Drummond Island Township Park Campground

Sometimes you spend a long time getting somewhere and you think,“Why haven’t I ever come here before now?” I grew up in Michigan and had no idea that Drummond Island even existed, let alone had ever come close to it. Now, that I know it’s there, I plan to return, again and again. The campground run by the township on Drummond Island is, kind of like the island itself, a step back in time– but in a good way. Tucked away in a little rocky bay on the north shore of the island, protected and lovely, the campground seems like it hasn’t changed much in 40 years. But what more could anyone want, than a lovely campsite next to the water, with a rustic stone firepit for$15 a night? 

  

Many of the sites have electricity which only costs an extra $5 if you’re in a trailer, $3 if in a tent. Rustic pit toilets are clean and come equipped with the standard Michigan pit-toilet bouquet (seriously, what it up Michigan?). We arrived after a steady week of rain and the campground was quite muddy in spots. But this was also a result of the record high water level of Lake Huron. 

  

This is a paddler’s dream launch site, we left our boats on the shore for the week and jumped in them whenever the desire arose. Islands, rocky ledges, and fossil hunts lie around each headland. For those more adventurous paddlers the county has put together a number of paddler’s trails complete with suggested campsites, stop in at the visitor’s center for more information. 

  

The township has several restaurants and a nearly full-stocked grocery store where you can find all of your basic supplies if not every variety of your usual food stuffs– no shortage of booze though. The island is famous for its OHV trails, and there are some weekends you may want to avoid if motorized recreation is not your thing. We got out on the water and found ourselves practically alone.

A Paddler's Dream Camp

Wonderful campground! We have stayed here twice. There are quite a few sites right on the lake, and all the sites are well spaced out, with a good balance of shade and sun. Sites on the water can get a little breezy if inclimate weather rolls in. The campground has outhouses, pump water, is dog friendly, and some sites have electricity. Great for campers or tents. There is also a nice three mile hiking trail right off the campground.

Perfect lakefront campground with hiking trail.

The campgrounds are lovely, and you can get sites directly on the lake. The water is quite rocky and hard to swim in without water shoes, but with a $10 pair I bought at a local gift shop, I had no problems. If you check out the lake at night you can watch HUNDREDS of crawdads crawling across the rocks! If you aren't scared of the leeches that also come out at night, you can catch them by the bucketload! They're great eating, and even though there were 10 of us in the water with visible leeches swimming about, not one person got bit. There's also wonderful hiking trails that start right at the campsite, and the woods hide beautiful rock formations and the stone foundations of long destroyed houses. If you're planning on driving anywhere instead of hiking, bring a jeep. Some of those little dirt roads can be very muddy and a normal car would DEFINITELY get stuck out there.

This was the best campsite I've ever been to!

Most beautiful place in Michigan. Favorite sites are right on the shore which is rocky. There is a shallow sandy swim beach. On calm days, I can't get off the water for long. Reminds me of the Carribean with all the islands in the bay. If you have 4 wheel drive, go to fossil beach. No showers, pit toliet, electric at some sites

Heaven

This was my first time on Drummond and the township park was a pleasant surprise. After taking the ferry over, it’s only about a 5-10 minute drive up the road to the park. Run a lot like a rustic state park, it’s a self-serve, pick a spot, and put the money in the slot kinda place. Each site has its own rustic stone fire pit and picnic table. I believe the campground had about 48 sites and 30 of which had electric. I think probably 20 of them had lakefront (which were a bit smaller). The wooded sites were pretty large and had nice privacy. The bathrooms were rustic style pit toilets and there are no showers. There were however some beautiful hiking trails and beaches for swimming. The island itself is full of ORV trails, so most of the people come for that. The rest are just looking for some beautiful scenery on a quiet island. I will definitely be back! 

I’ll be back!

