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Muskrat Lake State Forest Campground sits directly on an ORV route with 24 pet-friendly rustic campsites along a peaceful, house-free lake. The waterfront campsites have fire rings and picnic tables while accommodating both tent and RV camping without hookups. Dogs must be leashed throughout the campground and can accompany owners to the small sandy swimming area along the shoreline. Additional pet-friendly camping options include Avery Lake State Forest Campground, where pets are welcome at wooded campsites near the water. The rustic facilities include vault toilets, water pumps for fresh drinking water, and trash receptacles. Campsites are spacious and provide good shade coverage from surrounding trees.
Multiple trails accessible from the campgrounds provide excellent walking opportunities for dogs, with the Shupac Lake area offering lakeside hiking trails where pets can cool off in the water. Campers report the area rarely gets busy, creating a quiet environment ideal for nervous pets. The Jones Lake location features six loops with numerous sites offering decent privacy despite the campground's larger size. When exploring with pets, owners should be aware of local wildlife - coyotes are active in the Town Corner Lake area, particularly at night. Winter campers should note that Muskrat Lake is open from April through October, while several other pet-friendly campgrounds in the region, including Shupac Lake State Forest Campground, operate year-round.
"The location of the connection point for our site 75 is on the left side of site 77 and our cable could not reach. (See photo)."
"Otsego Lake is a great campground. It's quiet for a state park, and the sites are roomy. The sites on the outer perimeter have large trees and some have water views."
"It’s on a beautiful lake that is great for swimming and boating. It has a few walk in sites that have beach access. All sites include picnic table and fire pit. Shared rustic vault toilets available."
"The lake is amazing with several islands to explore and one of the islands has a campsite. No busy roads near by so you really feel like you’re deep in the woods."
from $15 / night
Check Availability"Bait and convenience store across from entrance. Good hub for local hiking and activities around the area."
"Ramps to walk down to water. Amazing sunsets"
"A few trails walking distance from the campground. The old growth trail is beautiful and really well maintained. The trees are crazy TALL."
"Some full hookups, unusual for Michigan state parks that I’ve seen."
"I stayed here and rode dirt bikes from jere and swam in the lake afterwards. It was refreshing and there is a small sandy area to swim out of. The lake is very peaceful and quiet."
"Lake is cute and ORV trails were great."
from $20 / night
Check Availability"Trails run back into woods to potential cat hole locations. For water, you can head up the road a few miles to the lumberman monument park, and they have a fauset by the parking lot."
"The absolute BEST campsite I have ever camped at in Michigan! The perfect morning and evening view of the river. Directly across from the best fishing spot and shoreline to soak up the summer sun."
from $10 / night
Check Availability"While it was pricey at $65 night, we had a very spacious full hookup site within easy walking distance of pool. Shower house was very nice and modern, with 4 shower stalls."
"The CG is pretty heavily wooded, so access to satellite TV and/or Starlink is highly dependent on location."
from $61 - $95 / night
Check Availability"There’s 30+ spacious campsites all lake side! Multiple bathrooms along the way. Beach is clean and Sandy! And has tons of places to hike and explore."
"All sites are along the lake, most (all?) are on a small bluff above the lake with stairs or trail down to the shore. Arrived on a Saturday in July to find 75% full, but was able to get in."
"Had a site next to the woods. Nice walking paths. Lots of orv's in other sites."
"The Guest Host is a character and extremely friendly and will be happy you chose Clear Lake State Park. He has plenty of games from cornhole to frisbee to playing cards, etc..."
TravelerThe owners were constantly driving around and correcting people. Rules are okay but they were over the top. They would even stop and just stare at our site while we sat outside.. it was very odd. Also not kept up at all. The playground was old and my 30 lb dog slipped out from under the “dog park” fence because it was so high off the ground where they were allowed to be unleashed, luckily we got her and she’s ok.
GuideThis here is one of my favorite campgrounds in Michigan. The facilities are clean and kept up. All access to trails, lakes and the river are close and easy to get to. Great location to bring family and pets.
GuideLarge, level electric sites. Very large campground in general. Since we were there in September and mid week, it was quiet. Bath house clean, but a bit outdated. Nice beach and swimming area. Dog park and beach area for dogs. Large, grassy recreation area and nice playground. Park hosts on site with daily activities for campers. Town is nearby with restaurants, shopping, etc. Burt Lake is stunning. Bring your kayaks, boats, and fishing gear.
ScoutWe spent a 4th of July weekend up in Petosky with our family. It was a perfect mixture of rustic modern camping. The facilities are nice and clean and the campground is well kept. Even on a busy holiday weekend it was so enjoyable. The beach was convenient to walk to and we enjoyed the 3 amazing fire work shows you can see on the 4th of July from the beach. The only downside is that no dogs are allowed on the beach which is kind of a bummer. There is a great dog park however in Petosky nearby.
