Big Bay is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Michigan camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Big Bay camping trip.
$40 - $50 / night
"Wifi is great, cell service strong, nice bathhouses with laundry, an amazing store with pizza and bar/alcohol, a pool and hot tub (not exactly warm), and easy in/out."
"Full hookups. Amazing hiking and mountain biking and easy access to all Marquette has to offer. Cool river access. Pool is good enough, nice hot tub, putt putt, excellent bar, camp store."
$35 - $51 / night
"The campground is located behind (and within walking distance of) a shopping area that has a meat market, grocery, gas station, movie theater, bowling alley, a few restaurants and a brewery (which has"
"Playground which they are expanding. Large sites as it is a big rig park. Very clean bathrooms. They are adding a large game area and they have a swimming pool and hot tub."
"Nice, clean, quiet right on the lake. Full hookups, level sites and lots of room for large gatherings at the party pit. A short drive to Marquette."
"It is nice and wooded through most of the park. There are several buildings onsite that we didn’t get to peek into due to other plans around the area. We will definitely be back!"
"Despite the sites being pretty close, you have great water views, within walking distance to downtown and a short car ride away from lots of things to do and places to visit. "
"The sites are close but the view and proximity to outdoor walking make this a campground we will return to visit."
"Huge parking lot off the highway, so no road noise. Casino is a bit smoky, but not that bad. It is mostly slots, but still fun. $20 free play when you sign up. Nice little restaurant and bar."
$35 / night
"There are no trees for shade, but this is Marquette Michigan, where it’s unusual to get into the 80s during the summertime."
"It’s a work in progress but brand new, all gravel no tree all pull thru easy setup sites, 20/30/50amp electric, water & sewer, new bathrooms, showers, washer & dryer coming soon, it’s near the"
"It’s a County Park in Big Bay on beautiful Lake Independence. They have full hook up sites to primitive sites."
"On the shores of Independence Lake, just south of Lake Superior, sits this gorgeous, sparkling clean county park with a well-managed campground."
"Campground close to casino and lake Baraga. This is the best campground in the area."
$20 - $40 / night
"This campground is in Marquette, near Northern Michigan University. But once you're camped there, you won't feel like you're in one of the largest cities in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. "
"Grounds were well maintained as was the restrooms and showers. Met the staff every morning finishing their daily cleaning. Showers had plenty of hot water."
$30 / night
"The west loop seems to have more trees and a little more privacy and wifi. If you can score site #10 it’s the best. Some sites have 50 amp while others are 30/20 amp with fire pits and picnic tables. "
"Dump station and water fill is available at the west campground entrance. You also need to pay a $11 daily state park fee, unless you have the $39 annual pass."
LegendLots of wooded campsites for tents, camper vans & small rigs. Several sites are in clusters. Didn't see any pull through. No electric & water hookups. 3 his/hers vault toilets; clean. Potable water near campground entrance. Campground, cabins & trails are still under construction. Although close to Lake Superior, no direct access from campground to the lake. Can hear waves crashing. Highly recommend hiking the trails at nearby Hunter's Point Park. Firewood can be purchased from the general store in Copper Harbor. No T-Mobile nor AT&T cell service. Would stay here again
LegendVan Riper State Park is a must-visit if you’re traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It’s popular year-round, although camping is only open between May and October. Stop for the day to hike the trails and go for a swim, or stay a week and enjoy the sunsets and serenity.
The state park covers both sides of the highway with the campground and day-use area on the south side and a huge section of trails and wildlife viewing areas on the north.
There are 147 sites in the modern campground, including some sites with 50-amp electric service, and there are another 40 sites in the rustic campground. Plus, there are two mini cabins in the modern campground if you don’t own a tent or RV. All of the campsites have a fire ring and picnic table.
One thing we noticed is that the sites at Van Riper are very large– so much bigger than many sites we’ve seen at other state parks. This means there is plenty of space for your trailer, truck, bikes, screen tent, kids’ toys, etc. without feeling like you’re infringing on your neighbor.
Another plus for the state park is the laundry facilities. Two washers and dryers are located in the restroom building near the beach.
