Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Copper Harbor, MI

This park is one of the best I have visited in the Nation! The scenery is unspeakable beauty. Situated on the very tip of Copper Country in Copper Harbor, Michigan and the beginning of U.S. HWY 41 that makes its way all the way to Florida! On one side of the park you have views of the vast Lake Superior and on the other is breathtaking views of Lake Fanny Hooe. This lake is beautiful especially on a clear day and seeing the reflection of trees that line the lake can take your breath away. The grounds are well kept and restrooms and showers are always clean. The park offers plenty of hiking but the area is known for it's mountain biking! This is a common sport here, you will lose count the number of mountain bikes you see, they take it seriously here. On the park grounds is an old Army fort from the Civil War era. The buildings of this fort are immaculate and very well kept. This is a self guided tour and should take an hour or more to complete depending on how much you want to learn. During the Summer months they do a reinactment of the era with a firing of the cannon every morning. For those familiar with Michigan, I would say it is similar to Fort Mackinaw on Mackinaw Island, except this is free and just as good if not a more personal experience. The only downside I have about this park is the size of the campsites are a little small for my liking and when full, campers are on top of each other and this is another mostly open campground with little if no trees sperating campers from one another. There are shops, lodging and restaurants down the road. I can say I have not been impressed with any of the restaurants but I don't rate my campgrounds based on what's available to eat, I just point it out to give a general review of the area. Copper Harbor also offers one of two shipping docks that give you a ride to Isle Royal National Park, the other is in the Houghton/Hancock area which you pass on the way into the Penninsula. Taking the trip from Copper Harbor saves about 2 hours to the Island. These trips should be booked well in advance! Enjoy riding up one side of the Peninsula and driving down the other side for a drive only made for movies! Stop for ice cream, shop for jam, and drive through the paved block downtown Calumet. While in Calumet check out some of the most historic bars for good drinks and food as well as stories from the bartenders as they do a excellent job explaining the history of the bar!

Campground east is pretty but a lot of the sites seem uneven. The fort is really interesting. Lots of mtn. bike / foot trails. Dog friendly campground and fort. Although dogs are not allowed in buildings. Showers are nice, great water preasure. Horseshoe bay is pretty, wouldnt take a low riding car there especially if it rained recently. Brockway mtn. drive is really pretty. get a really nice biew of all copper harbor.

Copper harbor is a hidden gem, loads of recreation activities to do, nice amount of campsites

The history of the fort is truly fascinating. Add in the natural beauty of Copper Harbor and this is a must for campers to stay.

This campground takes a long time to get to but Copper Harbor is beautiful! It’s remote in one sense but the campground is full service with bathrooms, showers and laundry. There is electric at each site so it is popular with RVs and the sites in the East campground and not private at all. Our kids had a great time playing on the playground and we enjoyed touring the fort and swimming in Lake Fanny Hooe and Superior. There is a great network of bike trails in the area. We biked into Copper Harbor and out to Hunter’s Point where there is more hiking and beaches. Great location but wish the sites had more privacy.

Restrooms are old, but clean. Sites (west campground) are close, but there are trees between. Easy access to everything you want to do in Copper Harbor. Staff crazy accommodating. Will definitely stay here again

The Keewanaw Peninsula is a really neat part of Michigan and definitely deserves a visit. The whole way up to Copper Harbor is full of history and worthy places to visit. Copper Harbor sits at the tip of the peninsula and if you want to camp here there are really only two choices – the state park and the privately-owned Lake Fanny Hooe Resort and Campground.  Fort Wilkins is a pretty cool campground because it’s set among the Fort Wilkins Historic Complex and a great place to explore (especially with kids and history buffs) and learn about the areas past without even leaving the park. The grounds are beautiful as this is a well-maintained nineteenth century military outpost. Many of the buildings have been lovingly restored and are now exhibits beckoning you to explore and learn about life and operations of the fort.  

The campground is sandwiched between Lakes Fanny Hooe and Superior so either way you choose you have water. Lake Fanny Hooe is a long, skinny (and deep) lake that’s great for paddling, fishing, or just gazing at. The sites are pretty close together so you may get to know your neighbor like it or not. The park is full on weekend in the summer and for holidays so book early and expect crowds. There are two loops the “east” and the “west.” 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. Water spigots are scattered throughout the campground and there is a dump station available.  Some really nice amenities are the fort for exploring and learning, a large playground for kids to play, pavilions for groups to gather, on-site laundry (not very common in state parks), and water access. Definitely bring a fishing pole and watercraft if you have them. 

