Old Orchard Park Campground

I stayed here a few times in September 2022.  The weather was really rainy but the lake is pretty and Oscoda has a lot of hiking and places to hang up a hammock and relax.  (The campsite is about 10 minutes from town.)

Labor Day weekend was crazy and my neighbors had a really difficult time staying in their designated site - one family next to me really liked to put their trash on a tree within my site.  People just seemed a little unfriendly and territorial - it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with a younger solo woman camper.  Unrelated, a guy was shouting a song about cocaine around 11pm, drinking with his buddies.  Just kind of weird vibes even though there were a million kids.  It didn’t really feel like homey, family vibes.  

The second time I was there I was told I could not car camp.  The lady who was working didn’t seem to care but my last night an older male worker waited at the entrance until I returned and loudly announced my site number and said I wasn’t allowed to car camp (I usually don’t get frustrated with older people when they yell because I assume they may be hard of hearing, but it seemed a little unsafe to announce where I would be sleeping.) I asked if hammock camping was ok and he became gruffer and told me his boss wanted to kick me off the campground - which seemed to imply a possible punishment if I kept asking questions.  Ironically, I was asking these questions because I didn’t have a tent but was still trying to comply.  I just felt uncomfortable after that and left, spending my last night somewhere else.

Showers are ok - they’re coin operated and cleaned every few days.  

The scenery is pretty but it doesn’t work for me if I can’t car camp and if there’s no cell service to work. As mentioned, weird vibes as a solo female camper too.  Adult activities - like a dance party or movies - take place after dark.  I can’t imagine how being in a dark forest with strangers would feel safe, let alone fun, when there is alcohol and it seems likely there are other substances too.  No really where my interests lie.

But if you have an RV you might have a different experience - or if you’re looking for a party during a holiday weekend.  It might also be worth a try if you’re camping as a group.

First off, old orchard is on property that is owned by Consumers Powers Energy. They allow certain numbers of reservable sites and are slowly opening up more land to create more camping sites and standing Yurts. I love old orchard. We had our camper on one site for three months but had to pay for 3 weeks at a time. Our site was very large and it was very quiet on the fill hookup did of the park. Most of the staff is helpful and some even will teach the RV newbies how to care for their camper.

The area around the park has several areas of interest including Lumbermans monument, iargo springs, and downtown Oscoda on lake Huron. It is on the banks of the Ausable river. Kayaking, boating, pontooning, fishing-all beautiful. There is just North of the park an off shoot road that goes to Champagne Hill where people have large homemade slip and slide mats to slide down the steep sand dunes into the water. People bring their pontoons, boats and watercraft and all meet up at different locations and have a great time. The campground has a small beach but it has not been allowed to be fully developed due to consumers energy wanting a natural rustic feel to the park. Yes it is hard to get in, on a first come first serve basis, but that is because it is a great place to stay.... I give this place 5 stars. I love it there

This campground is hard for me to review because this is one of my husband's favorites, but mine, not so much. A few things that I do not like about this campground include first come first served and the beach area. For most of the sites here, it is first come first served. We have driven all the way there before and not been able to get in. There was another time that we drove there and there was one reservable site that we stayed on the first night and then had to move the next day when a first come site opened up. The beach area at this campground is okay. My niece and nephew liked it, but I felt that it is too small, crowded, and dirty. I hope that they make all sites reservable in the future. This is a 2.5 hour drive and we are not retired so we generally cannot come up until Thursday or Friday, which makes it tough to get in. Camp at your own risk, but I really have no desire to camp here again. My husband likes to camp here and I usually give in once a year, but it is not my first choice.