Kim E.
Traveler
TravelerL'Anse Township Park & Campground
Peaceful getaway for us and the dogs.
We come up every year for the meteor shower, and every stay is a great one. New shower rooms, and huge dog park are awesome!
Dog-Friendly Camping near Dollar Bay, MI
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SUMMARY PRESENTED BY
McLain State Park Campground, situated along Lake Superior's shoreline, permits pets at all campsites including tent areas, RV spots, and cabins. Hancock Recreation Area Beach & Campground offers wooded tent sites with pet access and electric hookups for RV campers traveling with dogs. Lake Linden Village Campground provides waterfront sites where pets are welcome, with both electric and water hookups available. All these campgrounds require pets to be leashed at all times, supervised by owners, and waste properly disposed of. Shower facilities at these locations remain clean and well-maintained, allowing comfortable extended stays for campers with pets. The tent sites throughout these parks vary in size and privacy, with some offering more seclusion than others.
Hiking trails near these pet-friendly campgrounds provide excellent opportunities for dog walking, with many paths accessible directly from campsites. McLain State Park features shoreline trails with beach access where dogs can enjoy Lake Superior waters. The Keweenaw Peninsula offers numerous pet-friendly outdoor activities, with trails connecting to regional attractions and historic sites. Campers report particularly enjoying taking canoes and kayaks out on local lakes while camping with their dogs. The campgrounds remain relatively quiet, making them suitable for pets who may be sensitive to noise. Weather in the region can change rapidly, so pet owners should pack accordingly with extra towels for wet dogs and protective gear for unexpected temperature drops. Most sites have fire pits and picnic tables, creating comfortable areas to relax with pets after a day of exploration.
Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Dollar Bay (38)
1. McLain State Park Campground
"When we got close to the park entrance on MI 123 our GPS wanted us to go another.5 mile to the campground(CG) but a trailer was turning into a state park road so we followed."
"A short drive from Houghton brings you to the shore of Lake Superior. McLain sprawls along the shore giving almost every campsite a beautiful view."
from $25 - $120 / night
Check Availability2. Hancock Recreation Area Beach & Campground
"Lower level sites near the canal would be great, but can be windy. The dump station is design with one lane, so can get a backup. Some site have had fresh gravel applied."
"You can walk down to the beach as well as some hiking trails nearby down the road. Also, it’s about a 33 minute walk to some restaurants and shops in town. Clean, heated restrooms."
from $15 - $25 / night
Check Availability3. City of Houghton RV 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. "
"The sites are close but the view and proximity to outdoor walking make this a campground we will return to visit."
4. Lake Perrault
"My fiancé and I (plus our dog) are doing a week of traveling out of our sprinter van through the UP. We stumbled upon this location through this app."
"Nice small lake, easy access from the main road. Road to the lake isn’t paved and there are huge potholes so go slow."
5. Lake Linden Village Campground
"Location is on Torch Lake in the town of Lake Linden MI. Well maintained and friendly campers all around. The college town of Houghton, home of Michigan Tech is nearby as well."
"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."
6. Village Park
"Lake Linden Village Campground is a fairly small, but nice campground. They have a lower portion that's made more for trailers or motorhomes, and an upper rustic portion for tents."
7. Sunset Bay RV Resort and Campground
"However, when we drove past the roadside sign, my husband said he wanted to check it out. And we're so glad we did!"
"We really liked this campground mostly for its location and beautiful beach on Lake Superior."
from $25 - $50 / night
Check Availability8. Baraga State Park Campground
"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’s a 3/4 mile trail at back of park that well short, is quite nice. The campground itself is quiet, the noise from hwy 41 on the other hand, is noticeable yet not a dealbreaker. "
from $28 - $80 / night
Check Availability9. Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Campground
"Things I love about this campground: sites with easy access to private lakeside swimming, clean restrooms with Wifi and laundry, the fort is an interesting piece of history to explore, and the conglomerate"
"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."
from $35 - $120 / night
Check Availability10. Mouth of the Huron Dispersed Camping
"Awesome spot right on the waters of Lake Superior. Absolutely gorgeous sunsets and sunrises."
"was rained out so it was just annoying but the second was absolutely beautiful. lots of fog coming through the trees, and the waves sounded so gorgeous all night. there are plenty of fire rings all around"
Drive Time
- 3 hrs 10 min from Wausau, WI
- 3 hrs 23 min from Green Bay, WI
- 3 hrs 43 min from Appleton, WI
- 3 hrs 48 min from Duluth, MN
Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Dollar Bay, MI
27 Photos of 38 Dollar Bay Campgrounds
Greg S.
