We all love roasting marshmallows over a campfire—and you can often still do that while cabin camping in Empire. The Dyrt can help you find the best cabin camping destinations for your next trip. Each cabin offers quick access to one or more of Empire's most popular destinations.
Traverse City State Park is a 47-acre state park set in a more urban setting and featuring .25 miles of beautiful beach on the Grand Traverse Bay. The park is located only 3 miles from downtown Traverse City, one of the Michigan's most popular resort towns. The park was established in 1920 on about 16 acres of land after the logging industry began to wane. In 1921 and 1939, parcels were added to increase the park's land area. The original inhabitants of the land were the Ottawa branch of the Algonquin Indians.
Offering the accommodations you need for all the ways you camp; in a destination that delivers: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan beaches, miles of hiking/biking trails, Traverse City, and more. A place where food, art, and events are abundant in everyday life. Whether you’re looking for an enjoyable weekend, a family vacation, or planning your entire season, this is the place. Families have spent a century vacationing and building memories here; we created a place that allows you to do the same with your family and friends.
Indigo was named after the shades of blue that dominate the surrounding landscape. Leelanau, the peninsula we are located on, is a Native American name meaning “Land of Delight”. That's all the inspiration we needed to create one of the country’s most distinctive outdoor lifestyle resorts.
Pop open your lawn chair and relax by the crackling fire. Most sites have room for 4 folks, a camper or tent, a boat, a dog or two and a few kiddos :D We have a tiny cafe, a small playground, a fish station, warm showers and bike/kayak rentals! Hop on the Betsie Valley trail for a 3 mile adventure to ice cream, beaches, shops...so much! We are not a big concrete pad RV park, we are a nice small family owned campsite. We try and keep it quiet and calm (but still fun!) If you are looking for the far North Electric Forest, this is not the place. What we are is a great base-camp for all your awesome Northern Michigan adventures!
$33 - $85 / night
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
$14 - $18 / night
Big Rigs, RVs, Fifth Wheels, Pop-Up Trailers and Tents are welcomed to escape to Traverse City’s wooded retreat! With Cabin Rentals, wireless internet (please request this when making a reservation), spacious and shady sites, heated pool, a variety of activities, camp store and goodie shop, and clean bath houses, Timber Ridge has all of the bases covered.
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
Northern Exposure Campground staff takes pride in our state-of-the-art RV campground. Our goal is to provide a memorable experience to campers of all ages. We are a nonprofit organization that's committed to providing our guests with clean, safe, and updated camping facilities, fun family entertainment, and a helpful and friendly staff ready to answer all your questions and assist you during your stay. Welcome to Northern Exposure Campground, thanks for staying and helping us be the best RV camping destination in Northern Michigan!
$30 - $45 / night
Thank you for your interest in relaxing at our rustic retreat along cedar run creek!
About this special place:
This is a century old cabin sitting on 30 acres of land halfway between Traverse City and Empire just off M-72 West. This is a protected natural area so please be mindful of your presence on the land and among the plants and creatures. Leave things as they are.
We Provide:
Electricity, a full size bed, a couch, table, chairs, and a fan. We have an outhouse for you to use. Drinking water is available by hand pump and in the berkey inside the cabin. We are not far from Cedar Lake for swimming/bathing. We have a few hiking trails in the woods and one that leads to the creek. There is a fire pit outside for small fires (please check if there is fire danger and always put out your fire completely). There is very little cell service, a great way to unplug.
You should bring:
Bedding/sleeping bags, a way to keep your food cold, and a way to cook. Anything for camping. We suggest that you bring books, instruments, art making materials, and anything creative.
$55 - $75 / night
The Lake Leelanau RV Park is the premier camping resort on Lake Leelanau! We are located on 800 feet of frontage on the pristine shores of Lake Leelanau. The lake provides 21 miles of crystal clear waters for boating, swimming, fishing, water sports, and endless fun in the sun. It is filled with many types of fish including walleye, bass, northern pike, perch, trout, and loads of pan fish. For boaters enjoyment, we have a boat launch, gas pump, and 98 boat docks available for rent. Our beach has a large, shallow, and safe swimming area perfect for children and family fun in the water. It also boasts lots of sand for castle building and the occasional sand sculpting contests.
