Port Crescent State Park Campground

General: A real hodgepodge of options: paved sites, sandy sites, some with electric, hammock sites, several different types of cabins, and domes. Our stay was in 2023, and this review is based on that, but the campground was closed for the 2024 season for upgrades. 

Site Quality: Varies greatly. We were able to secure two different sites for our two-night stay. Upon arrival, however, we doubted we would be able to navigate our 18-foot camper van into Site 58– it was sandy, narrow with trees, and cars were parked alongside the narrow access road, making backing in very difficult to impossible. We were able to switch to Site 69 for the first night. The second night we were in site 56 and enjoyed listening to the waves lapping up against the shore. Not all sites are level. Little privacy/separation between sites but if you can score a waterfront site, then it’s all good. Sites 93, 95, 95A, 98, 99A, 101, 103, 105, and 107 back up to the old river channel and the water was very stagnant and green. The beachfront sites mostly have nice views of Saginaw Bay/Lake Huron but be cautious when selecting: some are sand and not level. You will hear road noise from M25 on the 19 sites that back up to the road (and also some of the sites opposite these). 

Bath/Shower: Two bathhouses (east and west) plus a couple of vault toilets. The East Bathhouse was very modern and clean. The West Bathhouse looked to be a bit older but still seemed fine. 

Activities/Amenities: Beach access, fishing, swimming, and an observation platform for bird watching or night sky viewing (the weather did not cooperate to check these out). There are nearby hiking trails, a playground, a basketball hoop, and a horseshoe pit. There is a dump station. Kudos to Michigan for extensive recycling! 

We arrived late at night, and I was able to get in a nice walk around the campground before the rain started, dampening our options for the rest of the day. Obviously, our stay here would have been better with better weather, but I caution you to be careful when reserving your sites based on your type of camping. Despite the abundance of mayflies (gross but not biting) and the muddy sand-covered road from all the rain, we’d stay here again if we could get a beachfront site. We enjoyed our time here and would love to see what improvements were made when the campground was closed (although I thought it was very nice before).

Port Crescent is a really amazing campground to visit. The campground contains cabins, tent, and RV sites. Our site (95) was an electric only site but water was nearby.

Our site was on the sand but large enough to park the camper parallel to the campsite. we were well off the road there were no worries concerning passing vehicles.

The nature and wild life there are simply amazing and the sunsets on the beach were incredible. They were even more amazing because wildfire activity enhanced the fading rays of the sun.

We did buy the yearly MI recreation pass, not only for this but for some other stays we had planned in MI. The pass was $35 which was affordable.

For Astronomers this is a certified dark sky park the IDA. This is a Bortle 3 site with an SQM reading of 21.79 mag./arc sec2. I did not get to observe here due to smoke from wild fires.

Saginaw Bay is nearby and its a beautiful place to visit.

to Make sure you know where your gas stations are as they are a long way away from Each other. Also the water spigots in the park don't have hose connectors to either fill up with potable water at the dump station or bring water canisters with you.

Otherwise have a great time, we did!

We got lucky for a spur of the moment weekend get away and scored the perfect site at a campground we had never been to before. It's a busy campground.. but this site made us feel like we were in our own little world. The lake was only a few yards from our tent. There is also a dark sky preserve there which worked out perfectly for the meteor shower that was going on that weekend. One of my favorite camping trips ever... it was just gorgeous. I booked online through the michigan parks website. There must have been a cancelation that I got lucky and grabbed. It really was the perfect camp site.

If you get the right spot, you have essentially private access to the beautiful waters of Lake Huron. Clean beaches and large private lots.

This was our 2nd time here. We stayed on site 71 this time down by the beach. Good amount of space for our set up. Nice view of the lake from across the road.

We stayed here on Labor day last year and loved it. We are going back again this year. We will be making this an annual plan.

We loved this campground. The proximity to the beach was phenomenal. Our site, 95A was along the old river channel which made for nice views of water fowl. I will say though, the Canada Geese were extremely active…even at late hours of the night and early morning (expected). Lake Huron did not disappoint. We enjoyed some sunsets, weathered driftwood, more geese, sea gulls, and sand pipers.

The weather started out decent and very fall like, but come late Friday night, sustained 20 mph winds and unrelenting downpours ensued. Did I mention we were in a tent?! Fortunately, I truly did “batten down the hatches” so to speak. This is not a tent review, but the Sam’s Club 9’ x 14’ tent never leaked, never ripped, and held its own!

Flies out did mosquitoes, and bees were in full pollination mode. We did fog our site and used Thermacells which helped within Mosquitoes. Chipmunks ruled the campground. They were busy everywhere. Also a local woodpecker was going to town at a site next to us. We didn’t see any raccoons or deer…did I mention geese?!?

Site had 120v and 30 amp service, a picnic table, and fire ring. It was directly across the street from the restrooms and showers.

Site Size was approx 33’ x 50’

Shower facilities were a bit dated but functional. Restrooms were clean with nice hot water and high powered hand driers.

We’re planning another trip and hoping to make it to the sites closer to the lake.

