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Glen B.
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GuideCampout at Hostel SoHa
Back in the saddle
Nice concept... still finding they're legs. Staff member didn't seem to want to help with the much too laborious and personal check-in process. Fees have gone up. And there are showers.
Camping near Kalamazoo, MI
163 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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Campgrounds near Kalamazoo, Michigan range from full-hookup RV parks to tent-friendly county parks and glamping cabins, all within a short drive of the city. Fort Custer Recreation Area offers a complete outdoor experience with tent, RV, cabin, and glamping options among old-growth trees about 15 miles west of downtown. Markin Glen County Park features full-hookup concrete pads with modern facilities just north of the city limits. Several county parks in the region maintain campgrounds with electric hookups and basic amenities, while private campgrounds like Outdoor Adventures Kalamazoo Resort and Hidden Ridge RV Resort supplement the public options with additional amenities.
Camping season in the Kalamazoo area typically runs from April through October, with most campgrounds closing for winter. County parks like Cold Brook County Park operate seasonally from mid-April through October, while the Kalamazoo County Expo Center welcomes campers from late April until fall. Most campgrounds require advance reservations, particularly for weekend stays during summer months. Water and electric hookups are standard at many sites, though not all locations offer full sewer connections. "The sites are pretty close on the sides and behind your site if you are on the inner roads that back up against other sites. All sites are 50 amp full hook-up that are paved with paved patios, fire pits, and picnic tables," noted one visitor to Markin Glen County Park.
Campers consistently highlight the accessibility of regional parks for day trips into Kalamazoo while enjoying natural surroundings. Several visitors mention the extensive trail networks, particularly at Fort Custer Recreation Area where miles of biking and hiking trails connect to lakes for kayaking and fishing. Markin Glen County Park receives praise for its paved walking paths, swimming lake, and direct access to the Kalamazoo River Trail. Proximity to urban amenities remains a key advantage, as one camper observed: "The campground has a great location for people who want to visit Kalamazoo." Noise from nearby railroad tracks affects some campgrounds like Markin Glen, where trains occasionally idle at night. Many mixed-use campgrounds offer family-friendly amenities including playgrounds, beaches, and fishing areas alongside tent and RV sites.
Best Campgrounds near Kalamazoo (163)
1. Fort Custer Recreation Area
"Fort Custer is a hidden gem in Michigan. Nobody thinks to go camping near Battle Creek, but they really should reconsider!"
"Another great camping experience, site 210 has an amazing trail that leads directly to the showers at one end and at the other path went directly to running water, plus only a couple of yards from a great"
2. Markin Glen County Park
"Despite having lived near Kalamazoo for seven years, we had never visited this park previously. The site are large level concrete pads with grass dividing the sites. All full hookups."
"There are paved trails and a beach in the park. The Kalamazoo Nature Center is only a couple miles away for many more miles of beautiful trails."
from $35 - $40 / night
Check Availability3. Outdoor Adventures Kalamazoo Resort
"We purchased a new travel trailer and the RV dealership recommended we try out the Kalamazoo Outdoor Adventure membership program."
4. Brookside City Park
"The camping spots are in a park right off the main road, however they are tucked all the way around back offering surprisingly private camping."
"The campsites are located past the playground and shelter. Just keep driving down the road that looks like an alley. There is a wonderful place set up for just a few campers. "
from $5 - $10 / night
Check Availability5. Kalamazoo County Expo Center
"The Kalamazoo County expo center, fairgrounds, and campgrounds are a fun place during events. It’s not as big as some of the expo centers in Michigan, but it does the job."
6. Cold Brook County Park
"29 campsites pretty close together with old growth trees interspersed around the campground. Fishing pier and boating, playground area, and beach. No longer has primitive camping."
"Lots of neat free and inexpensive things for kids and families nearby. Check out Kzookids.com to see what’s available if you want to. A nice disk golf course, lots of fishing."
7. Deep Lake Rustic Campground — Yankee Springs Recreation Area
"First time in central Michigan and it was absolutely beautiful. The campground has a great location and lots of mountain bike and hiking trails."
"This is a campground in Yankee Spring Recreational Area in Mid-Michigan. This is a nice rustic campground near the NCT(North Country Trail)."
8. Oak Shores Resort Campground
9. Hidden Ridge RV Resort, A Sun RV Resort
"Hidden Ridge is a modern RV resort within 8 minutes of Gun Lake and sandwiched between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids. There is no tent camping available at this location."