Hancock Recreation Area Beach & Campground
Stephanie B.
McLain State Park Campground
Laura M.
Lake Perrault
Laura M.
Agate Beach Park Campground
Roger W.
Twin Lakes State Park Campground
Collin N.
Mouth of the Huron Dispersed Camping
Tracy W.
Big Lake State Forest Campground
Emilee S.
Trails End Campground
Kay K.
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Campground
Kay K.
Ontonagon Township Park Campground
Katie M.
Perkins Park & Campground
Melissa T.
Wood Pecker Creek
Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Dollar Bay, MI
337 Reviews of 38 Dollar Bay Campgrounds
Debra R.
GuideL'Anse Township Park & Campground
Hidden Gem
Beautiful & clean. Great site overlooking Lake Superior. Need to walk over highway to get to water. Very orderly and great Park Manager. Family & pet friendly with awesome playground.
MickandKarla W.
LegendMcLain State Park Campground
Good Base to Explore the Area
When we got close to the park entrance on MI 123 our GPS wanted us to go another.5 mile to the campground(CG) but a trailer was turning into a state park road so we followed. Good choice as this was the correct road that led to the gate where you register and checked in. The road the GPS was taking us to is currently only used as an exit from the CG. After a not-so-informative check-in, we headed into the park to find water. From the online map, we believed there was a water spigot near our site so we drove to the site only to find it was not a water hose assessable spigot. Then we headed to the dump station where we did find two potable water spigots on each side of the dump station. There was a permanently fixed hose coming out of the spigots, but the first one’s threads were worn out and wouldn’t stay screwed in. We had to wait for another rig to get fresh water and dump before we could move forward to the second one that did screw in so we could fill our fresh water tank. After that, we headed to site 110 that’s an easy back-in but only electric(50 AMP/30/20). The 100s loop is newer and it's big rig friendly with sites nicely spaced apart. Site 110 is probably the most spacious and private site in the CG as it sits in a little berm. Site 112 is nicely spaced, but you will get highway noise. Concerning RV sites in the main CG area, there is a separate tent-only area on the lake, and RV sites closest to the lake tend to be smaller in site length but we saw a couple of 36 to 40-foot 5th wheels with the tow vehicle parked wherever. In the 20 to 40 numbered sites that are not on the lake, we noticed larger class As and a couple of toy haulers. In the mid-30s sites across from the lakeside, large rigs were parked willy-nilly to make their rig fit. All the original sites are pretty much crammed in together but if you want to be where all the action is i.e. partiers and kids, this would be your area. When you get past site 40 there are 90-degree back-in sites of various lengths with most having a lot of trees and vegetation between sites giving more privacy. The 35ish-foot 5th wheels we saw in there, didn’t seem to care about tree branches scraping the roof. One note about the 41- 60s area is that the power boxes are behind every two sites and shared. Depending on how you are positioned on the pad, and where the power cord connects to the rig, you may need about 60’ of power cord to reach the power box. We also noticed on our walks around the CG that due to the poor to nonexistent cell signal here(1 bar on Verizon), people especially teenagers were sitting around talking to each other versus staring at phones. There were plenty of nearby trails to explore with the dogs, including a dog beach. McLain makes a great staging point to explore the area and take in Eagle River and Copper Bay attractions.
- SSam ..Guide
Van Riper State Park Campground
Van Riper State Park
We stayed at Van Riper State Park three times during June and July. The park is always clean and well-maintained. The bathrooms and showers and generally always nicely maintained as well, and there are plenty of both. The bathrooms do tend to run out of soap and toilet paper at busy times. Dogs are not allowed on the beach but also cannot be left unattended in your site. The rules are heavily enforced in this park. Park staff will ask you to move vehicles if you have more than two, and you will be asked to turn music completely off upon quiet hours. This is not the place to go if you want to party.
Sites 15 and 17, as well as several other sites along that side of that loop, now have a wooden fence at the back of them, so they are not as large as they appear in the photos online.
We have stayed in sites 14, 90 and 93. We travel with a 34’ trailer.
Site 14 is narrow but manageable. It is well-shaded by large pine trees on the site. Site is entirely dirt. There are trees to hang hammocks or clotheslines in.
Site 90 is on a corner by the propane tanks. It is a large site. It does have some roots and low spots. It is partial grass. It has nice shade and is adjacent to the bathrooms. There are trees to hang hammocks or clotheslines.
