Best RV Parks & Resorts near Carp Lake, MI

Rustic campground on a steep hill overlooking Lake Huron. Website makes promises campground doesn't deliver. We reserved 50 amp full hook up. We were charged an additional $15 to guarantee our site. We arrived today to find a tight sloping site with only 30 amp service for our 34 ft motorhome. Upon calling the office, the very young woman who answered, first of all, could not locate our reservation even though a packet and map were waiting outside for us. Second, she asks which site, fumbles around, and finally declares "well some sites are 50 amp and some are only 30 amp. Can you spell your name again for me?" This location is close to everything in this nice town, so if you come here to stay you will be paying premium site pricing and spinning the wheel of chance as to whether it will be electric only, electric and water, 30 amp full hookups or 50 amp full hookups, because the website says one thing and reality on site is altogether different.

Full hook up great beach and fishing!

Definitely a campground full of long term, retired RVers, but that being said everyone is very nice and the beach is right there! Downtown is also just a few minute walk away, but it's still quiet. We were only here to stay somewhere for one night real quick, and the bathrooms were clean, the wifi was great, and the guy in charge was lovely.

We were a little confused here, as we thought the camping spots were the concrete pads leading up to the old airfield. But there are big rocks blocking the way from Rd 3536 to the airfield, so I don’t know if that’s a recent addition or what. There’s a large concrete pad on the west side of the rocks, and when we got there there was a nice looking (not sketchy) travel trailer set up for long term camping. Lots of trucks parked everywhere with trailers; they had hauled their ATVs in and were out riding for the day. They came back on their ATVs in the late afternoon, hung out for a few hours, then left (except for the trailer). All surprisingly quiet and respectful. 

Zero cell service with Verizon but ATT had good service, mostly. It would randomly drop now and then but it would come back. We found a good spot to tuck into for the night, while staying out of the way of all the trucks parked everywhere. Very quiet and serene.

This is dispersed camping so of course no amenities whatsoever. Please handle your waste appropriately and let's keep this area clean.

This is a beautiful campground right on the straits of Mackinaw. They’ve recently added several sites with full hook ups and some just for tents that feel like they’re rigt on the beach. The older areas are going to be updated over the next couple years so we’ll see what they come up with. There are several rustic cabins available to stay. Some for large groups, and others more isolated in the park for smaller groups. Before memorial day and after Labor day its quite easy to find a site. Durig the main season, you’ll defintely want to reserve a site as they fill up quickly.

This is a nice KOA with nice facilities and amenities. We camped there in the July and our first impression when we drove in was “wow, this place is busy!” It is a very family-friendly park and you feel like every other site is having a family reunion with so many people at each site.

We were assigned a pull-thru in a spot where most of the campers were transients. (There is another section that appears to be most of the seasonal campers.) Getting to the site in our RV was a little tricky because of all the trees and cars parked everywhere. The site was level, paved and had a paved patio and was full hook-up with cable and WiFi (which worked well at our site).

The park is a typical KOA with tons of amenities and things going on. We chose not to use the pool because it was overrun with kids and seemed way too small for the number of people in the park. There is an off-leash dog park but it was pretty small for our lab to get a good run in. The laundry was nice and clean but a bit expensive $2.25 per load. When we checked in the staff raved about the onsite KOA café’s pizza but we didn't try it. 

The park is very convenient to downtown Petoskey but the traffic on Hwy. 31 can be horrible at peak times. It is also close to Petoskey State Park and the Oden State Fish Hatchery (which has trails and a great place to visit). There are lots of breweries in the area, a great farmers market, and really good restaurants. We personally loved Beards Brewery, Palette Bistro, and the Crooked Tree Bakery. There is a great paved biking trail located nearby that runs from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs.

This campground is huge with many sites to choose from. We traveled with two other families and chose to stay on the Lake View (Mackinaw Bridge not visible). For our families these were the best sites because they are on the water with beach sand. If you choose to stay on the side with the bridge view the shore line is rocky. We stayed in sites 176-178 and all three were spacious. Unfortunately, not full hook up but good for water and electric. Another perk of staying in these sites is you are a short walk away from the bath houses (private and clean), the playground, pool, and camp store. The camp store is one of the nicest I have been in. It is stocked with all of your camping wants & needs. If you choose to visit Mackinaw Island there is a shuttle van (free) that comes to the campground and will transport you and your bikes to the ferry. We had a wonderful stay at this campground and would definitely recommend the sites we stayed in and any on the beach front.

Visited in Fall. Camped in lake front site (419); the lake being right by the campsite was nice. However, very little privacy nor trees in this area. Wide open camping - more like RV park camping. Not at all what I had hoped. Fire pits do not have cooking rack so bring own. Beach for walking very nice with water level down. Drove to Piping Plover nesting area-that was beautiful. Seven very remote rustic cabins in beautiful areas. Some right on water. October 18th they close modern bathrooms and most water spigots, so have to get water at Camp office. 20 miles of hiking trails. Headlands Dark Sky Park well worth the short drive; a Beautiful area. Gave 3 stars due to “RV Park” like campground. Otherwise rest of park 4-5 stars. More trees in back campground (not near Lake MI).

