For those who want to experience Harrisville, but still want the creature comforts of home, consider glamping for your trip. The Dyrt lets you enjoy a unique, rustic Harrisville experience while glamping. You're sure to find glamping for your Michigan camping adventure.
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
$20 - $50 / night
Welcome to Old Orchard Park Campground located in beautiful Oscoda, Michigan! We have camping sites for all types and sizes of campers, tents and pop ups!We also have cabins, yurts and group camping areas. For your convenience, camping sites at Old Orchard Park are available by reservation. Campers are now able to make a reservation online by clicking the “reserve now” button below to check site availability and reserve a site. Join us for a outdoor experience to make memories that will last a lifetime!
We invite you to visit or stay in beautiful Old Orchard Campground, which is one of the largest campgrounds in Northeast Michigan. Located within the Huron-Manistee National Forest, along the River Road Scenic Byway, the park which is nearly four miles long, overlooks Foote Pond, which formed after the construction of Foote Dam in 1916, on the AuSable River. The park is open from March 15 thru November 30 each year, with plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities for all three seasons therein. This public recreation facility is part of a Consumers Energy Hydroelectric Dam Project licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and is operated under the authority of the Township of Oscoda.
Jewell Lake Campground Jewell Lake Campground is located on the east side of the 193-acre Jewell Lake. This lake offers a wide variety of fishing and boating opportunities. A snowmobile trail runs through the area during the winter months.
$15 / night
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
South Branch Trail Campground Group Site is ideal for equestrian camping. The group area impresses with its beautiful scenery and convenient access to horseback riding and hiking along the 240-mile Michigan Shore-to-Shore Horseback Riding and Hiking Trail. Priority will be given to campers with horses, however everyone is welcome. The spacious site holds up to 250 campers and features a day-use horse parking area.
Hike or horseback ride on the Michigan Shore-To-Shore Riding and Hiking Trail. The trail begins in the town of Empire near Lake Michigan, on the west side of Michigan and ends near Oscoda, Michigan on the Lake Huron eastern side of the state. The eastern part of the trail follows the historic AuSable River to its end in AuSable, just south of Oscoda.
Campsites are situated in a stand of oak and pine at an elevation of 880 feet. The campground is adjacent to the South Branch River and is also not too far from the AuSable River. The magnificent Lake Huron is only a short drive east of the campground.
$40 - $100 / night
Camping is available in a primitive area with public restrooms, shower house, laundry facilities and store. We can accommodate tent camping and small pop-up campers with groups of 12 people or less. Pets welcome if on a leash.
$23 / night
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Scout
First off, old orchard is on property that is owned by Consumers Powers Energy. They allow certain numbers of reservable sites and are slowly opening up more land to create more camping sites and standing Yurts. I love old orchard. We had our camper on one site for three months but had to pay for 3 weeks at a time. Our site was very large and it was very quiet on the fill hookup did of the park. Most of the staff is helpful and some even will teach the RV newbies how to care for their camper.
The area around the park has several areas of interest including Lumbermans monument, iargo springs, and downtown Oscoda on lake Huron. It is on the banks of the Ausable river. Kayaking, boating, pontooning, fishing-all beautiful. There is just North of the park an off shoot road that goes to Champagne Hill where people have large homemade slip and slide mats to slide down the steep sand dunes into the water. People bring their pontoons, boats and watercraft and all meet up at different locations and have a great time. The campground has a small beach but it has not been allowed to be fully developed due to consumers energy wanting a natural rustic feel to the park. Yes it is hard to get in, on a first come first serve basis, but that is because it is a great place to stay.... I give this place 5 stars. I love it there
Scout
Great campground at the top of Michigan's thumb. Close to fishing, kayaking and a great beach.
Guide
Enjoyed our overnight stay at this clean fairground. It had everything we needed for tent camping. The cool northern Michigan air felt refreshing as well as watching the seagulls & Canadian geese. Adequate showers & restroom. Will stay here again.
Guide
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.
ScoutPort 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!
Guide
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.
LegendProbably 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.
TravelerLocation 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
GuideWe 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.
Traveler
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.
LegendGeneral: 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).
Guide
Gorgeous area right on Jewell lake. Walking distance from Barton City. Sites have nice privacy between them. Utilized the grill on the fire ring alot Privy was well kept. The lake had a beach area to swim. Didn't actually intend on staying here but it was a happy accident and salvaged our memorial day weekend.
GuideOnly stayed one night but it was a very nice stay. Private but not secluded. Encountered a bear in the night but it retreated back into the woods. Did have my dog with me. I would definitely go back.
RangerThe lake has an island in the middle and is great to explore by boat. Not sure how much there is to do without watercraft, as there’s just a really short trail. A friend snowmobile camps here in winter, that’d be beautiful to try. Nice basic primitive state park tent camping. Clean and simple. Shady.
