Best Glamping near Gowen, MI

This is a cool campground to come hang out at one of the most beautiful beaches in Michigan, and provides the unique experience of actually camping ON the beach, which is something you don’t get to do with 95% of the campgrounds on Michigan’s coast. Right across the Grand River a really nice nature preserve to escape for a hike, but there isn’t much in the way of hiking at this particular state park. The showers and facilities though are of the cleanest and well kept in all of Michigan’s state parks.

This is one of the most beautiful State Parks in Michigan-if you haven't been here, please put it on your list!

Close to Downtown Grand Haven and boardwalk, on sandy beach of Lake Michigan. Ideal for RV camping. $21-37/night. Cottage available too. Book in advance! End of July-early Aug this small town is packed due to Coast Guard Festival.

This was a great overall experience. We were right on the canal side and only 300ft away from Lake Michigan. Grand Haven State Parks has upgraded facilities so bathrooms and showering is actually pleasant. Loce this place and will be going back annually.

This is a campground located right on the sandy beach of Lake Michigan. Its perfect for those who want to be right up close to the water. There is paved lots where your rv sits. No trees for shade so be sure to be prepared with ac!

This is a parking lot on the beach - sites are extremely tight and small

This is not a normal michigan style camping experience but it’s about the location of where you are.

This is a great location for being right on the beach and being able to walk downtown

This campground is not for everyone

We love sitting on the beach having a fire and waking downtown

Bathrooms were very clean, staff were very friendly

Not our usual type of camping. But, with that said we really enjoyed our 4 night stay. Lake Michigan is a short stroll and downtown Grand Haven is a short walk. Enjoyed the Spring Lake bike trail loop that gave us a 19 mile ride from the campground. Verizon signal okay to stream. Lucked out and only had one off and on neighbor. Otherwise sites are very close and on a parking lot covered with sand here and there.

Grand Haven is often described as a parking lot: However, we don't spend much time at the camper when we are here. We are here for Lake Michigan. The sunrises and sunsets, the water, the beach and the waves. 

Nothing like waking up and walking to the beach, easy back and forth for lunch/dinner and snacks. The town is super cute and you can't leave without trying a pronto pup! 

Bathrooms are clean and facilities are large. Easy access to town for any needs or a dinner out. 

Its not where I go if I want a quiet camp in the woods, it is a great destination for lake time!

Ionia has so many great outdoor activities for almost anyone.  There is a disc golf course, mountain bike trail, equestrian trails, hiking trails, a beautiful no wake lake perfect for swimming, kayaking, or fishing.   The beach is fantastic especially for little kids who might not be the best swimmers ready for Lake Michigan or lakes with lots of boats and waves to deal with.  Nice and sandy and a nice store and ice cream shop at the beach. 

The campground itself is very nice, but you may find the activities are a short drive away from your site to get there.  The sites are all a little bit shallow especially if you have a larger travel trailer you may find it a bit tight.  There is a great variety of shaded and sunny sites.   There is only one bathroom for the campground so it can be a bit busy and it could probably use an update.

Well if you are arriving here late, good luck.... Pretty much the worst signage I’ve seen in Michigan State Recreation Area. Very good signs to pretty much everything other than Beechwood Campground. Once you do figure out that you have to drive to acolyte back end of park to register then turn all the way back around and find hidden non marked campground, you’ll soon realize they are walk/hike in sites. NO WHERE on DNR website for reservations does it say this. As is if this isn’t bad enough, once you park and find trail the sign then reads “East or west” for sites. Not B1- whatever this way B whatever that way do bring your compass too and flashlight if dark. To say the sites are uneven is putting it mildly. For 15 sites, you seriously can’t level them?? Really lazy considering how nice disc course is and signage for course. I wouldn’t waste your time or money camping here, visit park and use trails or disc course yes. Camp, no way ever again!!

This was such a beautiful location!! And definitely a nice find! The one and biggest downside, which was NOT the parks issue more of a Michigan problem, was the infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars literally raining down on us the entire time…harmless little fuzzy guys but sooo damn annoying!!!! We later broke out in rashes all over due to the hairs from them getting into our pores and making you super itchy….so aside from that slight hiccup. It was a beautiful location and all the neighbors we encountered were awesome and very helpful! One even helped us out taking us to get firewood for an awesome deal!! Only downside is that we thought there would be a walkable beach access but there really wasn’t unless your down for and very steep narrow sandy path to the water and a very tiny “beach” area. And there was no walkable fishing spots either due to the only water access was on a cliff surrounded by trees so we decided against that. The views were incredible tho!!! And every campsite we saw including our own had a ton of tree spots perfect for hammocks!!! Overall I loved this spot with or without the caterpillars and would definitely go back!!

Amazing spot away from the city! The owner of the place is very accommodating and pleasant to be around. Private lake with no motors so it is very quiet and peaceful!!!

Great campground ! Cabins, electric and bath houses!

I liked it.

The cabins are clean and nice, the view of the lake is beautiful. My 6 children had a great time here

They were very organized at this campground. Every weekend they have a theme. We stayed when they had the country western weekend. They had all kinds of stuff going on for kids. Pony rides, wagon rides, petting zoo, games and activities. They also had a country music concert in the park one evening. The pool was very nice, but we found at times it was extremely busy. It would of been nice if they had a swimming area on the lake but they didn’t. This is a Christian campground so they are very strict on alcohol consumption. On your site only, but not allowed anywhere else in the park. Overall we had an enjoyable stay.

We live in Kalamazoo and wanted a quick trip out in the tent for a long weekend. We chose the park for it's proximity to home and because of nearby kayak/canoe launches. We enjoy rustic camping and were a little let down with the lack of seclusion on each site (that's to be expected when car camping but the photos and website left us hopeful for more space than was offered). The sites are deep but many are close together. Ours had a little extra room but was next to the vault toilet. There are a few trails in the park that are pleasant and the views of the lake are nice. The staff at the time wasn't very helpful when we asked for nearby hikes. They only knew of a paved trail but on our way out of town we met a couple who told us of many river trails and other hikes nearby. Overall it's a decent place to stay. Personally, I don't find it worth it to have vault toilets and no shower if I'm still going to be in a fairly cramped campground. I'd prefer that they have hike-in sites or offer the amenities of car camping.