Van Riper State Park is extremely family-friendly, with activities for everyone. There are approximately 5 miles of hiking trails on the north side of the state park. One trail provides a very nice overlook of Lake Michigamme and the surrounding area. Other trails run along the Peshekee River or through the woods and may even provide the chance to see the moose that live in the area. The trails are not difficult, but there is some elevation to get to the lookout. If you don’t want to hike the whole 5-plus miles from the campground and back, you can drive and park at the group campground and go from there.
A sandy beach awaits both kids and adults on Lake Michigamme. The lake is popular as it is much warmer than most of the lakes in the Upper Peninsula. A large, fairly new playscape is also located near the beach, as well as a swing set. One of the most unique activities is a bike pump track. This is the only state park that we saw that had one. It was very popular with the kids and is conveniently located between the campground and the day-use area. The lake is popular for fishing and if you have a boat you can use the launch in the back of the park. It also is a good location for kayaking.
LegendLoved this park. Despite the sites being pretty close, you have great water views, within walking distance to downtown and a short car ride away from lots of things to do and places to visit.
All the sites are designed to be back-in but we asked if we could pull in forward so the view of the river was out our front window and our door opened right onto the patio. Luckily they didn’t have a problem with that so we had a great view. The patio is a wooden deck that hangs over the river bank and was suck a perfect to sit after a long day of exploring and enjoy a glass of wine. There is a picnic table, bench, BBQ grill, and fire pit and the patio providing nice shade during the day. The park is divided into two tiers and we were lucky enough to be in the lower one that was directly on the water. The upper tier has a view of the water too and the same patios but you are overlooking other RVs. All sites are paved (as are the roads) with 20/30/50 amp electric, cable with 16 channels, and Wi-Fi. A nice feature about this park is that they do allow washing vehicles and your RV for a nominal fee.
The park is small with just 25 sites so book early if you are coming during the summer and they do have seasonal stays with good rates. We called with just a couple weeks notice but scored a site because someone cancelled. Added bonus is that this park is next door to a large waterfront park which is great for kids with lots of things for them to play on (just know dogs are not allowed). There are also picnic areas, sandy beach, and a boat launch. Continuing past the park is a four-mile paved, non-motorized pathway leading to downtown.
There are no bathrooms or showers in the park so you must have a self-contained RV meaning pop-up campers and tents are not allowed. There are flush toilets in the waterfront park just outside the campground but were used heavily and not always clean if the park was very busy.
Loved that fact that you could walk to town. We strolled into the Keewenaw Brewery for a beer a couple of afternoons, checked out a museum that pays homage to the birthplace of American hockey (which started in Houghton), did a little window shopping, and ate the best pasties at Roy’s Pasties and Bakery. It is well worth the time to venture up the Keewenaw Peninsula to explore the other towns like Copper Harbor and Calumet. Calumet is an old copper mining town and there are lots of museums and interesting sites to see there including a very nice National Park Service visitor center. We toured the Quincy Mine and really enjoyed that.
Pros:
· Great water view
· Nice patio with picnic table and bench
· Within walking distance of town
· Nice walking path
· Lots to do and see in the area
· Paved sites and roads
· Full hook-up with cable and good WiFi
Cons:
· Must have a self-contained RV
· Sites are close to each other with very little privacy
· Most sites have no shade
· May be hard to get a site if you don’t book early
RangerWe stayed for about a week and a half and used Starlink as our everyday internet source (60+ mbps download, no interruptions). AT&T cell signal was decent. We enjoyed taking the canoe and kayak out on the lake, cooked a nice steak meal in the pavilion, accessible sites w/electric and water hookups, showers were nice and hot. There is a dump station at the front of the park. Only downside is that the campground is located right next to some sort of waste treatment field. We saw a few bald eagles and a snowy owl during our stay, very cool
TravelerWe are on site 22. Very spacious have room for our 20ft TT and could have put up a large screen tent but there is a big dip in the site which caused a huge puddle where we would have placed it. Nice view of the lake can see at least part of it from almost anywhere in the camp. Picnic table and fire ring on every site. There are several full hook up sites (water sewer electric). There are a few pull through sites. Some of the sites (the ones a crossed from us) have a huge dip right at the edge of the site to get in out of the site that can cause some issues with low sitting vehicles. Hosts were very friendly and informative, offered some scheduled programs through out the week and free coffee and doughnuts Saturday morning at the host site. DNR staff almost always available. Serves as a great base point to see probably hundreds of water falls. Some are located just down the street from the campground. Mordern shower clean and had hot water and restroom, clean but toilets are a little tricky to flush...doesn't seem to have enough flushing power. Verizon phone works great... hotspot from Verizon phone works great as well. there is also some WiFi available from somewhere that works but doesn't work(cuts in and out) not sure if it is the parks or a nearby place. The roads in the campground are narrrow but manageable. The park is located on a main highway (41) so you get the noise from the traffic on the road...sometimes this noise can make it hard to have a quiet conversation with those in your camping party....it quiets down some at night but still a lot of noise. Also train tracks runs along the back of the campground which can be quite noisy. We've been here almost a week and have heard only one train(we aren't here a lot during the day we are out exploring). Nice day park across the road from the campground. Located about 30 min. From Houghton (and a Walmart) and about an hour drive to the porcupine mountains.
