Best Glamping near Hale, MI

This here is one of my favorite campgrounds in Michigan. The facilities are clean and kept up. All access to trails, lakes and the river are close and easy to get to. Great location to bring family and pets.

One of my favorite parks in Michigan. Beautiful beaches and always a fun week during Harvest Fest!

Great campground at the top of Michigan's thumb. Close to fishing, kayaking and a great beach.

East Tawas is a place I've visited most of my adult life. There's some walking trails here, the lighthouse is a close walk/bike from anywhere in the park. Getting to town is a few minute drive, or a very long bike ride on the road.

Like most Michigan State Parks, your site has electric (30/50) only. Water spigots are located in various spots throughout the park. I advise you fill your freshwater tank at home, or when you arrive, at the dump station.

There's a few ADA sites with concrete pads, all others are grass. Comfort stations are in good shape.

Beaches are, like most in Michigan, eroded due to high water levels, but still useable.

You can watch sunrise on the Lake Huron side, sunsets over Tawas Bay.

I've never really interacted with staff here, but never needed to. Park is clean. There can be lineups at the dump station.

A few sites are pull thru. Most back-in.

If you have a vehicle, there's many places to see in the area, like Lumberman's Monument. Tawas has a nice farmers market, worth a visit for fresh veg and other items.

Port Crescent is a clean and comfortable campground with great lake views even from sites not on the water. It's also an extremely busy campground so not a place to find silence and solitude, nevertheless with Michigan's state park booking system it's a great option!

Probably one of the most popular state parks in Michigan, and for good reason. Most of the park is located on the water and the views are pretty gorgeous. The sites are small, so we usually book two. The grounds offer bathrooms and showers, as well as electric and water for RVs. No rustic options available, so all sites are $35 per night. The campground is located only a few short minutes from the launch site for Turnip Rock, so it’s become very popular for weekend trips.

Location is excellent.  This is a well maintained park, fantastic beaches and nice trails.  I arrived on a Thursday and left Sunday.  The sites are on the small side without any barriers, which was fine midweek.  On the weekend, overcrowding was the norm.  This was my first experience at a Michigan state park, and I do not know if others have designated spaces based on the size of the RV or tent.  This would make a more pleasant experience for campers.  My guess is the park was designed long before people hauled around a 30 foot camper.  No park rangers facilitated parking that I could see, and clearly you should book your spot as early as possible.

Midweek 5 stars, Weekend 1

We got lucky for a spur of the moment weekend get away and scored the perfect site at a campground we had never been to before. It's a busy campground.. but this site made us feel like we were in our own little world. The lake was only a few yards from our tent. There is also a dark sky preserve there which worked out perfectly for the meteor shower that was going on that weekend. One of my favorite camping trips ever... it was just gorgeous. I booked online through the michigan parks website. There must have been a cancelation that I got lucky and grabbed. It really was the perfect camp site.

This is one of the worst campgrounds I have ever been to. The bathrooms and showers close at 10pm, and the restrooms themselves are nasty, the showers cost $2 (in quarters) for 6 minutes of lukewarm water, the locals are hostile to unfamiliar faces, and to top it off, the rental ATVs and dirt track to ride them on is o ly separated from the campsites by a board fence, so expect to hear all kinds of small engines zipping by at all hours. The RV trailers for rental are all used trailers circa 1995 and "refurbished", which entails a quick coat of interior paint and laminate flooring screwed to the floors with drywall screws. Guests who have rented the RV trailers are instructed to not use the showers in their trailers. Absolutely not worth the money, would rate 0 stars if I could. If you are looking for a camping experience that puts you in the heart of upper Michigan redneck territory, this is the place for you. If you want a good experience, look elsewhere.

General: A real hodgepodge of options: paved sites, sandy sites, some with electric, hammock sites, several different types of cabins, and domes. Our stay was in 2023, and this review is based on that, but the campground was closed for the 2024 season for upgrades. 

Site Quality: Varies greatly. We were able to secure two different sites for our two-night stay. Upon arrival, however, we doubted we would be able to navigate our 18-foot camper van into Site 58– it was sandy, narrow with trees, and cars were parked alongside the narrow access road, making backing in very difficult to impossible. We were able to switch to Site 69 for the first night. The second night we were in site 56 and enjoyed listening to the waves lapping up against the shore. Not all sites are level. Little privacy/separation between sites but if you can score a waterfront site, then it’s all good. Sites 93, 95, 95A, 98, 99A, 101, 103, 105, and 107 back up to the old river channel and the water was very stagnant and green. The beachfront sites mostly have nice views of Saginaw Bay/Lake Huron but be cautious when selecting: some are sand and not level. You will hear road noise from M25 on the 19 sites that back up to the road (and also some of the sites opposite these). 

Bath/Shower: Two bathhouses (east and west) plus a couple of vault toilets. The East Bathhouse was very modern and clean. The West Bathhouse looked to be a bit older but still seemed fine. 

Activities/Amenities: Beach access, fishing, swimming, and an observation platform for bird watching or night sky viewing (the weather did not cooperate to check these out). There are nearby hiking trails, a playground, a basketball hoop, and a horseshoe pit. There is a dump station. Kudos to Michigan for extensive recycling! 

