Best Tent Camping near Ironwood, MI
Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Ironwood? Find the best tent camping sites near Ironwood. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Michigan camping adventure.
Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Ironwood? Find the best tent camping sites near Ironwood. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Michigan camping adventure.
$10 / night
From the MI DNR Porcupine Mountains website:
Union River Outpost is a small three-site rustic campground located on the Union River. The campground offers solitude and a camping experience unlike a typical modern campground. Union River is a classic UP trout stream. The sites are ideal for tent, van or compact campers.
There is a vault toilet, but no running water is available at any of the outpost campgrounds. Fill up at park headquarters or visitor center.
If you are looking to canoe in the glassy waters of Wabasso Lake or enjoy a rustic cozy campground, try the Wabasso Lake Recreation Area off Forest Road 142 west of Lac du Flambeau. The Wabasso Lake Recreation Area on the Medford-Park Falls Ranger District consists of a campground with five walk/canoe-in campsites equipped with fire grills and picnic tables. Drinking water and toilets are located at the boat landing. Wabasso Lake Recreation Area is located about one mile west of the Lac du Flambeau and is perfect for primitive camping. Wabasso Lake is 49-acres and has an excellent panfish population and is great for canoeing and fishing. So, if you like to hike, fish, swim, hike, bike, and picnic, then the Wabasso Lake Recreation Area is the place for you, located 5 minutes west of Lac du Flambeau. The Wabasso Lake Recreation Area is pet friendly; see restrictions below for more information.
Newman Lake Shelter is a day-use picnicking shelter available for large groups. It is situated within the Newman Lake Recreation Area. A variety of recreational opportunities abound.
The recreation area contains a boat ramp, beach, accessible fishing dock, horseshoe pits and a playground for children. Visitors enjoy exploring many hiking and biking trails that are located near the picnic shelter. During the winter months, the trails are popular for cross country skiing. The beach provides opportunities for swimming, while the lake is a welcome respite for boaters and anglers alike. Fishing is a popular activity and a typical catch might include bluegill, crappie, various bass and perch.
The accessible shelter can accommodate up to 50 people. It is equipped with tables, grills and a fire place. Vault toilets and drinking water are provided. Trash collection is also available.
The picnic shelter is located on the southeastern shores of Newman Lake in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. The cold water lake and neighboring picnic shelter are nestled in a mixed forest of aspen and pine trees. A variety of birds and wildlife also make their home in the area.
Park Falls, Wisconsin is 15 miles from Newman Lake and is a full service community.
$25 / night
The Gogebic County Park at McDonald Lake which is located on McDonald Dam Road in Ironwood, Michigan is unique from the other two campgrounds operated by the Forestry and Parks Commission, as it is a rustic campground. There is no fee at this campground and the campsites are designed for tenting only on a first come first serve basis. (Limit of 15 nights per visit) There is a total of six designated sites. The three sites on the lake shore have tenting pads and fire rings, the island sites do not.
Amenitites for day use include a fishing dock, a kayak launch, picnic area, vault toilet, and a boat launch available for no fee.
Fishing is also popular at McDonald Lake and species include Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Blue Gill, and Crappie.
Planning a trip to the Sylvania Wilderness? Watch for Alerts at the top of the page for any Alerts regarding this facility. The Sylvania Wilderness encompasses 18,327 acres of primitive lands and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Visitors can camp in 50 designated campsites within the Sylvania Wilderness. Visitors enjoy endless canoeing, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities.
Sylvania's abundant lakes provide plentiful non-motorized boating, canoeing, kayaking and fishing opportunities. Other popular activities include hiking and viewing wildlife.
The old-growth forests and pristine lakes in the region provide habitat for a wide range of animal and plant life, including rare orchids, bald eagles, loons and osprey. The wilderness contains 34 named lakes, some with sandy beaches and others surrounded by record-size red and white pines. The Ottawa National Forest is comprised of nearly 1 million acres and is located in the western reaches of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The forest's rolling, tree covered hills extend from the south shore of Lake Superior to the Wisconsin border. Lakes, rivers and waterfalls are found throughout this beautiful landscape.
Cancellations If you cancel reservation at least 14 days prior to check in date, all recreation fees, minus a $10 cancellation fee and the reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center) will be refunded. If you cancel reservation less than 14 days prior to check in date, all recreation fees, minus $10 cancellation fee, reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center), and first nights use fee will be refunded. The reservation fee ($8 if made online or $9 if made through the call center) is non-refundable. No Show Staff will hold a campsite until check-out time on the day following the arrival date. For more information about rules and reservation policies, visit the Recreaiton.gov Rules and Reservations Policy page.
$15 / night
Located on the Sioux River, a Class A steelhead trout stream, the park offers a spot for picnicking, wildlife viewing, hiking, bank and stream fishing, and primitive camping. Camping is on a first come, first served basis only.
Amenities Number of sites: 13 Pit toilet Hand pump Fees Non-electric campsite - $13 per day No monthly rates
$15 / night
Big Lake Campground is a great spot if you’re looking for a simple and peaceful camping experience. The facilities are very basic—vault toilets and no showers—but they are clean and well-maintained. Firewood is available for sale on-site, which is super convenient.
