Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Free Soil, MI

Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness offers free dispersed camping with Green Road sites popular among pet owners. Spacious campsites spaced 50-200 feet apart provide ample room for dogs to explore while maintaining distance from neighboring campers. Pets must be leashed in developed areas but can enjoy the sandy terrain and pine-fern forest environment. Manistee National Forest Marzinski Horse Trail Campground provides 21 established sites with fire rings and picnic tables where pets are welcome. Campsites at both locations are rustic with no running water or electrical hookups. Previous visitors note the campgrounds remain surprisingly quiet at night despite allowing pets.

Lake Michigan beach access is available within a short drive from most pet-friendly campgrounds near Free Soil. Dogs can enjoy the shoreline at Nordhouse Dunes, though a $5 daily fee applies for parking at beach access points. Visitors with pets should pack sufficient water supplies as most rustic sites lack potable water sources. The Little Manistee River provides water access for dogs at Bear Track Campground, located down a small ridge along the backside of the grounds. During summer months, the sandy soil stays warm and comfortable for bare feet and pet paws with minimal thorny plants when collecting firewood. Cell service is limited throughout the region, making these locations ideal for those seeking to disconnect while camping with their pets.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Free Soil, Michigan (186)

    1. Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness

    32 Reviews
    Manistee, MI
    12 miles
    Website

    $14 - $27 / night

    "The dunes provide moderate difficulty levels, despite being a relatively small park there are so many hidden trails one can take. Dispersed camping is allowed and pets are welcomed."

    "Lake Michigan rec area is adjacent with beach access and trails to walk. Hamlin Lake at Ludington State Park is not far and has an interpretive canoe trail."

    2. Cedar Campground — Ludington State Park

    40 Reviews
    Ludington, MI
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 843-2423

    $25 - $65 / night

    "It is situated between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan with several miles of beautiful shoreline along both lakes."

    "You have easy access to Lake Hamlin and Lake Michigan for great swimming. Float down the creek to Lake Michigan or go hiking to the light house."

    3. Lake Michigan Recreation Area

    24 Reviews
    Manistee, MI
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 723-0141

    $40 - $115 / night

    "Awesome beach and/or forest locations for camping! Spots near the parking are but also some spots you can hike to. Beautiful all around. And pet friendly!"

    "A short walk from the camping loops, the dunes open to the amazing shore of Lake Michigan. Take a stroll on the sandy beaches or wade into the sandy-bottom cool waters of the lake."

    4. Orchard Beach State Park Campground

    30 Reviews
    Manistee, MI
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 723-7422

    "Pretty standard Michigan State Park campground. Nice staff. Park maintenance is currently building a wood fence to keep folks away from steep bluff edge. Views of Lake Michigan fairly limited."

    "Clean park with beautiful views of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately no access to beach because of erosion. Typical site sizes for Michigan State Park. Walk across the road for a 2 mile hike in the woods."

    5. Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness - Green Road

    16 Reviews
    Free Soil, MI
    9 miles

    "Spent a few nights here enjoying Manistee National Forest and Lake Michigan. During our stay we relocated from our original site to a bigger site further down the road heading south."

    "This was our first time trying out dispersed camping and this location was perfect! We loved being a short drive away from Lake Michigan and plenty of hiking trails."

    6. Pines Campground — Ludington State Park

    15 Reviews
    Ludington, MI
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 843-2423

    $25 - $65 / night

    "We could walk right from our campsite up the sandy hills to see Lake Michigan in the distance. We went paddle boarding and biking, hiking and swimming. There is just so much to do there."

    "It also has a nice general store close by as well as a nice Bathroom area with large clean restrooms and showers."

    7. Manistee National Forest Marzinski Horse Trail Campground

    5 Reviews
    Manistee, MI
    9 miles
    Website

    "I wish we had a place to dump our grey water, but otherwise it was an easy drive in and had fresh water."

