Manistee National Forest camping is some of the best the midwest has to offer. You do not need a permit to camp on the National Forests or in designated campgrounds. If your campfire will be on National Forest System lands you will not need a wood permit to cut firewood. Dispersed and Primitive tent camping within the Forests is allowed almost anywhere, unless otherwise posted closed and/or "No Camping".
$30 - $45 / night
"If you are looking for rugged, wilderness / secluded camping its probably not your place but for everyone else it's a hidden gem.
Nice spots both on the river show and across the road. "
"Nice little camp store and pizza restaurant on site. Great playground, evening activities. Nice mix of electric hook up, R.V. and tent sites. Boat rentals, etc."
$11 - $90 / night
"This campground offers rustic sites and electric and water and can be enjoyed by tent campers and large RVs. I love the wooded rustic sites!"
"Nice private campground with good access to ATV trails as well as good proximity to big M for mountain biking. Sites are nice and spaced out as well."
"Nice views, bathrooms will be a bit rustic for some. But we loved the area and space the campground provides. The worms dropping from the trees were crazy."
"Firewood and ice sold on site for good prices. Decent restrooms and showers with pit toilets around if needed. Large shaded sites and AMAZING people visiting each year."
$20 - $78 / night
"Campsites along the lake are high overlook campsites with narrow trails down to the water. Minimal swimming area but ours had a small sand bottom."
"Campsites are very clean and big, with nice trails to explore. Just a heads up, the sites with "lake access" don't actually have lake access - it's a steep drop to the water. Tumble at your own risk."
"This is a clean and beautiful campground nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan however due to high water levels there is no longer beach access. You need to drive to the beach."
"older campground high above beach, couple camper cabins. beautiful views of lake michigan. can get to beach by stairs or short drive to beach without climbing stairs"
$25 - $90 / night
"Hodenpyle Dam lake is a great, quiet area. It close enough to several places which makes it convenient to get in some sight seeing in Traverse City, Frankfort and Manistee."
"We opted for a spot with electric only. The amenities we took advantage of were great! There are some trails to walk the dogs, lake access, and plenty of spots to enjoy your he views!!"
$45 - $48 / night
"You can hit the trails from this site. People are super friendly. Very nice bathhouse and heated pool."
"This KOA is just south of Traverse City and very centrally located to all that makes this area so awesome! Wineries, Sleep Bear Dunes, golf courses, and of course downtown Traverse City."
"Tents, RVs, and Cabins! Camper’s choice! This place is the perfect spot to camp to get away yet stay close to Home (if you live nearby!). Its great for a traveler as well."
"While I typically prefer more rustic camping, this was a fantastic and easy way to enjoy Traverse City."
"300+ sites, pet friendly, sites for all shapes and sizes. Open year round, with heated cabins. It's a great location, just across from Traverse Bay with just across the road."
$24 - $40 / night
"Tent sites are right on the river, they have a boat launch with rentals for boats, kayaks, and even a little fishing charter type deal if you'd like."
"The owners got up later and helped me in the store because I forgot some water, they were super accommodating! The bathrooms were clean, sites well maintained and gorgeous right on the River!!"
LegendWinter camped in Pines Mini Cabin. Bunk beds with one a double- sleeps 5 total. Heat, electricity, mini fridge, microwave, table and 4 chairs. Well built and very clean. Outside fire pit and BBQ grill for summer. Awesome trails for hiking, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. Lots of phenomenal snow this year!
RangerIf you are looking for a camping getaway, this may not be the place for you. It is always bustling with action, but can be lots of fun! I would definitely say this is geared more towards children and families than an escape into nature. There is a camp store, turbo bikes, a variety of family activities, a pool, playground, bike park, equipment and rentals, laundry facility, cabins, cottages, and yurts for rent. This is also a pet friendly campground, so there are many dogs. Probably one of my favorite parts was dodgeball... and the multiple bike trails that connect to the VASA trail system.
