Best Tent Camping near Baraga, MI
State parks and national forests surrounding Baraga, Michigan provide numerous options for tent camping in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Big Lake State Forest Campground, located 25 miles southwest of Baraga near Watton, offers spacious tent campsites along a scenic lakeshore. Craig Lake State Park, often called Michigan's most remote state park, provides walk-in tent sites accessible only by hiking trails or water routes. The Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness area, part of Ottawa National Forest, features primitive tent camping opportunities with dramatic gorge views and waterfall access.
Many tent-only sites in the region have minimal improvements, with surfaces ranging from forest duff to gravel pads. Access roads to primitive tent campgrounds often require high-clearance vehicles, particularly at Big Lake where flooded potholes can challenge low-clearance cars. Most state forest campgrounds provide vault toilets and hand-pumped water, while backcountry tent sites in wilderness areas have no facilities. Weather conditions change rapidly in the Upper Peninsula, with campers reporting snowfall as early as mid-October. Insect protection is essential for comfortable tent camping, particularly in June and July when biting flies and mosquitoes are abundant.
Tent campers frequently use these areas as bases for hiking the North Country Trail, which winds through much of the region. According to reviews, Big Lake State Forest Campground offers "huge sites" in a "quiet setting right on the lake" with clean facilities. At Craig Lake State Park, one visitor noted that the walk-in tent sites provide exceptional solitude, reporting "I was there for two nights and no one camped at the sites near me." Lake Perrault offers dispersed tent camping with approximately six sites, some positioned directly at the water's edge. Schoolcraft Township Rustic Campground provides beachfront tent camping with five large sites on Lake Superior, though permits must be obtained in advance from Lake Linden, about 10 miles west of the grounds.