Scout
Very nice park, walkway to the public beach, paved path behind the grounds. Modern, clean bathhouse. Not a lot of privacy between spots, big mature trees all through the grounds. Right by municipal airport with lots of flight activity.
Guide
Camp staff very friendly and park is well maintained. Nice hiking trails nearby and a 20 minute drive to a whole lot of entertainment!
Guide
Our site was great, easily fit a 17 foot trailer and a tent. Trails down to the water were appreciated by our kids. Neighbors are pretty close all around but that didn't matter until our last night. Several new campers rolled in at 10pm and proceeded to throw an absolute rager of a party until 4am - on Labor Day weekend. So overall a great campground but I wish there had been enforcement of quiet time or some kind of consequence for such horrible camping manners.
TravelerThe campsites are spacious and feature trails that lead directly to the Tippy Dam Backwater. There’s also convenient access for launching a boat on either the Manistee River or the backwaters side of the dam
Guide
This was a great campground, quiet and peaceful in the cherry orchard area of west Michigan, near Glen Arbor and Traverse City.
Our site, #20, had an improved gravel parking area for camper with a finished concrete pad with a picnic table.
Site, and whole campground was clean and well maintained. Our site was a full hookup but had one small issue where the drain dump was slightly uphill from the camper, so we had to work with the drain hose to empty tanks.
Only other negative is that there are no trees for the majority of sites for shade cover.
This was a good spot for a two night stay as it’s close to the Sleeping Bear National Dunes and also many local wineries.
Have fun!
GuideWell, the spots are very small and you have to park sideways. Nothing can beat the price of staying in Traverse City. If you have your own camper, the showers are nice. You’re right downtown and there’s a catwalk over the beach.
GuideWe were camping in mid-October. It was chilly out and raining, but the bathrooms there were still nice! It has a good location in Traverse City, but unfortunately the park isn’t connected to the bay. There is a walk over bridge, so you don’t have to cross the road! But the park is right next to a busy road and near an airport, so it was a little noisy. Inside the camper it wasn’t too noisy from cars though. If a person is looking to be in Traverse City to camp just be near the city then this would be a great place to be, but if you’re looking for quiet, nature, and easy access to swimming then it’s not my #1 choice.
Scout
Large open spaces, partially shaded Nice breeze off the Lake Michigan Great sunsets
Traveler
What an awesome campground.. not a bad spot here.. next time we come,we will not get one on the lake,the ones on the other side of the road.provide trees for hammocks and trees for emergency tarping situations.. great place
Scout
We stayed here for the first time over Labor Day weekend. The campground great with a lot of amenities for young and old alike. We will definitely be going back, and would recommend this campground to anyone.
Scout
This cabin is a joy to stay in. Brennin, Jamie, and their dog Rue are gracious hosts. As OG locals to traverse City, brennin and Jamie are plugged into the goings on in the area, as well as a plethora of sweet spots to check out that aren't totally overcrowded with fudgies. The cabin is big, can easily fit a family, has electricity, and basically everything you need to have a good time. Easy to get to, you can drive right up to the cabin and load in. But also, you're straight up in the middle of the woods. One of my favorite places to stay for sure!
ScoutStayed out here for an art retreat and loved it. Gorgeous property with a huge canopy of maple trees, lovely campfire spot and a cute cabin. Slept like a log.
Legend
The park is beginning to look its age. Stayed 4 nights while visiting the Traverse City area. Crowded with families making use of the last couple weeks before schools return. Rained well one night and our grass less site turned nasty. Good Verizon signal and has water available at several stations around each camping loop. Great location, however, to visit Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
ScoutCame up here for my anniversary getaway with my fiancé, booked for two nights and the second day had an emergency come up and had to leave! I let Jamie know and without asking or expecting, she refunded me and wished me luck with our situation. The cabin was cute and cozy, I slept like a baby, definitely going to come here again. Thank you so much Jamie!
GuideWe stayed here in our little offroad teardrop camper which looked like David & Goliath when contrasted against the massive 5th wheels surrounding us. This did not prevent us from enjoying the lake, the park, the pool, bike riding, fly fishing, etc. It felt like endless things to do, whereas in most campgrounds the trouble is finding something to do. You can easily argue that the owners treat this as a true resort and the cleanliness, and friendliness clearly shows. Would 100% go back and probably will next year.