LegendWooden Shoe Campground in Ellsworth, Michigan is a small campground set on a hill above Ellsworth Lake. This park is great if you want to sometime explore Michigan’s waterways. When we visited the park, it was about 25% full which made it very quiet and relaxing. There are some great sites that overlook the lake that are inviting for an evening fire and enjoying a pleasant view.
The park has 45 RV sites with water, 30 amp electric, cable TV, and internet. There are seven designated tent sites in a heavily wooded area with some glimpses of the lake. Some sites have a nice amount of shade while those towards the front of the park are more open and have a better water view. Picnic tables and fire pits are at each site. The main road throughout the park is paved, in good condition, and easily navigable with even large RV. There is a dump station at the entrance of the park that is easy to get in and out of. A camp host is on site. The price per night to stay here is $25 and they offer a super inexpensive price of $125/week. Reservations can be made by emailing a reservation request or calling the city.
The town of Ellsworth is quite small with a couple of shops and restaurant or two. The quaint coastal town of Charlevoix is 10 minutes away where you will find plenty of shopping, restaurants, a pretty harbor, weekly live music (in the summer), a farmers market and really great library with a large room that has a great selection of books for sale for a few bucks. The towns of Boyne City and Boyne Falls are about 20 miles away and also worth visiting if you have the time. For dog owners, Boyne city has an off-leash dog park and Boyne Falls has a large ski resort that is perfect for walking dogs in the summer. The larger town of Petoskey is about a 45 minute drive but well worth a visit.
If you want to “get away” and enjoy water activities this is a good place to come. There is a canoe/kayak boat launch just down the hill from the park that puts you in a narrow stretch of water that connects Lakes Ellsworth and Saint Clair. A short (approximately 1 mile) paddle into Lake Saint Claire lands you in a beautiful nature preserve administered by the Little Traverse Conservancy. Be sure to visit Friske’s Orchard which has a fruit stand, bakery with pizza and sandwiches, general store and petting zoo and is only six miles away on Rt. 31.
The good things about this park are the price, access to pretty water for kayaking/canoeing/fishing and the view from some of the sites. You are not too far from some of northern Michigan’s most popular towns yet only paying $25 night. The small size of this park gives it a quieter feel than some of the nearby state parks that have hundreds of sites. When we were there about half the campers appeared to be seasonal who come to enjoy the boating and fishing. Many of these people were not there during the week which made the park super quiet.
A couple dings for this park are that many of the sites are not level and even pitching a tent can be difficult. The bathroom/shower facilities are old and run down. The main bathhouse is located in the front of the park with port-a-potty’s scattered about. Some of the sites are close together and give a crowded feeling.
Overall, I would say this is an average park which is why it gets three stars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vBh0Dej5Ro
ScoutMake reservations early! This is a beautiful state park with the best of pure Michigan woods and Lake Huron sandy dunes and beaches . Very family and pet friendly but also quiet and peaceful for couples who just wanna get away . Only drawback is low signal cell service but hey getting off the grid is what’s its all about. Unplug and recharge yourself. Electric hook up availability 20/30 amp . Hiking and biking paths , a cute play ground , sandy beach with volleyball area all walking distance from campsites! Friendly staff , we love this park !
ScoutI think jewel lake is pretty good because they have good campsites. I like the dog, they have an island, you can go on can't sleep on there, but you can go on it. They have a beach, they have a bridge, so you can fish on good water to go swimming, you can drive a boat, you can go on a kayaking on a jet ski, any type of water boats the camp site it's pet friendly perfect for campers or pull behinds tense, they're ok, for motorhome\ RV's but it's pretty good.
ScoutFirst off we couldn’t park our trailer until a boat trailer was moved from our site. Then there was glass, rusty nails, and trash all over the site so we had to do a quick clean up of site before unpacking. It only got worse as night time came as the campers next to us drank and partied all night with half the campground, every night for our entire four day stay. They even smashed into our vehicle as they wrestled and sprayed silly string on each other at 1 a.m. When we ran to town for a few items we came back to their kids playing near our camper. They seemed to personally know the care takers as they were partying with them, so nothing was done about any of it. The following day we again went to town and these people allowed their guest to park in front of our camper, next to the hitch. The beach area was un-swimmable and full of trash, cigarette butts, duck poop as well as dog poop because it was used as a dog park. There were also old clothes and shoes left all over the beach area. The bathrooms were dirty and left with no soap. The woman’s bathroom looked recently painted but the men’s bathroom was completely disgusting. The showers had old food in them and you had to pay for tokens to use them. The trails were ok, the frisbee golf area also looked good. But that’s about the only good thing about this park. We would never pay money to stay here again.