This Park is on our list of favorite parks to visit each year. With it being on the eastern part of the Saginaw Bay you have a great beach for swimming and sunbathing. We were noticing that this park seems to be in an overused state and what we mean by this is the bathhouses not so clean and not updated, sites littered with debris from previous campers and vegetation does not have the opportunity to replenish in between campers. The service roads although black top were in rough shape and hard to read the lot numbers. The State needs to send this park some love! 

The town of Port Austin does provide some tourist type things to do but mainly a quiet little harbor town. Port Austin does hold a Farmers Market during the summer months which has lots of local vendors. tour the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking are all close by.

Love hearing the waves out my bedroom window here

Well maintained. Sites are kind of tight. Well maintained facilities and it’s nice to be so close to the lake.

Narrow and tight, lots of tents, pop ups and sand. Nicely treed area though and of course next to the lake

First time staying here. Great campground. Sandy beach. Swimming is great! Sites are close and driving through campground is tight. Cell and tv signal is limited. Pictures are from site 92

I organized a camping trip for my best friend's birthday - who's never been camping before.  I couldn't have asked for a better campground or area to introduce her to the hobby.  We chose a shady, rustic site that was decent in size - fire ring and picnic table provided.  The private beach was our favorite feature of the campground.  The sand was white and soft with a volleyball net; it was never too crowded.  There is a ton of things to do in the area: hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming, horseback riding and a Dark Sky Preserve.

The bathroom facilities were large and obviously cleaned regularly.  There are shower rooms for added privacy (I'd suggest water shoes or flip flops for the shower rooms.)

It's very family friendly and people were respectful when darkness fell in regards to volume.  The only setback for me was that it was very crowded, but not more so than the average loop campground sites.  It's just personal preference to do dispersed camping.  Perfect for families or someone who's never been camping before to see what it's all about!

Probably one of the most popular state parks in Michigan, and for good reason. Most of the park is located on the water and the views are pretty gorgeous. The sites are small, so we usually book two. The grounds offer bathrooms and showers, as well as electric and water for RVs. No rustic options available, so all sites are $35 per night. The campground is located only a few short minutes from the launch site for Turnip Rock, so it’s become very popular for weekend trips.

This park is in a great location—The Thumb felt quite isolated. There are some pretty rad sites right on Lake Huron—unfortunately, we were on site 41 which buts right up against a main road and it got quite loud at times (especially on the weekends). Bathrooms were good for a state park. The beach was a little small, but water levels are high this year. DNR staff were pleasant, helpful and good at being present. Firewood is for sale at the gate for $5 a bundle. This campground is close to Caseville, Bad Axe and Port Austin where I would recommend renting a kayak and checking out Turnip Rock (only accessible by H2O). This park didn’t get a full 5 stars because of the proximity to the road (which wasn’t really that bad…). Great Park!

Been coming here for over 20 years and still love it.

Great campground at the top of Michigan's thumb. Close to fishing, kayaking and a great beach.

Very very busy campground. I don’t think there was an open site while we were there. Our site was right near the playground, and although we have no kids it was not bothersome AT ALL surprisingly. They have a few cabins to rent that have decent privacy. As well as bathrooms and showers —not the nicest but definitely bearable. Hiked to the water that was clean and easy to swim in and walk in with bare feet, too!

My family and I have been here many times. The proximity to the water can't be beat. Canoe and kayak rental locations are a short way away, as are the town and local focal points. Save room for dessert at The Farm, a fine dining experience just a mile away from the campground with world class food.

Never have been to Port Austin, wanted to check it out for myself. My boyfriend and I had our first date traveling there. I had heard there was an old ghost town around there, check it out. We put up a tent, talked under the stars it was absolutely gorgeous. Can not wait to come back and stay again for our anniversary! Camp ground is quiet, very large spots, from what I remember they have bathrooms! Very cheap!

Port Crescent is a clean and comfortable campground with great lake views even from sites not on the water. It's also an extremely busy campground so not a place to find silence and solitude, nevertheless with Michigan's state park booking system it's a great option!

It was forecasted to rain during our visit to Port Crescent and we decided to brave it and hope the forecast would be wrong. It wasn’t. It rained most of the day Saturday and Sunday. I know it’s not the park’s fault, but there was literally nothing nearby to do in the rain. I was looking forward to kayaking Turnip Rock, but I’m not doing that in a thunder storm. It was a pretty miserable weekend. The sites are large but lack privacy. The bathhouse got pretty gross with all the mud and could use an update. Overall, the weather really affected my opinion of this whole area. I will probably be back though, because I still want to kayak to Turnip Rock.

This has been an annual destination for my family. We would camp here 2 weeks every summer with all of our relatives and basically turn this little place into home. There are nice clean sites, facilities, and easy access to town (Pt. Austin) if you want to go explore. I highly recommend Grindstone's Ice Cream place in Grindstone City. During summer months, it books up 6 months in advance. So learn their online reservation system and be quick at it if you have a specific site in mind. The sites on the front row by the water are the best in my opinion. Amazing sunset views and quick access to the beach. When storms come it, make sure you have everything put away and your tent staked down reeeeeal good, cause I've definitely seen 60mph+ winds and tents end up in the trees.