We arrived late at night, and I was able to get in a nice walk around the campground before the rain started, dampening our options for the rest of the day. Obviously, our stay here would have been better with better weather, but I caution you to be careful when reserving your sites based on your type of camping. Despite the abundance of mayflies (gross but not biting) and the muddy sand-covered road from all the rain, we’d stay here again if we could get a beachfront site. We enjoyed our time here and would love to see what improvements were made when the campground was closed (although I thought it was very nice before).

Bathroom was clean, site was large surrounded by tall pine trees. Picnic table was HC accessible. Fire pit ring. I'm a motocamper and suited my needs. No trash, so take what you brought in plus some.

Pprivate. Modern and Rustic, so tents don't need to be in a Zoo of RVs. Tons of trails, great kayaking and canoeing

Amazing views and great riding for all ages!

Great for our “eastern” adventure up north. Sites require a reservation either at the office or Online. Not somewhere you can just pay for on spot because it’s in the rifle river recreation area. We had site 127 at Devoe lake and it was very pleasant. Quiet and lovely in late September.

I spent four days here summer of 17. Well maintained sites. Lots of hiking opportunities. Both modern and rustic camping available.

We were greeted at the gate by an extremely helpful and knowledgeable gentleman. He provided good directions, and helped us with our Rec Pass.

The site was easy to find, spacious, and had adequate distancing from other campers. It included a fire pit and picnic table too.

The lake was serene in the early mornings and evenings. Listen for the woeful call of the loons. What a treat!

Word of caution, the raccoons start partying as soon as you bed down. Make sure your food and trash is adequately covered/contained.

Campground has vault toilets. We never used them but good to know they have them.

Great little sites within the trees and near the Devoe Lake, which has a small beach. Lots of trails, lakes and the Rifle River which was awesome to float down. Pit toilets were clean. They have wood for sale at the entrance of the park.

I camped in one of the rustic campgrounds over a holiday weekend and it got a little too rowdy for my tastes. This was just a stop for us on the way home, maybe if we had planned to canoe or kayak down the river, I would’ve left with higher regard for this campground. I know a lot of people like it, but it’s just not for me.

Great location and our site had a nice shortcut through the woods that exited by the lake and bathrooms. The overlook tower is definitely worth the hike and there's a hidden surprise at the same location for those who know where to look. 😉

I came here for a really short hike. he hike was like a nature walk for kids. There were a lot of kids here and Is worth it if you love identifying plants. The lake wasn't that big but did see people doing water sports

Rifle River Recreation Area is located directly east of Houghton Lake within the AuSable State Forest, near the city of Lupton.

The RRRA offers several camping areas within its borders. We landed in the Ranch Rustic campsites along the Rifle River, site 153. For more detailed information see: http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?type=SPRK&id=489

The outer rim campsites of Ranch Rustic are along the Rifle and shielded from the next site by conifer and brush, so there is a fair amount of visual privacy...but voices carry from site to site.

Having a site directly on the river offered quick access to water, for cooking or playing. We could put in up river and take out at our campsite, which was convenient. Modern bathrooms can be located in the park...but Ranch Rustic has pit latrines. Pump water is available too.

The kids tossed on their PFD's and floated the river from the bridge to our site. You could hear them having a great time...other than their run in with a territorial beaver.

One of the greatest beauties and draws of this area is the five lakes within the Recreation Area...Devoe Lake, Grebe Lake, Jewitt Lake, Grousehaven Lake and Lodge Lake. Each is unique, offering different sights and sounds. We were fortunate enough to see mink, beaver, muskrat, loons, eagle, osprey and three swan...so it was a treasure trove for us.

We could drag or carry our canoes/kayaks from lake to lake with the exception of Grebe Lake and Jewitt. So we simply tossed them on the van and went to our next destination.

There is a really nice observation tower and fishing pier on Grebe Lake. You can't keep the bluegills and sunfish off your hook. We enjoyed mystic fog on Grebe Lake one early morning which provided some great photo opportunities.

The water is super clean and crystal clear...and usually sand or rock bottom. Devoe Lake has a few islands that we explored. We spent all week in solitude until the weekend, when it swells to its limit....and when we usually say good-bye and move on.

Shoulder seasons would be incredible, especially with the color change.

We left Tawas Point campground and went here. The day use beach bathroom was our first stop...not the cleanest. But the beach was nice as were the trails. Once in the camp itself, we loved how much better it was than Tawas. It's more spread out and I didn't feel like people were staring at me. Our site was perfect. We had some shade, perfect to park under as we car camped. Spacious lot and a trail connected us to a grassy area, boathouse, and beach. PERFECT spot if you are a paddleboarder/kayaker/etc. No wake lake is awesome for paddle sports! Our bathhouse was very clean. We will DEFINITELY be coming back!

I have been going here with my family for the past ~15 years and it's great. Not rustic by any means, but a great spot for kids and multiple families to have a good time. Right on Grousehaven lake with a small beach and playground and a large open grassy area for kids and dogs to to run. Biking/hiking trails run right behind some campsites so you don't have to get farther into the woods.

Great for kayaking/canoeing down the river too. You can rent from the little place across the street or bring your own - just make sure to have an extra car down at the end to get back.

Would recommend this place to anyone.

I stayed here every year growing up and loved this place! Extremely family friendly with a nice beach, park, and picnic area. The campground was always well maintained and had some of the cleanest bathrooms and showers of any campground I have stayed at.