Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Iron River, MI

Campground has some pretty great facilities.. flushing toilets and running water throughout the campground (although not potable when we visited this June). Also has a pretty great beach in the campground as well as one just a few minutes outside of the campground. Both beaches are sandy & great for swimming especially considering most of the lake is pretty rocky, especially in the campground area. Lake has quite a few crayfish in it, but the fishing is pretty good, too - catch-and-release only for the smallmouth bass to help keep the crayfish population in check, but it can be fun to catch the bigger smallies the lake produces. Very clear water in the lake, I was able to see down 20+ feet to see the bottom and scope for fish, etc. Sites and campground overall is clean and well-kept; we ended up switching sites this year due to other campers with loud dogs & generators running all night (against campground rules, but wasn’t enforced by the host), but it’s still a family favorite to go to. Decent cell reception as well, for those who need to stay connected. also, only about a 10-15 minute drive from town of Iron River which has a few nice stores & an ice cream shop :)

We have been coming here for a long time. It is under new management and we thought things would get better. While we were here other guests trashed the beach and had dogs running and using the bathroom throughout the campsite. The rules for dogs were to keep them on leashes and clean up after them. These rules were not being followed which caused the beach, in the past is lovely, but with the dogs using it as a bathroom the beach smelt like poop. Nobody in our week of staying cleaned up after them so we needed to go somewhere else to swim. If your place is pet friendly please make sure to keep up with your own rules. The cabins are run down but showers are hot and the utilities are still able to be used

This large campground stretches out along the lakeshore. Some sites have beautiful lake views(we suggest trying those first). There are also some double sites that would nestle you in closely with your neighbors- perfect for a larger group. A few walk in spots are available too. 

The nature trail doesn’t allow pets which was sad. However the paved bike route is nearby and goes for miles. Town is a short bike ride away. This weekend was an organized ride so it was quite a busy path. A couple days later the town had a large garage sale-type fair. The cookies and jam were great! 

This was a great discovery. We are adding this to our places to return to. 

The lake is beautiful and has a nice picnic area with a place to launch your boat.

We stayed at Van Riper State Park three times during June and July. The park is always clean and well-maintained. The bathrooms and showers and generally always nicely maintained as well, and there are plenty of both. The bathrooms do tend to run out of soap and toilet paper at busy times. Dogs are not allowed on the beach but also cannot be left unattended in your site. The rules are heavily enforced in this park. Park staff will ask you to move vehicles if you have more than two, and you will be asked to turn music completely off upon quiet hours. This is not the place to go if you want to party.

Sites 15 and 17, as well as several other sites along that side of that loop, now have a wooden fence at the back of them, so they are not as large as they appear in the photos online.

We have stayed in sites 14, 90 and 93. We travel with a 34’ trailer.

Site 14 is narrow but manageable. It is well-shaded by large pine trees on the site. Site is entirely dirt. There are trees to hang hammocks or clotheslines in.

Site 90 is on a corner by the propane tanks. It is a large site. It does have some roots and low spots. It is partial grass. It has nice shade and is adjacent to the bathrooms. There are trees to hang hammocks or clotheslines.

Site 93 is a large site that backs up to a small grass/tree buffer. It is across the road from the bathrooms. It has nice shade. There is a place to hang a clothesline but not hammocks.

Pros: Clean, well-maintained park

Quiet

Lots of playground equipment

Bike/scooter pump track

Excellent beach area

Lots of green space

Hiking trails

Wood and ice available for purchase at the entrance

Laundry is available; one washer and two dryers

Very kid and pet friendly

Cons: Park website has out of date information, specifically that there is no longer a store on the beach, nor are there kayaks/SUPs to rent

The Water Warrior Island is no longer in the lake

There are very few sites with buffers between

It is sort of far to the beach and laundry from the modern campsites

No non-reservable sites available

During our trip through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this was one of my favorite campgrounds. The only reason we didn't stay longer was fear of our rig not starting up again and leaving us stranded. This campground had LARGE campsites with 2 separate loops and plenty of room between campsites. There was only one other group at this campground on the second loop which we never saw. The road to this campground is gravel and is a very pretty drive winding through the woods. At night it is very surreal as the only sounds you hear are the ones you make and an empty night sky. The canopy tree cover makes it tough to see the night sky but there are openings where you can see the sky full of stars. The lake was very peaceful and calm. There were a couple of small docks at each of the campground loops. If you have dogs beware the lake bottom is heavy dark mud and can be troublesome getting off your dog if they decide to take a dip. They also have clean vaulted toilets which is always nice(just beware of large spiders). We would recommend staying at this campground for an extended stay!

Check out our blog at www.unnamedadventures.com and follow our journey on Facebook and Instagram or on our YouTube Channel at Unnamed Adventures. 

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