General: Nestled in between Lake Michigan, a waste-water treatment plant and a hospital is Magnus Park, a public city park and campground. 77 sites, 36 with full hookups, and the remainder with electric hookups. There is also one cabin. 

Site Quality/Facilities: The campground is laid out in typical RV park fashion with zero privacy between sites. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Although some of the sites have somewhat of a gravel or dirt driveway, mostly it seems like areas where the grass has just worn away. IMO, if you are not able to get Sites 3-16 or Sites A-C which face Lake Michigan, then the best sites would be the ones that back up to the trees. When we reserved many months ago, we were lucky to get one of two available sites, and ours did back up to the trees. Be aware that sites 61-68 back up directly to the hospital. Other than it being imposing and detracting from the feeling of camping, the only thing I found objectionable was more frequent loud sirens of ambulances arriving. On the other end of the campground, there are nine lettered sites (A-I) that are larger but are on a grassy area with no driveways or defined separation. These sites (as well as 18,19, 20, 22) are close to the wastewater treatment plant. When I walked by, I did not notice any offending odor, but other reviewers have said they did. I did, however, hear a humming noise emanating from the plant. By luck of the draw, the site NEXT to ours (51) flooded significantly with heavy rains overnight. Ours did not puddle up too badly.

Bathhouse: Was generally clean considering it is part of a public-use city park. Rarely did I see anyone in there as most of the campers were in RVs and on our second day, it rained so no one was at the beach. The showers were warm with somewhat wimpy but adequate water pressure. They were on the small side, however, and are only available to campers with a code to access (although there was one shower in the restroom that could be used by all). 

Activities/Amenities: There is a centrally located playground. Easy access to the bike trail, however, it was closed just south of the campground due to erosion (north is not a problem and a short walk into the town of Petoskey). WiFi is available and you are given the access code upon check-in, although I did not use it so cannot comment on how reliable it was. 

Our first thought upon arrival was “yikes, why in the world did we decide to stay here?!” but the proximity to the town of Petoskey (less than a mile walk), and views of Lake Michigan outweigh some of the negatives.

Wilderness was great, not what you are looking for if you are tent camping more of an RV park. Beautiful views though

It is a municipal campground so we didn't expect much but the access to the Little Traverse Wheelway and views of Lake Michigan were awesome - and full hook ups for the price was great.  It has a small bathhouse and the sites are pull-though with back to back setup (so utilities are at the same post as one of your neighbors) but we scored that the 2 sites in front of us cancelled (it was wet, cold, windy and in general miserable weather but we lucked out day 2 and got a bike ride in to Petoskey State Park and a stop at Burnt Marshmallow Brewing before rain rolled back in) so we had a big open space for the kids to bike around on and allowed a view of the lake.

link on The Dyrt doesn't work - try this:

https://www.petoskey.us/departments/parks\_and\_recreation/campground.php

PROS: was really quiet, our neighbor is a regular and was extremely friendly and helpful.  The bike path to Petoskey State Park is right in front of the campground and takes you by the harbor and can branch off into town too.  Really close to downtown (which we did not explore but looks really nice).  We originally planned on staying at the state park but the campsite was half closed due to construction (so it will probably be really nice next year) but this worked out great.  Full hook ups on long pull thru sites for the price was great.  Firewood was available at the check-in kiosk and there is a playground on site.  Bathhouse with showers.  Less than 1 hour from Mackinac Island.  I read mentions of the hospital noise and while trucks unloading during the day was noticeable during the day, we didn't hear anything from there at night - the camp ground did have a transformer that was loud the first night but it was fixed by the next night.

CONS: it is no-frills and could be packed in during summer, but that should be acceptable for the price if you are looking for an easy base camp with access to everything in Petoskey.  The bathhouse was clean but dated.  The campsites look like they did not get a lot of cleanup - I filled a grocery bag full of trash from our site and the 3 open ones next to us.  

Ideal site would probably be as close to the lake as possible - the road in front is not travelled much since it dead ends at the campground.  There was a city facility at the end but it was not open on the weekend and we were told is pretty quiet when it is open.

NOTE: This was our first MI campground as part of out trip from GA to MN via TN-KY-IN-MI-WI-northern MN before staying in MSP for a week, then return via MN-IA-MO-IL-KY-TN-Home.

This RV park has a self-check in. I made reservations 6 days prior to check in. When checking the folder which my name would have been in, it was not there. Some one did find it though miss filled. The site was barely long enough for my 39' 5th wheel. Sites are very close to each other. I don't plan on returning.

What a beautiful campground, they have everything to offer. Rustic lakefront sites, electric/ water hook up for RVs or tents.

Our site was 79-A best bridge view, pictures can’t even do it justice. It was absolutely beautiful and relaxing. Nice easy trial to the water from our site.