This area is a launching point for those wanted to visit Isle Royale National Park and draws many outdoor enthusiasts with its mountain biking trails, water activities, and hiking. When it is summer, Copper Harbor comes alive with outdoor activities. Numerous outfitters will rent gear for you to explore the area and enjoy the summer months. We loved that there are numerous trails skirting the grounds that make a nice walk. Nothing strenuous but nice to be able to stretch our legs and give the dog some exercise.

the campground is nothing special other than being attached to the Fort, which is really cool. the sites are small but well maintained. you won’t be hanging around the camp anyway, copper harbor is amazing! wish we would have scheduled more time for this area.

I was so excited to venture all the way up to copper harbor and stay at Fory Wilkins State Park... The camp ground is extremely nice, beautiful setting smaller sites. Bathrooms are outdated but worked. Nice that they had wifi near the bath houses. Staff was friendly and the wood was great for fires. We left early due to so much rain. If it wasnt 9 hours away from home. We'd come more. Site 16

Our experience at Fort Wilkins/Copper Harbor started out great. We rolled in to the campground headquarters with no reservation. The guy working in the office was fantastic, he even highlighted some campsites we might want to look at. We stayed in the west campground in site 133. It was about like most campsites at Michigan state parks, modest amount of room. The great thing about this site was biking and hiking were accessible right from the campsite. The bathrooms are a bit outdated, but were super clean and in good working order. There is very little cell service in the area, but the bathroom has wifi if you need to check in with anyone. 

Eat, Sleep, Ride and Repeat!

These campgrounds lie at the the end of route 41, 2000 miles north of Miami. This park is pretty much what you'd expect. Geared towards family with all of the amenities including wifi. Copper Harbor is a very small town supported by tourism. A destination spot in the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The surrounding areas have great hiking, waterfalls and views of Lake Superior. The campgrounds are also home to an historical military outpost as well as one of the first lighthouses on Lake Superior.

Great campground to unplug ... literally, as we didn't get cell service within the park. There is WIFI at the modern bathroom, but we only had to use that once. Our site in the West Campground was well shaded, it seemed as though trees separated every campsite allowing for privacy and nature views everywhere. Behind our site we could access the bike/walking trail that led to the historic fort and into the town of Copper Harbor. It was a bit chilly the week we visited so we didn't go swimming, but Lake Fanny Hooe looked gorgeous.

Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a place of great beauty. We stayed on the west side campground (site 153) and found the nearby lake an lush green forest to be very beautiful.

For Astronomy this is a Bortle Class 2 site ( bordering Class 1) with an SQM of: 21.98 mag./arc sec2. Alas, i could not observe from this site as it was cloudy every night I was there.

There is no cell service over Verizon or ATT at the park. However, there is a nice town nearby (Copper Harbor) with restaurants and gas. The restaurants had wifi so we could go there for internet access.

Gas up before you leave. The next gas is a very long way off.

With running water and nice sized campsites, this campground is a must. Bring a bike; there's a nice path that connects Fort Wilkins to the town of Copper Harbor, and there are a few restaurants and shops to check out. I love the Harbor Haus! Be sure to go for a dip in the harbor, too. The only trick is making sure you reserve ahead of time to snag a spot. The best times to go are July/August, weather-wise, but these are also the months when the park is most crowded.

The busiest weekends are the Keweenaw Trail Running Festival and the Bells Mountain Bike race weekend. I wish the summers were longer in the Keweenaw, because it's such a magical place!

We stay at Fort Wilkins every time we are in copper harbor. The location is great, right on the bike trails and right between lake Fanny Hooe and Lake Superior, which is hard to beat. The camp store has great ice cream and a bunch of essentials if you need something. There is laundry in the east campground for $2.50 per load each for wash/dry. There are only two washers so you may have to wait. There is also wifi at the camp buildings like the bathrooms and store. The only downside is that campsites are very close together and there is no separation between the RVs and Tent campers. It would be nice to have a tents only loop to keep things quieter.