The real highlight is the beautiful natural surroundings. The campground is nestled in a quiet, wooded area, perfect for relaxing and disconnecting. There are some really nice hiking trails nearby, offering scenic views and opportunities to spot wildlife.
If you’re okay with minimal amenities and want to enjoy nature, this is a great spot. Perfect for tent campers and anyone looking for a rustic getaway!
Copper Falls State Park is a fantastic destination for outdoor enthusiasts. The hiking trails are well-maintained and offer beautiful scenic views, making for an enjoyable trek through nature. The campsites are spacious and provide a good amount of privacy, allowing for a peaceful camping experience. The bathrooms are quite basic but sufficient for a state park. Most sites have plenty of shade, which is a plus during hot days. Additionally, there are some nice walk-in sites available, perfect for those who prefer a bit more seclusion. Overall, a wonderful place to camp and hike!
We were happy to find a view site for our 25' RV on the lower loop. Our site had good separation from others. Nice and quiet except for the guy who had to run his toy car up and down the campground road. We were able to walk to town easily and enjoyed exploring Bayfield and the Apostle Island Lakeshore. Electric at the site, water accessible at 2 points within the campground.
Stayed here in September for a few days, and occupied site 1 and 2. Sites are good sized and clean. Our two sites were great, but if I didn't care about being near the lake, I would look at the new sites they put in the wooded area. They were a little more "remote", The clientele mostly consisted of fisherman and bird hunters when I was here, so it seems to attract the more long term stays and not overnighters. The bathroom / shower combination is adequate and is reminiscent of my younger days at summer camp. They have some playground equipment both at the main loop and the wooded loop, this proved to be a lifesaver for my 4 year old. I also found, since this is further from town, it is very dark here and great for star gazing.
Stayed here on a Labor Day weekend. Well kept good bathroom with a waterfall in the park.
Great location, and has the basics for the camping. I was in site 44, and most of the sites in the "middle" were more of an open field with a couple of trees. There were no real clear boundary lines . If you are looking for a little more shade or tree cover, book a perimeter site. This is also the first campsite I've been to where the fire pit didn't have a grill grate on part of it. There is water on site, but it is the hand pump style, so it would help to have a large open container to capture the water.
Cell service was really spot (can be a good thing when camping), and I wasn't able to pick up a lot of radio stations either. Still nice to enjoy the quite dark skies. Short walk down stairs to Lake Superior which offered some great sunset views.
Lots of great hiking trails, and close to a lot of other fun attractions. I would plan on coming back up here another time, and possible pick a different site after being here.
We stayed for 3 nights. Lovely old and second growth trees. Bear and Wolf precautions, please. Hiking was good, fishing was good.
You get a relatively flat site, fire ring, a picnic table, hand pump for water and vault toilets along with a beautiful clear water lake. There's a boat launch and firewood for sale. Reservations need to be made and paid online even if your fcfs. Cell phone and data are okay. There is tire noise from Highway M.
Very few folks around in September!
Honeymooned here in 1975. The location on the lake is beautiful. We camped here many times over the years. In tents, VW campers, trailers until about 20 years ago. Got a Sprinter RV this year and we're camped here now.
We stayed here the 2nd week of October. They were actually turning the water off for the year when we left. We had the park mostly to ourselves. They water access is nice and it is right off a main highway, although it was not too noisy. There are some state park hiking trails access from campground, also. Facilities were pretty standard state park fair. Sites seem to have plenty of room.
Such a hidden gem! The spots were so spacious and private, we found availability on a weekend in August very last minute, and the lake was so peaceful! Seems like it's mostly used for fishing and kayaking and canoeing. Very very quiet area - felt somewhat like boundary waters. Loved that sites had their own water access as well! Just really great for it's price tag as well
Very wooded and quiet camp area - only 3 sites total in this loop! Note that there is no cell service here or really nearby. Not an issue if you're prepared for that! Great that we could access hiking trails from camp! Great spot for exploring the Porcupines and also for some privacy compared to the modern campground in the park. Night and day difference and you can use the amenities which are like 5mins away
Very RV resort style - pretty close together sites and not a lot of privacy . There are some sites in the back loop that seem more spacious and secluded! The lakeside sites have great views though! And nice showers. We were passing thru and the FCFS campgrounds were all full so this was a fine option close to Bayfield!
There are a lot of sites here, but we were essentially alone with only one other party on our loop! Extremely quiet! We saw only one fishing boat during our four night stay.
Awesome little campground on the south side of the Porcupines. It’s in a convenient location to the hiking around the park. The sites are large, the campground is small (and quiet) and there’s even a creek that runs along the west side of the campground. We stayed in site 1. If you do cook using the fire pit grates, they do not have them here in the fire pits at this campground. You need to reserve sites and check in at the visitor center before you head to the site. I’d highly recommend this place to anybody in a tent especially!
