Looking for the best Bristol tent camping? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Vacation close to the shore of the Great Lakes when you stay at our campground in Covert, Michigan. Make memories lounging on the sandy shores, exploring downtown attractions, touring lighthouses and splashing in the ocean waves. Covert / South Haven KOA Holiday is also near Silver Beach County Park, named one of the top 10 beaches in the United States.
Our RV Sites offer peaceful locations to gather for family activities around the campfire and enjoy a delicious BBQ and s'mores, take part in a card game or watch the activities on the lake. Traditional tent camping provides an outdoorsy experience with stargazing and falling asleep to the sound of nature. The luxury of Deluxe Cabins offers a glamping experience with cozy beds, air conditioning, restrooms and kitchen options. Our RV Sites, Tent Sites, Deluxe Cabins, Glamping Tents, and Camping Cabins also all include Wi-Fi access, so you can stay connected with faraway friends and share your fantastic trip photos with them. Tents are not allowed on RV sites, shade canopy is okay.
Ready to plan your trip camping in South Haven, Michigan? Call 269-764-0818 or reserve your site online today! Your adventure awaits.
This family-owned, nationally recognized, award-winning KOA is the closed to beautiful Lake Michigan, providing guests with top-notch services, amenities and unrivaled proximity to nearby beaches, orchards, vineyards, kayaking rivers and other popular attractions. The parklike setting features mature trees with a canopy of trees, paved roads and well maintained grounds with a peaceful atmosphere that makes this the best place to be. The attentive, friendly team will meet and exceed your expectations, whether you stay in a tent, an RV or one of the 20 lodging options including Camping Cabins, Deluxe Cabins and Glamping tents. Enjoy the heated pool, Jumping Pillow, fishing pond, bike rentals, mini golf, playground, Gem mining, cable TV, Wi-Fi, wooded nature trail, general store and Campfire Café serving Hunt Brothers pizza. Planned activities and themed weekends held throughout the summer.
$60 - $120 / night
$20 / night
LegendMany years ago tent camped here. Small camp store. Small lake. Mostly seasonal RVs here
Traveler
They have lots of hiking, biking, and boating. They have cabins, rob hook ups, and tent camping.
Guide
Tent sites are all in one cleared area that is a short walk from the parking spots. I had the place to myself as it was Labor Day Monday night. Showers and bathrooms were clean. Pool looked nice. Best part is that it’s a 3 minute drive to a public beach with great swimming and a beautiful sunset. Owners and staff are kind and I think there’s a little store and bar on site. $20 per tent site.
Legend
Twin Mills is a really beautiful and quiet RV Campground, with tall trees in Northern Indiana. We frequent this location when getting RV Repairs and visiting Elkhart, the birth place of most RVs.
There are cabins and tent sites and a large lake access point with a beach area. The playgrounds seemed to be in good shape and the dumpsters were centrally located.
The park has a gate entrance for security.
There is a large pool area and basketball court.
There are several sections in the park, some more wooded and narrow sites, some are more spread out.
Cellular: T-Mobile had good signal strength and bandwidth, AT&T was not as good but still doable.
Most of the sites are full hook up, some have 30amp and some have 50amp.
Amenities: Pool Clubhouse Basketball Volleyball Picnic tables Fire rings Trash Playground Lake access Beach area Dock Cabins Tent sites
Guide
Close to beach of Lake Michigan. Walk in primitive tent site is what I stayed at. Many other sites available. Quiet at night. Great staff
Guide
Lot sizes do vary, pull through lots are a good size. If you like tent camping this place has a great tent/pop up only section on the river. Excellent dog run. Pool is dated but it actually is open. I tend to use this place to open up my TT or to close it Down for the season.
Scout
After camping in Maryland it was nice to have a large more inviting spot. Perfect for tent camping. Camp store has all you need. The dunes are epic and swimming in Lake Michigan was great. Have returned many times and is our go to park.
Guide
...although you probably wouldn't want to camp in the Indiana winter. I grew up coming here mostly to sled on the hills! But, there is a lot more to do. It surrounds Worster Lake and there are cabins, RV sites, and tent sites along with horse trails and bike trails. In the winter, there's sledding hills and ice fishing. The campgrounds are pretty standard, nothing special. If you live in the area, it's a fine little getaway.
Scoutthis was amazing place to stay. the people were very friendly. everything was clean. and it was quiet and peaceful and the beach was absolutely beautiful. i haven’t gone tent camping before and i went here and it made me love it! i will definitely be going back!
