Best Tent Camping near Kingsley, MI
Looking for the best Kingsley tent camping? The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Kingsley's most popular destinations.
Best Tent Sites Near Kingsley, MI (48)
1. Sand Lakes Quiet Area Backcountry Campsites
Williamsburg, Michigan8 Reviews•40 Photos•348 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Tents
- Group
2. Hopkins Creek State Forest Campground
Fife Lake, Michigan2 Reviews•4 Photos•21 SavesThis rustic campground is nestled along the banks of Hopkins Creek surrounded by a tall evergreen forest. It is a favorite spot among trout anglers. The campground shares an access road with Hopkins Creek Equestrian State Forest Campground and Trail Camp; however, horses are not allowed to camp or be in the campground area. There are 7 sites for tent and small trailer use. One of the campsites is a walk-in site. Camping is limited to a 15-day maximum stay. Amenities include vault toilets and potable water from a hand-pump well. The campground is located 5.5 miles north of Arlene via M-42 and Lucas Road. Sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No reservations.
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- Tents
- Cabins
$15 / night
3. Long Lake (Wexford) State Forest Campground
Cadillac, Michigan2 Reviews•2 Photos•18 SavesMichigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Trash
- Picnic Table
4. Camp Stonewood Ranch
South Boardman, Michigan1 Review•2 Photos•8 SavesNestled among mature pines, this tipi feels like it's at the end of civilization Within 40 miles of Traverse city, Cadillac or Grayling, and closer to smaller towns, you have plenty of acces to all the fun things. Situated in the center of the north country, there are lakes and trails in every direction, waiting for you to come and explore. This is a totally rustic site, so you will need to be familiar with digging a cathole, at this time there is no toilet facilities. This is camping.
Your site here at the Prairie Tipi is about half way back to the edge of the property line, making you just about center of 40 acres. You will be in the pine forest, so be sure to bring bug spray, as the mosquitoes in particular have no respect for the fact that our guests would prefer to remain un-bitten. Otherwise, the wildlife here is pretty non-threatening. There are occasionally deer that share the pathways or bed down under the pines, now and then a fox or raccoon will come to check you out, but they will stay at a distance. In all, wild things are pretty shy, and if you get a glimpse of them you can consider yourself fortunate.
- Pets
- Fires
- Reservable
- Tents
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
$20 - $40 / night
5. Power Island County Park Primitive Campsites
Suttons Bay, Michigan2 Reviews•18 Photos•90 SavesThere are 10 campsites on Power/Bassett Island. These sites are not assigned, they are 1st come, 1st serve. Please use the fire pit area that is established on the site. Each site has it's own picnic table, cooking grill and campfire circle. There are maintained restrooms servicing the island.
Power Island - Bassett Island Fun Facts
Power Island is approximately 200 acres with over 3 miles of waterfront and over 5 miles of hiking trails Bassett Island is connected to Power Island via isthmus. Power Island has 5 rustic campsites. Bassett Island is 1 acre in size with 5 rustic campsites. It's a 6.5 mile boat ride from clinch Park Marina and 3.5 mile boat ride from Bower's Harbor Marina. Power Island and Bassett Island are dedicated as quiet, nature preserves.- Pets
- Fires
- Reservable
- Tents
- Picnic Table
- Toilets
6. South Manitou Island Group
Glen Arbor, Michigan8 Reviews•47 Photos•59 SavesOverview
South Manitou Group Campground is a tent-only backcountry facility on South Manitou Island in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. Campers must take a 1.5-hour Manitou Island Transit Ferry trip or boat ride to reach it, and must backpack their gear into the campground from the dock. **Booking for individual sites on South Manitou Island are made on a first come/first served basis directly through Manitou Island Transit .**This facility is comprised of three reservable group sites at Bay Campground and three others at Weather Station Campground. Each site is open to groups of nine to 20 people only. Smaller parties must plan to occupy multiple first-come, first-served individual sites at Popple, Bay or Weather Station Campgrounds on the island. Bay is the closest campground to the dock (less than a mile/1.6 km) and a short walk from the beach. Weather Station overlooks Lake Michigan from the bluffs on the south side of the island; the hike from the ferry is about 1.3 miles (2 km). If group sites are full, your group may be able to split up into multiple individual campsites. Be sure to book reservations on the Manitou Island Transit website or call (231) 256-9061 for transportation to the island. Or contact Sleeping Bear Dunes for more information at (231) 326-4700 ext 5010.Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25 to 32 C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10 to 25 C) at night. Winters are cold, with daytime highs from 20 to 30 F (-7 to -1 C) and lows in the 10s and 20s F (-12 to -7 C). Snow is usually on the ground from late November through March.
