Best RV Parks & Resorts near Lake City, MI

We spend several weekends at this campground and love it. On holiday weekends we camp further away from the boat launch, as it gets extremely busy! Try to get a full hook up site if you can.....no line to dump on your way out!

Love this campground for a good weekend stay. Small campground but there’s some nice wooded sites and some more open sites. Looks like there’s some full hook ups. A few trails walking distance from the campground.

The old growth trail is beautiful and really well maintained. The trees are crazy TALL. There’s a ton of history on the logging industry of Michigan. Also there’s a wee church in the middle of the woods which is pretty cool.

Our site in particular had a nice hill behind it with a trail where you could get a cool view of the campsite. Also a foot trail to the dumpsters / dump station.

Location location location! If you're looking for a campground that's just across the street from the beach located on Traverse a City Bay, this is it! While campsites are somewhat cramped, showers and stalls are fairly clean and well kept, as are the sites in general. Very convenient to stores, restaurants and night life downtown. I've never been to a campground that felt like you were in the woods near the beach, was quiet, yet nearly in the middle of a bustling town! Sites for tent camping, partial and full hook up. Walking distance to restaurants and stores.

My husband and I stayed here for what should have been the whole weekend. We ended up cutting our trip short.

The campground itself seemed quite nice. Large, clean vault toilets. A water pump. No electric. Some of the sites seem more isolated than others. The sites were nice and big. The campground is right by the trailhead for some longer trails. There is a nice kayak/fishing lake surrounding the campground. We first set up camp at site #1, which is at the very beginning of the campground, and very close to the highway. It is separated from all the other camp sites, but next to the parking lot leading to the trailhead. We ended up moving to site #31, which was down a hill at the back of the campground. It is in front of a swamp that opens to the lake. This is a nice flat lot, with a lot of space. Quieter than the front of the park. Overall, the campground itself is pretty nice.

The downsides: it's right next to the highway, so you hear traffic until around 1 or 2 am. There seemed to be some long-term residents who had a LOT of late night visitors who stayed for only 10 minutes or so. The last visitor came at 3 am. Seemed super sketchy. We did not stay the additional night due to the odd activity taking place at the other site near ours. I don't think I would stay here again, but this would be an enjoyable campground if the weird activity wasn't taking place.

It was the prefect RV park. The staff is very accommodating and the amenities are amazing. You can bring a tent if you like, but you will hear the gentle hum of RV AC units all night (I thought it was generators, but the staff informed me generators are not permitted). The sites are a little cramped, but part of the fun of camping in a campground like this one is meeting the neighbors. Pretty nice RV park in the middle of Michigan.

This is one of our families favorite places to camp. Higgins lake is beautiful. The water is less than waist deep for about 100 yards out and then drops off to about 90' deep. The water color is amazing when the sun is out. There is a massive boat launch in a protected lagoon. The campground has about 400 sites. There are a few sites with full hook-ups. some of the sites are difficult to get into once you get up into the trees away from the water front.  Getting a site here during the summer can be very difficult. You will want one of the sites closer to the lake.  If you want one of these sites, you will need to be ready to book the site 6 months in advance. There is also a camp store that sells ice cream and homemade pizza.

We sought out a campground near some good hiking. My feet need to be tired to review the Oofos 00mg fibre shoes. Tippy Dam Campground is less than 20 minutes from the Manistee River Trailhead, which is a beautiful hiking trail.

Campground review:

The campground owner was out when we arrived but a helpful lady told us to grab a campsite and he would find us. With only one other camper, and a handful of long term campers, finding a site was easy. Most of the sites have electric but we went to the back to get a spot without electric. We drove straight in and set up camp. Pretty soon the owner came by and talked for a bit while confirming our site. The campground fills up in the late summer fishing season. This weekend is the start of his busy time. For now, we will enjoy the quiet.

The sites are large with some even having grass for tents. The vault toilets could use some updating. Walking around camp uncovered a dumpster for garbage near the front. A fish cleaning station has extra plastic tubs ready to use. It wasn’t until we were leaving that we found a water source. A map of the campground would help locate resources and even campsites. Another family drove through looking for their site but left in confusion - numbers on the sites are hard to find or just not there. One site flows into the next in the area without electric. With just one other camper, we didn’t need to worry about the site size.