This is a beautiful haven from the warmer temperatures with easy access to hiking and relaxation. We stayed in the west campground and extended our stay for a week+. The heat hit even just a few hours south. The northern point of Copper Harbor stayed in the 50/60s during the day with nights at 40. With 2-3 miles of hiking right from camp, we loved our stay. The campsites in the west have some trees between sites. Without reservations we took an open first come first served site. This let us extend the stay. 101 is an end spot which means less dog interaction for our reactive pup. However every vehicle drives by on their way in or out. We didn’t find this to be a problem at all. There were a few big groups - one very large group in the east campground and one on our side. This added in to the number of children riding bikes in a loop throughout camp. The historic fort provides some interesting history. 1.5 miles of hiking brings you to the small town. A country store has groceries. Anything more and it’s a drive back to Calumet. Don’t miss taking 26 so you can get some jams and baked goods from the monks at the Jampot - the sign says it’s only open on Fri/Sat but luckily two newlyweds tried the door and they were open. We will be coming back to this area in the future.

Some sites had trees with good shade others were in the sun. Most of the sites overlooking the lake were roomy. The fire pits were clean, and the bathrooms were clean. Lots of hike and bike paths, connecting to bike trails in town. Easy and more challenging routes. It is a Mountain biker's dream. The map of copper Harbor's bike trails with rated levels of difficulty is worth the 5$ and available at the camp store. The inland lake is calm and serene, great for fishing and paddlers. The Fort is interesting for those who like early settlement history. During the summer there are student reenactors at the fort to share with you what life was like. Friendly warning to those who want to drive to the peninsula top. Unless you have lifted 4 wheel drive the old logging roads that go there are impassable. It's best reached with hiking or mountain biking. We could not get there in our Subaru. The locals are all very friendly and are happy to help with directions and warnings. One local told us they have even had a few few jeeps tip over on the back roads.

This campground was developed by people who love and use the outdoors, for people who love and use the outdoors! Inexpensive, clean, pretty and with campsites set spaciously apart this new campground feels like it’s been a part of the landscape for years. With nearby opportunities for mountain biking, downhill and cross-country skiing, road cycling, hiking and paddling on the big lake– or nearby smaller lakes, this campground is perfectly situated along the shores of Lake Superior to take full advantage of the best the “Copper Country” has to offer. 

The sites have the usual fire ring and picnic table, with some overlooking the pond centerpiece of the property. The pit-toilets are clean, well ventilated, modern (automated hand sanitizer, it's the little things!) and also beautifully constructed. The campground also offers several adorable yurts and bunkhouse cabins for rent, which can sleep 6 comfortably and heated by woodstove fires. You know they have done it right by the bike hanging hooks perfectly placed on the side of the cabin. They know their clientele. 

The quaint village of Copper Harbor,½ mile away, offers restaurants, bars, gas and a small grocery store as well as the ferry depot to Isle Royale National Park. With numerous historic sites within an hour’s drive, this makes the perfect getaway destination for history buffs as well. The Keweenaw National Historic Park has sites located up and down the peninsula. Right off Brockway Mountain Drive, the area is great for those interested in more motorized recreation as well. The view from the top, an easy 5 mile drive, is not to be missed.

Have been here since a little girl (now 72) I will always come back. We no longer tent, so I cannot give a review for the East Compound but the West campground is wonderful!!  They are spacious and with trees between sites. The center is blacktopped surrounded by grass and trees. Grass sites are around the perimeter- they are still great. There is nothing better than to walk on the pier at night and star gaze. When you've lived in the city, that's a treat. If you're lucky you can pick Thimbleberries for breakfast (July). The park is well kept/clean.  We walk across the road to Lake Superior to let our dogs swim freely. (Did you know Lake Superior is naturally "soft water?} We have camped in the summer and camped in the fall - both equally beautiful. Looking forward to being there middle July 2023. Reservations are hard to get for RV's wanting a premiere spot! If RV-ing you pretty much HAVE to have reservations.

The sites are overly spacious and well disbursed. Everything is super clean. Over a mile of beach gives every camper enough room to feel like the entire lake is there‘s to enjoy alone. I couldn’t be much happier with this campground. The best state campground I’ve been to in Michigan so far. It’s a gem.