Best RV Parks & Resorts near Galien, MI

Eden Springs Campground & RV Park in Benton Harbor, Michigan, run by camp manager Cindy, may well be one of our favorite small town parks! We are spending the month of August 2018 here and have found the venue quiet, well maintained, friendly and inexpensive ($375 for a month). I do not expect the prices to stay this low now that it has been “discovered”. They are working on adding an updated restroom, dog park and other facilities. The sites are large, level and spaced far apart from each other. We pulled in with a 42’ rig, pulling a 28’ hybrid trailer (total 70’) and easily pulled into our site without having to unhook. We had enough space to park a jeep in front of and and in back of the attached rig. The sites are designed so that no camper or RV faces a sewer connection. All of the hook ups are centrally located between two sites, with each rig having their driver side towards the hookups and their awning/entry sides facing the opposing side. Each site has a gravel space between them that could be traveled through, though campers all set up picnic tables, chairs and campfires there so practically there is no egress, thus privacy. This camp has the best WiFi of any camp we have ever stayed at. Some spots offer OTA TV and satellite reception. Ours did not as we chose to have a full tree canopy. Most of the sites offer Full Hookups with 30/50 amp service. The camp manager, Cindy, provides fire rings and picnic tables as requested, so, if you need either, just let her know when you call. The tables were clean and in good shape. The fire rings can be placed anywhere you want. As an aside, when a camper leaves, Cindy and her crew comes and removes the rings, cleaning up the residue so there is no mess left! The campground grass is cut routinely and “weed-whacked” as needed. Cindy has been one of the nicest hosts we have met on our travels. She is always pleasant, available as needed for emergencies and even delivered our mail one afternoon. She is a font of knowledge about the area and willing to share. Probably in keeping with her personality, the majority of the visitors here have been friendly, chatty and willing to help each other. The RV resort is about 10 minutes from St. Joseph, MI and multiple rural wineries in the area (a favorite pastime for my wife Audrey). St. Joseph’s is a small town located on Lake Michigan with excellent food, event venues and a lovely white sand beach. Be sure to stop at the Chocolate store in town & Silver Lake Pizza for a desert/dinner well worth the time. The town of Benton Harbor itself once was booming city/community, which has come into hard times, but we did not have any problems traveling around that area. This area also has a non-defunct amusement park attached to the campground which is being slowly renovated by a group of volunteers. They have restored several of the buildings, a fountain and a miniature train which takes visitors on a 1/4 mile ride on Saturday/Sunday. Additionally, the camp is home to it’s own 1800’s era baseball team which plays home and away games in the old bare handed style! Behind the camp is a now mostly abandoned religious enclave called the House of David which was started in the late 1800’s/ early 1900’s (Google it!). Some interesting architecture and several restored mansions for the 5 remaining members of the group. I recommend this park for someone wanting a quiet, clean stay.

This place is more of a trailer park for more long term residents. They don't provide any showers toilets or wifi. As well every spot has cemented runners which is a nice touch but you must back into them.

I had a peaceful stay in a tent site here. I tried an RV resort park first and my site was right next to train tracks and packed in next to the other sites. This spot was more spacious and fairly quiet with good showers. A great place for a stop when visiting the dunes if the park campgrounds are full.

I have camped here a couple of times while visiting northern Indiana to have repairs done on my RV. Overall, I like this campground where for $30/night you can get a 50 amp full hook-up site or $23/night a 30 amp and water site. If you plan on staying longer weekly and monthly rates are really good. The campground sits in the middle of the county fairgrounds so there is usually something going on – either a fair, concert, horse event, or an RV rally. Depending on what time of year you are here and part of the week, the campground could be very crowded or very empty. The nice thing is the people in the office let you pick whatever site you want and don’t assign one to you. There are 275 full hook-up sites with 50 amp full hook-up and 30 amp water & electric only. There are no fires allowed and some sites don’t have picnic tables but you can request one and they will bring it to your site.

