Fort Custer Campground at Fort Custer State Recreation Area is a 3,033-acre park located between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo. The park features three lakes, the Kalamazoo River, a campground, a swimming beach, boat rentals, more than 25 miles of multi-use trails, paddling and fishing opportunities, second growth forests and remnant areas of prairie. The trail system is popular with mountain bikers, equestrians, hikers and dog sledders.

Originally farmland, the area was acquired by the federal government to establish Camp Custer, an induction and military training center for the U.S. Army during WWII. The land was deeded to the State of Michigan under President Nixon's Legacy of Parks in 1971.

No alcoholic beverages allowed in park April 1 through Labor Day.

Fort Custer Recreation Area

Campground Review: 

After finding our original campground full, we were directed over to Fort Custer. We found a campsite that was large with vegetation separating us from neighbors. I didn't expect to find something this interesting as an alternate to original plans but it worked out nicely.

  

There are a couple hundred sites and most of them were full. Our site was on the far end of a loop. This meant a longer walk to the restrooms and showers. On the other hand, we were right across from an access trail to the blue hiking trail. Each site has a picnic table and fire pit. It was overcast upon arrival only to have the sun shine down the next day. We soon found out that there was enough clearing in the treetops to give our camp full sun for most of the day. If you camp here, I suggest one of the other sites that would give you a break from the sunny heat.

  

We hiked on a multi-use trail that the ranger suggested. The blue trail goes around a couple lakes and was wonderful. We did miss a sign or two and ended up turning our 4 mile trip into a 6.5 mile one but there are plenty of spots to rest and enjoy the time. We passed other hikers and bikers and even some people trying their luck at fishing. There are quite a few mountain bike trails on the other side of the recreation area. A horse trail circles around the outside edge. 

  

Product Review: 

As a Dyrt Ranger I sometimes get products to evaluate. This trip I tested out the [Midland X-Talker two way radio - T77VP5](https://midlandusa.com/product/x-talker-t77vp5/). The kit we used came bundled into a zippered case that is perfect for keeping everything organized. We charged it up before our trip and even tried it out in a school building. 

  

We read reviews that said it might not work well in buildings and thought we should see. I gave them to two high schoolers and asked them to run throughout the place testing them as they went. They came back happy and excited and wanted to keep using them.

  

The real test came out in the woods. The belt clip snaps on easily and this stayed connected to my pack strap for our entire hike. The X-Talker fits nicely in the hand and the buttons are perfectly placed. Another feature I wanted to try was the weather radio. It scans channels automatically to find a weather channel in range. You just need to listen to the report as it cycles through the days. We had some rain and storms moving in so this proved useful in helping us sneak out of camp really early to avoid the downpour that was looming.

  

The [Midland X-Talker T77VP5 radios](https://midlandusa.com/product/x-talker-t77vp5/) worked wonderfully and will certainly see more use on future adventures.

Ranger Review of Midland X-Talker Radio at Fort Custer State Rec Area

This place is just wonderful!  So spacious, it has a beach, beautiful trails of different levels and so much to offer.  Only downside is that the beach gets crowded if the weather is nice.  I would have given this 6 stars if possible.  

Fantastic!

We have been camping here for 30+ years. It’s our local go-to campground. The sites are large, lots of old growth trees so you don’t feel like you’re in a parking lot. Modern showers and bathrooms are available as well as rustic out houses. The draw for us is the miles of biking and hiking trails and the two lakes for kayaking. There are designated areas for horses as well. You can fish, swim at the beautiful beach, get a snack from the store and kick back at your campsite. We love this place. Great family atmosphere with on site host during peak months. Come out and enjoy this gem.

Our local go-to campground. 

6month honeymoon visit to Custer. beauty is everywhere. 


honeymoon hwy to alaska

The trails are great for hikers, bikers, &amp; equestrians. We’ve had family camp outs there, as well my husband &amp; I alone. It’s all dog friendly too! 🐕🐶

Perfect for families

We loved this campground! It is open year round and quiet when we went in January! They have electric and nice sized spots that are sectioned off well. Tons of hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails in addition to lakes to kayak!

Wonderful!

Our favorite state park to stay at. Large quiet sites and lots of seclusion. 

Peaceful 

This was a pleasant surprise to have what felt like a semi private lot nestled in the woods. We had site 1 and felt we were close to a bathroom shower house as well as to the entrance.  The restrooms were kept reasonably clean, and there's a nice playground by the bath house. 

The negatives? It's a drive to the beach, which is rather crowded on nice Saturdays (to be expected)... there's no shortage of mosquitoes (but hey, you're in the woods, right? Bring a thermacell! )... and the midnight snack bandits we call raccoons are not going to hide from you. We had one traverse along our site while cooking dinner, but he left us alone and kept on his way. We saw several others during our stay... keep food and trash stored away! 

In all we are very likely to return someday! 

Nice Large Wooded Sites 

Fort Custer is a hidden gem in Michigan. Nobody thinks to go camping near Battle Creek, but they really should reconsider! 

Never over-crowded, tons of trails, and very nice paddle board, kayak, and canoe rentals! The lake at the state park is outlined by trails and features a small island to paddle around! 

Surprisingly nice beach area.

The sites are spacious with the right amount of seclusion from your neighbors! Paved roads good for bike riding and walking the dogs. The only thing missing is a camp store! 



Great secluded sites 

We enjoyed camping here with the family. The sites are nicely wooded to give more privacy. There are convenient trails through the woods to get to the bathrooms but depending on your site it could be about a 10 min walk. The kids wished we had packed their bicycles to make trips to the bathrooms faster. Our site (34)  was mostly sandy ground and there were a lot of berries dropping from the trees that my dogs were obsessed with eating. Overall we enjoyed the stay and would return 

Nice private sites, bathrooms can be far

Sites are super secluded, a lot are deep with tons of open woods behind them which is beautiful.
There’s a huge dog run area that we took advantage of.

The day use beach area was great, and you can swim and kayak in the water.

However there was a couple of issues. 
One was we had a good down pour for about half hour. That rain flooded a large amount of sites with a few inches of water which was honestly really bad. 
Another issue was the mosquitoes are real bad. They post signs about it.
Last issue was the dump station. I think because of the flooding, the septic tank was almost full which made dumping a little bit of an issue but I could get it done.

Honestly the property is beautiful other than those few issues 

Flooding

Great campgrounds very friendly staff bathrooms are extremely clean great time nice beach

Had a great day for six nights

We camp here several times a year. Love the staff, lakes, and trails!!!


Love this park

With plenty of space between each campsite, easy-to-locate bathrooms/water, and firewood available to purchase at the front office plus over 25 miles of hiking/mountain biking trails, plus more than one body of water to fish/swim in. It really is an ideal place to camp!!

One of the best places to camp in the area!!

Another great camping experience, site 210 has an amazing trail that leads directly to the showers at one end and at the other path went directly to running water, plus only a couple of yards from a great walking trail.