Guidetook my son on a father son camping trip! normaly i would bring my 32 foot camper but we roughed it for the weekend and tent camped. sites were smooth and level and well taken care of. lots of nice walking and biking trails and a big electric motor only fishing lake and nice beach.
ScoutStayed sept 2022, $30 tent site (no electric). Its $40 with electric. Arrived after office hours, campground gated, but host was super friendly and helpful! The grounds are immaculate. Bet it's very popular in summer. Beautiful place, wish I could have stayed a lot longer.
Guide
Although it states in the app free dispersed camping. Doesn't always mean just that. The cheapest campsite at primitive camping is $12 bucks. (Tent sites) For more, you can get electric hookup sites galore that all include a fire ring picnic table and a pretty leveled out spot.
Guide
Online reservations is a bit confusing. Map designated tent sites with numbers. When you book campsites they have letters with no map or site pics. You have to book a site but it says first come first serve. Good place for fishing from bank and launching kayak, canoes.
ScoutRV Sites are stacked on each other. We chose 306 and it was ok by the pond. No misquitos. Our friends had 310 and there was barely room to put their awning out. Lots of kids, pool full on the weekends. Good thing it's close to Bonnieville Park. The tent sites looked nice. Wifi is very slow. Verizon 2 bars
TravelerCampground at Chain O Lakes State Park is a moderately wooded campground with standard sites. Some camping sites are more private than others and caters to RVs since many of sites are not level. They have a primitive loop with flat sites which makes for great tent camping. The beach is a fun activity for the kids and there are several lakes linked together via narrow creeks which can used by canoes and kayaks.
Traveler
Pokagon State Park has an excellent state park campground. Sites are in a well wooded area situated on 5 different loops (1 non-electric, 4 electric). Many sites are flat (good for tent camping) while others are slightly rolling hills (helps breakup the sites a bit). There is a lot to do in the park including many trails, horse riding (horse stable on site), and lake swimming on a nicely improved beach. Only cons are no full hook up and the fire rings/grills could be improved.
Scout
We have only stayed in the tent sites but love it. Our kids ride around the circle on their bikes, they love the train rides, its always fun to walk around the grounds and learn about the history. Nice short trip in to St. Joe or Benton Harbor. We got take and bake pizza from Silver Beach Pizza and cooked it over the fire.
Bathrooms are clean, showers are warm. We enjoy this place.
Traveler
This is a modern campground with full hook-ups and cement parking areas. It is a newer campground, so there is not an old-growth canopy shading the sites. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Some sites are pull-throughs. Tent camping is allowed, but most campers have RVs.
There is a bath house with good showers.
The park also has a lake with a beach, although I have never been in it.
This campground has a great location for people who want to visit Kalamazoo. One downside is that there are train tracks that run near the campground and sometimes the engines idle for extended periods at night.
TravelerI stopped here with my dog for the night. The semi-modern or tent sites have okay privacy. Some sites like 18 and 19 (where I stayed) share space so those sites would be great for groups. Could hear the traffic from the local highway but it wasn't too bad, I still slept well. The grounds were prettt empty but I was there on a Tuesday night before Labor Day.
The dunes and dog beach were perfect for Clutch to expel energy after a long drive.
These grounds would be perfect for a night or two or if you have a larger group.
FYI: Vault toilets
Traveler
This is a nice, family friendly campground. Lots of very friendly other campers, a heated pool, playground for the kids, nice size lots with fire pits, picnic tables, electric& water (including at tent sites). Pool has an ADA lift chair. 2 shower/bath houses, camp store, a real bear cave you can tour in (free), a creek that meanders through it. The resort sits on the St. Joseph river & this park has a boat ramp & dock for fishing. There is a gate that campers need a code to get into so it keeps out unwanted’s. Nice staff. Yolanda is a great manager. Security, a ‘honey wagon’. Laundry center. Quiet hours are 10p-8a. It’s near Buchanan Michigan and the RED BUD Motor Cross track. Very friendly people, always stopping and talking.
Legend
We wanted to stay at Warren Dunes State Park, but I think this discovery was a better choice. A clean and friendly municipal campground on the St. Joseph River. The grounds are mostly open with little shade, but we had a tent site by the river and trees. What impressed me most was that they have a building specifically for cleaning fish, with scales, cutting boards and sinks. Another nice feature is the outdoor sink at the shower & restroom building for campers to wash dishes. As tent campers I wish more places had a set up like that. There’s a large stack of firewood, so it’s easy to get a bundle that’s good and dry. We did go to Warren Dunes for an afternoon. It’s busy and crowded. If you go to the beach, be aware there’s very little shade. North of there is Grand Mere State Park, which is better for hiking. In Berrien Springs, check out Zick’s specialty meats across the river from the camp.