Our site did flood a bit with heavy rain but we would for sure do this site again.

No hook up, so be prepared to boondocking in the lake front sites.

2 dump stations/ water fill up

Offers 2 small playgrounds Bath houses are nice

St ignance town was very cute! We enjoyed going into town.

Near by grocery store available .

Service was good - sprint

This park is operated by Emmet County and offers a very remote feel yet it is only 15-20 minutes from Petoskey, Michigan. Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga sits on the 1,080 acre Pickerel Lake and has 90 campsites which offer electricity and water and five of which are pull-through sites with sewer hook-up. There are also rental cabins, playgrounds, a recreation hall and pavilion, a canoe/kayak launch, basketball court, hiking trails, beach area, restrooms/shower house, and it has various events like pancake breakfasts throughout the year.

You really get a feel of remote peacefulness here but have the luxury of pretty modern facilities. As we drove to the park we got the feel that we were in the middle of nowhere but realized from downtown Petoskey it was only a 15-20 minute drive. The 300-acre park dates back to the 1930’s and started as a boys camp where young men learned various skills like archery, shooting, tennis, orienteering, camping, and aviation. Emmet County purchased the property in 1992 and added modern facilities and opened it to the public.

The grounds and sites were very well maintained. We were thoroughly impressed with how clean and cared for everything was. Despite having lots of green space and open fields for lawn games it was all mowed and not overgrown. There was no trash at the sites and fire pits were clean and picnic tables were in great shape. The roads throughout the park are paved.  Sites were a mix of gravel and paved but all ADA accessible sites and pull through sites were paved. The restrooms were very clean and seemed large enough to handle the volume of campers. Showers are in individual rooms across from the restrooms and were also clean.

You can reserve a site by filling out a reservation request online or calling. There is a two night minimum. The price was $22/night for Emmet County residents, $25/night for non-county residents, and $30/night for a full hook-up pull-thru. There is also a $10 reservation fee. Sites vary among 30 and 50 amp so be sure you reserve one that fits your needs. There are also some sections that are RV only. 

The canoe/boat launch has a floating dock that extends into the lake that makes for easy access. Fishing is popular in the lake with game species like largemouth bass, walleye, pike and trout being favorite target species. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqbMWvL2GLw

We were passing through the area at end of season (it definitely dumped snow and sleet all over us!) Grateful to have a place to stop, and to be able to stay hooked up! Full hookup, discount if you pay with cash!

Very cheap - 30 amps, water and sewer hookup on unlevel overgrown sites. Not exaggerating that weeds are a foot high covering all the sites and grounds like a pasture - unless you bring your own weedeater or mower. The ancient class c camper next to us doesn't appear to be movable and has no sewer hooked up. 2 cars park on either side of it, although that means one car comes and goes constantly and is parking on our site right outside our door. Across the highway is a large prison, just down the road from an airport. This is a very old, sad, and poor small town with no amenities, so plan on driving 30 minutes to Sault Sainte Marie for groceries, restaurants, and anything else you could possibly want to do. The rv park also has the township's memorial dog park. Guess what? Not mowed, and full of dog waste. We watched a man bring 5 dogs every weekday around 5pm, put them in the gated dog park and sit looking at his phone for 30 minutes. Then he calls them after they have all pooped, loads them into his SUV, and drives off. Just wanting you to get the whole honest picture - you cannot beat the $20 per night full 30 amp hook ups, and the power and water are good quality. There are good reasons why here in 2021 there are probably 35 unoccupied sites. Stopping for a night? Sure. Staying for a month - only if you know what you are getting into.

As it was cold and windy , we didn’t have any noise from the hospital or smells from the waste treatment plant ! Park is good for a quick overnight but the rates were still $30 E/W $32 full hookups off season. Nice view of lake , grassy sites somewhat unlevel but blocks worked

This is our favorite rustic campground, Surrounded by woods and on the water edge.

Tent camping - rustic waterfront, fire pit

RV camping - electric/ water, fire pit

Open your door and you are on the water!

Love being shaded by full mature trees everywhere yet the campgrounds are very well cared for inside and out. We’ve chosen to rent a cabin. Simple yet clean. I’m a bit fussy about having a firm mattress; no problem, I brought a firm air mattress to put over their marine covered like mattress. My brother put his 38’ trailer on a pad with full hookups. We wanted to follow figure out the best scenic bike route to get into Petoskey and beyond toward Charlevoix to go along the shorelines as much as possible. Customer service is amazing and they printed of a map for us as well. Lake Michigan beach is about a 5 minutes drive.

Located up on a hill and there are some spots that overlook the lake and Mackinaw Island.

Close to town. Very clean and friendly staff. Sites are level and you have everything from rustic to full hookup. Wifi is available also.

Laundry room is clean as well as the showers.

Shaded and full sun sites. Nice breeze coming in off the lake.

Minutes from the bridge and castle rock