide, and several Pictured Rocks spur roads cut off at 32 or 36 feet.
A camper van, truck camper or expedition vehicle has two sets of systems, and most mechanics only want one of them. RV and van service centers work on the living side: the 12-volt system, heat, water, ventilation and everything that leaks or rattles loose after a season of dirt roads.
Typical work
01House battery, charging, solar and inverter diagnosis
02Diesel and propane heaters, and water heaters
03Plumbing, pumps, tanks and winterizing
04Roof fans, air conditioning, windows and seals
05Appliance service and leak repair
How to choose a service center
These systems are brand-specific, and so is the training.
01Ask which brands of heater, battery and inverter they are trained on.
02Ask if they will work on owner-built or small-builder vans. Some will not touch wiring they did not install.
03Ask about turnaround in season. Service backs up in spring and summer.
04Bring documentation: a wiring diagram, a component list and photos from the build.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Model numbers save a phone call.
01The vehicle or camper, and who built it
02The components: battery type and size, inverter, heater model
03What it is doing, and when
04Photos of the installation
05Where and when you can drop it off
Questions people ask
My heater stopped working at altitude. Is it broken?
Maybe not. Fuel-burning heaters can struggle at high elevation and may need an altitude setting or kit, and they soot up if they only ever run on low. A service center that knows the brand can check it and set it up for where you camp.
Can a shop add solar or lithium to an existing system?
Usually, but lithium batteries need compatible charging from the alternator, solar and shore power. A shop should look at the whole system rather than swap the battery and hope.
How do I winterize a van?
Drain or protect anything that holds water: tanks, pump, lines, water heater and filters. How you do that depends on how the system was built, so ask the builder or a service center to show you once.
How high is Michigan?
From Oscoda at 588 feet to Mount Arvon at 1,979.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
WatersmeetWhere US 2 meets US 45 in the middle of the Ottawa National Forest. Nearest town to the Sylvania Wilderness and the forest’s highest ground.1,598 ft
IronwoodFar western corner on US 2, at the edge of the Ottawa National Forest. The Ottawa calls it the largest city on the forest boundary, at about 9,000 people. The Black River byway leaves from Bessemer just east.1,503 ft
CadillacSupervisor’s office town for the Huron-Manistee National Forests. The USGS puts the geographic center of Michigan in Wexford County, 5 miles north-northwest of here.1,308 ft
GraylingOn I-75 at the Au Sable River, with state forest road country in every direction and the Huron National Forest to the east.1,135 ft
BaldwinMiddle of the Manistee National Forest, on the Pere Marquette. Sections of the Michigan Cross Country Cycle Trail and the forest’s motorcycle trails run either side of town.837 ft
MarquetteThe largest city in the Upper Peninsula and its main stop for parts, tires and a hospital. Commercial flights serve it, and Munising is about 43 miles east.664 ft
HoughtonKeweenaw Peninsula service town on US 41, and the mainland headquarters for Isle Royale. The Ranger III sails from here and your vehicle stays behind.634 ft
Grand MaraisEast end of County Road H-58 and the Grand Sable Visitor Center. The road east of Adams Trail is not plowed in winter, so this end goes quiet.628 ft
Copper HarborNorth end of US 41 and of the Copper Country Trail byway, 52 miles from Houghton by the Park Service’s reckoning. The other Isle Royale ferry leaves from here.615 ft
Sault Ste. MarieBorder city at the east end of the Upper Peninsula and the start of the Whitefish Bay byway south on the Mackinac Trail, H-63.613 ft
OntonagonOn Lake Superior about 20 miles east of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, per the DNR. Last real services before the park’s campgrounds and the South Boundary Road.613 ft
MunisingWest gateway to Pictured Rocks and the Hiawatha’s Munising Ranger District. The Grand Island ferry leaves from M-28 about 2.5 miles west of town.607 ft
ManistiqueOn US 2 on the Lake Michigan shore, in the Hiawatha’s Rapid River and Manistique district. Forest Road access to the single rustic lake campsites runs north on M-94.600 ft
Traverse CityLargest town in the northwest Lower Peninsula, on the M-22 byway and about an hour from Sleeping Bear Dunes. Full services before the smaller lakeshore towns.596 ft
St. IgnaceNorth end of the Mackinac Bridge, where I-75, US 2 and M-134 meet. The place to wait out a wind closure rather than sit on the approach.590 ft
OscodaLake Huron end of the River Road National Scenic Byway, where the Au Sable reaches the lake. Eastern gateway to the Huron National Forest.588 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount ArvonThe highest point in Michigan, in Baraga County. Our own reading of the USGS elevation surface at the summit is 1,978 feet1,979 ft
Mount CurwoodA few miles from Arvon and within two feet of it on our reading. The USGS names Arvon as the state high point1,977 ft
Summit PeakHigh ground of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Our own reading, because no state page publishes an elevation for it1,956 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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