Legend
This is a membership campground. It is a few miles from Kalamazoo MI and it a beautiful area. Really does need to be updated. Not all campsites are full hook ups. If you are looking for a great tent area around the lake this is it. You can fish, play and just enjoy yourself. They have areas for the kids to play and for adults to relax.
The Facilities need to be updated, no laundry and no internet. The campsites are a good size but those we found are not very level. I love the option of walking around the campground as there are up and down and one really big huge hill. They need to fix there entry parking lot or you will get lost in the huge pot hole. I would go back as it is a Coast to Coast and it is OK for $10 a night.
The area the campsite is located is a great country area and is very wooded.
If you have a family and like to fish it is a great place for you. If you like tent camping go for it. If you like amenties like laundry and level sites find another one.
ScoutGreat campground. Better cared for than a State Park and better accommodations, too. Newish shower house with 6 uni-sex showers (all with their own locking doors). Water mechanisms on several made hot water a little tricky… test before you undress haha. If 5+ showers are in use, don't count on much hot water.
Very friendly operators and employees. Genuinely interested in how you're doing. Above average camp store and they even deliver your firewood order to your site for you ($7 for a 15"x15"ish bundle).
Beach access is easy and the beach is nice. On the cooler week we were there, would only see one or two other people out if any, but when school gets out mid-June, sounds like it gets busier. Our Monday-Friday stay saw us as the only tent campers which was great. Our kids enjoyed the playground and we made use of the grills by the picnic shelter a few times.
All tent sites (except for T12) are walk in (but most are only 100-300 feet).
Tent Sites 1, 2, 3, 11 and 12 as well as the group site are on their own away from the main loops. They are served by a flush toilet with running (cold) water. Or you can make the slightly longer walk to the shower house.
Tent 1 is 100 foot walk, small site, easily visible from T-2 and 3 as well as the group site.
Tent 2 is medium sized, across from T-3 and visible from T-1 and T-3.
Tent 3 is large. Slightly overlooks the group site and can see T-1 and T-2.
Tent 4 is large, but almost totally isolated. It's surrounded by hills (although T-5 is on one of those hills so could overlook it. Long walk to bathroom.
Tent 5 overlooks 4 a little and is a medium sized site. Also long walk to bathroom.
Tent 6 is elevated above everything so overlooks T-5, T-7 and the RV loop. It's a huge site with nothing but nature around and above you. Long walk to bathroom.
Tent 7 shortest walk to car parking, but surrounded by other sites. Access to other sites runs through site as well.
Tent 8 and 9 are basically one large site with two tables and fire rings. Requires a walk up several flights of stairs, but puts you on top of a bluff that, without trees, would give you a view of the lake. They charge a premium for these sites.
Tent 11 is probably the longest walk… you walk past T-1,2,3, then up 70 steps to the top of a ridge. You cannot see or be seen and the picnic table is covered with a shelter. Not a ton of space, but a great site for a lite packer.
Tent 12 is a drive in site right next to the bathroom and the main drive into the campground.
We were pleasantly surprised and, outside of a cold shower or two, never disappointed in our stay.
Legend
We were passing through and decided to stop for frozen custard at the stand right next to the campground. The first review for this place did not seem very inviting but a more recent one was a little more positive. After checking it out, I thought it could use a little reinforcement of the positives! I’m not sure if there have been new owners since the first review but I received a very friendly greeting, and the office is open from 9 am– 8 pm and clearly marked as the place to check-in.
There are many options here: back-in or pull-thru tent sites, w/e sites, full hook-up sites, camper cabins, and fully equipped cabins. The campsites range from $32-$46 per night and the cabins range from $69-$144 per night. Sites 47-52 are close to the road so you will hear road noise, but Sites 11-35 are farther from the road and are more shaded. The layout is RV park style but there is reasonable separation between the sites.
The restrooms have a code for entry, and I did not see the inside of these.
Amenities include:
- a community fire pit
- game room with television
- guest laundry
- dump station
- gift shop
- pet friendly options
-WiFi
- There is, of course, an ice cream/frozen custard stand that I dare you to resist.