LegendThis gem of a state park is phenomenal. Camped here in cabins three times over two winters. Cabins with bunks (will sleep 5 total), mini fridge, electricity and heat. Outside pit toilet. Hiking trails are some of the best. Beautiful lighthouse, dunes, beach, inland lake (Hamlin Lake), river and Lake Michigan. Very quiet and snow-covered in winter. Gets very busy in summer. So many activities for all ages. Kayak rentals in summer. Great fishing. Guided snowshoe tours and lamp light snowshoe hikes in winter are awesome. Camp store. Several playgrounds. Beautiful new beach house.
TravelerReally nice little campground. Not fancy, but clean and well kept. Pool and petting zoo for the kids. Small store with ice, few necessities and ice cream. Pond in the back on the small river for fishing. Quite a few seasonal campers. Anywhere from rustic to full hook up. Pet friendly. All gravel/dirt/grass sites. Most have trees. Fire pits quite small. Bathrooms very nice and updated.
RangerCampsite is located 2 miles from downtown Pentwater, adorable small town on the water. Mears state park is 2 miles from the campground as well, Lake Michigan beaches. The playground on the beach is perfect for younger kids. There is a pavilion that serves hot food and ice cream ( hot food ends at 5pm/ ice cream till sunset.) Our kids loved walking in town and heading to the beach.
With that said, there is plenty to do at the campground . Outdoor pool, AJs (putt- putt golf, arcade, playground, go-karts) extra fee for AJs but reasonable priced, basketball court, volleyball court, small baseball diamond, tennis table, general store, shower house by pool ( very clean), private bonfire pits ( most campsites).
Seasonal’s were very friendly and helpful with local things to do. RV camp, Tent camp, or tent cabin.
Dump station available, firewood for sale, ice for sale, general store has several camping items, 15 minutes away is meijer in ludington. 2 minutes away gas station 2 minutes to Lake Michigan beaches 2 minutes to Pentwater downtown shopping
LegendGreat cabin for winter camping. Electricity, heat, microwave, mini fridge. 2 sets of bunks, sleeps 5. Table with chairs. Wonderful hiking.
LegendThe location of this campground is great and it's best feature in my opinion! This park is just two miles to downtown Traverse City (one of Michigan’s most popular resort towns), a quarter mile from a pretty beach and the beautiful blue waters of Lake Michigan, and it sits along the TART Trail which is a 10.5-mile bicycle trail running through the city.
While the park is small at just 47 acres, it holds pretty many campsites – approximately 350 (and two cabins). Campsites are set among tall pine trees so there is a bit of shade but that also means that they are sandy with little grass. Roads are paved and narrow if you are trying to maneuver with a large (40+ RV) and you may have difficulty backing into your site with the numerous trees lining the road. All sites are back-in with electric. Sites and patios are sandy with varying degrees of levelness. There is a dump station and water spigots are scattered throughout the campground. Picnic tables and fire pits are at each site. Sites are $31/night ($49/night for the cabins) and reserveable online.
This park is right on US-31/M-72 which means there is easy access in and out but it can be noisy if your campsite is close to the road. Expect the campground to be very busy on weekends and in the summer and tightly packed.
Amenities include: picnic area, beach, fishing, hiking/bicycling trail, three bathhouses, playground area, camp store, pet walk (no off-leash dog park).
Outside of the park there is a lot to do in Traverse City. Early July is the ever-popular Cherry Festival which lasts for a week. But you better book your campsite early if you want to enjoy all the festivities (which happen to be close to the park). The summer farmers market is great and held every Wednesday and Saturday. Early in the season, asparagus is plentiful and locally-grown asparagus is the best you will ever have being super sweet, tender, and inexpensive. For beer drinkers, consider paddling the beer trail that takes you from Boardman Lake to Lake Michigan and past numerous breweries where you pull over for a pint. If it's ice cream you want, you have come to the right place. There are multiple creameries with Moomer's being our favorite and for some reason eating it right at the farm stand was the best.
