South Manistique Lake State Forest Campground

Very shaded, primitive spots, many of these the lake is right behind the campsite

I have been visiting this campground since the early 90s with my family. My Dad used to come here when he was young. It does not have all the modern “glamping” amenities - no water/electric hookups here! No showers or running water! Outhouses only! And that’s just how it should stay. Half of the campsites have direct private lake access for swimming or boating purposes. The other half cozy up against the deep woods. All campsites are decently private, with a fair amount of foliage and woods separating all of them, unlike some places where you pitch a tent ten feet from your neighbors. There is a boat launch and a fish cleaning table, and every site has a picnic table and a metal ringed fire pit. This is perfect for the true rustic tent camper. I spent five days here in early July 2020 with nothing but my motorcycle and a two person tent, and it was all bird songs and wildlife. The only downsides are that there’s only one location to dispose of trash, so you could have a decent hike to do so, and the fact that there’s no electric hookups means glampers tend to run generators which can be a little annoying. But this is a wonderful place and it holds many good memories for me!

Great time at south Manistique lake campground. This campground has 30 campsites that are first come basis. There are outhouses that are super clean and Oder free. There is a dumpster for trash and it is 15$ a night. We stayed at site 30 right on the lake near the boat launch. The launch unfortunately did not have a dock and is very shallow and sandy. We watched someone struggle to get their boat out as the truck was getting stuck in the sand. The sites all have picnic tables and a fire ring. Unfortunately the fire ring did not have a grate to cook over. Other than that great experience all around. We will return!