Looking for tent camping near Ludington? Find the best information on tent camping near Ludington, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Each tent site offers quick access to one or more of Ludington, Michigan's most popular destinations.
$25 / night
Michigan 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/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
$15 / night
Timber Creek Campground The campground is located near a small impoundment, however the impoundment is not a popular site for fishing. The busiest use is the North Country National Scenic Trail trailhead located in the campground. In the winter this site is plowed and provides access to the Ward Hills Snowmobile Trail. ORV use is prohibited in the campground.
$10 / night
Gleasons Landing is a very popular campground on the banks of the Pere Marquette River. With a selection of shaded and secluded spots, the campground is perfect for peaceful nature immersion. The Pere Marquette River was designated a National Scenic River in 1978, the first in Michigan, and it regularly attracts many canoeing, kayaking and fishing enthusiasts. The 66-mile stretch of river begins east of Baldwin and empties into Lake Michigan at Ludington.
A major draw to the campground is world-class fishing. The free flowing river maintains large populations of resident brown trout, steelhead and salmon. Gleason Landing marks the start of a zone for fly fishing and catch and release only. Reel fishing is available upstream. A boat ramp is located within the campground. Canoeing and kayaking is very popular on the river, and boat rentals are available in Baldwin. A permit is required to float the river from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Trails along the river provide shore access for anglers and short, scenic nature walks for hikers.
The campground sits on a bluff overlooking the picturesque Pere Marquette River. It is surrounded by a mix of white pine and oak trees. The Huron-Manistee National Forests encompass a million acres throughout the northern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The forests provide recreation opportunities for visitors, habitat for fish and wildlife and resources for local industry.
A trailhead for the North Country National Scenic Trail is a short drive away. The trail extends from New York to North Dakota, spanning 4,600 miles.
$90 / night
This area not only has the Pere Marquette River running through it, but also contains a portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail and habitat for the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly.The Bowman Lake area is located in Lake and Sweetwater Townships in Lake County. A total of 1,145 acres of NFS lands and 368 acres of private lands are within the boundary of the Bowman Lake area.The terrain is characterized by rolling hills, glacial depressions and leatherleaf bogs. A 3-acre lake is located within the area. The area tends to be densely forested with a mix of hardwoods, red and white pine and aspen. Wildlife species that commonly inhabit this area include white-tailed deer, bobcat, coyote, red fox, raccoon, porcupine, squirrels, pileated woodpecker, ruffed grouse, wild turkey and various songbirds.Visitor recreation activities include camping, fishing, mushroom gathering, bird-watching, hunting, hiking and canoeing. Mountain biking and horseback riding are also common uses on the area trails. Although trails are not groomed in the winter, the area is popular for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.__The Bowman Lake Trailhead serves as a main entry point onto the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT). A 3-mile segment of the NCT is located within this area and mountain biking is allowed on this section of trail. In addition, a small trailhead is located on NFS Road 6267, giving access to the Bowman Lake Campground Trail, which is approximately 7.5 miles of loop trail designed for nonmotorized recreation.This trail system can also be used by mountain bikers and horseback riders. Four improved campsites are located on Bowman Lake. Segments of the State of Michigan snowmobile trail system and Michigan Cycle Conservation Club Trail (MCCCT) system are located immediately south of the area.
Pere Marquette National Scenic River This campground is located in the middle of the 66-mile Scenic portion of the river. The camps are set back from the river in openings within a forested setting. As paddlers travel down the river they will see many meadows and locations to fish. Some campers will park at Upper Branch Bridge and walk to the campsites from there. This is a very popular fishing area. Brochure with Map: This brochure is set to print on 11 x 17 paper, landscape (wide) orientation. To print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper set the print area to "shrink to printable area", this will make the text on the page smaller. Flickr Photo Album
This site is canoe-in only and is very popular during fall and steelhead season. The banks of the river are steep on either side of this site.
Traveler
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..
TravelerAccess road is an unmarked two track that is not suitable for all vehicles. Campground is free and only six sites. Free and no registration attracts lowlifes who appear to have been there a significant amount of time or the whole season. If you have a leaky trailer that needs a tarp over the top, love having your pitbulls run wild, and firing up your generator, this may be the perfect spot for you. Not sure how the folks dragged the trailers into camp. Turned around and went elsewhere. Could have been a nice spot but...
Traveler
Conveniently located but proximity to the road makes it noisy. Locals drag racing on the nearby road subsided around midnight. Campsites were clean and spacious. I stayed at one of the two sites down the road by the boat launch. I stopped here after my first campground stop was full. This site will definitely get the job done but don't make this a featured stop.
Guide
After a decent ruck in, you have some immediate camped spots and can travel further for even more. Summer time is busy so get there early for a spot. Have been multiple times with bigger groups and have always found a spot for tents and hammocks. Enjoy hikes down the best for a distance view of the dunes and enjoy fires with lake views at night.
Guide
Beach was big and beautiful but you had to drive to get to it unless you love walking with a bunch of beach stuff in a bathing suit. Hamlin lake is close by and is a good spot for fishing.
Guide
We had one of the sites closest to the beach access which was very nice for us, but since we were there Labor Day weekend(my mistake lol) we had a lot of traffic come through our campsite. We tend to enjoy more peaceful stays with less crowding. The beach had plenty of room for everyone to spread out and was not crowded at all which made up for it. Highly recommend watching the sunset from the beach. We also loved the lost lake trail. The group camping area is shut down.