"Spacing was generous between locations. We had a drive-in(forward) location(#10) overlooking the small lake. There was some interstate noise but it was more of a steady hum and not an issue at all."
from $50 - $70 / night
Check Availability10. Buikema Farm
from $40 / night
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Drive Time
- 26 min from Battle Creek, MI
- 44 min from Grand Rapids, MI
- 1 hr from Niles, MI
- 1 hr 3 min from Elkhart, IN
Recent Camping Photos near Kalamazoo, MI
175 Photos of 163 Kalamazoo Campgrounds
Jeremy B.
Outdoor Adventures Kalamazoo Resort
Mike N.
Oak Shores Resort Campground
Jessica R.
Fort Custer Recreation Area
Dave E.
Cranberry Lake Campground
Zach J.
Hidden Ridge RV Resort, A Sun RV Resort
The Dyrt
Forest Haven
Korrie H.
Gun Lake Campground — Yankee Springs Recreation Area
Ryan F.
Deep Lake Rustic Campground — Yankee Springs Recreation Area
Meg B.
Dumont Lake Campground
Cassondra P.
TriPonds Family Camp Resort
Nicole P.
Shady Point Campground
Recent Reviews near Kalamazoo, MI
678 Reviews of 163 Kalamazoo Campgrounds
Gary G.GuideOutdoor Adventures Kalamazoo Resort
Membership? No thanks
Roads are seem to be dirt/gravel here (but most is really just crumbling asphalt), so even though most vehicles respect the 5mph speed limit (which is nice), you can still expect some dust everywhere. Oh, and some golf carts often seem to think 5mph doesn't apply to them.
Kalamazoo Speedway is only 2.5 miles away, so if there's racing at night, you're going to hear it. It's not terrible, but...
Many golf carts here, some with thumping music or ooh-gah horns going by in the evening. While before official "quiet time", it's still really annoying at 9 or 10pm. Be nice if they adopted a "your noise/music should stay on your site" idea like other places. ESPECIALLY the loud, music-blasting golf carts.
Calling this a "resort" is kind of a stretch. The "lakes" (more like ponds) are in need of weed control. Sites along the main lake are often muddy, sinking campers into it. There's one playground there. A small beach, pool (was freezing on the Mem Day weekend), a mini-golf that needs some TLC and a somewhat pricey camp store. Not much different than your average, most basic KOA, except KOA doesn't require a $17K lifetime membership.
They say there's trails you can walk, but I didn't see a single sign or map indicating where these were. Pointless without that.
Stayed Memorial Day weekend. Roads could really, really use a grading or repaving. Lots of bumps, holes and dips. Makes it somewhat dangerous for evening bike rides. The idiots staying in site 158 with their kids singing (bad) karaoke was super annoying. Staffsecurity should have told them to turn it down no matter the time. (two nights, from about 8:30pm until 10:45pm.). I thought they had a rule about this? Their security car went by at least twice during this unwanted show, so why didn't they say something? I tried to call about it, but got no answer.
The mini golf is a nice touch... it'd just be nice to see it maintained a lot better. It's pretty rough.
This is a membership-only place. We had a promotional stay, but I have to say, I really didn't see enough value to want to buy in. Even if it was just a regular campground, we weren't all that impressed enough that we'd make a special trip just to stay here. I'd rate it as "ok", but there was no real "wow factor" here for us.
I have to say the woman they assigned to us for the tour and sales meeting was very nice, pleasant, and no annoying hard sell. But then they send in the closer, and there's where the flurries of offers and discounts start, but once you get the discounts, you lose other options that you'd probably want. Is Outdoor Adventures worth it? Not to us, sorry to say. We like to camp all over, not just at a handful of specific campgrounds under the Outdoor Adventures umbrella.
To Outdoor Adventures... you should really arrange it so campers can try out two or three of your campgrounds FIRST before trying to sell them. No way we'd join after only seeing/staying in one. Especially just Kalamazoo.
BTW, their rental cabins (especially the largest ones) were really nice. I'll give them that.
That's my honest review of the place as we found it.
Kaley A.GuidePokagon State Park Campground
Nice park from what I could see
This is the second time I’ve been to this park. Neither time was I able to really see the park (kids), so that is the only reason I have it a 4.
I really liked our campsite. We were in the middle of a circle drive and had the whole inner circle to ourselves, which was nice for the kids to play. It was a HUGE campsite with a fairly long back in driveway. The site was slopped, especially close to the power source. It was a bit annoying for us as tent campers but not so much that I wouldn’t rent this site again.
