East Branch of Fox River State Forest Campground

My husband and I have camped here several times now, so we know this rustic campground intimately. First of all, nothing beats the setting. It's absolutely gorgeous, as far as campgrounds go. There are only about 20 campsites in all. Roughly 12 or so “on top” and another 8 “down below.” The campsite is split between an upper portion on top of the hill and the lower portion below the hill down by the river. The upper part has both a male and female outhouse, as well as the footpath to the lake. The lower part has only one multi-user outhouse, and the artesian well along with access to the river. The well water is fantastic. One of the best we've found in a state campground. We prefer to camp in either campsite #16 by the well, which is a spot tucked in front of a forested hillside, or campsite #18 which is adjacent to the river (you can hear the babbling brook which is very soothing for sleeping!). Both sites are beautiful and private... as long as no one sets up camp right next to you, because each one does have two other sites on either side. For the most part, though, the way the camp sites are positioned, if the campground isn’t full, people will usually be considerate and not set up right next to you so you have quite a bit of tranquil privacy. However, there have been a few times where the campground has been nearly empty and an inconsiderate jerk decided to set their camp right next to ours —just to be close to the well or the river, because those are the coveted spots and it’s first come, first serve. In fact, one time he campground was completely empty except for my husband and me, and a large family with (no joke!) 9 kids pulled in and set up right next to us, despite the fact that the rest of the campground was totally open. Apparently they wanted to be in that spot, regardless of the fact that we were there with in a tent only 15 feet away. It was pretty ridiculous, but obviously not the fault of the campground. Just inconsiderate campers.

If you camp at site #16 near the well, you'll get a lot of traffic from locals who come by to fill up their water jugs from the artesian well... presumably because they either have bad well-water or have camps without a well. Since it’s a rustic campground, there are no showers or other facilities, but we always bring a solar shower and a pop-up shower tent. Most of the sites have ample sunlight as well as shade, for those that prefer either/or. At night, the stars are glorious and we've easily spotted the International Space Station on more than one occasion. Every camp site has a picnic table and large iron fire pit.

The brook trout fishing is great, especially if you’re willing to put on waders and break brush. But you can catch some decent sized ones from one of the many stone bridges that cross-cross the river. As other reviews pointed out, this is a designated brook trout stream that used to be an old hatchery, and you can see the old stonework from bad in the day. It’s very cool, and the ambiance of the place is quite stunning. A stone memorial tells the brief story about how Earnest Hemingway fished there.

There are a few things that frustrate us about the place. It’s a very rustic campground about halfway between Seney and Grand Marias, so there is no cell phone service at all there. Not a big deal at all for those (like us) who like to get off the grid, but for families who might need to have emergency calls or travelers who like to stay connected, or if you need an updated weather report/radar, you won't be able to get that there. Also, logging occurs quite often around the campground, and the noise can be disruptive. Twice now we camped at the site down by the river where we heard logging happening less than a mile from the campground from 10 PM until about midnight. Poachers, I would imagine, since we can’t see how legitimate loggers would be doing that so late at night, and it was pretty annoying. Also, we love going to that campground for the peace, quiet, and tranquility of the place in a very natural setting, and of course we inevitably find ourselves there on the same night(s) where a group of campers will be up late partying and playing loud music, completely inconsiderate of those who might be there for the quiet serenity of nature. Usually most of those in the campground are quiet campers who are there for the same experience we are, but it always happens where one rude group of people show up and ruin it for everyone. Again, not the fault of the campground, but it’s been a constant experience for us. If you plan to go during the week when it’s not a holiday, you might get lucky and find you have the place to yourselves, and the few times that’s happened to us it’s been completely awesome. But typically we'll find ourselves gritting our teeth and dealing with rude or inconsiderate campers who park themselves near us and intrude on our quiet with their music. We always tent camp, but because of the campground's rustic nature, sometimes we encounter campers sat this campground with trailers who like to run generators — another annoying intrusion on our quiet. I’ve only seen the DNR come by once in all our time camping, and sometimes we’ll see campers setting up without registering or paying, and those are usually the big disrupters. There’s an art festival in August in Grand Marias, so avoid that week or any holiday weekend if you want some peace and quiet.

Bring your mosquito repellant and Thermocell, because the mosquitos can be bad with the river and lake surrounding the campground. We made the mistake of camping once during the black fly hatch (third week of May) and they were miserable. Not much you can do about that... they're a common annoyance around much of the U.P.

The outhouses are rudimentary, but fairly clean and always stocked with toilet paper. But the steps leading down to the lake are rotted and untended, so be careful with children. All in all, this is a pretty fantastic campground that we enjoy if we hit it during a time when no one is there, but it’s hit or miss. If you need supplies (or cell service), one of the gas stations in Seney are your best bet and easiest/closest. Grand Marias can be busy with holiday tourists, and the few times we ventured that way we found they were out of ice and bait. But Seney never fails to provide.