Best Tent Camping near Cheboygan, MI

love this campground. when tent camping prepare for windscreen when cooking. beautiful sunsets amazing night skys

Wooded tent camping spots on the water :) Decent water to wade or swim in. The best part though… the view! Beautiful view overlooking the water and the bridge. Such a spectacular site to wake up to and go to sleep admiring beyond the campfire. There are a couple trails to check out and this park is near to many attractions and restaurants (within minutes). Definitely a place to visit again!

The campground itself was gorgeous, well maintained and spacious. (Tent) Camping there was the worst experience I’ve ever had. I pick rustic campgrounds for a reason. This one was full of RVs & 5th wheels all running on generators. There is no peace here. If you’re looking for quiet- it’s quieter at home than this place. Trying to sleep with an entire campground humming to the sounds of motors running all night was impossible. Ppl leaving their generators running even when they weren’t there. I would love to revisit this campground, but I won’t.

Took our family of four for a long weekend of tent camping. We had scoped it out before, so we had a general idea what spot we wanted, and reserved it online. The spot (304) was nice and big, and we had plenty of room. The park just seems more suited to RVs instead of tents, as do most parks up here. The facilities were nice - super clean bathrooms, great beach for the kids, even a dog beach. (Dogs are supposed to remain on leash on the beach.) There wasn’t really much of a playground for the kids, so they rode their bikes a lot. It was better than some we have stayed at, but not the spot if you’re looking for a little more rustic/private. You will certainly have neighbors.

This campground has tiny campsites that are very uneven. We camp in a tent so that was not ideal. There are about 8 lake side sites which are right across the road from the lake. Those were the best sites for size and view. The lake is really large so it is great for boating. The boat launch is right in the campground and it has two launches so it makes for quick access. You can anchor your boat in the water if you choose. If you have a boat you can access the Indian River which takes you to Mullett lake. Also you can take the crooked river to crooked lake but you have to pay a $10 fee for the locks. The water has leeches which was a pain with my 2 year old. She got one every time she went in the water. The campground does not have a host and dnr only came in the morning to check tags. The week we were here we had fireworks and a lot of noisy campers well past midnight.

This campground is beautiful any time of year I have camped there many times before. There are great private tent sites as well as larger sites for groups. The facilities were modern and very clean! There are water and electric hook ups for campers and RVs. Short hike to the beach with the best views of the bridge! There are many campgrounds within the state park so getting a spot is relatively easy any time of the year. The UP is known for is breathtaking fall colors so I highly recommend aiming for peak color week to have the best experience. Make sure to dress for variable weather, it can get cold in the UP even in the middle of summer, and it can start snowing in early October so be prepared for anything!

This is one of our favorite state parks for just hanging out. We prefer the Lower West campground due to proximity to the water and views of the Mackinac Bridge.

This place can get very busy and the sites are quite varied in terms of size, shape and how unlevel they are. Some sites offer a lot of privacy but others are more open. The sites right along the water are spectacular, but note they do not have electricity.

If you have a van or truck camper, note that even the tent sites have electricity available, so consider those if the RV sites are full.

The Lower West campground isn't the quietest campground but the views and atmosphere make up for it.

Also note there is good cell service for Verizon and Google Fi (2 to 3 bars LTE with decent data speeds).

 We stayed for one Monday night on our way to the Porkies. 

This is an established campground. The sites are tight, most have no bushes/trees. We were lucky on our right side to have some privacy. The perimeter sites back into a chain link fence that has a view of the woods. This is on both sides of the campground. 

The bathrooms/showers were clean. The showers had 2 large lips to step over. My mobility challenged husband had some trouble. 

The best sites are 26,27,28,76&77. These sites are right by the beach & have great views. 27 looked like it didn't have electricity & might be a tent site. Strangely, 26 & 27 were empty the night we were there. 

The beach is small & you can swim there. There's no pool. There's several swings & benches to sit & look at the water. There's a game room by the store.