We weren’t all that far from water, the bathhouse, and trash services as well as a natural water spring and a trail to hike.
Mike J.
TravelerSteamboat Park Campground
Great spot!
A hidden gem with a lot of history. A paddle wheel boat on the Grand river?! Nice and secluded yet close to town and easy access to the highway
- vvalerieTraveler
Lake Macatawa Campground — Holland State Park
Nice park. Lots are fairly spacious
Lots of great biking in the area. Beach is nearby. Hiking trails as well.
Gerard E.
RangerPokagon State Park Campground
Camp 26
May 1-5, 2026 site 322, 48 degrees and light drizzle at setup.
Site is level, but drops down in the mud and grass, pad is barely wide enough to set up table without being on an angle. Site barely fits 21’ trailer and RAM 1500
Cellular T-Mobile 5g, 3bars Electric, 20, 30 and 50 amp.
Bathroom is separate from showers, older but decent. A nice grassy area close to site 322 and 324. Shade and sun Fire pit sits in low area, do expect puddles if raining.
Firewood was$8, dry, burned well. Close to bike/walking trail and a few hundred feet from store. Easy check in, Pokagon is a favorite park of ours as it offers miles of hiking trails.
- Gerard E.Ranger
Pokagon State Park Campground
Camp 26
May 1-5, 2026
site 322, 48 degrees and light drizzle at setup. Site is level, but drops down in the mud and grass, pad is barely wide enough to set up table without being on an angle.
Site barely fits 21’ trailer and RAM 1500
Cellular T-Mobile 5g, 3bars Electric, 20, 30 and 50 amp.
Bathroom is separate from showers, older but decent. A nice grassy area close to site 322 and 324. Shade and sun Fire pit sits in low area, do expect puddles if raining. Firewood was$8, dry, burned well.
Close to bike/walking trail and a few hundred feet from store. Easy check in, Pokagon is a favorite park of ours as it offers miles of hiking trails.
Derek J.TravelerBeach Campground — Holland State Park
Good clean and accessible
Campground is good clean and accessible. The sites are like diagonal parking spots. So we suggest you jump out real quick and oriente yourself with your spot before pulling in. There are spots with sewer and water for $60 and spots with just electric for $45 as of May 2026. Bathhouse and restrooms were clean and accessible with baby changing stations in both men's and women's bathrooms. You do have to check in at the first campground. So make sure to listen and follow directions to that campground first. The sign isn't huge, so keep your eyes peeled.
Jeremy
ScoutSpaulding Lake Campground
Peaceful Camping
I've stayed here before and the owners are really chill and keep the place nice and clean. It's very peaceful and good fishing. I even saw the salmon swimming upstream when I was there. The pond was crystalline clear and maintained. There are walking trails as well and overall a really good place to camp. Highly recommend!!
Guide to Kalamazoo
Camping spots near Kalamazoo, Michigan provide varied terrain options across Kalamazoo County's 580 square miles, including sites beside kettle lakes formed by glacial activity. Most campgrounds in this area sit at elevations ranging from 750 to 900 feet above sea level, creating level camping pads with good drainage during the region's average 35 inches of annual rainfall.
What to do
Mountain biking trails: 30+ miles at Fort Custer. The recreation area maintains extensive multi-use trails for different skill levels. "We've been here 2x before (once in a cabin and once in tents) and this has now officially become a favorite. We loved our site as it's close to the trails for riding," notes a visitor to Fort Custer Recreation Area.
Fishing: Multiple species in county lakes. Park lakes contain bass, bluegill, and pike for shore and boat anglers. "Lots of lake for small boating, kayaking. Fishing pier to fish off," explains one camper about Cold Brook County Park, which maintains fishing access points at several locations.
Disc golf: 18-hole course at Cold Brook. The county park features a challenging course weaving through wooded areas. According to a reviewer: "We did four nights and would have extended if the site was not taken. Out in the country, but close enough that getting to Kzoo and Portage is a breeze."
What campers like
Privacy between sites: Some campgrounds provide natural buffers. "We found a campsite that was large with vegetation separating us from neighbors. I didn't expect to find something this interesting as an alternate to original plans but it worked out nicely," reports a visitor at Fort Custer Recreation Area.
Walking paths: Paved options for all ages. Several parks connect to regional trail networks. A camper at Markin Glen County Park notes: "The park has a lovely series of paved walking paths and a lake for swimming, and there is a trail that goes from the park right into Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo River Valley Trail)."
