Best Glamping near Iron Mountain, MI

The Diamond Lake area is a great example of good places to be to enjoy the Fall foliage. A simple camp setup is all I needed to enjoy my time here. The best feature here would likely be space to roam under the trees.

This campground boast a variety of site types from cabins, to a yurt, to a bunkhouse, pull-through sites, and much more. They have a playground as well as nice beaches to access the lake from. Minigolf is yet another feature on site. If you want one place that has it all for the many types of camping you may like to do, Diamond Lake is a great camp.

We are not a big state park fan as, in Michigan, there are very close sites and tons of noise. This one was relatively quiet. The site were the standard Michigan close but the campgeound was t full and there many options to choose from. The lake is real nice and the beach area is clean, spacious and it has a general store that has firewood for sale. We first reserved a rustic site, then changed to an electrical hook up site after arriving. The ranger was very accomodating.

This was our first experience at this park in the southern section of the western part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Many of the sites are just feet from Lake Michigan.  We listened to the waves all night long.  The park is very well maintained and clean.  We checked in on Labor Day just as the majority of campers were leaving.  The individual sites are grassy with many trees throughout the campground.  The restrooms/showers were spotless and constantly maintained.  While this was our first stop, it won't be our last.  Being that close to the lake is wonderful.

Van Riper State park has very unlevel sites with no water and 30 amp service. Unacceptable with today’s campers. Time to update Michigan

Nice state park campground with grassy, but tight sites. Located right on Lake Michigan. Very nice beach. Showers were okay, but always seemed a little dirty

Great views of Lake Michigan! Beautiful sandy beach just a short walk away! Really nice playground for the kids. Overall, one of our favorite places to connected camp!

Fantastic.. group cabins available.. great for big family outings. But great facilities and camping sites. You can fish Lake Michigan or swim off the beach or hike the park.

One line of sites is right in the water. Like all the Michigan SP we’ve been to, getting a big rig set on the site takes a bit of skill. Should have wonderful sunrises.

We got our new Marmot Tungston 4P tent so I took the wife and kids on a quick weekend trip to J.W. Wells State Park campground in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to test it out. I found J.W. Wells by searching for waterfront camping along Lake Michigan. There are plenty of state and national parks along Lake Michigan but not many where you can pitch your tent right along the waters edge like J.W. Wells. It also happened to be the only site within 4 hours drive of Northbrook, IL (N. Suburb of Chicago) with such close proximity to the waters edge that I could find.

The site itself is tucked right along the Green Bay coastline about 1 hour drive north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. There is a main campground for tent and RV but we chose to stay at 1 of 3 rustic tent sites a little north of the main campground. The campground was well maintained with picnic tables for each site, firepit, and a nice well groomed plot of grass for us to pitch our tent and setup camp. The main campground has showers and a playground right in the middle.

The view from our site was majestic, especially watching the sun rise over the horizon of Lake Michigan. The sunrise was the pinnacle moment of this trip. And that's really the only reason why I gave it 3 stars. The campground itself and the views are incredible, it's just that there isn't much to do around these parts. There are a couple short trails for hiking or ATV's and the Cedar River about a mile north of the site which I assume has some fishing and boating, but that was about it. The only other activity we found was to drive 30 mins north to check the small harbor town of Escanaba. Really not much to see or do there either.

I probably wouldn't recommend this campground for families or persons looking for lots of activities or places to see and visit while camping. It's great for a simple quick getaway with a great view to just sit around camp and relax.

We took a week long trip and toured Michigan. We spent 2 nights at Van Riper, the other campers were nice, the playset was large, and the beach was nice. The beach was steps down to the access (difficult with a wagon- we didn’t know), and the bathroom wasn’t the cleanest during our stay. The stars were gorgeous.

This is the last Michigan State Park Campground as you are heading south and entering WI.

Beautiful views of the Lake looking east and south to Washington Island and Door County Peninsula. Nice stream and playground for kids to play in and on. Mostly grassy campsites so things get a little wet after heavy rains. Most sites have electricity and water.

This is a well run,clean campground in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was easy to access and right off the main road, no four wheel drive necessary.

The campsites are large and there are a few sites near the lake (We recommend 113).There is a great playground, the summer of 2018 it hosted an inflatable water park which was a riot!