LegendThis park is located about 15 minutes from the town of Marquette and is a great alternative if you can’t get a site in the Marquette Tourist Park (which is closer to town and very popular in the summer). It is located off US-41 which is a major Upper Peninsula thoroughfare but set back about ½ miles so you don’t get road noise but it is still convenient. The campground is located behind (and within walking distance of) a shopping area that has a meat market, grocery, gas station, movie theater, bowling alley, a few restaurants and a brewery (which has good, inexpensive beer and food). It is also located next to an RV dealer/service center/camp store which is convenient if you need anything. Nearby are some interesting museums including the National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and the Michigan Iron Museum. You are only about 20 minutes from the town of Marquette which is worth a visit.
The park and facilities are well-maintained. The restrooms were super clean as was the pool and all the grounds. The people in the office were super nice in helping us pick a site and with information about the area. The park has over 105 RV sites with varying services and some being held by seasonal people. There are lots of amenities (which we did not use) including swimming pool, hot tub, playground, basketball courts, and more. The pool was super crowded and noisy so if you don’t want to hear kids screaming, stay away from sites close to the pool. The park does not take online reservations so you must call them directly.
We were assigned site #104 but could tell our motorhome was not going to get level in the site so we had to straddle the site and park partly in the adjacent grassy area. Luckily, the ground was dry to we didn’t make any deep ruts. Our site did have a nice shade tree on the patio which was welcomed because of the hot weather. The WiFi never worked at our site. We were able to get a clear view of the sky for our satellite television.
RangerWe only stayed here one night but the kids had a lot of fun, they have a lot of outdoor toys. There were kids everywhere.
Outhouse and showers were clean
Electric hook up
Filled water at dump station We stayed in site 10 it was quiet and away from the core of the noise
Friendly staff Seasonals were a little wild and loud, I like to have fun so it didn’t bother me much but they didn’t always watch the kids, only complaint.
6 minutes back into the town near the River is a little gas station / general store —- best Pasties!
Cabins available Rustic tent sites available
$48 after tax site 10 electric travel trailer site.
GuideA bit tricky to maneuver but once you are set up this is a great city waterfront park! The sites are close but the view and proximity to outdoor walking make this a campground we will return to visit.
The campground host is helpful and if you get a chance, purchase a book he wrote to enjoy a coming of age in the Upper Pennisula story!
Love Houghton and exploring the history and geology of the area.
We camped for a week in our 42 ft motor home with jeep. We walked the water view trail daily with our four legged camper. There is a city beach/park adjacent to the campground and although there are no restrooms or showers at the campground, there are restrooms at the adjacent beach area.
We were able to access the campground WiFi and our satellite had a good signal. ATT coverage was good.
GuideArrived Sunday afternoon. No one camping. 13 back in or tent campsites, shaded, level with picnic table & fire ring. Pit toilets and hand pump for water. Boat landing & small sand beach for swimming & fishing. Hiking trails are a plus.
Discover the charm of RV camping near Big Bay, Michigan, where stunning natural landscapes meet a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds, perfect for your next adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
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