GuideRelatively quiet and secluded, Jewell Lake campground resides in the Huron-manistee National Forest. Our campsite was great with plenty of room to house three tents as well as a fire pit and picnic table. There is access to Jewell Lake from the campground where there is a small beach, dock, and boat launch. Beware, there are no park rangers on duty 24/7 at the campground or a camp store, however Barton city is only a few minutes away where they have a quaint general store.
GuideLots of things to do in this area! The large campground is crowded in summer months and you have to buy tokens to take a shower, but the views and access to the River are spectacular.
GuideCamped here in early fall. The area around here is beautiful with lots of sights and trails. This park has a wide variety of individuals and many long term residents but the staff were pretty friendly and the lake is beautiful (especially in the early morning).
TravelerI stayed here a few times in September 2022. The weather was really rainy but the lake is pretty and Oscoda has a lot of hiking and places to hang up a hammock and relax. (The campsite is about 10 minutes from town.)
Labor Day weekend was crazy and my neighbors had a really difficult time staying in their designated site - one family next to me really liked to put their trash on a tree within my site. People just seemed a little unfriendly and territorial - it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with a younger solo woman camper. Unrelated, a guy was shouting a song about cocaine around 11pm, drinking with his buddies. Just kind of weird vibes even though there were a million kids. It didn’t really feel like homey, family vibes.
The second time I was there I was told I could not car camp. The lady who was working didn’t seem to care but my last night an older male worker waited at the entrance until I returned and loudly announced my site number and said I wasn’t allowed to car camp (I usually don’t get frustrated with older people when they yell because I assume they may be hard of hearing, but it seemed a little unsafe to announce where I would be sleeping.) I asked if hammock camping was ok and he became gruffer and told me his boss wanted to kick me off the campground - which seemed to imply a possible punishment if I kept asking questions. Ironically, I was asking these questions because I didn’t have a tent but was still trying to comply. I just felt uncomfortable after that and left, spending my last night somewhere else.
Showers are ok - they’re coin operated and cleaned every few days.
The scenery is pretty but it doesn’t work for me if I can’t car camp and if there’s no cell service to work. As mentioned, weird vibes as a solo female camper too. Adult activities - like a dance party or movies - take place after dark. I can’t imagine how being in a dark forest with strangers would feel safe, let alone fun, when there is alcohol and it seems likely there are other substances too. No really where my interests lie.
But if you have an RV you might have a different experience - or if you’re looking for a party during a holiday weekend. It might also be worth a try if you’re camping as a group.
ScoutGot lucky enough to snag a week-long stay on a waterfront site(401) the last week of July and thoroughly enjoyed our stay! We had very nice neighbors and had a great week of relaxing.
Pros:
Website booking process was very easy. Sites are reasonably priced around$25-30/night.
The park is very dog-friendly, which we appreciated.
Nice large, woodsy, level lots. Many are waterfront.
Trash pickup if you leave it by your site marker. Nice and quiet during the week.
Delicious hard ice cream served from the store.
Nice walks down"The Point". Beautiful views.
Cons:
Water and electric are poorly located. Need extra hose/cords.
The large store is mostly empty. No souvenir style items.
Trash everywhere..mini booze bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts.
Bathrooms are clean, but very outdated and run down.
Showers run on tokens/quarters and do not have a temperature control.
TravelerBeautiful wooded sights. Fishing ,boat ramp, beach, wagon rides, hearts, cabins great place
TravelerI have been coming to this campground for many years. I bring my whole family! Very family and pet friendly. It has a playground and a small beach. There are many options to stay here! Highly recommend
RangerThis campground is hard for me to review because this is one of my husband's favorites, but mine, not so much. A few things that I do not like about this campground include first come first served and the beach area. For most of the sites here, it is first come first served. We have driven all the way there before and not been able to get in. There was another time that we drove there and there was one reservable site that we stayed on the first night and then had to move the next day when a first come site opened up. The beach area at this campground is okay. My niece and nephew liked it, but I felt that it is too small, crowded, and dirty. I hope that they make all sites reservable in the future. This is a 2.5 hour drive and we are not retired so we generally cannot come up until Thursday or Friday, which makes it tough to get in. Camp at your own risk, but I really have no desire to camp here again. My husband likes to camp here and I usually give in once a year, but it is not my first choice.
Traveler
We tented here. Our location was right behind the general store so at night the lights were very bright. This KOA has so many activities for kids and we enjoyed ourselves here!
ScoutNot too big and crowded. Been here a good handful of time both with adult groups for fun and with my wife and tween... Great family that owns it. Great location. Close to river trip companies and the lake.
TravelerThis was a pretty basic/nice KOA. We went second week of July and it was pretty empty, which was nice for us. There is a few things for kids/teens to play on, although half the arcade games were not working. The camp store had some really beautiful stuff to buy. If you go in a tent it's pretty affordable, the cabins are pricey though.
TravelerAll in all it was good, no beach to mention it was a hill other than that good
Traveler
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Harrisville, MI is Tawas Point State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 23 reviews.
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