Pictured Rocks campground has Michigan's coolest toilet
Pictured Rocks remote campground has Michigan's coolest toilet
Deep in the Northern Michigan wild is a toilet that makes going to the bathroom while camping more pleasant than one might expect. And the science behind the toilet is just as cool. The National Park Service built the facility at Pictured Rocks campground.
(FOX 2) - Deep in the Northern Michigan wild is a toilet constructed by the National Park Service that resolves some of the inconveniences of going to the bathroom while camping, and does so with little maintenance required of the department's rangers.
Located at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, the 12 Mile Beach campground makes use of basic technology that resolves some of the common problems that come with going to the bathroom while outdoors.
The Toilet at Pictured Rocks
The toilet is located near a rustic cabin, found a short hike from the 12 Mile Beach campground.
The backstory:
The cabin was acquired by federal park staff in 2023 after remaining vacant for years. Once a historic structure, it was rehabilitated for overnight stays for those venturing up to Lake Superior's shoreline.
Before opening the cabin up for reservations, park staff opted to convert the original shell that was the bathroom into one that "uses a urine diversion system," according to Hannah Bradburn, a visual information specialist at Pictured Rocks.
"It basically separates solid waste from liquid waste, which means that you need a much smaller vault or pit."
At campgrounds with traditional bathrooms, both solid and liquid waste are combined, traveling into the same container. The design is simpler to install, but requires a larger vault.
Behind the toilet at the National Parks Service's 12 Mile Beach rustic cabin.
Dig deeper:
The toilet operates with the help of an angled conveyor belt.
Found inside the toilet, the belt is directly in the middle of the opening. Solid waste is deposited onto the belt, which uses a foot pedal that moves the belt to a pit behind the bathroom.
Meanwhile, liquid waste falls onto the sides of the belt with the help of gravity. Bradburn says it then travels to a septic field.
The toilet at 12 Mile Beach's rustic cabin uses a foot pedal to operate a conveyor belt that separates solid and liquid waste.
The science behind the toilet
The reason behind the diversion is that it better manages the waste.
When the solid waste is diverted to the vault, it's broken down by bugs and invertebrates in the soil.
Meanwhile, the liquid waste is dispersed to a septic field. Doctor Geoff HIll, who works at Toilet Tech Solutions and has a PhD focusing on human waste, said plants and soil can manage the liquid waste.
There's one other thing about the diversion that works: it doesn't smell.
The vault behind the toilet where solid waste is deposited. The liquid waste is diverted to a septic field.
What About Maintenance?
The experts at Toilet Tech Solutions estimate the solid waste could be stored onsite for 10–20 years.
For the rangers at Pictured Rocks, there's no adding chemicals or enzymes like what a traditional vault toilet may require.
"We also don't have to pump it out like we would with a vault toilet. So that makes it really a lot easier for us because it is in a pretty remote location," Bradburn said.
Pictured Rocks' Twelvemile Beach Campground opens park's newest site
The building only costs $35 to reserve and is part of one of the best campgrounds in the park.
What they're saying:
Bradburn said the office has not received much feedback about their inventive toilet.
"But sometimes in terms of restrooms, no feedback is pretty good, because that means you're not getting complaints."
The Source: The National Parks Service and Toilet Tech Solutions were cited for this story.