The Boardman river is only 10 minutes away and support incredible fly fishing.
TravelerOur family and I stayed in campsite B at Orchard Beach, it is a new rustic campsite and it is on top of a hill. It was clean and spacious. The bathroom is a pretty distant walk so prepare for that. But the bathrooms and showers are clean. You will need some good tent stakes as the ground is hard clay. We would absolutely stay again.
ScoutWe stayed in this cabin for an entire summer and it was dreamy, so happy to share with others now.
ScoutPeople are complaining that there is no beach access anymore at this campground. That's correct. Because of erosion you can no longer access the beach from the campground. But a short drive up the road leads to a wonderful local beach. A short drive south gets you into Manistee with a great river walk and restaurants and brew pubs. The best part about about this campground is the availability of sites because people no longer come because they can't waddle 100 yards and put their feet in the sand. The campground is quiet, clean, and right on the water with fabulous sunsets. If you love to camp, and aren't looking for a beach vacation, you will love this park!
GuideBeautiful quiet campground without electricity. Off the beaten path. Lovely waterfront site.
Scout
We thought this would be a good place for our first trip in our new to us 5th wheel! We have a 28.6ft 5th wheel and had not problem getting in and parked! Management did an awesome job of spreading out guests until they were full! Lots of things for the kids, basketball, volly ball, a beach area, pond with fishing….. so much more. Very clean, very kind and helpful staff!
ScoutJust spent 5 nights at site 185 that borders along the north trail. Had an issue with noise one night but a ranger took care of it. Buildings were clean and staff was very nice.
Scout
This review is not based upon a stay at this campground. It’s based on the disappointing interaction I had on the phone with them. We had planned to stop at a state park and fill up our camper’s water tank on our way to a different campground . However, when we arrived, we discovered that the park was closed. I did a Google search to see if there was any place nearby that we might be able to fill up. I called Pats and asked if we could simply stop in and fill up our water tank and that we were more than willing to pay for it. They told me no, they had never done that before, and they were not willing to accommodate us since we were not staying there, I was floored—I was fully expecting for them to say, “sure, no problem”. I explained our situation and asked if they could please be considerate and let us come in but they flat out refused. I think this is ridiculously unkind and I will surely never stay there. I called a KOA next, and they were more than accommodating and did not charge us anything  even though we were willing to pay. I ended up buying quite a few items from their camp store too!
Legend
Ashley here from The Dyrt! It was great to add this property that was purchased in 2007. This RV Park has been operational for over 10 years! Let’s help them out and leave some reviews!
Scout
Stayed here for a few night whilst visiting friends at Crystal Lake. The Camp Squid team were at hand to solve and issues. Kendra, thd owner was super friendly and we loved the free coffee area in a morning. We stayed in 2 yurts and were comfortable in the summer. Kendra is planning to add further dwellings over the next year to make winter stays more possible. If we are ever in that area again, we for sure would stay here.
ScoutKendra and her team have created a unique glamping experience in northern Michigan. They have thoughtfully designed spaces that are comfortable and fun. There is so much to explore in the local area and Kendra and her team are extremely informative on what is happening in the area. Our kids loved exploring the woods and we had a blast at Crystal Lake. So happy with our stay at Camp Squid and looking forward to seeing its development.
TravelerAbsolutely loved this campground in terms of location to do things around Traverse City. Was easy to get into town. Loved how well maintained the facilities are. As a tent camper, it’s nice to have well maintained showers to feel fresh after.
WARNING ⚠️ If you’re looking for a quieter campground this might not be for you. It’s close to airport and 4 lane road. There are cars passing by frequently, but less in the evening.
GuideBest place to relax for a week!
Camping near Empire, Michigan, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, this area has something for you.
Camping near Empire, Michigan, offers a variety of experiences, from serene nature to family-friendly fun. Just be sure to check the specifics of each campground to find the best fit for your needs!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Empire, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Empire, MI is Traverse City State Park with a 3.9-star rating from 49 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Empire, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 33 cabin camping locations near Empire, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