Recreation
There is no shortage of activities on South Manitou Island. Visitors can hike around the 10-mile perimeter of the island via pebble beaches, take a tour of the South Manitou Island Lighthouse during summer months, view the 1960 shipwreck of the Francisco Morazanon or go on a motorized tour to learn the history of the island. Visitors can also hike day-long excursions to unique sand dune formations and old growth cedar forests. Both campgrounds have beach access where campers can beachcomb and swim; group sites are closer to the beach at Bay Campground than at Weather Station.
Natural Features
South Manitou Island is part of an island chain in Lake Michigan that extends north to the Straits of Mackinac. The island consists of a ridge of tilted layers of limestone, buried under a blanket of glacial debris. It features unique sand dune formations, 10 miles of pebble beaches and a grove of old growth white cedars that date back over 500 years. The campgrounds lie on sandy soils among younger forests.
Contact Info
For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Tents
- Group
- Trash
$30 / night
7. Healy Lake State Forest Campground
Copemish, Michigan3 Reviews•6 Photos•3 SavesThe campground is under township management
- Pets
- Fires
- Tents
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Drinking Water
8. Torch Grove Campground
Rapid City, Michigan2 Reviews•21 Photos•34 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Electric Hookups
- Tents
- Trash
- Picnic Table
9. White Pine Backcountry Camp — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Empire, Michigan1 Review•12 Photos•98 SavesThis camp has 6 sites and is located about 2 miles from the Trail's End Road trailhead on the Platte Plains hiking trail south of Empire just off of M-22 and is about 1/2 mile from the Lake Michigan shore where you can obtain fresh water. There is no well water at White Pine, so if you use water from Lake Michigan, it must be treated before drinking it.
- Tents
10. Crystal Forest Campground
Arcadia, Michigan1 Review•9 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Electric Hookups
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Tents
Recent Tent Reviews in Kingsley
869 Reviews of 48 Kingsley Campgrounds
Tammy C.
Scout
Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground
Hidden gem on the west side
This campground is centrally located to everything that’s going on, on the west side of the state. Whether it’s trail riding, Traverse City Cherry festival or hanging in the town of Manton. There is always something going on. Spacious, super clean bath house and on Saturday nights listen to live music right at your campsite!
Mario F.
Traveler
Manistee National Forest Marzinski Horse Trail Campground
Be simple
Was a quiet. Simple.. Just with nature...Site was clean, across street you can buy firewood ...Was a pleasant 2 night's....From site to the nearest store 15-20 min away..If needed...Had no issues...Be back Thanksgiving 2024..
Barry E.Scout
Traverse City State Park Campground
Convenient and clean
Very nice park, walkway to the public beach, paved path behind the grounds. Modern, clean bathhouse. Not a lot of privacy between spots, big mature trees all through the grounds. Right by municipal airport with lots of flight activity.
- KKris D.
Guide
Northern Exposure Campground & RV Park
Perfect River View
Camp staff very friendly and park is well maintained. Nice hiking trails nearby and a 20 minute drive to a whole lot of entertainment!
Michael N.Guide
Platte River Campground — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Beautiful area!
The camping area is amazing. My group camped in the non electric section. Each area was set back from the road. Flat gravel pad. Small paved driveway for your car. It was peaceful. And absolutely dark at night. Perfect for star gazing. The comfort station was a short walk away. Clean bathrooms, shower areas, and a small room to wash dishes. You cannot wash dishes at your site. You must take precautions against bears. So food had to be locked in cars. We didn’t encounter bears. At the entrance is a canoe/tube business. You can float down the river to Lake Michigan.
Amy D.Traveler
Barnes County Park Campground
Beautiful Lake Access
This Campground was very family-friendly. There is easy access to the beach with wide stairs. Many people enjoying rock collecting and watching the sunrise and sunset. The park was very clean and well kept with multiple bath houses.
- LLindsey C.Guide
Tippy Dam State Recreation Area
Great nature - noisy neighbors
Our site was great, easily fit a 17 foot trailer and a tent. Trails down to the water were appreciated by our kids. Neighbors are pretty close all around but that didn't matter until our last night. Several new campers rolled in at 10pm and proceeded to throw an absolute rager of a party until 4am - on Labor Day weekend. So overall a great campground but I wish there had been enforcement of quiet time or some kind of consequence for such horrible camping manners.
