Best Campgrounds near Manistique, MI

This campground is close to Munising therefore convenient for visiting Pictured Rocks and other tourist draws in the area. In the busy summer season it may be difficult to get a last minute spot with an RV, but as I was tent camping and pleased to take a walk in site I had no problem getting a same day reservation even in August. The tent sites are all walkin, with a tent parking area and then various distances to hike in along a path to the different tent camp sites. The campsites themselves are gorgeous, with tall trees and right on the shore, and privacy in between. Also, they provide several wagons in the adjacent parking area so you can easily tote your gear into your site. All of that would make for a 5 star rating, maybe 4 due to road noise from the nearby highway. However, I am only giving this experience a 3 because of one really important drawback: there needs to be at least an outhouse provided adjacent to the tent area. As it is, if nature calls you first have to hike down the path through the tenting area to the tent parking lot, then hike through the campground to the bath house which is a good distance away. Apparently this is too far for some people so they decided to just poop by a bush by the tent site trail and left it right there. Worst yet, the spot I saw like this had be left there for probably a few days, which shows a need for maintanence to patrol the tenting area more often and clean up such messes as they are health hazards as well as nauseatingly ugly. I wish this hadnt happened as otherwise it would be a pretty decent place to tent camp!

This campground is all about what site you can get. I reserved a full hookup/waterfront site and it was amazing. All we had to do was step out our door to be looking at the water. However, if you’re not lucky enough to get one on the waterfront, then there’s just crowded, open sites that will possibly be sharing water and electricity with others. (Recommended to bring extra hose and cords) The showers/bathrooms are nice and clean, and the employees are friendly and helpful. We are returning twice this upcoming summer, both times looking forward to the awesome view of Lake Superior!

General: Very small (12-site) rustic campground on Lake Superior (Pictured Rocks National Seashore); although none of the sites have a direct view or access to the lake, it is just a short walk down some steps to a small but rocky beach. Reservations are required. Same-day reservations are accepted (but the campground was full when we were there). 

Site Quality: All sites are wooded and spaced a very decent amount of space apart, providing ample privacy. Each site has a tent platform and fire ring with grill grate. No hookups or any type. 

Bath: Two vault toilets only. Clean but no hand sanitizer so make sure you bring that and a flashlight at night! 

Activities: A short walk to Au Sable Lighthouse (1.5 miles). We took our chairs and a light snack to the beach to enjoy the sunset. 

We appreciated the privacy that foliage provided between sites and generally like small campgrounds compared to large ones. This was only an overnight stay for us. We did not check out the Upper Unit of the campground, about two miles from the Lower so don’t know how many sites are there or what they are like.

General: 61 site campground; 11 are 20/30/50 amp pull-thru sites and the rest are back-in 20/30 amp. A surprise was seeing so many seagulls and they were, although annoying, also quite entertaining! 

Site Quality: All sites are dirt/grass and level. The sites are close together with very little to no privacy separating them. 

Bath/Shower: In addition to men’s and women’s restrooms, there are two all-gender shower rooms and two family restrooms with shower. Except for dead bugs, they were clean. The shower was very nice– spacious and had good hot water, although there was almost always a wait to use one. 

Activities/Amenities: We camped here to take a self-guided tour of the ghost town, which took about two hours. There are several short-distance interconnecting trails that are mostly well-marked. Be aware, however, that after about a half mile, the Overlook Trail was no longer maintained – the grass was very tall and there was only a narrow footpath; I ended up turning back after going a short distance and seeing that it was not going to improve. There is also a boat harbor. It was quite a juxtaposition between the historical buildings and the loud groups of people partying on their boats! 

Once we explored the ghost town (which was very interesting), one night was just enough time for us to spend here, and it looked like many others were doing the same. The campground was completely full on a Saturday in mid-June but by Sunday morning, it had emptied out.