Best Tent Camping near De Tour Village, MI

We camped here two nights in July. The campground is very easy to find and is an incredible location if you want to ferry over to Mackinac Island. It is convenient to groceries, restaurants and other amenities if interested. The park appears well maintained with three separate camping areas. We tent camp, and had one of the best sites in the park (in my opinion). Site 1A is in the lower East section of the campground. The site is only a tent site & it is HUGE! It was much more private than the other sites, located on the shore of Lake Huron & has a fantastic view of the Mackinac Bridge. There is a small beach area within the park, a one mile trail to a viewing platform of the bridge, and a playground. The bathrooms were clean. Our campsite had a standard picnic table and fire ring. Campsites were moderately priced, but a Michigan Recreation Pass is also required, as in all MI state parks, so it gets a little more pricey. If I was returning to the area, I would camp here again.

Great staff. Clean facilities. Quiet tent site.

Nice little metro park for tent camping. Most sites are dispersed. You can pull your car up to the site for unpacking.

Modern bathrooms and a snack shop on site.

Park offers kayak, canoe, and row boat rentals. Also paddle boards.

Disc golf and regular golf available.

Nice sandy beaches.

Great area with tons to do, but the campsites themselves aren’t exceptional. Bathrooms etc. are relatively modern. Tent sites kind of small. Definitely make reservations if you’re there in summer. Plan to spend most of your time off site as the park itself is small. Nice wooded area, sandy, waterfront. Go out to the bay itself for more activities. Oh and I could see Canada from my camp site.

This campground is one of the cleaner state parks that I have stayed at in Michigan. there are beautiful sites near the lake, although I remember staying here as a kid when the beach access was better. Now there is a lot of beach grass (probably due to the park trying to preserve the grasses/beach) and the beach isn’t as nice as it once was when I was young. This is a very family friendly park. Prime times are during the car show in St. Ignace. a great place to stay if you plan on checking out the island for a day or so. Good prices for sites. I highly recommend tent camping so you can hear the waves at night.

amazing views of the straits of Mackinac and the mighty Mac bridge! Absolutely loved camping here despite the nearly hurricane like wind and rain experienced overnight that ended up soaking all of my bedding. Bathroom and shower facility was nice and clean.

But seriously, the best thing this campground has to offer are the amazing views of the bridge from many of the campsites. I had a waterfront tent site with the best view and it was so inexpensive.

I have camped here many times over the years, it is tucked away right near the Mackinaw Bridge. There are tent sites right on the water and you can watch the lights come on at night. There is wood to buy and the camp hosts are always keeping you updated on the weather and have plenty of ideas of things to do. The St. Ignas Trolly comes through and picks people up to go to the ferry there as well.

This is a great location to camp if you are looking for proximity to Mackinac Island. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. They have electric and water but no sewer. There is a dump on the way out. The spots are very tight to navigate into and took some extra work for my fifth wheel. Tent camping or smaller campers would enjoy this site. The town nearby is cool, includes a nice bakery and a great RV/hardware store. Wifi is hit and miss. You can walk up to the water to get a nice view of the bridge.

The sites are decently sized and come equipped with a fire pit. The showers had decent shower heads and lots of pressure. There are some swings dow by the lake for adults and kids. Everything is nearby (not really walkable) and the shuttle for Mackinac Island ferries will come pick you up. They do not have full hookups, but we got by fine for a week since we have a composting toilet.

There is a small play scape feature by the lake. Plenty of folks tent camping as well as RVs. The campground has been here for quite a while and has mature trees. A small game room at the office features a pool table, air hockey, and a modern pinball machine.

I don’t know about the camper facilities, as we’ve only ever tent camped here. But I do know they have potable water and septic dumps for trailers and motor homes. It’s a very popular place in the summer, as it sets along the sandy beaches of Lake Huron. There’s a gorgeous old stone pavilion for larger parties or reunions, and plenty of camper spaces. It can get crowded and busy, but there are many trees and the sites are spaced far apart. There are special rustic sites away from the trailer and motor home sites. There is a little basketball court/floor hockey pad for kids, and a small playground, but not much else to do at the campground. However, for those who like hiking, there’s a beautiful little trail system and a bike path that stretches to miles from the harbor of Rogers City to the 40 Mile Point lighthouse a few miles north on US 23. There are restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations in Rogers City, but the real draw is Lake Huron. It’s such a gorgeous stretch of shoreline with plenty of sandy beach and easy swimming access for hot summer days. If you come during the festival, be sure to get there a few days early!

We looked forward to our stay at this campground so close to Mackinaw City. We arrived just before 5 pm behind another camper. Walter was having difficulty handling both of our check-ins: he couldn’t find the other camper’s reservation (apparently not a one-off) and then his computer kept freezing while processing ours. The process to get both of us checked in took almost 30 minutes. 

The advertised group gathering gazebo seemed to have been taken over by the office; I saw no other covered gazebo. And the fire pit was horrible! It spewed toxic smoke the entire time we were checking in (I had to keep stepping outside). As Becky’s review mentioned, there was junk surrounding the “office” and close by area. 

The RV sites did not have any separation/privacy between them. We had reserved a water/electric site but in the end, chose one of the tent sites that faced the lake. We didn’t even see a number indicating what site it was– it was mostly a large grassy area. 

The mosquitos were horrible (I realize this is not the fault of the campground although the grass was a bit tall). 

Although I’ve seen worse, the restrooms were just passable. The floor was wet. At least there was soap and paper towels. Did not use the shower so cannot comment on that.

The best part of this campground is the view of Lake Huron. As advertised, there is a (far-off) view of the Mackinaw Bridge from the beach, but you have to look through the wall of mosquitoes. 