Came to this campground for 3 days to hang out at the fireman’s picnic in arborvitae. The campground is old as dirt, had a nice lake for swimming and fishing but that’s it. Tiny game room with Pac-Man . 2 wash machines and couple dryers. The sites are very small. Electricity has no breakers to shut the juice off before hook up which is very dangerous . Water is good pressure. All in all the campground works if you don’t want to do anything and just sleep.
Lake Cunard campground was designated a "Quiet" campground several years ago - one of only two in the 18 different Northern Highlands American Legion state forest campgrounds. That means no "noise producing devices", including generators, radios, TV's, video games, guitars, etc. No means none. Prohibited. It's good to know this before booking a reservation!
Also note that the posted rules for ALL campgrounds read, "At no time may a person engage in.. boisterous, unreasonably loud..or conduct that tends to cause a disturbance" - defined as " interfering with another person's enjoyment of the forest".
This transition in 2019 was perhaps difficult for long time visitors at Cunard to adjust to. However, the quieter experience there has become a favorite of many who appreciate the peaceful atmosphere. 👍 It is an older, more rustic property - and could use some updates (ie new toilets), but if you're looking for that serene Northwoods experience - Go!!
Excellent place to stop. Close to the lake. Great site. Peaceful. Reasonably priced
Some of the sites are wide open with no privacy. Ours was the last one available on a weekend in July. Beach is small, but nice. Priveys are clean! 5G service with Tmobile.
Would definitely come back!
Beautiful spots, friendly staff, clean toilet and trash canat each site. Will definitely return.
We camped here over the 4th of July. Our site had a short trail directly to Lake Superior. We arrived mid afternoon on the 4th and there were multiple sites still available. The campground did fill up though. Some sites had grass which had not been cut in quite some time and would make it really difficult to camp, others had the grass cut. Sites had a fire pit and picnic table. The outhouse was a bit messy, but usable.
Our site overlooked Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands but was a tight fit for our 24' van. Good 30amp electric, water spigot nearby but no dump stations at park.
We are just finishing up a six night stay at this nice little campground. All nine sites are full hookup and are just $35 a night. A very clean park and underutilized. We were the only campers for 4 of the six nights and just one other the other two nights. The sites overlook the Flambeau river and there is a nice walking trail alongside the river. We enjoyed our stay.
I love this camp site! I have been here a few times. Definitely for people looking to be secluded. Lots of stairs down to the falls, but lots of great hiking trails to beautiful views.
Saw a deer walking through camp. Nearby brewery was a nice treat! Sites we stayed at were pull through sites with full hook ups. A picnic table and fire pit is provided at each campsite and we were able to stay next to friends we were traveling with (specified we would like neighboring sites when we made the reservations). Nice amount of tree cover at our sites. The road into the campground was nice and smooth. There is also a small playground, bathrooms, and sanitary dump site in the campground.
I have been camping at Crystal Lake every year for 20+ years. It is by far our favorite in the area. The showers and toilets are clean. The pit toilets can get pretty ripe by the end of the season, but if people would learn to keep the lids closed, it wouldn’t be so bad. The bike trails are endless! What fun. The water and beach is clean. The staff is friendly and helpful. I cannot say enough good things about this area and the campsites. Worth the trip for sure.
This is a first come first served city campground, which is a good thing because each site is so different that it would be difficult to make a good choice in advance. Some sites are difficult/ impossible for RVs and some are fine. We are in a 26ft class c and felt really big- they have a 30ft max limit for RVs. Some (I believe 18& 19?) are grouped together so they would make a good choice for friends and family camping together. There are also some primitive tent walk-up sites.
Nice campground, $30/night, can pay online when you arrive. Good cell reception. Most, if not all, sites have 30 and 20 amp service. There are no water or sewer hookups here, and no dump station. No showers. There are a couple of trash dumpsters throughout the campground but no recycling. There are water spigots throughout the campground too (not for filling RV tanks, but for filling water jugs).
Easy walk to town, not quite a mile, and there is a sidewalk for most (not all) of the way. There are some nice walking paths around the campground, with benches positioned to view each of the Apostle Islands.
Mosquitos were surprisingly not too bad here. We had a really pleasant and relaxing night’s stay here. The town of Bayfield is really cute and the ferry rides to the islands are a must.
Very nice and clean city park, right in town on the main road. The sites are all open and have zero privacy between them, but there was still a calm friendly vibe at the park (usually wide open campgrounds feel chaotic and messy to me).
FHU sites are $35/night, power only is $25, tents are $15. Pull through sites to your left as you come in, and to the right is a loop with back in sites.
Dumping fee for non-campers is $15, a bit higher than most places, and it’s another $15 to fill your tank with water. :(
Good cell reception here since it’s right in town. There’s a swing set but not much else in terms of activities or a playground. Each site has a nice new picnic table and fire pit. There are trash dumpsters but no recycling here.
Discover the beauty of tent camping near Ironwood, Michigan, where nature's tranquility meets a variety of outdoor adventures. With several well-reviewed campgrounds in the area, you'll find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Ironwood, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ironwood, MI is Potato River Falls Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 9 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 25 tent camping locations near Ironwood, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.