Bowman Bridge Campground

We stayed here 5 nights and the place exceeded our expectations! Trout fishing, national scenic Pere Marquette river and a short spur trail to the North Country Trail. 16 Sites in an fairly open field, which was great for us as we need to use our solar panels to top off our batteries! 4 group sites also. Cleanest vault toilets we’ve ever seen! Camp host has wood and ice. Try to use coordinates when mapping to get here-we just typed in Bowman Bridge Campground and Siri (Apple Maps😡) sent us to somebody’s driveway about 7 miles (as the crow flies) off course. They graciously gave us directions to the campground.

The campground was on the smaller side and we’ll kept. The host was really friendly as were our fellow campers. Clean bathrooms with firewood and ice available on site.

The location on the river is absolutely amazing. We highly recommend Baldwin Canoe Rental as they were able to pick us up at the campsite (on time too!) and take us straight to the canoe launch. We paddled for about 4 hours before beaching at the access at Bowman Bridge, leaving our canoe on a rack, then making the short walk back to our site. Saved us time and the drive to and from town!

The downsides of the campground:

• Sites are not very private
• Traffic noise is noticeable especially in sites near the road
• There must be some sort of gun range nearby...there was shooting going on all weekend which wasn’t a huge deal but our dog certainly was not a fan
• Maybe I’m out of touch but $20 a night for non-electric sites seems pricey

Overall solid, especially if you’re planning on paddling the Marquette River but we’ll explore other campgrounds in the area before we return.

Bowman Bridge Campground just gives you a sense of quiet. You don't want to break the silence.....and then the kids bust out of the car.... :)

Minutes outside Baldwin, Mi., Bowman Bridge is out in the middle of nowhere. Which, if you like that kind of camping, is awesome. It is a small campground without much shade on the sites. But it is orderly and clean. Short "grass" grows between sites and there is sparse tree cover. There were only a few people staying when we were there but it was evident by the reservation cards on posts that the regular and group sites are busy. The primitive area is of to itself also in the long grass with mowed paths and areas. Plenty of room for multiple tents. Newer pit style toilets. We could not find a Trailhead within the campground but the Pere Marquette River is a short walk down the black top.