Traveler
Very cheap and exactly what we needed for a last minute campsite with a great view.
Guide
Great location away from everything. Spacious sites that are spread out. We stayed in the Oak Loop. Only 5 minute easy walk to beach. Quiet. Enough cell reception to send a text but that's it. Pit toilets only in Oak and Violet loops. Flush toilets in hemlock and orchid loop. No showers, but showers available at convenience store down the street during the summer.
TravelerA small gem of a place. Park and pay to be in the National Forest...or disperse camping on Green Rd. We parked and hiked the mile and a half in to the Dunes. Take all your gear that you need if you don't want to trek back. Can not ride bike in or have anything with wheels on the trail. At the end of the Beautiful hike you come to the Dunes. Go to the right and you will see some spots to put a tent up(do not camp on Dunes or beach). To the right is easy walk and find. If you head to the left you will have to walk over some Dunes for a bit but this is where we went and found a perfect spot right where the forest and Dunes meet. Very short walk to the beach and it's AMAZING! We had it all to ourselves for hours. It's like looking at the ocean. Beautiful views, sunsets, night sky's. The water was warm and you could walk out a ways before it got deep. Great for swimming. It was perfect. One of my favorite spots away from the busy crowds. So worth the hike. Make sure you get wood and might have to hike it in. There is little to NO wood out there laying around. If you are willing to put the work in to hike out there then I promise it's worth it.
Traveler
Peggy are host was awesome . It's really clean and a beautiful place and close to the Dunes .
Guide
It’s a little cramped making it a bit overwhelming but the sites are nice and kept.
Traveler
Super close to manistee beach, came in on the weekend mid September, almost all the camp spots were taken. Forest was super eerie but beautiful.
Guide
Camp staff very friendly and park is well maintained. Nice hiking trails nearby and a 20 minute drive to a whole lot of entertainment!
Guide
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.
Traveler
Most sites have direct river access. All sites are walk-in, but not far from the parking area. There are two pit toilets for six sites and both were clean. They sites are large, but fairly open, not much between the sites.
Traveler
Elk is a great place to spend the night after a day of paddling or fishing. There are four sites with decent space between them. The pit toilet was decently clean and well away from the sites, so no smell. The only downside is that access is tricky. The landing is a steep bank with large rocks on the river bank.
Traveler
Small campsites, but nice bathrooms and showers, close to Baldwin
Traveler
Went there to use dump station after camping at the local veterans retreat, nice facilities and staff. 15$ fee to use dump station
ScoutI can't say enough about this place. They where so nice, polite and friendly. We had some R.V. Issues and they where there to help. The camp site was very nice. There bathroom and shower were so clean. We will stay there again.
Traveler
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.
GuideWe loved this park and the atmosphere. So much room for all size campers, bathrooms and showers were clean and spacious. Beach access super close and plenty of roaming for our dog. Fire rings were the nicest we've seen and the park was kept clean and today, the rangers were on top of everything.
Scout
Very small campground with a quiet time at 10:00 am. The host and staff were beyond helpful and friendly. Only complaint - bathrooms were a good hike away from the tent/RV spots
TravelerThe 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
Scout
I wanted to give this place a 5 star rating but unfortunately I’ve had a bad experience at this one. my first time camping with a group of friends at this campground we reserved 3 spots all close together to accommodate such a huge group having camped there for a little over 24hours was told by the park ranger to move my tent over to my side of the plot since my tent was crossing my groups plot boarder by a little bit in the middle of rain with 2 kids(under 5)in the tent to keep dry from the rain. park ranger couldn’t be lenient enough to wait for the rain to subside.knowing the park ranger usually make frequent rounds around the park they could have told me sooner if it was problem but they waited until it started to rain to tell me to move.
ScoutI had a deeply disappointing experience at this campground. Despite driving six hours to get there and booking three sites, which were more than enough space for sharing, my friend and his family were forced to move their tent because it was slightly over the boundary—just a foot inside our site. This happened in the middle of the rain, with kids inside the tent, and despite our explanations, a ranger and three staff members insisted they move. Meanwhile, a nearby camper was allowed to stay despite having two tents and one camper on one site, which is against the rules. This discrepancy made us feel racially targeted and left a sour taste in our mouths. To top it off, the bathroom facilities were dirty, which only added to the negative experience. The lack of empathy and fairness was truly disheartening.
ScoutTerrible staff and communication.! Worse part is a power hungry ranger telling us to move our tent 2 inches away from our PAID campsite. What was worse is he told us when it was pouring outside while his kids was inside. Will not come to this campsite because of the ranger! Edit: we later found out that there was another campsite down the road that had 2 tents and 1 camper on 1 plot and they said nothing
ScoutWe stayed for 2 nights drove 4 hours just to go here with our friends and family. We respectfully rented 3 sites for a group or 11 so we have enough spaces for our tents and be together. On the 2nd day it was pouring rain the ranger told us we are too close to each others campsite. Although we are together and paid we still had to move our tents just an inch away from each other in the rain he couldn’t even wait for us to wait for the rain to stop but no we had to move the whole set up in the rain. Worse experience at a campsite. I understand rules and policy but we were harming no one. DONT COME HERE IF YOU HAVE A BIG GROUP. Definitely not family friendly. It completely ruins the experience for people when big groups come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Ludington, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Ludington, MI is Jackpine Hike-In Campground — Ludington State Park with a 4.9-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Ludington, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 33 tent camping locations near Ludington, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