Site 93 is a large site that backs up to a small grass/tree buffer. It is across the road from the bathrooms. It has nice shade. There is a place to hang a clothesline but not hammocks.
Pros: Clean, well-maintained park
Quiet
Lots of playground equipment
Bike/scooter pump track
Excellent beach area
Lots of green space
Hiking trails
Wood and ice available for purchase at the entrance
Laundry is available; one washer and two dryers
Very kid and pet friendly
Cons: Park website has out of date information, specifically that there is no longer a store on the beach, nor are there kayaks/SUPs to rent
The Water Warrior Island is no longer in the lake
There are very few sites with buffers between
It is sort of far to the beach and laundry from the modern campsites
No non-reservable sites available
Lee D.LegendOntonagon Township Park and Campground
Take a chance that you can get a spot
General: 76 site (including five tent sites) campground stretched out on both sides of Lakeshore Drive. 50 sites are on the lakeside of the road with the remainder on the other side. Some have 50-amp electric, and some have 30-amp. No reservations are taken, and the campground appeared full when we were there on a Tuesday in September. It is located adjacent to the town park/playground/picnic area. The office is open 8 am– 8 pm and if you arrive after hours and are lucky enough to find a site, you use the pay station.
Site Quality: Sites 65-70, located directly on Lake Superior are considered Premium. There are 12 other lakefront sites (not considered premium). Sites 39-44 are located directly on the road so road noise will be an issue if that bothers you. Sites are close together with no physical separation between them.
Bathhouse: Was clean and well-lighted. Two pay showers were available.
Activities/Amenities: Wilderness trail (approx. ¾ mile), basketball hoops, disk golf, the beach, playground at the adjacent park plus a playground in the campsites across the street.
We had stopped at the picnic area next to the campground, so I checked it out for a possible future stay. As long as we don’t get one of the roadside spots, it would be good for passing through. Probably would not stay here more than one night as we prefer campgrounds with more privacy. Also, not sure why ATVs would be welcome here – for us, the noise would be an issue.
- Richard E.Guide
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park Campground
Love it
Things I love about this campground: sites with easy access to private lakeside swimming, clean restrooms with Wifi and laundry, the fort is an interesting piece of history to explore, and the conglomerate formation rock beaches of Lake Superior are just a picturesque 5-minute hike through old pine forests. The sites are pretty compact in the east campground (though definitely not the toughest I’ve seen), but the west is more spread out.
Side note for those with sturdy shocks and off-road tires on their car, the nearby road to Horseshoe Harbor offer a short hike to a blissfully private and peaceful beach. Worth checking out!
Art S.LegendMcLain State Park Campground
A busy spot but enjoyable
A short drive from Houghton brings you to the shore of Lake Superior. McLain sprawls along the shore giving almost every campsite a beautiful view. Our site has a picnic table and even a couple wooden deck chairs looking towards the sunset. Every site has electric with water available at a few locations. There is a dump station near the trash bins. With the park stretching a couple miles you can get in a good walk along the paved camp road. There are a few extra trails to add some adventure. We found some that parallel the road and head to the beach - there’s even a dog beach! There are plenty of shelters and benches to find some personal space. Humans can walk down to the sand and sit by the beach (no dogs for most of it). Some folks put their kayaks in to paddle a bit. One drawback is the sparse restrooms. A centralized shower house is by the entrance. Vault toilets are around but you could have a bit of a walk. Tips: the entrance is earlier than google will take you so keep an eye open. Another camper told us to stop by the Jam Pot in the way north along 26. The monks make and sell a variety of things but Greg kept raving about the cupcakes. It’s nearJacob falls. We are stopping by on our way out tomorrow.
- Jenny R.
ScoutMcLain State Park Campground
Nice lakeside campground right off the highway
Mclain State Park Campground is the first Campground that you will encounter upon entering the Keweenaw peninsula of Michigan. It is located directly on the shore of Lake Superior off of Highway 203, and is within quick driving distance of many food options, grocery stores, and gas stations, not to mention Walmart. McClain has campsites and cabins available, reservations are recommended as it does get busy in the summer. The cabins are available for year-round rental and make for a cozy place to come back to after hunting or snowmobiling.
- MMarissa R.Scout
Lake Perrault
Beautiful and quiet lake front
My fiancé and I (plus our dog) are doing a week of traveling out of our sprinter van through the UP. We stumbled upon this location through this app. This was a Monday evening and every site was being used or people just had stuff at the sites (not sure if anyone was actually staying at the spots) We were having an enjoyable time but then didn’t have a good interaction with one of the other campers. It was a problem to play fetch with our dog not being on a leash. Our dog was staying in our camp and playing fetch away from others. So we decided to pack up camp due to the interaction. Didn’t feel like any good was going to happen the rest of the night after that.