The water system is getting redone which will remove the orange color in the showers (which would otherwise be very nice). The water was not drinkable due to high arsenic but a large container of potable water was available. That is the only thing keeping this campground from being a 5.

The lake was a great temperature and very swimmable. Quiet hours are all the time so it was very peaceful and enjoyable. Ask the rangers for a listing of moose sightings outside of the campground.

Would definitely recommend for visitors in the U.P.

Along our travels in Michigan's Upper Peninsula from the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore west to the Porcupine Mountains, we stayed at Van Riper State Park campground.  We found this campground located along U.S. Hwy 41 about 40 minutes west of Marquette MI. The Park sits on the west shores of Lake Michigamme.   Van Riper State park has both a Modern and Rustic campgrounds along, with hiking, biking and ATV trails.  There is a fine sandy beach, and playground.  At the beach there is a concession stand.  The park offers areas for boating, kayaking, and jet skiing, and fishing.  To book or check into either campground you must stop at the park office.  A Resident Recreational Passport is required or a charge of $11 will apply for each vehicle without one.  The park office also has firewood, ice and even ice cream for sale. I recommend to get your firewood from another local area, the bundles are $5 but are very small bundles like 3 or 4 pieces.  They also offer kayak rentals the price on those was decent.  $10 for a 2 hour kayak rental.

We stayed in the Modern campground.  There are 147 sites and 2 Mini Cabins.  Sites are equipped for tents, trailers and RV’s up to 50’.  There are free wifi by the restrooms, flush toilets, showers, drinking water, sanitation station, electric hookups at each site along with a fire pit and picnic table.  The daily price of sites is $22 - $24 and $49 for a Mini Cabin.  We stayed in site 92 that is located right next to the restroom/showers. Which was great having young children with us who seem to need to visit the restroom numerous times. This site is more for a trailer or a RV being the ground is hard and full of rocks.  We all used air mattresses so that wasn’t much of an issue.  We did take the time to remove any sharp rocks from where our tent was being placed to make sure no holes were made in the tent or mattresses.  Sites are very open and non private.  There is a host site that has information on activities around the park and neighboring areas.  They also offer activities for children to do.  

A short distance from the modern campground is the rustic campground.  There are 40 sites and a Camper's Cabin available. This campground offers vault toilets, and drinking water.  I did find out that for $2 per person for a day you can have access to the showers at the modern campground.  The daily price of these sites is $13, and $86 for the Camper’s Cabin.  These sites are equipped for tents, trailers and RV’s up to 30’.  There is no electric hook ups.  

During your visit to the park there are lot’s of scenic, historic, and recreational sites to visit.  A few miles from the park is the location of where Iron ore was first found in the Lake Superior region.  There is a Iron Industry Museum.  Lake Michigamme offers lot’s of activities for those visiting.  If you are really looking for a awesome adventure not too far from camp, you can drive an ½ hour west on Hwy 41 to the “Grand Canyon” of Michigan, this gorge and waterfalls are located along the Sturgeon River.  There is access to the North Country Trail here as well.  The Canyon Waterfall and Gorge are just breathtaking.  It is a 10 minute hike along the river from the parking area to the Canyon falls and gorge.  You can hike further in if you wish and discover the rapids area along the river.  We did not venture this far having small children with us.  Can’t wait to return on a adult trip to hike further along the river.  

I give this Campground a 5 star review, it is a great place to take the family on vacation.

When we pulled into this campground we couldn’t believe how empty it was. Compared to all the other campgrounds we had been to in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and seeing as it was still the busy summer camping season we were shocked. We were wondering what was “wrong” but nothing really surfaced. It could just have been that we were there during the week and the weekend rush hadn’t come yet. 

There are 96 campsites that sit on 74 acres so there was plenty of room for us to walk our dog and not feel like we were going in circles. Campsites are the usual mix of pull thrus and back-ins, rustic tent and water/electric. None of the sites have sewer but some have 20/30/50 amp electric with water and others are rustic tent sites. The electric and water sites long enough for any size RV but leveling may be difficult in some of the sites (which are grass). Picnic tables and fire pits accompany every sites. Some sites have their fire pits located at the back of the sites which makes for a big line of fire pits which was kind of weird. There are some large pine trees that provide some shade but this is not a wooded campground by any means. 

