Best Tent Camping near Ludington, MI

Ludington offers sand dunes and several miles of beaches along Lake Michigan with many trails and forested areas. Most camp lots are large and sandy with electric and water hookups. There are also mini cabins for rent if you are not into tent camping. Very well maintained park considering how popular it is.

This campground had a beautiful white sand Lake Michigan beach with turquoise water and very few people swimming. They let you have fires on the beach as well, but they don’t sell firewood. The tent sites were all quite open, but under a nice canopy of shade. You can hear the lake but you can’t see it. The bathrooms were clean and the showers were 25 cents for 5 minutes.

The tent sites did not have electricity and had a soft dirt base that would have been trouble in rain. We didn’t get rain, we spent the majority of our time there at the beach and it’s a 90 minutes drive to Sleeping Bear Dunes which are spectacular.

Campsite is located 2 miles from downtown Pentwater, adorable small town on the water. Mears state park is 2 miles from the campground as well, Lake Michigan beaches. The playground on the beach is perfect for younger kids. There is a pavilion that serves hot food and ice cream ( hot food ends at 5pm/ ice cream till sunset.) Our kids loved walking in town and heading to the beach.

With that said, there is plenty to do at the campground . Outdoor pool, AJs (putt- putt golf, arcade, playground, go-karts) extra fee for AJs but reasonable priced, basketball court, volleyball court, small baseball diamond, tennis table, general store, shower house by pool ( very clean), private bonfire pits ( most campsites).

Seasonal’s were very friendly and helpful with local things to do. RV camp, Tent camp, or tent cabin.

Dump station available, firewood for sale, ice for sale, general store has several camping items, 15 minutes away is meijer in ludington. 2 minutes away gas station 2 minutes to Lake Michigan beaches 2 minutes to Pentwater downtown shopping

Ludington State Park is a state gem. From spacious camping spaces and super clean amenities to water activities and trails galore this place jas it all. For every age there are daily park activities the entire family can enjoy. Learn about Lake Michigan or how to identify poison ivy out on the trails. Ludington State Park is also a great place to enjoy the famous Lake Michigan Sand Dunes. Skylime trail showcases the very best of the park shoreline all the way back to town. Oh did I mention the lighthouse. Hike or bike there you can climb to the top and see for miles. Staying at the campground? There are three very different ones to choose from. Each with shower/bathroom facilities cleaned twice daily with lost of hot water. Don't have a camper you can tent camp at any spot or hike in to go rustic. Don't have any gear? They offer small cabins in each camp area for those who can't rough it too much. Oops we need toothpaste...don't worry the park store is in walking distance from all campsites for all your camping needs. From Bugspray and hotdogs to firewood and raingear they have you covered. Oh last but not least amazing sunsets every clear night. From water the land Ludington has it all. It's right in out home state and we love it.

We stayed here in June of 2020 and it was definitely my favorite campground, we will be returning in 2021. We tent camped and loved how our site was surrounded by trees. The owners were wonderful as well!

This campground is peaceful. Nice sites, even a place for rustic camping. Rustic camping you hike up the road, no cars are allowed to sites. Perfect!!! Full hook ups, 3 50 amp sites. Others are 30 amp.
Tent camping has platforms, so your tent is off the ground. Cabins are available for rent.
There is a playground, for the young ones. Rental of bikes, tubing, row boats and canoes are right at the campground. Beach access across street.
The campground is the older type, but the quiet, and professional care you get is awesome!!! This place is a must visit campground. Family feeling here. Vet friendly. Bathroom house is cleaned perfectly every day. Always clean. Day excursions, to see are, sand dunes, ludington, etc. then after the fun, come back to a peaceful evening, beside the fire. Each site has a fire ring.
Peaceful!!!
Just FYI. No drinking of alcohol is allowed. Perfect for my family, but just FYI.
Camp peacefully!!!

Nice quiet campground when I was there (week after labor day). $27 per tent site. Sites are nice and clean. Bathrooms were basic and clean enough. Short walk to a beautiful beach that you could walk on for miles. There is free, dispersed camping off of different roads around here.

Tent sites are right on the river, they have a boat launch with rentals for boats, kayaks, and even a little fishing charter type deal if you'd like. Manistee river is very nice to kayak and go fishing. Great atmosphere, relaxed, everyone seemed to be on the same page while camping there. I look forward to going back here for sure!!!

Ludington State Park is comprised of 5,300 acres of scenic sand dunes, sandy beaches, the iconic Big Sable Point Lighthouse, wetlands, marshlands and forests. It is situated between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan with several miles of beautiful shoreline along both lakes. A one-mile stretch of the Big Sable River runs through the park and provides excellent opportunities for fishing, paddling and tubing. The park has more than 21 miles of marked hiking trails through dunes, forests and wetlands. For the more adventurous paddlers, the park’s 4-mile canoe trail through Hamlin Lake and its bordering marshlands, provides a challenging trip. A boat launch is available for access to the 5,000-acre Hamlin Lake.

The park is home to three modern campgrounds, including Pines, Cedar and Beechwood, with a combined total of 360 campsites and three mini cabins. The Cedar Campground includes eight tent-only sites that are located on a separate loop. These tent sites do not have electricity, but are within walking distance of the restrooms and showers.

The iconic Big Sable Point Lighthouse is open for tours May through October and is maintained by the non-profit Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association. In addition, volunteer lighthouse keepers come to stay for two weeks and help staff the visitor center and gift shop. A fee is required to climb to the top of the lighthouse.

We went in March so the weather was cold but doable. 20 degrees at night but with electricity hookups we put a space heater in our tent. Campsites are nice no running water at that time of year & only primitive outhouses. Great beaches the sand was so soft & the dunes are perfect.

Great site for first time campers or when you want to just get away quickly without having to take lots of equipment and supplies. Nice little camp store and pizza restaurant on site. Great playground, evening activities. Nice mix of electric hook up, R.V. and tent sites. Boat rentals, etc. Great place for a group of families to come camp together. Staff at the campground are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

We booked three neighboring sites on the interior of the loop for some group tent camping. The sites were generous, clean, grassy, with moderate tree cover. Theres an awesome grass avenue that runs down the middle of the sites in the inner loop, marked off so there are no tents in the area, but it gives you great removal from the campers behind you, and allows for all manner of games (KanJam, cornhole, ladders, etc).

The bathrooms are kept beautifully, there are great pavilions to gather under when it rains (which it did for an entire day of our trip), and the beach is stunning (small, but stunning).

A United Methodist Campground now open to the public instead of just for church camp, this is a nice location for families to enjoy some downtime, with access to Lake Michigan and plenty of activities available to pass the the time.

The sites vary in size but several can accommodate very large rigs. The whole place feels tucked away into the woods but you're only about a 10-minute drive from downtown Pentwater.

Short hike over the dunes (via stairway) takes you to Lake Michigan. (They have a great viewing platform for sunsets!)

Campground is getting regular updates each year, including a new 2-spot dump station (2 years ago), and new water and electric (50 amp) hookups at the sites continually being added.

They offer everything from RV and tent sites to platform tents and cabins. They have a great staff that cares about visitors enjoying their time there.

Cellular signals can vary greatly within the camp, but we found signals for Verizon and Google Fi (T-Mobile/Sprint) with decent service.