Not the greatest, but certainly not the worst campground. All first come-first served, with self-checkin. $15/night for rustic, $17/night for electric. We had an electric site, however ours was not working. We were able to plugin to the reverse side amp, and make it work. I left notes on my payment envelope, but they either ignored it, or no one was on-site during our 4th of July visit. There was however, a number to call, had it been a bigger issue. 

We had a group of 6, and we took sites 3 &amp; 4 directly ahead as you entered the campground. This area was great, IF you are using both sites

PROS:
•Enough space for 3 tents, 3 cars, plus a screened food tent.

•The sites behind us had a line of trees, so it was private and we felt like we had our own little are.

•Lake views through the trees, but just a very short walk down to the shore for fantastic sunset views. It was great to bring some chairs and drinks to enjoy the lake sunsets.

•Directly across from the beach-access drive.

•Directly across from one of three bathrooms.

•Campground is less than 6 miles from the ferry and also close to the “Four Corners” area with a store, restaurants and gas.

•A large sign on the main road made it easy to find, as we arrived in the dark with no GPS. 

CONS:
•These two sites are not only near the entrance, which can have heavy traffic, but also line the boat launch drive. Constant boats and cars passing by.

•Our sites’ landscaping wasn’t well maintained. Lots of tall grass and weeds throughout both sites. 

•Only 1 fire pit for sites 3 &amp; 4 combined.

•The nearby bathroom was by far the worst of the 3 on-site. The men’s was pitch black at all times of the day and I felt like I was going to fall through the floor. We were excited when we found it so close to our site, but we used the others further away. The other bathroom had lights, was maintained and actually locked.

•Of course, the electrical not working was a bummer, but thankfully it worked out.

Walking around during the day, I’d say site 20 might be the best. There were other sites with better water views, directly on the water, but they were flooded and also lacked any privacy. Site 20 had good views and plenty of space, surrounded by trees.

Overall, a nice little campground. Disappointed in a few things, but would likely return.

Close to Ferry/Great Views

Love this place! Can’t say enough about the views!!! Love the hiking trail and space at each site. Stayed at 26 which is in the back and has an amazingly area with incredible view. 20 looks like it would be a good one too. Pit toilets, water stations and a grilling area. Amazing for $15 a night on the island 

Best camp ground (technically) in Michigan 

Ok, if you want a campground with a view… This is your place. Every site with a view of the bay. I was here last year and the water was probably up to more feet this year tons of area to walk along the water‘s edge. Each site has a stone fireplace and a picnic table. Vault toilets. If you want to come to a place with low noise spacious sites, this is the ticket!!! Whether you came up looking to wheel, hike, peace and quiet…. You won’t regret this wonderful place. 

Amazing views for a campground!!! 

A wonderful campground. My third time staying here! Stayed at 29. Rustic but super quiet as it’s all the way in the back by the nature trail. Got some great trail riding in on the muddiest trails I’ve ever been on. 

Never disappointed with this campground!!

I arrived at about 1pm on a Friday, hoping to get a site with electrical, and despite the park being nearly full, and with the help of someone from another site, I was able to find what I was looking for. Overall, it's a wonderful park, but I do have some "complaints". Mainly, it's hard to tell where the site lines are; the fire pits, while plentiful, could use some upgrading; the men's vault toilet could use a better lock; and the ground can be rocky, which makes it tough for us tent campers. Having said that, despite the campground bring full and lots of kids, it was very peaceful and quiet. Plenty of trees for shade and the grounds do offer some spectacular views. It's very easy to find, there are nice trails for exploring and the people who were canning there were very friendly. Would definitely stay here again.

Peaceful Park

We wanted off the grid camping on Drummond Island, but it was first visit to the island. This campground is clean and quiet. We have Roof Top tent , and pretty view of the water with some shade from trees. 

Nice Little Campground 

We came up here on a baby moon before our first child came into the world.  We fished the fossil ledges (caught a ton of smallmouth on a blue and silver spoon),  traveled the orv trails, ate local food, and just explored the island. I want so badly to get back up there when my kids are a little older.  I know they'll love it. 