Austin C.Scout
Camp David
Wonderful, quiet location
David and Gail were so friendly and welcoming, especially for the inconvenience of a last minute stay on Labor Day weekend! I had questions during the booking process and messaged them- I had a response in minutes. We had a quiet spot and were able to get some uninterrupted sleep after a long afternoon at the beach.
There are several places nearby with beach access (the turquoise water of Lake Michigan is beautiful), and lakes under 5 minutes away for fishing. For rockhounding, check out the beaches near Old Mission Lighthouse. Should we find ourselves back on the road to the UP, we'll be sure stop back in. Thanks again for being so accommodating!
- rroy H.Guide
Otsego Lake State Park Campground
Otsego camp ground
Nice state park big sites on the lake
Skip C.Traveler
Chain-O-Lakes Campground
Close to Torch Lake
Full hookup sites, cabins were nice. Many recent upgrades to the campground
Jason H.
Ranger
South Manitou Island Group
Popple Campground
Stayed at site 3. It was a relatively easy hike until you hit a hilly spot towards the campground. Mid July was very buggy.
Site 3 has easy access to an overlook which we made use of for photos of a storm that rolled in over North Manitou Island, our original destination. There was one vault toilet at the opposite end of the campground.
Like at Weatherstation, it was easy enough to get down to the beach for swimming and refilling our Grayls but to get back up was a bit of a challenge that grew old after a few trips.
Our last night, we stayed at the Bay campground which was nice. Fire rings are available and getting to and from the water was much easier. I'd recommend the Bay for people who want a more leisurely experience and one of the other campgrounds if you want to get some miles and get more rustic.
H. S.Traveler
Bear Track Campground
Rustic seclusion.
No running water.
No electricity.No flush toilets.
No internet.
No phone signal.Pure heaven.
Rustic campsites. 50-100 yards from the river. Great water from the pump. Nice clean vault toilet. Very quiet at night. Peaceful and beautiful. We've gone ever year for the last 5 years. Going again next year.
Highly recommend a satellite-based GPS unit like Garmin or TomTom in your car. I was serious when I said no phone signal so Google Maps ain't gonna' get you there.
- JJoeScout
The Campground
Fantastic Campground!
The campground is a small, family friendly campground that has a lot of activities for both adults and kids. It is clean, has level sites and well maintained facilities.
J B.TravelerTippy Dam State Recreation Area
Great time
The campsites are spacious and feature trails that lead directly to the Tippy Dam Backwater. There’s also convenient access for launching a boat on either the Manistee River or the backwaters side of the dam
Erica L.TravelerChain-O-Lakes Campground
Will be back!
Our time at this campground has been exceptional. The grounds are kept very clean and tidy, the camp store had what we needed, and the atmosphere is very quiet and calming. Everything on our full hookup site worked good and our site itself was level.
Our weather wasn’t very good, 66 and rainy, but we made the best of our time by going downtown Bellaire and visiting Shorts Brewing. The little town has some cute shops and is only 8 minutes from the campground.
We had a wonderful time and can’t wait to book again next year.
- RRobert T.Guide
Wild Cherry RV Resort
Quiet and peaceful
This was a great campground, quiet and peaceful in the cherry orchard area of west Michigan, near Glen Arbor and Traverse City.
Our site, #20, had an improved gravel parking area for camper with a finished concrete pad with a picnic table.
Site, and whole campground was clean and well maintained. Our site was a full hookup but had one small issue where the drain dump was slightly uphill from the camper, so we had to work with the drain hose to empty tanks.
Only other negative is that there are no trees for the majority of sites for shade cover.
This was a good spot for a two night stay as it’s close to the Sleeping Bear National Dunes and also many local wineries.
Have fun!
Just J.Scout
Muskegon River Canoe Camp
A quiet spot on the Muskegon River
A great place for dispersed camping. Don't forget the bug spray! Only 20 minutes from town if you did! Great two weeks here!
- LLon L.Scout
Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds
close to travese city and interlockin
Quiet, large sites, like new bath house, 7th nite free, rate$35, good location for northwestern Michigan sites Water on all outside sites. interior sites share water hookups
Brandon C.Scout
Rvino - Timberline, LLC
Quiet Campground
Not a bad campground. Easy drive to Traverse City. Camp store is small and closes early, 7pm.
