Pure Michigan Road Trip? Avoid These 3 Rest Stops With the Worst Reviews

Summer travel season is here! Whether you're staying close to The Mitten or venturing out of state, the open road is calling.

I can only speak for myself, but I'm a big fan of road trips. I love cueing up my favorite radio station, stocking up on all my favorite road trips snacks, and finding unique and quirky spots to pull over for a good photo op.

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What don't I love about road trips? Having to make, ahem, pit stops. When it comes to roadside rest areas, you never know what you're going to get. It could be bright and clean or it could be dirty and sketchy-- there is no in between!

I do have to give Michigan a lot of credit though. Overall, most Michigan rest areas and welcome centers seem to get at least a 4+ star reviews on Google. That's really saying something!

However, if you're planning a road trip across Pure Michigan or beyond this summer, I'd highly suggest avoiding these 3 rest stops like the plague:

Woodbury Rest Area

Located along I-69 Eastbound between Flint and Lansing, most complaints for the Woodbury Rest Area 830 include stall height, smell, and maintenance. Google user Sam K gave it 1 star writing:

This is the worst bathrooms I've ever stopped at in Michigan! No toilet paper. No soap. Super dirty. I'm disgusted even writing this review.

Five Lakes Rest Area

Located near Attica, Michigan the Five Lakes Rest Area is temporarily closed which hopefully means the building is being updated and these complaints are being taken care of! Of this rest stop Brad Mic says,

Please keep this rest area cleaner. Absolutely disgusting. Every Porta potty I have ever been in was cleaner than this rest stop. Next time I will have my kids and myself use the trees outside the building to do our business.

Bay City Rest Area

Just off of I-75 Southbound sits the Bay City Rest Area. Although it gets great reviews for safety, it fails the smell test! Most complaints and reviews reference an overwhelming smell of urine. Chris Swick shared,

Everytime I stop to use this facility, it has an overwhelming smell of urine. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It's worse than the worst truck stop bathroom I've ever had the displeasure of visiting. The grounds are beautiful. The restroom is horrendous.