    8. Poncho's Pond RV Park

    9 Reviews
    Ludington, MI
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 308-6602

    "There are a few trees among the tent sites but they are not very private and located near the garbage dumpsters/recycle bins and on a main exit thoroughfare. "

    "Perfect to bring your pets. Nice pools and close enough to the state park to go tubing or a beach day at Lake Michigan.  Everything is close so you are not missing anything."

    9. Sulak Campground

    11 Reviews
    Baldwin, MI
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 745-4631

    "Great campsite with trails nearby and amazing fishing opportunities! Close to Baldwin!"

    "Short 5-10 min walk from the river where we were able to see a ton of spawning salmon. Just be careful walking on the road, locals fly down it."

    10. Green Road Dispersed - Manistee NF

    5 Reviews
    Ludington, MI
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 775-2421

    "Drove out to this campsite after spending the day swimming in Lake Michigan at the Recreation area which is down the road."

    "Green road off of West Forest trail road south of Manistee Michigan. A wilderness area boundaries the campsite to the west, a short hike to the Nordhouse sand dunes."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Free Soil, MI

929 Reviews of 186 Free Soil Campgrounds


  • Nancy W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 1, 2017

    Poncho's Pond RV Park

    Loved It!

    This park is a very nice RV park. All 257 sites are full hook-up (with cable), level, and have paved patios and for a $2 up charge you can get a paved site. Our site was super long (over 100’) and had a nice view of the large pond. There is pretty good separation between sites and on one side of us were large bushes that added privacy from our neighbors and the adjacent pathway. There are tent sites set off along one area of the park near the bathrooms. There are a few trees among the tent sites but they are not very private and located near the garbage dumpsters/recycle bins and on a main exit thoroughfare. There are also three “haciendas” for rent. 

    One of my favorite features of the campground was the fitness center. Poncho and his wife are triathletes so the facility is top notch with weight machines, free weights, cycles, treadmills, elliptical, medicine balls, and lots of bands. There are three heated pool on the property – two outdoor and one indoor with and two spas. Since we were there in mid-October the outdoor pools were closed but the indoor hot tub and pool were open (albeit, super crowded on the weekend with kids). There are two laundry rooms and three bathrooms that are very modern and clean. One of the cable television stations displays security camera footage around the property which was nice because I could see how full the laundry was before carrying all my stuff there. There is a game room for kids, playground, shuffleboard, and a clubhouse. There is a stocked pond on the property but it is only for kids (17 and under) to fish in. Cable television yielded 55 channels and WiFi was available at our site with a decent signal. The campground is very well-maintained with nicely mowed grass. The grounds crew was always working but they were not annoying with constant loud machines. There is a railroad track that runs behind the park but it does not get a lot of use so the noise was not too bad. If you don’t want to be near the tracks, ask for a site away from the south side of the park. There is an off-leash dog park but it really is too small and narrow for big dogs. 

    The campground is very convenient to lots of shopping and restaurants and within walking distance of a McDonalds, fruit market, drug store and grocery. Downtown Ludington is only about five minutes away which has a cute downtown with shopping, galleries, and restaurants. Ludington State Park is about 15 minutes away and has miles and miles of hiking trails and beach access. There is also a city park downtown which is along Lake Michigan with beach access and lots of room for a nice walk (but dogs are not allowed). The office staff was super helpful pointed out places to hike and things to do for the weekend. Also loved that they gave us a choice of sites and let us drive around the campground (in their golf cart) and pick out the one we wanted. 

    We camped here in an RV and really couldn’t find anything we didn’t like about it. New customers get a 10% discount and during our stay we fell into low season and nightly rates were discounted 50%. So for $28/night we got a really nice site with lots of amenities in a great location. If you are looking for a nice RV park at a great price near a nice coastal Michigan town, give this place a try.

  • M
    Nov. 13, 2022

    Dunes Harbor Family Camp

    Hands down favorite campground!

    This place is FUN!!!

    The campground in itself is a blast. The waterpark, playground, hammock area, swings, biggest sand box ever, all the activities, and can’t forget the ice cream shop!!!

    Then add in ATV access from the campground, waterfront sites to park your jet skis, and horse rides onsite!!

