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Established Camping

Au Train Lake Campground

Au Train Lake Campground, near Munising, Michigan, is a rustic spot that offers a laid-back atmosphere perfect for those looking to unwind in nature. With large, private sites surrounded by trees, it’s an ideal place to set up camp and enjoy some peace and quiet.

The campground features clean vault toilets and a water spigot for filling up your RV or camper, which is a nice touch for those who need it. Visitors have noted the well-kept sites and the overall cleanliness of the facilities, making it a comfortable choice for campers. One reviewer mentioned, “Nice place, large private sites, quiet,” which sums up the vibe here pretty well.

For outdoor enthusiasts, there are hiking trails nearby and easy access to Lake Au Train for swimming and fishing. The campground is also a great base for exploring the stunning Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, just a short drive away. Campers have enjoyed the scenic views and the chance to catch fish right off the shore.

While some folks have mentioned the pesky mosquitoes, a little bug spray goes a long way. With its beautiful surroundings and friendly atmosphere, Au Train Lake Campground is a solid pick for anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle and enjoy some time in the great outdoors.

Description

National Forest

Hiawatha National Forest

Overview

Located at the south end of AuTrain Lake, this campground is favored by anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. The quiet setting is great for family trips, and visitors can enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities year-round, all less than a day's drive from major urban areas of Michigan and Wisconsin.

Recreation

The large size of the lake provides miles of prime water skiing, boating, swimming and fishing. Anglers can expect a healthy catch of bass and a variety of perch. Canoeing is also popular on AuTrain Lake and the nearby AuTrain River, which meanders into Lake Superior. The campground also provides access to the popular two-mile Songbird interpretive trail, which winds through forest and field, along bog and lakeshore, and is popular for birding. A wildlife viewing platform is available at neighboring Buck Bay and Buck Bay Creek.

Natural Features

AuTrain Lake is located in the upper peninsula of Michigan, between three of the Great Lakes. It sits amid rolling hills forested with pine and aspen trees, as well as large open and tree-covered wetlands.

Nearby Attractions

The city of AuTrain, located on the shores of Lake Superior, is about 5 miles from the campground.

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Location

Au Train Lake Campground is located in Michigan

Detail location of campground

Directions

AuTrain Lake Campground is located in Alger County, about 10 miles southwest of Munising. From AuTrain, travel south on Forest Service Road H03 for about 4 miles, then go a mile east on Forest Road 2276, and then another mile north on Forest Service Road 2596 to the campground.

Address

P.O. Box 171
Munising, MI 49862

Coordinates

46.3916667 N
86.8380556 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Poor
  • Verizon
    Poor
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Unknown

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Drinking Water
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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24%
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4.0

out of 5

17 Reviews

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2024

Quick getaway

Au Train is a very scenic area with a great lake. Caught fish off shore. Sites are large. There is a spigot on a little well house to fill your camper. You need to bring your own hose. No dump station but sign on well house states you can dump at nearby campground for free with proof of stay. Overall great time. Only negative is that the little day use swimming area isn't well maintained. Grass is nearly knee high.

Site3
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Robert S., June 22, 2024
Reviewed Oct. 18, 2023

Some Nice sites

Au Train : (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price 2023: $11 w senior pass Usage during visit: 70- 80% weekday Site Privacy: outside sites are very good. Inside sites are very good to moderate. Site Spacing: Great Site surface: Sandy/gravel Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Quiet Road Noise: None Through Traffic in campground: None Electric Hookup: No Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: ? Potable Water Available: ? Generators:
Bathroom: incredibly clean toilets. Showers: No Sites: View. 21. 22. 24. 27. 29.

SiteDrive Through
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Roger W., October 18, 2023
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Roger W., October 18, 2023
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Roger W., October 18, 2023
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2023

Beautiful rustic campground

Nice place, large private sites, quiet.

Vault toilets, hiking trails, beach, boat launch. Great place to relax!