GuideWe were here over July 4 in mini cabin. We had been back country camping before that so were happy to have a cabin for a couple nights. Mini cabin is at tip of park with nice view of lake Michigan sunsets. Cabin had mini fridge, coffee pot, ceiling fan, and I think a heater for winter. 2 sets of sturdy bunk beds. Camp sites were packed with RVs and tents. I don't think I've ever seen a more crowded camp ground. Many campers brought their own bikes, kayaks, boats so there must be lake access nearby but definitely not from this park. Beach inaccessible due to high lake waters. Outhouse was clean and well maintained. Showers a short walk away.
LegendWe visited Wild Cherry RV Resort on the recommendation of some friends and found the park to be nicely maintained, sites were well-spaced, and we LOVED the area. Our site was a pull-in that faced a large pond on a corner that overlooked a four-acre lake. We never had a neighbor on the site next to us during our stay and since we were on a large corner there was nobody on that side either so we never felt crowded. The park was very quiet and since our site was in the back of the park there was not much traffic.
The park is called a “resort” which is a little misleading because there are very few amenities. There is no swimming pool, no tennis courts, no shuffleboard, no fitness center, no playground, in fact there were not even bathrooms/showers (except for porta john and tent shower in the rustic camping section). There was a small club house and a driving range but that was pretty much it. You do get a free newspaper delivered to your site daily. It turned out that we didn’t care about the lack of amenities since we were so busy exploring and we don’t often use all the amenities that private parks offer anyway. The park is a mix of seasonal and transient people. Most of the seasonal people went to work during the day which made the park even quieter. And while they do have a lot of seasonal campers none of the sites were junked up. Sites are gravel with paved patios with the average lot being 45x70 (according to their brochure). There are nice grassy areas between sites that is very well-maintained. All sites have picnic tables but not all have fire pits (if you have your own you are allowed to use it).
The roads are very wide and there are not too many trees so maneuvering big-rigs is not a problem. The water, sewer, and electric were all placed appropriately in the site so no extended hoses were needed. There was no cable but sites are very open allowing for good satellite reception and we were able to get over a dozen antenna channels. Sites are either pull-in (which we had) or back-in. There are no pull-thrus. Set back in a wooded area are a scattering of rustic tent sites, rental cabins and yurts with potable water, grills, fire pits, and picnic tables. These sites are so tucked in a wooded area that I never noticed them until the last day I was in the park.
There is a lot of activities within a short drive of this park and we wished we would have stayed longer. The park is in a perfect location to explore the towns of Leland (and Fishtown), Lake Leelanau, Northport, and Sutton’s Bay. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the town of Glen Arbor are a 20 minute drive and Traverse City is about 45 minutes. All these towns are quaint coastal towns with shopping, galleries, good restaurants. The park is on the Leelanau Peninsula which is one of Michigan’s most well-known and revered wine region and there are three wineries within a couple of miles (one is just across the street from the entrance). That being said, there are nearly some 20 wineries within 15 – 20 minutes of the park. There are a few state parks and county preserves nearby that have hiking, scenic views of Lake Michigan and picturesque lighthouses.
All-in-all we really liked this park and would definitely come back. We took advantage of their “Big-Rig Special” which gave a 25% discount if you booked 4 nights. Otherwise, the price per night was $69 which we found to be expensive for what you get. The biggest dings we give this park are for the high nightly price and the lack of amenities that should come in a “resort” with that high a price. This area is one of our favorites in Michigan and we easily could have spent a couple of weeks here enjoying the area.
Cabin camping near Huron-Manistee National Forests offers a serene escape into nature, with a variety of well-reviewed campgrounds that provide comfortable accommodations and access to outdoor activities.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Huron-Manistee National Forests is Northern Exposure Campground & RV Park with a 4.9-star rating from 17 reviews.
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