Through the gate at the back of the campground is the Tippy River Dam. We walked down the long stairway to the water and watched a heron doing its own hunt for dinner as a few people tried their luck fishing. A neighboring farm has some horses and adventurous chickens. The roosters fluttered over the fence and spent time searching out food in the campground. My dog was occupied by the movements of the beautiful horses. Evening brought the sound of guns - I’m guessing that a target range is nearby. A short drive over to the Manistee River Trail on the following morning and we got in a full day of hiking. This was a decent stay in the off-season and seems popular with fishermen in season.

Product review:

As a Dyrt Ranger, sometimes I get products to review. I was fortunate to be sent some Oofos 00mg fibre shoes to try out. Oofos just released these men’s shoes in August. This expands their line of sandals. These are recovery footwear - claiming to reduce the load by 37%. I don’t know how to measure that but my feet are in heaven wearing them.

We hiked 9 miles on the nearby Manistee River trail and our feet were ready for some love. Dakota, my dog, tried out the Oofos but I quickly commandeered them. The heels are thick so it took a bit of getting used to. If almost felt like my toes were hanging off into the shoe. However, I adjusted quickly as my body weight brought my heels into line as they sank into the oofoam material. Wearing them around camp as we ate lunch gave my feet a breather. The thick strap held the shoes securely on to my feet. The breeze blew through the top fibre material of the shoe and felt wonderful. Walking around camp worked out perfectly. A moderate pace down the row of campsites was enough to feel the cushion. These aren’t shoes I would run around in but they are clouds to nestle in. I appreciate the way the fibre top helps hold the shoe on my feet but remain breathable. This made recovery time more comfortable. Normally I have issues with a narrow heal but the Oofos felt comfortable from the start and all the way through the rest of the day. Switching back to my hiking shoes for an evening walk with Dakota was an easy transition. I recovered quickly. My foot soles were ready for the hiking shoes and we took off into the woods for a walk. Oofos live up to their claims in helping me recover.

I’m LOVING the Oofos 00mg fibre shoes!

Grab yourself a pair of sandals or shoes at www.oofos.com

Nice large sites. Some full hookups, unusual for Michigan state parks that I’ve seen.

This review is based on our stay back in July of 2020 during the 4th of July Holiday weekend. Lots of shade. Campsites were pretty level. Bathhouse facilities were very very clean and well kept. The campground is beautiful and rather large. Lots of sites for every type of camper even lakefront sites. The only drawback with State Park Campgrounds is that there are no full hookup lots/no sewer hookups.

We were searching for a super last minute campground near Traverse City for Memorial Weekend and everything within a quick drive seemed booked. I called up Timber Ridge to check if anything came available and they offered an RV site that we could use for our tents. It was a miracle!

The campgrounds were easy to navigate and even with all the activities available it never seemed too busy or too crowded or too loud. our campsite (although surrounded by RVs was perfect size and spot for 4 of us camping with 2 tents and an SUV loaded down with kayaks.

The RV spot had electric and water so we were able to take advantage of that to keep portable devices charged and clean dishes we’d brought along. and the campsite comes with a fire ring (with attached grill) and picnic table.

Would definitely come back here next time we’re in the area!

Great campground. I think this is going to be one of our favorites. I do believe they have a few full hookup sites but all sites have electric and water. We stayed at the the north end of the campground in back which was very quiet during the weekday. My kids had a blast, paved roads, beaches, camp store. I think next time we will get one of the lake front sites. The view is amazing.

Open all year, nice park, big rig friendly, has full hookups. We enjoy hiking here. The old logging museum is interesting to walk around & check out.

We were in the modern section. Site 401. Very clean and large bathrooms with flush toilets and showers. Sunrise over Duck Lake was gorgeous. Electric sites, easy for rvs. We have a smaller 18’ er and our first time backing into a site! Folks were v friendly and helpful to us newbies :) easy area to walk dogs. Sites were a bit closer together than i prefer but made for a great stop over as we got acclimated. Grocery and firewood 3 minutes down the road!

Nice New campground. Big spacious lots. Full Hookup on back in and pull thru lots. Restrooms and showers were both clean. very close to the trails for ORV's.  The owners were very friendly and helpful. Firewood for sale on site.

This park is very quiet and peaceful. It has full hookup sites and others with just electric. If you want a place to just be in the woods and enjoy the woods this is the place. Many family's love how quiet and restful it can be. The bathroom and showers are very clean. The DNR Rangers are really very friendly and willing to give go suggestions on places to eat, hike and swim. If you have children who love water, you will have to travel to a swimming hole.. The Chapel in the Woods is beautiful. The kids loved learning about the area and the wood mill camp. I totally recommend this park if you want to sit and relax! !