Map showing campground location near Gaylord, Michigan

Gaylord KOA

SUMMARY PRESENTED BY

Day trips to Otsego Lake and Hartwick Pines State Park are within easy reach of this wooded KOA, making it a practical base for campers who want to mix lakeside recreation with forest exploration. The campground sits just outside Gaylord, with Otsego Lake State Park Campground about a five-minute drive away, where a sandy beach and paved bike trail run along the water's edge. The KOA itself has nearly 100 wooded sites, all on gravel roads and pads, spread across a layout that stays around one-third full on weekdays but fills completely on weekends.

Sites are generously sized compared to nearby campgrounds, and the mature tree cover is consistent throughout the property. The gravel surface means no grass underfoot, which some reviewers noted as a tradeoff for the shade. Full hookups are available, with sewer, water, and electric connections accommodating RVs up to 65 feet. Cell coverage runs fair on AT&T, and the heavy canopy limits satellite TV and Starlink visibility depending on site location. The campground WiFi has been reported as slow, often under 1 MB/s.

Facilities include a pool, playground, mini golf, coin laundry, and modern shower facilities with multiple stalls. Activities like the jump pillow carry an added wristband fee beyond the nightly rate, which runs $61 to $95. As Kim L. noted, sites are "big, flat, level" with fire pits and full hookup access. Reservations are available and recommended for summer weekends. Pets are welcome.

Fee Info

Adults 18+, Kids 5-17, Free 0-4

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Map & DirectionsGaylord KOA is located in Michigan near Gaylord

Private Campground

Directions

From jct Hwy 32 & I-75: Go 3 mi S on I-75 (exit 279), then 2 mi S on Old 27, then 3/4 mi E on Charles Brink Rd.

Address

5101 Campfires Parkway
Gaylord, MI 49735

Coordinates

44.95624717 N
84.66170975 W

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Connectivity

Presented by

T-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More

T-Mobile5G
Good Coverage
VerizonLTE
Some Coverage
AT&T5G
Excellent Coverage
Verified by 2 users
Last on 7/26/26

Connectivity

Presented by

T-Mobile is introducing T-Satellite to extend coverage in the outdoorsLearn More

T-Mobile5G
Good Coverage
VerizonLTE
Some Coverage
AT&T5G
Excellent Coverage
Verified by 2 users
Last on 7/26/26

Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Cabins
Tent Cabin
Equestrian

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
30 Amp Hookups
50 Amp Hookups
Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Drive Time

1 hr 7 min from Traverse City, MI
1 hr 30 min from Midland, MI
1 hr 32 min from Bay City, MI
1 hr 42 min from Saginaw, MI

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Reviews10 Camper Reviews - Gaylord KOA

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5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

4.0

out of 5

10 Reviews

Visitors often highlighted spacious, quiet sites with mature trees and modern facilities. Some noted higher pricing and strict management, but most found good value for families.

SUMMARY PRESENTED BY

Lydia T.

Legend

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2024

KOA Campground right outside Gaylord

This is so great koa with no road noise. The trees are mature and beautiful. This is a great laid back, family campground. The sites are bigger than other campgrounds in the area.

Site57

Month of VisitJune

Ray & Terri F.

Legend

Reviewed Jul. 14, 2023

Nice, quiet, well maintained, friendly, wooded CG with a walking trail

We have a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow and stayed in site 107 for 3 days in mid July. This is a relatively large CG, just under 100 wooded sites, which are reasonably spaced for a private CG. The CG is very clean and well maintained, but rather on the pricy side, even with all of the amenities. The roads and sites are gravel. Our site had a fair bit of slope side to side, which I mentioned to the person that led us to our site. He said they’d look into it. During the week, the CG was only about 1/3 full, but completely filled up on the weekend. AT&T coverage fair, with 2 Bars of service that fluctuated between 5G and LTE, with speeds up to 4.3 MB/s. The CG is pretty heavily wooded, so access to satellite TV and/or Starlink is highly dependent on location. We had marginal views of the southern and northern skies, but we were able to get DISH coverage on all three western satellites at our site and Starlink was able to get speeds up to 6.5 MB/s. Unfortunately, the CG WiFi wasn’t very usable, less than 1 MB/s, even before the CG filled up.

Month of VisitJuly

Shelby S.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 5, 2021

Horrible

The owners were constantly driving around and correcting people. Rules are okay but they were over the top. They would even stop and just stare at our site while we sat outside.. it was very odd. Also not kept up at all. The playground was old and my 30 lb dog slipped out from under the “dog park” fence because it was so high off the ground where they were allowed to be unleashed, luckily we got her and she’s ok.

Month of VisitJuly

Christine D.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 7, 2021

Quiet and Clean!

This KOA was well kept and clean. Great bathrooms and showers, pool, playground. the only thing keeping from 5 stars in my opinion is the lack of grass, but I also love all the trees so it’s a toss up.

Site4

Month of VisitJune

Neil

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 11, 2021

Close to expressing yet quiet at nite

Sites not paved and entrance roads not paved!!!

Site64

Month of VisitJune

debra S.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 7, 2020

OK

Small sites but full hookups. Nice activities and mini golf. Bathrooms soso. Easy access to Otsego state park and Hartwick pines state park

Amanda C.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 6, 2019

Fun.. Friendly

Stayed. For 6 days. Staff was awesome. Sites were neat. Park was clean. Lots do do for kids. Loved it here. Definitely coming back.

Site36

Month of VisitAugust

(5) View All

Kim L.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 28, 2019

Very well kept KOA

While it was pricey at $65 night, we had a very spacious full hookup site within easy walking distance of pool. Shower house was very nice and modern, with 4 shower stalls. Full coin laundry was helpful too! They had kids activities over the 4thof July weekend, and our kid loved it. The KOA is about a 5 min drive to Otsego Lake and the state park, where there's a nice beach and easy lake access. There's also a newly paved bike trail right by the lake for you to log some miles on. Nearby towns of Gaylord and Boyne provided us with plenty to do, and only a couple hours to get to Sleeping Bear sand dunes. We thought this place was worth the expense- big, flat, level sites with fire pit and full hook up. Nice pine trees and plenty of space for kids to play. Did not like the additional fee for kid to get wrist band for jump pillow and mini gold, but did it anyways.

(5) View All

Chris R.

Guide

Reviewed May. 31, 2019

Quiet place

Very quiet campground and sites are well spaced.

Lindsey S.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 16, 2018

Non rustic camping

Large sites, amazing hosts, does charge for a band for kids to do activities like jumping pad etc. this includes a bike rental and golf but was an added charge. Area is beautiful but campground doesn’t have fishing - limited hiking paths good for families with kids

Month of VisitMay