ScoutVery friendly staff and clean park. Family friendly and pet friendly, beach was close by and clean. Reservations were very easy to make online and allows you to pick your site.
Muskrat Lake State Forest Campground provides rustic camping opportunities directly on an ORV route 6 miles southwest of Lewiston, Michigan. The campground operates from April through October with 24 campsites situated along a 147-acre spring-fed lake. The elevation ranges between 1,100-1,200 feet above sea level with predominantly sandy soil supporting a mixed forest of pine and oak trees.
Kayaking and swimming access: Clear Lake State Park Campground offers paddling options on exceptionally clean water. "The lake is crystal clear and has beautiful turquoise waters. We were able to take the canoe out and were the only ones on the water that afternoon," reports visitor Bill W. The swimming area features a beach with natural sand.
Hiking with elevation changes: Trails near Hartwick Pines State Park Campground showcase old-growth forest. "It features old growth forest on the hiking trails, multiple ranger programs each week... plus side trails that are less traveled so you rarely see anyone else," notes Lisa B. The park contains remnants of Michigan's original white pine stands.
ORV trail access: Big Oaks Equestrian State Campground connects directly to the trail system. "A horse campground located directly on trails. Rustic campground with lots of trees. Non horse campers stay in lots 1-8," explains Lydia T. The campground provides access points to miles of designated ORV routes.
Secluded waterfront sites: Visitors appreciate Au Sable River Primitive Camping for its privacy. "You are surrounded by forest and dunes and the sites themselves provide ample space for a group of 5 or more. The islands (site 41c specifically) are the best spots," recommends Don H. Some sites require boat-in access.
Spacious campsites: Campers at Avery Lake State Forest Campground enjoy roomy sites. "This place was really nice and not very busy. It's on a beautiful lake that is great for swimming and boating. It has a few walk in sites that have beach access," writes Kate K. The rustic setting provides separation between neighboring sites.
Quieter camping experience: The area offers less crowded options. "This place rarely gets busy. Nice sites with great views of Avery lake. Clean privy, cold water. Quiet. Alot of state forest roads to explore around here," says Corey O. Many campgrounds in the region maintain a peaceful atmosphere even during peak season.
Limited connectivity: Cell service varies throughout the region. At Big Bear Lake State Forest Campground, visitors note most sites have direct lake access. "Most sites are directly on the water. There is a 4 foot breakwall between the sites and the lake. You could anchor your boat in front of your campsite," explains Lydia T. Prepare for intermittent cellular coverage.
Seasonal variations: Clear Lake State Park Campground remains open year-round, though with limited services in winter. "When exploring with pets, owners should be aware of local wildlife - coyotes are active in the Town Corner Lake area, particularly at night. Winter campers should note that Muskrat Lake is open from April through October, while several other pet-friendly options in the region operate year-round," reports one visitor.
Reservation requirements: Otsego Lake State Park Campground requires advance planning. "During the summer months it is very busy (especially on weekends) and difficult to get a site unless you reserve well in advance," advises Nick W. State forest campgrounds typically operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
Kid-friendly bike paths: Otsego Lake State Park Campground offers paved trails suitable for children. "Nice paved path through the campground, great for kids riding bikes around camp. They also have a playground with a cool old fashion slide," mentions Amy K. The campground layout accommodates family activities.
Shallow swimming areas: Families appreciate the gradual entry points at several lakes. "Great bike riding park for little ones. We love this park, great lake, small comfortable park and safe!" says Edmund P. about Otsego Lake. Most designated swimming areas maintain clean, sandy bottoms.
Playground facilities: Several campgrounds feature play equipment for children. "They have a playground with a cool old fashion slide" at Otsego Lake. "The campground is along a paved bike path. It's not far from the closest town, which has a couple restaurants, shops, etc," adds Allison H.
Site leveling challenges: Prepare for uneven terrain at Gaylord KOA. "This is a relatively large CG, just under 100 wooded sites, which are reasonably spaced for a private CG. Our site had a fair bit of slope side to side," reports Ray & Terri F. Many campgrounds in the region feature natural, non-graded sites.
Full hookup availability: Limited full-service sites exist in the area. "While it was pricey at $65 night, we had a very spacious full hookup site within easy walking distance of pool. Shower house was very nice and modern, with 4 shower stalls," says Kim L. about Gaylord KOA. Most state forest campgrounds offer only rustic camping.
Sandy conditions: Prepare for sandy sites after rainfall. "The downside is the sites are all sand. This is a problem when it rains. No matter how hard you try to clean your shoes, you end up tracking in wet, dirty sand," warns Nick W. RVers should bring mats and outdoor rugs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Lewiston, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Lewiston, MI is Otsego Lake State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 24 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 167 dog-friendly camping locations near Lewiston, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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