While we would not consider it a destination, we would definitely consider camping here en route – the price is reasonable, and the staff is friendly and welcoming.
Legend
I have camped here a couple of times while visiting northern Indiana to have repairs done on my RV. Overall, I like this campground where for $30/night you can get a 50 amp full hook-up site or $23/night a 30 amp and water site. If you plan on staying longer weekly and monthly rates are really good. The campground sits in the middle of the county fairgrounds so there is usually something going on – either a fair, concert, horse event, or an RV rally. Depending on what time of year you are here and part of the week, the campground could be very crowded or very empty. The nice thing is the people in the office let you pick whatever site you want and don’t assign one to you. There are 275 full hook-up sites with 50 amp full hook-up and 30 amp water & electric only. There are no fires allowed and some sites don’t have picnic tables but you can request one and they will bring it to your site.
There is very little shade and during my last visit the late September fall temperatures climbed to nearly 90 degrees and was brutal. This campground is better suited for RVs than tents but you are permitted to tent camp. Bathrooms and showers are scattered about and I was amazed at always how clean they (and the grounds as a whole) are. They do offer WiFi which worked pretty well in non-peak hours like early morning but was not reliable and sometimes frustrating. Since many sites have a clear view of the sky, you most likely will get satellite television reception and a dozen or so antenna channels.
One of the things I like about this park is the vast expanse of grounds to wander about walking my dog. There is a trail system just outside of the park that allows you miles and miles of walking and biking trails. Downtown Goshen is less than two miles away and has some great restaurants (including Venturi Pizza, Maple Indian Cuisine – which has an awesome buffet, and Goshen Brewing Company). The Saturday farmers market is great with lots of produce, breads, meats, cheeses, and crafts.
The last time I visited coincided with the Mennonite Relief Fund which was a big fund raiser for their charity that packed the grounds with stuff for sale, food, and activities. It was fun to be there during the event but it meant the campground and grounds were packed.
Now for the bad about this campground. It is located right next to very busy train tracks that operate 24/7 and blow their horns quite often. They were really annoying in the middle of the night. Sites are close together so if it is crowded and you have a neighbor, you will be right on top of them. There is no shade which can be very miserable.
Pros:
· Price - $30/night for a 50 amp full hook-up site
· Nearby downtown stores and restaurants
· Sites are not assigned so you can pick where you want to camp
· Grassy patios
· Large grounds to meander around
· Nearby biking/walking trail
Cons:
· Very noisy from nearby trains operated at all hours
· Few trees for shade or privacy
· Some sites are very tight and close to your neighbor
· Can be very crowded
· WiFi provided but not reliable
LegendCampground= 4 stars; check-in= 2 stars. Very large campground with close to 300 sites plus a horse camp and about 20 cabins. We picked this park solely because it was convenient to our next destination, so we were not concerned with amenities. We did not make a reservation because I really do not want to pay the extra fee if it is not necessary. Upon arrival, we paid the $9 entrance fee ($7 for Indiana residents) and drove the 3 miles to the campground office. Somewhat surprised to find both staffed at 6 pm on a Thursday after Labor Day. We were told to drive around and pick several desired sites as they could not tell us which ones still had people due to arrive that night who had reserved. Huh?? So, we drove around two of the five loops and picked half a dozen sites that would be suitable. But that’s where the fun began- not! There seemed to be some computer glitch in that every site we asked about showed as not available, even though more than half the sites were empty. Eventually, we were told to just go to one of the sites we picked and set up and that a security guard would come and collect our money. Eventually, at just before 9 pm, the security guard did come and told us the glitch had been fixed and asked that we come to the office and register. The glitch was not fixed! But we paid our fee and were able to stay the night and the staff was very apologetic.
There is no differentiation between RV and tent sites (the only one that is separate is the horse camp). The E Loop seemed to be the most crowded, mostly with RVs. The sites in the D Loop were spaced a decent amount of distance apart but other than that, there was no real privacy between them. This was not a problem because the loop had many empty sites and we were able to easily find one that had an empty one on either side of us. There are paths to the beach accessible from the D and E loops but note the beach is only open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. There is no longer a dog beach at Potato Creek. There is a general store(open until 8 pm) and bike rentals which, if we were going to stay longer, we might have taken advantage of. There are boat rentals in season. Several trails and playgrounds so I imagine that in the summer, this is a nice family campground (even the name is Family campground).