For a county-run park there are plenty of amenities including WiFi which was slow and depends on where you are located in the park.  The showers and flush toilets were clean but a little on the old side. A store sells ice, firewood, soda, snacks and ice cream. There is a really nice picnic pavilion that would be great if you had a lot of people in your group. It is covered with a “kitchen” area and lots of picnic tables. Since the park is on the Escanaba River there is a boat launch (albeit not really suitable for large boats with deep draft) and you can fish from the bank. Disco golf fans will love the 27-hole course that winds through the woods and property. For the kids, a playground area is large with lots of things for them to climb and play on. 

The park is located off HWY 2 so access is easy but there is a bit of road noise. Plus, when we visited there was road construction going on that produced traffic backups and more noise. But the real problem is the train tracks that runs alongside the campground and seemed busy 24/7. It is not so bad in the front of the park but back where the tent section is must be pretty bad if you are in a tent.

Van Riper State Park is a must-visit if you’re traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It’s popular year-round, although camping is only open between May and October. Stop for the day to hike the trails and go for a swim, or stay a week and enjoy the sunsets and serenity.

The state park covers both sides of the highway with the campground and day-use area on the south side and a huge section of trails and wildlife viewing areas on the north.

There are 147 sites in the modern campground, including some sites with 50-amp electric service, and there are another 40 sites in the rustic campground. Plus, there are two mini cabins in the modern campground if you don’t own a tent or RV. All of the campsites have a fire ring and picnic table.

One thing we noticed is that the sites at Van Riper are very large– so much bigger than many sites we’ve seen at other state parks. This means there is plenty of space for your trailer, truck, bikes, screen tent, kids’ toys, etc. without feeling like you’re infringing on your neighbor.

Another plus for the state park is the laundry facilities. Two washers and dryers are located in the restroom building near the beach.

Van Riper State Park is extremely family-friendly, with activities for everyone. There are approximately 5 miles of hiking trails on the north side of the state park. One trail provides a very nice overlook of Lake Michigamme and the surrounding area. Other trails run along the Peshekee River or through the woods and may even provide the chance to see the moose that live in the area. The trails are not difficult, but there is some elevation to get to the lookout. If you don’t want to hike the whole 5-plus miles from the campground and back, you can drive and park at the group campground and go from there.

A sandy beach awaits both kids and adults on Lake Michigamme. The lake is popular as it is much warmer than most of the lakes in the Upper Peninsula. A large, fairly new playscape is also located near the beach, as well as a swing set. One of the most unique activities is a bike pump track. This is the only state park that we saw that had one. It was very popular with the kids and is conveniently located between the campground and the day-use area. The lake is popular for fishing and if you have a boat you can use the launch in the back of the park. It also is a good location for kayaking.

We had broken glass all over our site. The park staff apologized and brought us a nice bundle of wood for our trouble.

Loud cars, trucks and semi’s were traveling the roads outside of the park at all hours. Drivers took great pleasure in stomping on the gas and racing past at an almost ear deafening sound.

The beach was really nice and the playgrounds were great for the grandkids.

Maybe a site further away from the road might make a difference in the background noise

As of this writing, 2024, they have recently installed new showers and flush bathrooms. I live near this campground, so I have stayed at almost every site in the park. If you cant have or don't want a lake site, site #4 is the largest. It is almost 35 yards across the front. Trees are growing back, but not many mature trees on the East of the park. There is a really nice beach area adjacent to, but not in the campground. It is a nice short walk. Each site has electric hookup, and some sites have more than one box.  Not much ambient light in this park, so it is great for viewing stars and Northern Lights. This  park also is situated near the ATV trail, and has access to the 160 mile Blue Ox trail system.

Fantastic

This campground seems pretty popular. Campers had their a/c on in their smaller RVs on this warm July weekend. There is a large playground next to a small beach. Many people used the boat launch to go out on the water.

While you can find a site separate from others or even one in the shade, it seems as if many tall trees are gone. The stack by the entrance could be a sign that they logged the area or there was storm damage. The camp was very warm without shade. You can find some atv trails but not as much hiking here.

The campsites are not the best we’ve seen. There are plenty of tall trees and yet the sites had plenty of sun. This wasn’t what we were looking for on this warm July weekend. In fact the campground was entirely empty so maybe others agree (There is another campground just down the road that we liked much more).

The best feature is the artesian well right at the entrance. We filled up with water and the line started just as we finished. Even if you camp elsewhere the water is worth a visit.