Best Tent Camping near Garden, MI

This campground is close to Munising therefore convenient for visiting Pictured Rocks and other tourist draws in the area. In the busy summer season it may be difficult to get a last minute spot with an RV, but as I was tent camping and pleased to take a walk in site I had no problem getting a same day reservation even in August. The tent sites are all walkin, with a tent parking area and then various distances to hike in along a path to the different tent camp sites. The campsites themselves are gorgeous, with tall trees and right on the shore, and privacy in between. Also, they provide several wagons in the adjacent parking area so you can easily tote your gear into your site. All of that would make for a 5 star rating, maybe 4 due to road noise from the nearby highway. However, I am only giving this experience a 3 because of one really important drawback: there needs to be at least an outhouse provided adjacent to the tent area. As it is, if nature calls you first have to hike down the path through the tenting area to the tent parking lot, then hike through the campground to the bath house which is a good distance away. Apparently this is too far for some people so they decided to just poop by a bush by the tent site trail and left it right there. Worst yet, the spot I saw like this had be left there for probably a few days, which shows a need for maintanence to patrol the tenting area more often and clean up such messes as they are health hazards as well as nauseatingly ugly. I wish this hadnt happened as otherwise it would be a pretty decent place to tent camp!

Hike/bike in tent camping along the lake shore of Lake Michigan. Beautiful natural beaches with multiple parking areas for even just a day trip. The Door County Peninsula is full of activities and neat little shops/boutiques nearby. This is also a dark sky area with gatherings during lunar events without light pollution.

On a last minute camping trip to Michigan, we were looking for places that didn't require reservations, so I felt very lucky and happy to find tent sites available at this campground on a Sunday afternoon. Nearly every spot for RV camping was occupied. Of the eight or so tent sites available, only two were occupied. 

We were given our choice of tent site and settled on site 5 because it was the furthest from all other sites. The grass was solid enough to drive our car across, but there were several questionable spots of swamp we had to be careful to avoid. Site 5 sits next to the playground, which looks like it hasn't been maintained in years. The foliage around the lake was too tall for us to be able to see the lake from our tent and too thick, plus the swampiness of the land, to be able to walk through to access the lake. 

A nearby boardwalk was damaged and blocked off to foot traffic. The paved drive within the camp site was where everyone seemed to be spending their time, riding bicycles or roller bladeing in circles.

Four or five showers are available on site, with separate flush toilets for men and women. Firewood was available for purchase, as well as ice and vending machines. 

The showers were great to have. However, with no easy access to the lake, not much of a view, being very crowded and catered towards RVers, I would only stay here again if I had no other options, as a tent camper.

It was a clean, busy park. We had a nice shaded site along the woods great for tent camping. The bathrooms are kept up nicely, the only downfall of the trip was the rain and our leaky tent!!

This was one of the most beautiful campground tent sites ever. We had forget-me-nots on our site it was big enough for our extra large tent and we had the sound of frogs to serenade us at night.

While this is a full amenities campground, one end was mostly reserved for tent camping with well spaced sites which were backed up by the woods. We felt right at home in our tent, and the campground was exceptionally well maintained and the atmosphere was calm and pleasant. While not totally rustic our end was well suited for the quieter more laid back tenting enthusiasts

Friendly staff, gorgeous sunsets from Lake Superior's shore, water + electric sites, dump station, hot showers. There are some tent sites along the shore that look amazing. Next time we'll be paddling to Grand Island. We stayed at the end of September.

The customer service at this campground is impeccable. Bathrooms are always amazingly clean. Small camp store has all the basics. Playground for kids. Campsite was very clean. Tent sites have lots of mosquitoes, so be prepared. Cabins and yurts also available to rent. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Nice RV park but just not our cup of tea. Sites are really open to one another although the lakefront sites have great beach access to Lake Superior. Even at the “rustic tent sites”, you will see your neighbor clearly. Bathrooms and showers were clean, friendly staff. Just wish there were more trees or sites were spread out more

This probably was one of the cleanest campgrounds we ever went to. They have everything from full hookups to rustic tent sites. Each site has a huge permanent firepit. RV lots are large  and private, Lots of trees and there is a constant breezy that comes off of Lake Michigan. The only downfall is, it's more expensive than your typical campground. $40 - $60 range for the RV sites. Although $60 dollars, you can get your own private beach front lot. Bathrooms and Laundry room are super clean. You also get cable. Restaurants, shopping and a brewery are all within walking distance

Just needed a nice campsite for one night after traveling from Traverse City headed to Marquette. Made a reservation and booked a lake view site. The campground was really clean and the people were really friendly who worked there. They were dog friendly and everyone camping around us were really friendly as well. We were tent camping and there was plenty of space for more than 3 tents. We would definitely recommend this for family's as well as people like us just passing through. Great lake view and 10 minutes away from Kitch-iti-ipi "big springs".

Rustic, well pump water, vaulted toilets. There are 23 campsite all within close walking distance to the water, bug spray is a must.

We have camped here for 7 years and look forward to coming back each year. We do camp on non-holiday weekends to avoid crowds. This camp ground is always fairly empty. In seven years we have seen maybe a total of 9 other sites occupied. 

There are hiking trails that have some beautiful scenery (bring bug spray) and a beach front that is just amazing. Depending on the water level there is plenty of beach and great for a day in the water.

Perfect place for tent camping but it can also accommodated small to medium RV/campers. 

This place is great for relaxation and getting in touch with nature.

Wonderful experience at this campground! We had site 45 which is right on the water with a small lighthouse in the background. The breeze off the water kept us cool. I wish we would have had more time at this campsite it was clean and the employees were very friendly. The bathhouse was very clean and centrally located so easy to walk too. The hook ups looked new and we’re on poles that lite up at night for easy use.

The playground is towards the front of the campground, our kids enjoyed playing on it. There is a public access area near by that shared the park access.

We will go back for sure! Kitch iti kipi was a short 15-20 minute drive, they open at 8am if you get there at 8 there was not a line.

They offer tent camping spots as well. WiFi was good and cell service Sprint was good.

There are only a handuful of sites on this lake and the sites are all one right next to each other. NO hookups, large handicap accessible privy, large and well maintained fire rings. There is a hand water pump but since this is such a rustic setup, I wouldn't trust it to be potable without treating or filtering it first. Sites were very pretty, pull in sites. Small camper or trailer could probably fit. I tent camped so it was no problem. Sites are right on the water so you can swim right from your campsite. The couple next to me launched their canoe for an evening paddle. Didn't see much wildlife except for a pair of pigeons and assorted chipmunks and squirrels. Very special falling asleep to the loons on the lake. I would have given it 5 stars if the sites had been further apart. However, the other campers were very quiet and respectful of each other.