I did like this campground. It reminded me of what camping must have been like in the 50s/60s. A retro feel to it.

This very popular state park is a real winner due to its gorgeous remote location, sandy beaches, and crystal clear waters along the shores of Lake Michigan-- located just southwest of the iconic Mackinac Bridge. The sunrises and sunsets alone are worth the price of admission!  And, we lucked out to be camping during a meteor shower, one of the best we’ve ever seen. We laid out on the beach and watch the night sky for hours. 

All of the sites have electric hookups and are rather packed together, so there is literally no privacy between them if it’s a busy time of the season. The sites along the lakeshore are the best, and have direct beach access, but you need to be the early bird and make a reservation the morning that they open up. The campground hosts do a great job of keeping this park very clean. 

Because of all the cool things to do and see at this park, we honestly didn’t sit around much during the day. We hiked, biked, swam, snorkeled, and paddled our hearts out. We made it out to the most remote islands that are part of the park and even found Petoskey stones along the shores. Some of the finest Lake Michigan paddling we've done! 

We can’t comment on the bathrooms and there were simply too many people at this campground for us to feel comfortable using them during a pandemic, so we set up our own portable shower and toilet tent and it worked just fine. We would highly recommend this option to others who don’t have a bathroom in their camper or are tent camping. 

The closest “real” grocery store is in Mackinaw City, about 30 minutes away. But, Mackinaw City is a total tourist trap, so I’d avoid going there unless that is your thing. There is a small general store for snacks, ice cream, ice, and adult beverages about 4 miles outside of the park.

As others have said, if you like a campground off the beaten path, this is it. We live in the UP and use this campground frequently for day and overnight use.

Most visitors will likely head east on m-134 stop in Cedarville to grab provisions, gas and a snack there are a couple cute stores a bakery and ice cream in town. 

The road to the campsites once you turn off m-134 is gravel/dirt and a bit windy, we usually tent camp so I am unsure how it feels to drive a trailer down it. Being so far off the road makes it a very quiet campground. 

Bring cash or check and fill out your self-serve registration and pay for the site and if needed your Recreation Passport which is required. 

Outer loop sites will keep you in the trees, sites closer to the water have trails that lead to the beach but access to the beach is reasonable for all sites at this campground. Plenty of sandy area to lay out and the water is clear and shallow. 

Vault toilets, dumpster and hand pump water along with fire rings and picnic tables are the extent of the amenities at this campground, but if you come prepared it is more than enough. 

On clear nights make sure to make your way our to the beach for some of the best stargazing!!

Drive-in first-come first-serve camping through the Department of Natural Resources, this was my favorite place in Michigan's upper peninsula so far to tent camp. It offers a variety of twenty or so spacious sites for different camping needs - groups, RVs, or private. Multiple paths through the woods reveal sandy beaches and crystal clear water on Lake Huron.

We showed up to near max capacity on a Thursday night  and were lucky to grab site 14. Plenty of dead trees were to be found in the surrounding woods for firewood. However, while our camp site was clear and covered in pine needles, the edge and woods were packed with poison sumac - which we were warned about on the information board. Standing water was to be found in the woods around each site, which made for pretty thick mosquitoes throughout the day and evening. With a good campfire and bug spray, I felt able to deal with them.

The sandy beach was beautiful and so peaceful! Small rocks in the shallow water make it slightly uncomfortable wading in, but once you get past the small grouping of rocks, it's very sandy lake bottom to swim and play on. You can hear the lake waves hit shore from your camp site in the morning and it's a wonderfully relaxing sound to wake up to.

Multiple vault toilets were well stocked with toilet paper. A large dumpster is available for trash. A pump is available for water, although I did not test the quality of it and used my own bottled water. 

In the town of DeTour Village, a 10 minute drive from camp, you can find ice, bottled water, a grocery and a couple of restaurants.

I loved my time here and would absolutely return.