Guide to Dollar Bay
McLain State Park Campground sits on the shoreline of Lake Superior near Dollar Bay, Michigan. The campground offers a range of sites including blacktop, gravel, and grass options with varying levels of lake views. Some sites face directly toward the water while others are set back in more wooded areas. Weather in this region can shift quickly with temperature fluctuations of 20-30 degrees possible within a single day.
What to do
Fishing opportunities: The jetty near McLain State Park Campground provides excellent fishing spots where Lake Superior meets the canal to Houghton/Hancock. "Great for fishing. Canal to Houghton/Hancock empties into lake next to beach," notes Wendy L., who also highlights the western location on the Keweenaw peninsula.
Historic exploration: Fort Wilkins Historic State Park offers educational experiences alongside camping. "Enjoyed visiting the historic fort - they've done a great job of making history understandable," writes Cheryl K. about her stay at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, making it an ideal destination for pet owners interested in learning local history.
Beach activities: Multiple beaches cater to different preferences at McLain State Park. "Has beaches. One for humans and one for canines," Thomas S. explains, making this a particularly good option for dog owners seeking pet friendly camping near Dollar Bay. The separate dog beach allows pets to enjoy Lake Superior waters while maintaining designated swimming areas.
What campers like
Diverse camping environments: The tent sites at Hancock Recreation Area Beach & Campground provide a secluded feel while still offering amenities. "The tent sites have lots of trees that makes it seem like you are roughin' it. It is nice to have access to real bathrooms though," shares Melanie R., highlighting the balance between wilderness and comfort.
Clean facilities: Campgrounds in the region maintain high standards for bathroom facilities. At Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, "The showers are clean," notes Kay K., despite mentioning space limitations at some sites. This consistency in maintenance makes extended stays with pets more comfortable.
Water access: Mouth of the Huron Dispersed Camping offers direct access to Lake Superior's shoreline for those seeking a more primitive pet friendly camping experience. "Easy to find, beautiful area, lots of room, porta potties, direct lake access," reports Jack H., making it suitable for those with pets who enjoy swimming.
What you should know
Site selection considerations: At Sunset Bay RV Resort and Campground, location affects privacy and views. "The lake shore sites have beautiful, full views of the lake but just know that many sites will be a tight fit for larger rigs," Jeremy B. advises, important information for pet owners with larger setups.
Weather preparedness: Temperature variations require appropriate planning for pet owners. "Weather in the region can change rapidly, so pet owners should pack accordingly with extra towels for wet dogs and protective gear for unexpected temperature drops," according to local reports.
Road noise concerns: Some campgrounds experience significant road noise that might disturb sensitive pets. "The campground is literally a few yards from Interstate 41 - the trucks and noise make it impossible to catch any shut eye from any site in the park," warns Sherry J. about Baraga State Park Campground.
Tips for camping with families
Accessible recreation: City of Houghton RV Park offers excellent access to family activities. "Beautiful and clean! Right on the water with a little hut. Awesome playground as well," shares Ber M., highlighting amenities that benefit both children and pets.
Bike-friendly options: Fort Wilkins State Park provides biking opportunities directly from campsites. "The great thing about this site was biking and hiking were accessible right from the campsite," notes Yetiman, making it easier for families with pets to enjoy outdoor activities without driving.
Educational opportunities: Historical sites provide learning experiences for children. "We stayed on campsite 75 and had a beautiful view of lake superior," writes Lydia T. about McLain State Park, where families can combine beach time with visits to nearby historical attractions.
Tips from RVers
Site surface variations: Different campgrounds offer various surfaces that affect comfort and setup. "Some site have had fresh gravel applied. It hasn't compacted yet, so a bit coarse to walk on," Rick notes about Lake Linden Village Campground, which can be important for pet paws and comfort.
Hookup availability: Water and electric access varies significantly between campgrounds. "If you don't have water it's a bit of a pain but onboard tanks or jugs are doable," advises Shane D. about Hancock Recreation Area, important for RVers traveling with pets who need reliable water sources.
Internet connectivity: Cell service is limited in some areas, which affects planning. "There is very little cell service in the area, but the bathroom has wifi if you need to check in with anyone," Yetiman shares about Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, helpful for accessing emergency veterinary information if needed.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Dollar Bay, MI is McLain State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 29 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 38 dog-friendly camping locations near Dollar Bay, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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