The mosquitos were vicious, likely worse due to the amount of rain the area has had this year. Bathrooms were very clean and there was hot water, a nice luxury but you have to be careful not to bump your head on the shelf over the sink when washing your face. Didn’t use them but there were also showers.
The check-in process notwithstanding, our stay was fine for the night.
LegendCampground Review
This campground is very unique. Whether it is the late 1800s, early 1900s buildings on site, or the rumor that this place is haunted, you’re going to have some kind of fun. You can walk around the campground and check out the restoration on these early buildings (and a flower bed shaped like a battle ship), take a train ride with the kids around part of the grounds, and hang out in a large beer garden area and get mesmerized by a fountain.
This place can accommodate a lot of people and a lot of different options. The RV sites are furthest from the amenities, but also the most shaded. There are smaller “amish cabins” for rent that have A/C, tent sites with electrical hook ups, and larger full-scale cabins that look to sleep 6+ comfortably. It’s a place close to the I-94 interstate, so it’s also convenient for road trippers. It was hard, but I could faintly hear the highway. Or maybe that was the ghosts!
There is play equipment and toys for kids, and this place is very well maintained. The landscapers and restoration artists are doing good work. The bathrooms were clean, and showers were hot. I liked that there was a separate area for dish washing – and that it was even provided!
They also have WiFi, but I wasn’t surprised it was pretty spotty. I had better cell coverage in my tent spot. I imagine by the office (or wherever the router is, maybe closer to the full timers in their RVs?) it is better. While I loved how the campground had a lot of dog baggie stations to help keep the place poop-free, I was really bummed to learn there was a $5 pet fee with this reservation. The $25 for the tent site seemed pricey enough, and it’s the first time I’ve encountered this fee while camping.
There’s a lot of interesting history here. It was a cult at one time, there used to be a vegan restaurant and an ice cream parlor, and there was a hotel here at one point as well. What I liked about it was you could walk around the campgrounds and learn about it from the signage.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time – and today I am testing the ICEMULE Pro XL Backpack Cooler.
This is one amazing cooler for all the right reasons. First, and most importantly, it keeps things cold. I had this thing filled with 30 pounds of beer and ice and left it in out on a dock by the water, in the sun, for a day. I put it next to another transport-friendly cooler. There was still so much ice left over in the ICEMULE and the other cooler I used was only water. 36 hours later, there was still ice.
Secondly, it’s a backpack, and it is great at that too. The backpack straps are cushioned and come with a sternum strap for load dispersion – two things that were greatly appreciated when this thing had 30 pounds of beer + ice in it. There is also some padding for against your back that is a breathable mesh, to keep you cooler for longer while you’re lugging (mule-ing?) this thing around.
It has a roll down seal, very much the same as waterproof sacks, and this is very much waterproof. It floats in water, so I had no concerns when I went kayaking with this. I strapped it into the boat, paddled to an island, hiked to a spot with a view, and cracked a few brews, had a sandwich, and watched the day pass by.
I do like that there is some flexible bungee webbing on the outside front so I can stash something like a jacket or a pair of shoes or something. I can lash things to the top where it clips and seals, but I would have appreciated some more pockets. Thing is, this cooler packs away very small for it’s 33L size, and a pocket would – I guess – prevent it from being so travel-friendly. My solution was to pack a smaller waterproof bag inside it and that way I could still transport all my things in one bag. This proved useful when I wanted to keep the sandwiches from getting wet from the ice in the cooler.
It also has an integrated valve that lets air in and out in this layer of the bag nestled between its durable outside protective layer and its inner cooler material. Yes, this definitely helps with the packability I was just mentioning, as you can let a lot of air out to compress it, but it also aids in the cooling effect of your stuff. When you load this up with ice and your whatevers, if you let air in, then seal it, it will keep the air in the bag and that air will help keep the cooler colder for longer while the ice melts off. Not a lot of backpack coolers have a valve system.
This bag is the Pro XL size. 33L is a big bag. They make some other sizes, and other models that come with less or more features (like outside pockets) so as a brand, ICEMULE has you covered. There are a few companies out there doing backpack coolers now, but I haven’t seen a better value out there. These are a great price considering their performance. I love how cold things were staying and how tough the bag held up through the woods. I am definitely bringing ice cream with me the next time I go hiking.
Pros
Cons
Tent camping near Bristol, Indiana offers a variety of options for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature while enjoying essential amenities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Bristol, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Bristol, IN is Shady Point Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Bristol, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 17 tent camping locations near Bristol, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