Jen L.ScoutManton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground
Great location for orv trail access
Great campground. Booked two nights and had to request a third it was so perfect. We went up because it advertised orv access right from campsite. It’s really handy to not have to trailer over to the trsilheads. Quiet, bug spaces, huge bathhouse. We will be going back!
Gills an B.Scout
Sand Lakes Quiet Area Backcountry Campsites
Everything that it said it was
To many people and yelling kids but breath taking for sure
- BBob W.Scout
Grass Lake State Forest Campground
Updated Info
Updating this information. We live 3 miles from this camp. All MI State Forest Campgrounds are nor $20/night.
There is not a RV dump or hookup of any kind in this campground. One could easily bring a 30 ft trailer but sites this size are limited.
This camp is on the Betsie River and the Grass Lake Flooding. There is a gravel/sand ramp to launch smaller fishing boats. Great area to kayak and float tube. 1000's of acres of State Forest surrounding this spot with miles of trails for atv, cars, trucks and horses. There are no horst facilities at this camp.
- DDavid C.Scout
Hartwick Pines State Park Campground
Hartwick Pines State Park Campground
Very nice and well maintained campground. Bath house facilities were very clean, and campsites were fairly spaced, giving decent privacy. There are some activities in the area related to the park. All in all a very nice State Park campground.
Nicole V.Guide
Lake Dubonnet State Forest Campground
Nice but camp host needed
Large campground composed or 5 loops. Many have a trail leading to the water. Hiking and biking paths within the campground along with a nice boat ramp. Trash on sites and dirty outhouses along with lots of generators and after hour noise was a downside.
- BBarbara K.Guide
Otsego Lake State Park Campground
Nice surprise
First time camping here. Site 72 had a nice view if the make. Very nice park. Bathrooms s d dhowers ckean for really need to be upgraded. They have a ni. ce dog beach bit no real wslking trails as it is only 64 acres. Very nice beach! Already booked our next trip there.
- Liz E.Scout
Mountain Valley Lodge & Campground
Great Campground, huge sites!
We just stayed here for 6 nights. Owners were welcoming and kind upon check in. The campground was very well maintained with a good amount of trees giving good shade outside.
Sites are large well maintained.
We stayed across the street from the bath house and the pool. Pool was chemically checked several times a day and it was so nice.Our kids loved the pool and the space to ride bikes.
Will definitely be booking here again.
Reasonable rates for the site and generous wood costs as well. They drive around almost nightly and will sell you wood right at your site if you're there. $10 for a wheel barrow full and they stack it for you!
Highly recommend this campground.
Joshua C.Scout
Empire Township Campground
Great for tent camping!
We have come to this campground every year since 2020 for a week with our travel trailer. We got lucky to find and opening at an electric site in their schedule and once you're in, you can reserve the same site on the same week the following year. We've had family members stay in tent sites nearby and they loved it.
Guide to Kingsley
Tent camping near Kingsley, Michigan offers a variety of scenic spots where nature lovers can enjoy the great outdoors. With options ranging from serene lakeside sites to backcountry adventures, there's something for every tent camper.
Tent campers should check out Sand Lakes Quiet Area Backcountry Campsites
- This location allows for a peaceful camping experience with no permit required, making it easy to set up your tent and enjoy nature.
- Campers can enjoy fishing in beautiful, clear waters and hiking through stunning landscapes, perfect for those who love outdoor activities.
- The sites are pet-friendly, so you can bring your furry friends along for the adventure.
Tips for tent camping near Kingsley
- Be prepared for a bit of a hike to reach the Sand Lakes Quiet Area Backcountry Campsites, as the parking area requires a short walk to the campsites.
- For a more developed experience, consider Torch Grove Campground, which offers amenities like electric hookups and a playground for families.
- If you're looking for a rustic experience, Hopkins Creek State Forest Campground provides a serene environment with drinking water and picnic tables.
Some prices for tent camping range from $0 to $25
- Sand Lakes Quiet Area Backcountry Campsites is free, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious campers.
- At Power Island County Park Primitive Campsites, the cost is around $25 per site, offering a unique boat-in camping experience.
- For a more traditional campground experience, Long Lake (Wexford) State Forest Campground has first-come, first-served sites at a low price, perfect for spontaneous trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Kingsley, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Kingsley, MI is Sand Lakes Quiet Area Backcountry Campsites with a 4.5-star rating from 8 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Kingsley, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 48 tent camping locations near Kingsley, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.