Pioneer Trail Park & Campground, near Gladstone, Michigan, is a welcoming place for campers looking to enjoy the great outdoors. With a mix of tent sites and RV accommodations, it’s designed to cater to various camping styles, making it a versatile choice for families and friends alike.

The campground boasts clean facilities, including showers and toilets, which visitors appreciate after a day of activities. Many campers have enjoyed the spacious sites, with picnic tables and fire pits available for evening gatherings. One happy camper noted, “We parked in a river spot, and it was such a wonderful location,” highlighting the scenic views and accessibility to fishing right from their site.

For those who like to stay active, there’s a playground for the kids and a frisbee golf course nearby, ensuring everyone has something to do. The park is also conveniently located near the Escanaba River, perfect for a relaxing afternoon by the water. Just keep in mind that the campground is close to town, so you might hear some background noise, but that doesn’t seem to bother most visitors.

Whether you’re planning a weekend escape or a longer adventure, Pioneer Trail Park & Campground offers a friendly atmosphere and plenty of opportunities to unwind and explore.

Pioneer Trail Park & Campground

Are you in need of a campground near Escanaba, MI? There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Find the best campgrounds near Escanaba, MI. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.

Escanaba

The Best Camping Near Escanaba, Michigan

When we pulled into this campground we couldn’t believe how empty it was. Compared to all the other campgrounds we had been to in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and seeing as it was still the busy summer camping season we were shocked. We were wondering what was “wrong” but nothing really surfaced. It could just have been that we were there during the week and the weekend rush hadn’t come yet. 

There are 96 campsites that sit on 74 acres so there was plenty of room for us to walk our dog and not feel like we were going in circles. Campsites are the usual mix of pull thrus and back-ins, rustic tent and water/electric. None of the sites have sewer but some have 20/30/50 amp electric with water and others are rustic tent sites. The electric and water sites long enough for any size RV but leveling may be difficult in some of the sites (which are grass). Picnic tables and fire pits accompany every sites. Some sites have their fire pits located at the back of the sites which makes for a big line of fire pits which was kind of weird. There are some large pine trees that provide some shade but this is not a wooded campground by any means. 

For a county-run park there are plenty of amenities including WiFi which was slow and depends on where you are located in the park.  The showers and flush toilets were clean but a little on the old side. A store sells ice, firewood, soda, snacks and ice cream. There is a really nice picnic pavilion that would be great if you had a lot of people in your group. It is covered with a “kitchen” area and lots of picnic tables. Since the park is on the Escanaba River there is a boat launch (albeit not really suitable for large boats with deep draft) and you can fish from the bank. Disco golf fans will love the 27-hole course that winds through the woods and property. For the kids, a playground area is large with lots of things for them to climb and play on. 

The park is located off HWY 2 so access is easy but there is a bit of road noise. Plus, when we visited there was road construction going on that produced traffic backups and more noise. But the real problem is the train tracks that runs alongside the campground and seemed busy 24/7. It is not so bad in the front of the park but back where the tent section is must be pretty bad if you are in a tent.

Nice County Park 

Very clean and quiet. Right now because of Covid the only sites you can get are water and electric and the cost is $28 a night. 

Nice camp ground

The campground is close to town and larger than expected. It’s divided into two sections. The first one is set up for RVs. The one further back is rustic. Separating them is a wonderful playground and a large picnic shelter. 

The rustic area was spread out. Large trees provide shade but there isn’t much privacy between sites. There were only a few campers in this section so distance gave separation. 

Continue past the campsites and you find a simple picnic area at the boat launch. We ate lunch over here. By the entrance (and up a hill) is a frisbee golf course. 

Close to town with some background noise 

It was a great except water pump died and they didn’t give any solution or partial refund 

Great visit!

Nice campsites but there was heavy equipment running constantly in town nearby. So noisy. Looked like a family was living there. Very messy. 

Heavy equipment running in town  

I really liked the camp ground. I didn’t like the rv’s in the tent/rustic campsites running their generator’s all night long.

Tent campers beware

We parked in a river spot , and it was such a wonderful location, bathrooms right across a field, nice big playground, room for our motorhome, jeep, and hybrid van to charge ! Access to fishing right at our site and disc golf across from our camper ! 

Nice , well maintained , quiet

Restrooms and showers are clean and nicely maintained. 
There’s a good amount of trees and shade for those hot summer days. There are trails and some fishing areas as well. Traffic noise isn’t too annoying except for the occasional loud mufflers and train horns. No train horns were heard during the late hours though.
Overall it’s a decent place to stay 

Clean and decent spacing 

The people in the office were very nice and chill, always a good start when the people checking you in put off a warm vibe.  We booked a river site but changed to a basic water and electric and saved 5 bucks for a better site.  The sites on the river are not well laid out and it's hard to tell where to set up.  None of the sites here are very private, but they are all very clean and larger with nice tall pines and big fire pits.  The playground is awesome and there is a large grassy ballfield for playing.  The river itself is a bit underwhelming, kind of marshy and not clear.  There's a large dropoff from the campground to the river so it's only really accessible at the boat ramp, which is fine if you expect that going in.  There is laundry and reasonably priced firewood.  Overall a solid campground.

4.4 stars 


  Very nice, spacious and quiet with full amenities. Very handy to US2 but little road noise

Photos of Pioneer Trail Park & Campground

Real photos from real campers