Swimming options: Lakes with dedicated beach areas. Multiple parks maintain swimming beaches with sand areas. "Swimming beach with sand. Nice country setting yet close enough to towns if you need anything," reports a visitor to Cold Brook County Park, referring to the designated swimming area.
What you should know
Reservation requirements: Most parks require advance booking. During peak season (May-September), campgrounds fill quickly. "We are seasonal here and the kids love it," mentions a reviewer at Hidden Ridge RV Resort, highlighting the popularity that drives high occupancy rates.
Train noise: Tracks near some campgrounds. Rail lines run through parts of the region, creating intermittent noise. "Beware: sites 19, 20, 21, 23, 25, and 27 are the closest to railroad tracks that are about 30 yards away," warns a Markin Glen County Park camper.
Limited services at smaller parks: Some county parks have basic amenities only. "Sites have electrical service only. Must use the dump station," explains a visitor to Fort Custer Recreation Area, noting the hookup limitations at state facilities.
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Most county parks include play equipment. "Family friendly, quiet, disc golf, fishing, playground for kids," notes a visitor to Cold Brook County Park about the available activities.
Swimming beaches: Designated areas with gradual entry. Many parks maintain beaches specifically for swimming. At Yankee Springs Recreation Area, "You are just a short drive away from Yankee Springs and Gun Lake with the huge beach, plus you are basically right on the NCT and have access to miles of hiking and biking trails."
Site selection for shade: Trees provide cooling during hot summer days. "We soon found out that there was enough clearing in the treetops to give our camp full sun for most of the day. If you camp here, I suggest one of the other sites that would give you a break from the sunny heat," advises a Fort Custer camper.
Tips from RVers
Full hookup availability: Several campgrounds offer complete services. "All sites are 50 amp full hook-up that are paved with paved patios, fire pits, and picnic tables," confirms a reviewer about Markin Glen County Park.
Smaller city park options: Less known camping near downtown. At Brookside City Park, "The camping spots are in a park right off the main road, however they are tucked all the way around back offering surprisingly private camping. There are 4 spots with electric, 3 of which are paved."
Dump station timing: Plan for potential waits at busy locations. "Since there are no water or sewer hook ups, lines at the dump/fill station can get long. Sites are easy to get in and out of with RV/TT," advises a Fort Custer camper about managing services efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find free camping near Kalamazoo, MI?
Where can I find free camping near Kalamazoo, MI?
While true free camping is limited near Kalamazoo, Fort Custer Recreation Area offers some of the most affordable camping options in the area with basic sites starting at modest fees. For those willing to drive a bit farther, dispersed camping may be available in the Manistee National Forest about 90 minutes north. Always check with the Michigan DNR website for current regulations and permits required for backcountry camping. Some county parks occasionally offer free camping during off-season promotional periods, though these opportunities are rare.
What are the best campgrounds in Kalamazoo, Michigan?
What are the best campgrounds in Kalamazoo, Michigan?
Markin Glen County Park stands out as one of the best camping options in Kalamazoo with large level concrete pads, full hookups, and grassy areas between sites. The park features beautiful surroundings and is conveniently located. Kalamazoo County Expo Center offers 220 campsites across 5 small campgrounds, most with electric and water hookups and nice restrooms. This location is particularly popular during events. Both options provide excellent facilities while keeping you close to Kalamazoo's attractions.
Are there RV campgrounds available near Kalamazoo?
Are there RV campgrounds available near Kalamazoo?
Outdoor Adventures Kalamazoo Resort is a membership campground located a few miles from Kalamazoo that accommodates RVs, though not all sites have full hookups. The resort is situated in a beautiful area with lakeside camping options. Kal-Haven Outpost offers RV camping along with cabin options and is conveniently located right off the Kal-Haven trail, making it perfect for cyclists. For those willing to drive a bit further, the South Haven area has several RV-friendly options with varying amenities and proximity to Lake Michigan.
What amenities does Markin Glen campground in Kalamazoo County offer?
What amenities does Markin Glen campground in Kalamazoo County offer?
Markin Glen County Park offers impressive amenities including spacious sites with large level concrete pads and full hookups (water, electric, and sewer). Sites are well-spaced with grassy areas between them, and each includes a picnic table and fire ring. Some sites are pull-through, making them convenient for larger rigs. The park itself is beautiful with hiking trails and a lake. While it's a newer campground without mature tree cover for extensive shade, the overall layout and facilities are modern and well-maintained. Both RVs and tents are welcome, though the design clearly favors RV camping with its concrete pads and hookups.
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