It’s my understanding this is a city-run campground and if that is correct, we expected better. In order for me to give this more than two stars, it would have to:

• cost less ($50 was way too much money to pay for this campground),

• have a more efficient check-in system, and

• be cleaned up of all the junk lying around. 

If we would not have lost all our money, we would have ditched and looked elsewhere. We didn’t even cook in our van, opting instead to eat in town. We were up and out early the next morning.

This park pretty much lacks any character as it is an open area with a bunch of scattered campsites but it makes up for that with its location. Most people come to the town of Sault Ste. Marie (called the “Soo”) to check out the famous Soo Locks and watch massive Great Lakes freighters pass through them on their way from Lake Superior to Lake Michigan.

This is a city run park that is 20 acres right on the St. Mary’s River so you get a great view of the ships passing by. When we arrived it had been rainy during the day and there was lots of water in the roads and at people’s campsites. Luckily our site was dry but there were some pretty big puddles and lots of standing water. Some of the sites are right on the river which and have unobstructed views of the ships. Reservations are by phone only. I had to leave a message but got a call back within a few hours and it was pretty easy from there

There are 100 sites with water and electric and all are pretty easy to get into with an RV. Tent camping is allowed but there is no separate section so you are mixed in with RVs.  Some of the hook-ups at sites are crazy. Our water was nearly 50 feet away and some are on the wrong side. Bathroom and shower facilities very nice and well maintained, with private lockable shower rooms. There is a laundry with book exchange but no camp store. The park has showers and restrooms that were very clean and modern. The showers are separate rooms that have privacy so you are not in the bathroom. They also have a laundry facility. The park wifi worked well at our site (#72) as did our Verizon phone and hotspot. Adjacent to the campground is a boat launch, playground (which looked like it was from the 1960’s), fish cleaning station, and an RV dump station.

The campground is not very large so for walking our dog we went to the adjacent park and were able to throw a ball for her. Within walking distance of the campground is a convenient store and there is a casual restaurant with burgers/fried fish/hotdogs/etc. 

A visit to the Soo Locks is definitely a must. The Visitor Center (operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) is free and well worth a visit. There are some short films, interpretive exhibits, and a board letting you know what time the ships are expected into the locks. Outside is a viewing platform where you get a great view of the ships in the locks watching them rise 20+feet as they make their transition.

I wouldn't consider this an amazing park, but if you come to Sault Ste. Marie there are not a lot of choices and its fine. You are just a few miles from downtown and the Locks and get to watch freighters navigate the narrow stretch of the river. The downsides are there are not lots of trees or privacy and the drainage is really poor. 

Tip 1: Site #9 is probably the best in the park as it is on the end, has a great view and more privacy.

Tip 2: For a delicious hamburger head under the International Bridge to West Pier Drive-In. It is the kind of place where you sit in your car and eat the most delicious juicy hamburger that fills your belly all day.

Edit: as of right now this listing is all jacked up. Coordinates are incorrect, "French Farm Lake Road" on Google Maps or 45.7621519, -84.7673995 will get you there. There is no water, trash services, or showers. Just 6 primitive sites with fire pits

We first came to French Farm Lake Rd to do a hike while staying with a local Boondockers Welcome host. We were excited to find our first real free camping in Michigan, and so close to Mackinaw City.

We showed up late Wednesday morning and just perfectly timed it when a couple had been packing up their camp, as there are only 6 or so sites and all were full. The sites back by the boat launch seem better for large groups.

We took site #1, which is one of the better sites IMO. Don't forget to grab a registration sheet on your way in (found near the camping sign before site #1). I had very little issue backing in our 24 ft class c with a utility trailer (37 ft total), though I had to maneuver the trailer into an opening off to the right of our driveway, as to find a more level spot. Only had to use one block under each front tire to level, with plenty of room to pull forward to unload my motorcycle. Plenty of wood around for a fire, though people had firewood for sale on the roadside when driving into the area.

Beware of sandy roads and make sure to scout before pulling in with your big rig. There is one opportunity to turn around via a parking lot of the right hand side when first entering French Lake Rd. The next spot would be what I think are sites 3 & 4, which is a big wide open lot also on the right, and also very sandy. The last would be the boat launch area at the end of the road, though that could prove impossible if there are a bunch of vehicles parked back there. So scout on foot first.

There are a few sites that would accommodate big rigs, the only way to know is to come check. It's kinda frustrating to be in states without dispersed camping, because there are a few spots that I would deem worthy, but alas you must stick to the designated sites. There are plenty of spots for a quick night's sleep in a van or smaller RV, just beware of the ranger. I've only seen them out here in the afternoon so far though.

My review is mostly based off of what we've been able to find in the area, this campground would not score as high if it were in WA or somewhere with endless options.

And as per usual in the Midwest, bring plenty of mosquito and fly products. They weren't horrible at our campsite, but evening walks are definitely not happening again.

The lake isn't anything special by my books so we skipped paddling here, though there appeared to be people fishing if that's your gig. Tons of trails suitable for hiking or biking, again, nothing too exciting on that front.

Come check it out!

One of the things I love about Straits is that their waterfront bridge view sites are non electric, meaning they’re not overtaken by the big rigs! It’s a great place to pitch a tent and relax. I do prefer the vibe during the week to the crowdedness of the weekends, though. The bathrooms are updated and clean with some of the nicest showers in the Michigan State Park system!

My only major ‘complaint’ with this campground is that there is only 1 mini cabin. It was awesome! Very clean and well maintained. Many RV’s in the park, so we were happy to not be in a tent. The camping sites were not large and not secluded, so keep that in mind when choosing a campsite. The park offers a nice sandy beach, but we mainly used it as a ‘home base’ for checking out other upper Michigan attractions.

Nice campground, good mix of tents and trailers. Grassy/ shaded sites