Best Glamping near Escanaba, MI

Stayed for 5 nights. The third party computerized reservation system gave our site to someone else. Fortunately, we were put into a first-come first-served campsite right on the water which is a major upgrade. All of the sites (except for a few paved handicapped sites) are grass. Perimeter sites can be muddy. Interior sites can have enough slope that the trailer A-frame is on the ground in order to level. Electricity is reliable. Restrooms are immaculate. Showers are nice. Dump station with fresh water is clean and works well (2 bay). 

My main complaint is a common, almost universal complain - people are right on top of one another. We have a truck camper 6 feet from our screen room with its AC on high and a very "fun" family sitting right outside our trailer on the other side. The "infield" is much worse - seems like each site has multiple vehicles and space is so tight that they are stacking kayaks. Family groups with clustered sites. Seems like a kennel as well with dogs everywhere. On the plus side: very little music being played, people were respectful, dogs well behaved for the most part without unattended barking dogs, people stayed quiet in off hours. The park itself is small with no biking trails or significant hiking trails. Not a lot of birdlife. They do have a nice beach which is a draw for families. We enjoyed our stay overall. We would return only if we had a waterfront site for a max of 3-4 nights. Off season would be better than summer.

My family and I camped for 6 days and 5 nights here and it was great! They are well-known for having the cleanest bathrooms/showers in the area and their bathrooms did not disappoint! They are air conditioned with individual, private stalls and hot water! I often met an employee doing a quick wipe down during the early morning and the evening hours but they shut down the bathroom for 2 hours a day for deep cleaning. Amazing! Our campsite was close to the campground office/store which was very convenient. They also have a game room with a pool table to keep the teenagers entertained. It was such a great experience! We will definitely be back!

My family and I camped for 6 days and 5 nights here and it was great! They are well-known for having the cleanest bathrooms/showers in the area and their bathrooms did not disappoint! They are air conditioned with individual, private stalls and hot water! I often met an employee doing a quick wipe down during the early morning and the evening hours but they shut down the bathroom for 2 hours a day for deep cleaning. Amazing! Our campsite was close to the campground office/store which was very convenient. They also have a game room with a pool table to keep the teenagers entertained. It was such a great experience! We will definitely be back!

Site #403

When we pulled into this campground we couldn’t believe how empty it was. Compared to all the other campgrounds we had been to in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and seeing as it was still the busy summer camping season we were shocked. We were wondering what was “wrong” but nothing really surfaced. It could just have been that we were there during the week and the weekend rush hadn’t come yet. 

There are 96 campsites that sit on 74 acres so there was plenty of room for us to walk our dog and not feel like we were going in circles. Campsites are the usual mix of pull thrus and back-ins, rustic tent and water/electric. None of the sites have sewer but some have 20/30/50 amp electric with water and others are rustic tent sites. The electric and water sites long enough for any size RV but leveling may be difficult in some of the sites (which are grass). Picnic tables and fire pits accompany every sites. Some sites have their fire pits located at the back of the sites which makes for a big line of fire pits which was kind of weird. There are some large pine trees that provide some shade but this is not a wooded campground by any means. 

For a county-run park there are plenty of amenities including WiFi which was slow and depends on where you are located in the park.  The showers and flush toilets were clean but a little on the old side. A store sells ice, firewood, soda, snacks and ice cream. There is a really nice picnic pavilion that would be great if you had a lot of people in your group. It is covered with a “kitchen” area and lots of picnic tables. Since the park is on the Escanaba River there is a boat launch (albeit not really suitable for large boats with deep draft) and you can fish from the bank. Disco golf fans will love the 27-hole course that winds through the woods and property. For the kids, a playground area is large with lots of things for them to climb and play on. 

The park is located off HWY 2 so access is easy but there is a bit of road noise. Plus, when we visited there was road construction going on that produced traffic backups and more noise. But the real problem is the train tracks that runs alongside the campground and seemed busy 24/7. It is not so bad in the front of the park but back where the tent section is must be pretty bad if you are in a tent.

This is a fabulous campground! There are over 20 sites, about half of which are located lake side (not directly on the lake, but there are little paths that lead you there and you can somewhat see the water from these sites.) There is a boat launch on one end of campground and the amazing beach on the other. The water is clear and warm (perfect lake for swimming) and there is both sand and grassy areas on the fairly large beach. The beach also offers picnic tables and benches. The only negative aspect I can see about this campground is that the sites are right on top of each other, so if you have a loud group or a generator next to you, it is noisy. But most campgrounds have sites set real close together, so you will find this pretty much everywhere. Def camp here! About an hours drive from a Pictured Rocks National Park. There are no showers or running water. Camp hosts were very nice, helpful, & welcoming.

We got our new Marmot Tungston 4P tent so I took the wife and kids on a quick weekend trip to J.W. Wells State Park campground in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to test it out. I found J.W. Wells by searching for waterfront camping along Lake Michigan. There are plenty of state and national parks along Lake Michigan but not many where you can pitch your tent right along the waters edge like J.W. Wells. It also happened to be the only site within 4 hours drive of Northbrook, IL (N. Suburb of Chicago) with such close proximity to the waters edge that I could find.

The site itself is tucked right along the Green Bay coastline about 1 hour drive north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. There is a main campground for tent and RV but we chose to stay at 1 of 3 rustic tent sites a little north of the main campground. The campground was well maintained with picnic tables for each site, firepit, and a nice well groomed plot of grass for us to pitch our tent and setup camp. The main campground has showers and a playground right in the middle.

The view from our site was majestic, especially watching the sun rise over the horizon of Lake Michigan. The sunrise was the pinnacle moment of this trip. And that's really the only reason why I gave it 3 stars. The campground itself and the views are incredible, it's just that there isn't much to do around these parts. There are a couple short trails for hiking or ATV's and the Cedar River about a mile north of the site which I assume has some fishing and boating, but that was about it. The only other activity we found was to drive 30 mins north to check the small harbor town of Escanaba. Really not much to see or do there either.

I probably wouldn't recommend this campground for families or persons looking for lots of activities or places to see and visit while camping. It's great for a simple quick getaway with a great view to just sit around camp and relax.