There is very little shade and during my last visit the late September fall temperatures climbed to nearly 90 degrees and was brutal. This campground is better suited for RVs than tents but you are permitted to tent camp. Bathrooms and showers are scattered about and I was amazed at always how clean they (and the grounds as a whole) are. They do offer WiFi which worked pretty well in non-peak hours like early morning but was not reliable and sometimes frustrating. Since many sites have a clear view of the sky, you most likely will get satellite television reception and a dozen or so antenna channels.

One of the things I like about this park is the vast expanse of grounds to wander about walking my dog. There is a trail system just outside of the park that allows you miles and miles of walking and biking trails. Downtown Goshen is less than two miles away and has some great restaurants (including Venturi Pizza, Maple Indian Cuisine – which has an awesome buffet, and Goshen Brewing Company). The Saturday farmers market is great with lots of produce, breads, meats, cheeses, and crafts.

The last time I visited coincided with the Mennonite Relief Fund which was a big fund raiser for their charity that packed the grounds with stuff for sale, food, and activities. It was fun to be there during the event but it meant the campground and grounds were packed.

Now for the bad about this campground. It is located right next to very busy train tracks that operate 24/7 and blow their horns quite often. They were really annoying in the middle of the night. Sites are close together so if it is crowded and you have a neighbor, you will be right on top of them. There is no shade which can be very miserable.

Pros:

· Price - $30/night for a 50 amp full hook-up site

· Nearby downtown stores and restaurants

· Sites are not assigned so you can pick where you want to camp

· Grassy patios

· Large grounds to meander around

· Nearby biking/walking trail

Cons:

· Very noisy from nearby trains operated at all hours

· Few trees for shade or privacy

· Some sites are very tight and close to your neighbor

· Can be very crowded

· WiFi provided but not reliable

We were passing through and decided to stop for frozen custard at the stand right next to the campground. The first review for this place did not seem very inviting but a more recent one was a little more positive. After checking it out, I thought it could use a little reinforcement of the positives! I’m not sure if there have been new owners since the first review but I received a very friendly greeting, and the office is open from 9 am– 8 pm and clearly marked as the place to check-in. 

There are many options here: back-in or pull-thru tent sites, w/e sites, full hook-up sites, camper cabins, and fully equipped cabins. The campsites range from $32-$46 per night and the cabins range from $69-$144 per night. Sites 47-52 are close to the road so you will hear road noise, but Sites 11-35 are farther from the road and are more shaded. The layout is RV park style but there is reasonable separation between the sites. 

The restrooms have a code for entry, and I did not see the inside of these.

Amenities include:

- a community fire pit

-  game room with television

- guest laundry 

- dump station

- gift shop

- pet friendly options

 -WiFi

- There is, of course, an ice cream/frozen custard stand that I dare you to resist. 

While we would not consider it a destination, we would definitely consider camping here en route – the price is reasonable, and the staff is friendly and welcoming.

Easy registration, friendly staff. Older campground, areas could upgrades. Most campers seem to be long term. Campsite 42 has a great overlook on the river. Site had some trash that needed picking up. We really liked the site.
The pool looked nice. Some people were swimming in the river. The river is good for boats and pontoons.
There is a waterfall, maybe 12'-16' tall. Bear cave (if it was Bear cave) is locked up and not much to see. Overall this is a nice campground and we would return.

We stayed here through Thousand Trails, so I don't know if it's normal operating procedure, but the sites were first come first serve. We were coming from a few hours away on a Friday afternoon, so we were sent to the left when we arrived. It wasn't clearly marked, so we got a little stuck and scraped up our rig. For better or worse, there was zero light in the area we were in, so it was hard to back into our spot. We ended up in an area where it seemed everyone was seasonal and not actually at the site, so it was very quiet. 

There were wifi repeaters all over the place (though it wasn't free) and once it was light out, we took a walk around the grounds. It's very pretty and the other side of the campground (to the right when you come in) was much more busy. That's where the playground was. We hit Warren Dunes State Park (20-25 minutes away?) and found a farm to do the pumpkin & corn maze stuff that happens in the rural Midwest in Autumn. The Bear Cave was closed and they weren't doing tours when we went, but we found it and could peak in. Looks like it would be cool to check out. No clue how big it is though.