Site10
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Shane D., August 17, 2023
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Shane D., August 17, 2023
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Shane D., August 17, 2023
  • (4) View All
Reviewed May. 16, 2023

Quiet waterfront

A quiet campground in May when we were there. Great spaces with trees between them. We worked very hard to figure out of they had water that was available to fill our RV tank. Saw multiple versions of what was available. So I called the Forest Service district office to inquire and was told they only have pitcher pumps. After much searching to figure out a place to fill our RV we resigned ourselves to hauling water once we got there. AND to our surprise there are water spigots at the entrance!! I wish the website would help out with more specific info.

Reviewed Aug. 24, 2022

Beautiful spot

Quiet, lovely, and laidback, with swimming and a bird walk.

Site14
Month of VisitAugust
Reviewed Jul. 1, 2022

Beautiful campground

Stayed here for 2 nights while we explored Munising and Pictured Rocks, what a wonderful rustic campground (our favorite kind)!  Half of the sites were reservable, the other half first come.  Big, level campsites with a fire ring, picnic table, and hook.  Campsites well separated, lots of privacy.  Vault toilets are available, by far the cleanest vault toilets I have ever encountered!!  Potable water available.   MOSQUITOES were the only downside to this place (not the camp's fault), so pack hoodies and long pants!!  They laughed at bug repellant.  It was like the zombie apocalypse, but mosquitoes.  Easy access to Superior, Munising, and Pictured Rocks.   We will absolutely stay here again, with high-quality citronella candles, of course.

Site29
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Aug. 17, 2021

Great Place

A rather modern rustic national forest campground. Very well kept. Sites are large, level and shady. Half the sites are reservable and the other half are first come first serve.

Site8
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Jason N., August 17, 2021
Reviewed Jul. 14, 2021

Charming and off the beaten path

We are winging our way around, getting to know Michigan for future trips so no reservations. This was one of the sites we explored (among many) and found it to be charming. Bring bug spray, the mosquitoes are 24/7. And someone else said it: watch out for jerky neighbors with noisy generators. Ugh. You can buy $80,000 worth of camper but get a generator from a discount store? Fortunately, it’s quiet time at 10:00pm (unless there’s a medical necessity — the camp host doesn’t quite get how HIPAA works in that regard) so you can at least get some shut eye. Firewood and wheelbarrow on site. No showers, vault toilets, and a water spigot. Did not visit the lake. Bring your camera if you’re into nature photography.

Site32
Month of VisitJuly
  • Noisy neighbors
Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020

Great location in proximity to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, adequate

This is very close to the Munising/Pictured Rocks/ Christmas Michigan areas.

The campground is adequate, but not the most awesome bathrooms.  

There was a great trail near our campsite that had signs and info about the birds in the area (great for young ones especially).  

Adequate place for pitching a tent and going to the bathroom (and having some lake fun) and being near Munising.

SiteAu Train Lake Campground in the Hiawatha National Forest
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Jade G., October 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Jade G., October 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Jade G., October 27, 2020
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Sep. 4, 2020

Great location between Pictured Rocks (Munising) and Marquette!

We came up here with a reservation to camp the weekend and go to Pictured Rocks.  Pretty quiet, not too close to any one else, and plenty of trees for everyone to set up hammocks and slack lines.  Great campground access to Lake Au Train with a swimming area.  I had been told the Lake Au Train had a lot of mollusks, so to wear water shoes, but this was not an issue at the campground access!