    We never really wanted to leave! The staff were awesome! The grounds are well maintained and they have the best grass. Lol

    My only suggestion would be to put in a fenced in dog park, but other than that, this is a must stop if ever in the Silver Lake area.

  • L
    May. 29, 2019

    Poncho's Pond RV Park

    One of the best campgrounds I've been too!

    The Layout of the campground is great. Perfect to bring your pets. Nice pools and close enough to the state park to go tubing or a beach day at Lake Michigan.  Everything is close so you are not missing anything.

  • Macy M.
    Jul. 5, 2020

    Rvino - Camp Cadillac, LLC

    Great private campground

    Great little campground just on the outskirts of Cadillac. Great rates especially for full hookups. This was our first time at this park, we originally had a site next to the pool, but quickly realized our TT would not fit due to the trees. The front desk quickly changed our site and we were good to go. All sites were well maintained, they had a petting zoo (goats) and a store with a little game room in it. I would definitely come back.

  • Erin H.
    Jul. 22, 2016

    Silver Lake State Park Campground

    Holiday Park Campground

    Silver lake is one of the most beautiful areas you can go in all of Michigan. With dunes of it's own, & a perfect, calm crystal lake - it's great for swimming, kayaking and photography. Holiday Park campground was on the south shore of the lake, had a swim area, boat launch, and was immaculate. Pets were allowed and sites were very level for trailers. All sites had electric hook ups and they are sectioned out by environment, like woods, lakeside, up on the ridge line, and there's even island sites. I prefer the lake and island sites if you can get them. There's something about waking up to that lake that is dreamy!

  • Alison G.
    Sep. 26, 2016

    Claybanks Township Park

    New Friends and Sunsets

    This is a great little camp ground right on Lake Michigan. Pretty open so not a ton of privacy but a nice set up to meet new friends. The campground sits above the lake so be ready to trek up and and down a large set of stairs but the beach and views are worth it! Water, outhouses, ice and firewood available. No showers. Pet and family friendly.

  • R
    Jul. 30, 2018

    Orchard Beach State Park Campground

    no beach access

    Pretty standard Michigan State Park campground. Nice staff. Park maintenance is currently building a wood fence to keep folks away from steep bluff edge. Views of Lake Michigan fairly limited. If these were improved, this would be a much more popular park. I was very disappointed that their stairs to beach had been eroded near its base so you could no longer access beach but had to drive to one of two local beaches. I stayed one night and unfortunately had to camp next to a group who had a very barky, anxious large dog. Some folks need to leave their poorly trained dogs at home.

  • C
    Oct. 12, 2018

    Lake Michigan Recreation Area

    Beautiful and diverse spots!

    Awesome beach and/or forest locations for camping! Spots near the parking are but also some spots you can hike to. Beautiful all around. And pet friendly!

  • S
    Jun. 14, 2020

    Rvino - Camp Cadillac, LLC

    Not fancy, but nice

    Really nice little campground. Not fancy, but clean and well kept. Pool and petting zoo for the kids. Small store with ice, few necessities and ice cream. Pond in the back on the small river for fishing. Quite a few seasonal campers. Anywhere from rustic to full hook up. Pet friendly. All gravel/dirt/grass sites. Most have trees. Fire pits quite small. Bathrooms very nice and updated.


Guide to Free Soil

Discover the joy of camping with your furry friends near Free Soil, Michigan, where several campgrounds welcome pets and offer a range of amenities and activities for an enjoyable outdoor experience.

Pet owners like spacious sites and amenities

Tips for camping with dogs near Free Soil

  • Bring plenty of water and food for your pet, especially when visiting Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, where amenities are limited.
  • Ensure your dog is leashed at all times while exploring the trails at Lake Michigan Recreation Area, which is known for its scenic views and spacious sites.
  • Consider visiting Peterson Bridge, where you can enjoy a peaceful environment and access to the river for a refreshing swim.

Dog owners appreciate the variety of activities

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Free Soil, MI?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Free Soil, MI is Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness with a 4.7-star rating from 32 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Free Soil, MI?

TheDyrt.com has all 186 dog-friendly camping locations near Free Soil, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.