I would stay here again, but would also consider alternatives when I go back to the area.

We enjoyed our stay at the Shipshewana Trading Place RV Park. When we arrived the camper that had the site prior to us had not vacated yet and it was 2:00 pm in the afternoon. It took them about an hour, and we were able to enjoy our site. That might be a short coming of this park is that there is no staff on site on Sundays. The Park offers mainly alternating pull-through sites which means you will be facing your neighbor’s door not their street side of the camper. This makes for great buddy sites. It is a crushed limestone/asphalt drives with grass in between the sites. The trees are not mature, so no shade is really offered. This is a full hookup park, and you will need to provide your own fire ring. Even though we did use the bathroom/shower/laundry facility there are clean. The great thing about this park is it offers you access to the Flea Market. They also offer RV repairs both at their facility tied to the park or at your site. 

Things we found to do in the area the flea market, visiting Shipshewana, Middlebury, and Elkhart, Windmill Museum, Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, RV Hall of Fame Museum, and the Pumpkin Bike Trail, Michiana Events Center, Blue Gate Theater. Trip the area can’t go without stop to the Das Essenhaus or a new little favorite restaurant in Middlebury On Top of the Hill.

I’d give it 3.5 stars if that were an option. The old folks who run the place are great. We ended up camping here when we tried to take a last minute trip to the dunes but found everything was booked. They have a decent spot for stargazing down by the pond. The sites are nice and far apart but there isn’t much vegetation between them. Each site had a standard picnic table and fire pit, the bathrooms were clean and serviceable.It felt more suited to RVs than tents but wasn’t an RV parking lot like some places are.

This place was amazing. Right on the beach and close to town for bars and restaurants. My only complaint is that I wish the full hookup sites had pavement or a concrete pad....or at least a machine to come by and flatten out the sand. There were huge divets in our site, and it was on an incline. Which wouldn't be a big deal except it was INCREDIBLY difficult to back our camper into the spot.

It's a very nice off the grid camping with no cell service but if you want wifi then its 5.95 per day or if your here for a week + then 34.95 for the month up to 4 devices is your best bet. This is a 1st come 1st serve choose your own camp site. Most of the full hookups are taken 1st by the annuals. Sucks really but they do have an onsite honeypot which will suck out your tanks for $10 each time around.

We stayed here two weeks while visiting friends in the area. The site was a little small but was pull through and full hookup. Even though we were close to a highway and railroad, traffic noise did bother us. The wifi did not reach out area but I know they plan to expand it's capabilities soon. The best part was free access to the pond, paddle boats etc and friendly staff. The low points were very hard (with odd smell) water to the point where we didn't trust using the on camp laundry. Make sure you have a good on-line water filter.

Very nice campground with level sites and air conditioned bathrooms! That is amazing in the summer. They have trails that are a nice walk for the dogs and a pond to catch and release fish.

This was a nice campground right on the Kal Haven Trail - about 4 miles from South Haven. The RV camping is in a circle in the center of the campground near the bathhouse with cabins and tent camping on the perimeter. There were some very nice woods with paths leading to the Kal Haven and around the campground. 

It was so convenient to be able to bike ride, hike, or run on the trail that I hesitate to offer any critique - but I will. The sites and the roads in the campground are all dirt so while we were there it was exceptionally dusty. I could imagine that when they have a lot of rain, it is exceptionally muddy. 

Check out the blue stairs beach at Lake Michigan (accessible in South Haven), Barden's Market for fresh baked goods and vegetables, the Depot for sandwiches, wine and beer, and 3 Blonds Brewery - good food and beer.  In addition to the Kal Haven, you can access the Van Buren State Park Trail in South Haven. It is a 4-mile paved trail running from South Haven to the Van Buren State Park.