  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Shannon , September 4, 2020
  • There were chipmunks everywhere each morning at breakfast!
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Reviewed Aug. 3, 2019

Cool until it wasn’t

We were pretty excited to find this place on a busy July weekend. The area was extremely scenic and also centrally located for exploring the Pictured Rocks area. The sites were a decent size and the campground was quiet. Rustic style toilets and a nice beach for swimming. We were so happy! I even made friends with a chipmunk at breakfast. After we ate we cleaned up our site and left for a long day of exploring on a Saturday. We returned really late after dark to find someone had stolen all our firewood, headlamps, extra clothing from the tent, and a few other items. Like, seriously?! Super lame. I know it’s not the fault of the campground, but I guess it just left a bad taste in my mouth for this place. People can be so disrespectful, it’s sad. The campground was good otherwise. Just watch out for that A-hole wearing my Marmot rain jacket😒

  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Kate K., August 3, 2019
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Kate K., August 3, 2019
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Kate K., August 3, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 23, 2019

Wooded inland lake campground three minutes from Lake Superior.

This campground has nicely shaded sites well spaced from each other. The facilities are clean and well maintained (nice for vaulted toilets). There’s also a park on the lake with a small beach and a boat launch. There are also many places to rent kayaks right down the road.

  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Amy K., July 23, 2019
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Amy K., July 23, 2019
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Amy K., July 23, 2019
  • (15) View All
Reviewed Jul. 1, 2019

Natural beauty

Long nice drive back into the campgrounds. Bring your boat and camp. Grown mature trees. You feel like your in a UP paradise. It's also located near the Autrain beach on the big Lake Superior.

Reviewed Apr. 13, 2019

Amazing place,terrible camp host.

This place was amazing. Very roomy and just beautiful. The camp host was horrible they would yell at us to slow down when we we under the speed limit. There dog was off leash and bit one of our dogs and one of our campers. They were horrible worst hosts ever!

  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Nikki M., April 13, 2019
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Nikki M., April 13, 2019
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Nikki M., April 13, 2019
  • (12) View All
Reviewed Jul. 28, 2018

Perfect Getaway

We reserved our site online. Having never been before we didnt really know what to expect. It was nothing less than perfect. Tucked away in a silent wooded area. Paved roads all the way in. 15 minutes from Munising. Was a perfect hideaway for us driving from SW michigan over memorial day weekend. Birdwatching trails for days and 4x4 trails surround.

SiteOur secret
Month of VisitMay
Reviewed Jul. 25, 2016

peaceful fishing

Great wooded sites. Ours was very secluded, shaded, and had a nice water view as well as great locations and space to put up a couple tents. It was so quiet while we were there- what a great perk! Primitive type camping, but clean vault toilets and water available. Lots of people fishing. We took the short hike which was peaceful.

Reviewed Jun. 30, 2015

Almost Rustic Camping, Remote and Quiet

Small, remote campground, located on a nice size inland lake in Hiawatha National Forest. Close to Au Train, Munising and Pictured Rock National Lakeshore. Great "primitive" campsites with lot's of room, and shade. For those who want showers this is not the place. This campground has vault toilets, and water pump at the entrance. Otherwise almost rustic experience. There is a boat launch. Not sure about rentals, but you can definitely bring your own boat or a kayak, to experience the lake. Few nearby hiking and biking trails. Drive up to Pictured Rock Lakeshore for some amazing trails and Lake Superior beaches. Hiawatha National Forest offers tons of trials and lakes, spend the day wondering through the woods and discovering hidden lakes. I consider Upper Peninsula in Michigan the hidden gem of the Midwest. You have to go and experience it at least once in your lifetime, especially if you live within 500 mile radius...

  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Meg  S., June 30, 2015
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Meg  S., June 30, 2015
  • Review photo of Au Train Lake Campground by Meg  S., June 30, 2015
  • (10) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Au Train Lake Campground?

    Camping at Au Train Lake Campground can cost between $22.00 and $24.00 depending on the site.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Au Train Lake Campground?

    Au Train Lake Campground allows vehicles up to 60 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Au Train Lake Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Au Train Lake Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Au Train Lake Campground have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Au Train Lake Campground does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Au Train Lake Campground?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is poor, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is unknown.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Au Train Lake Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Au Train Lake Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Au Train Lake Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Au Train Lake Campground?

    There are 34 campsites at Au Train Lake Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts