Escape into nature and disconnect from your daily life with cabin camping near Mackinaw City. The Dyrt is the ultimate place to find cabins for your next outdoor adventure near Mackinaw City. You're sure to find the perfect cabin for your Michigan cabin camping excursion.
Wilderness State Park, located just 11 miles west of Mackinaw City, is home to 26 miles of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, 20-plus miles of trails, a designated swimming and pet-friendly beach and unique camping opportunities. The park is also a designated dark sky preserve offering stellar views of the sky and is just 9 miles from Headlands Dark Sky Park (an Emmet County park).
Mackinac Island is the most spectacular destination in Michigan, and this KOA is a perfect location to stay. KOA offers great camping near Mackinac Island and Free shuttles to island ferries available. Mackinaw Campgrounds nature trail connects to a paved trail into Mackinaw City, where you can explore Colonial Michilimackinac and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Or continue on the North Western State Trail for miles of hiking/biking. Rent a bike from KOA or bring your own. Use this KOA as a base camp for an easy trip across the Mackinac Bridge to Tahquamenon Falls, Soo Locks and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on Lake Superior. Take a scenic drive through Tunnel of Trees. You're less than 2 miles from a Lake Michigan beach. After sightseeing, head back to KOA to enjoy the heated pool and a campfire. There are sites for everyone: pull thrus/full hookups, pop-ups, tents and Cabins. Cable TV/Wi-Fi available at sites. Pool: Memorial Weekend - Labor Day Weekend. Max pull thru: 70 feet.
Petoskey State Park began its service as a public recreation area in 1934 as the Petosky Bathing Beach. Prior to that, the area was privately owned by a local tanning company. Located on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay, Poetoskey camping is a 300-acre park is popular for its mile-long sand beach and forested campgrounds. Within the park are nearly 3.5 miles of walking, hiking, and biking trails that wander among the park’s wooded dunes. Summer months bring out scores of sunbathers, swimmers, paddlers, boaters and water skiers. The nearby towns of Petoskey and Harbor Springs offer a variety of local arts and crafts shops, cafes and charming Victorian architecture.
The two campgrounds at Petoskey State Park offer 180 tent and RV sites situated among shady woods near the lakeshore. The Dunes Campground, on the north end of the park, has 80 smaller sites suitable for tent campers, while the Tannery Creek Campground, on the south end of the park, has 100 larger sites ideal for RVs and trailers. Each site is equipped with picnic tables, fire pits and electrical hookups, and there are restrooms, showers and drinking water available in both campgrounds; a dump station is located near the park entrance. Other park amenities include a picnic area, beach house and concession stand. Dogs are permitted, but must remain leashed. Seasonal campsite rates range from $33–$37/night, plus park entrance fee.
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
$30 - $34 / 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
$27 / night
Mackinaw Mill Creek Camping features cabins and sites for all types of campers. From modest supersaver sites (for those on a budget) up to large RV sites (sewer, water & 50 amp electric), Mill Creek campground has it all. From beautiful basic cabins, up to 3-bedroom, 2-story loft cabins with bathrooms. Over 200 acres of woods and a mile of shoreline, viewing the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. Voted one of Michigan's top family friendly destinations by the Detroit News. A favorite vacation spot for thousands of summer visitors to the Mackinaw area for over 50 years!
$16 - $50 / night
This spectacular KOA is located in beautiful Northwest Michigan. The park is rated #1 in Michigan by Trailer Life and it is among the highest rated RV Parks in North America. Lake Michigan and sand dunes are just minutes away and the refreshing breezes rustle through the cedar, pine and maple trees at the resort. The romantic "million dollar" sunsets will give you goose bumps as you watch the sun sink into the lake. The unique park layout weaves sites into the natural landscape. Flowers and landscaping adorn every corner of the tranquil 30 acre setting. Each of our spacious 160 RV sites has a level paved parking area and large, clean concrete patio for relaxing with your family. The resort's cozy log Camping cabins are nestled among the trees. We also offer deluxe camping cottages, lodges and studios, which include bathroom and kitchen amenities. We offer a full slate of activities including educational nature events, movies, bingo and Saturday breakfast in our Cafe. Within minutes lie local golf, restaurants, beaches, bike trails and shopping. Easy day trips include the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lighthouse Museum, Mackinac Island and many more nearby destinations. Our outstanding staff takes pride in offering service to our visitors that is second to none. The Rose Family invites you to visit the Petoskey KOA. "For a place you will always remember and a vacation you will never forget."
Scout
We discovered this campground over thirty years ago when our children were young. Your about ten miles from Mackinaw City. There miles to explore yet there's a small store to walk to to get your paper and a morning donut. You'll see lots of wildlife, fish if you like or just spend the day at the beach. I spend my winters dreaming about going back. Oh and if your a winter person I understand there's plenty to do then and cabin accomodations.
LegendBook early to get a campsite on the beach! There are 3 campgrounds in total, the two on the water are amazing. The one on other side of the road from the beach is okay. The beach was beautiful, the water clear, and just a short drive from Mackinaw city!
TravelerI tent camped here with my parents, and came back often with my own children. Far enough from Mackinaw City for peace and quiet, near enough to visit all the attractions during the day. Tall trees and a beautiful beach. It,s a great vacation destination. One of the best state park campgrounds in a state full of beauties.
TravelerGreat campground only about 15 minutes from mackinaw city. Vault toilets but they are kept clean. Front desk was very nice and helpful. The tent site we stayed at had a good view of the lake and passing ships. Just a short 30 second walk from our site to the beach. Other sites are fairly close by but there is pretty good tree coverage for privacy from other campers.
Ranger
If you have a big Class A RV and need a full hook up and a pool, this place will work. We paid $165 a night and were surprised that it was just a gated community for RVs with a pool. Lots of the amenities were broken or not available (hot tub jets broken, no hot water for showers, movie room broken). Some of these may be due to covid or just like of upkeep. Our site had a nice paved pad, but it wasn’t level and the concrete was painted so we were slipping off the levelers. The coach house had very limited hot water. Gas fireplace and grill was provided. The vibe of this place was gated community and not camping- wry little trees in property. A fine location to access the Petosky are. Overall we found it overpriced and boring. We thought it would be luxury for the price, and it was “meh.”
Ranger
Typical KOA! It was really nice, clean, and the people were helpful! The pool was great for swimming, and mackinaw city is a great place to walk around and explore! Also recommend visiting the Headlands Dark Sky Park about 10 mins away, awesome views of the stars over Lake Michigan 🙂
LegendIf you've camped at a KOA before, then you know what you're getting here. Easy on, easy off I-75. It's close to the interstate, but the noise was never intrusive. Mostly because of the stiff wind blowing out of the North.
The sites are tight, particularly the inside pull throughs. The back in sites are more spacious, though that's relative. Site 7 is a very spacious back in site. 1-6 are by Trails End Road, but it isn't really that busy or noisy. I would get a back in site, especially if you can get away with 30 Amp service. 16-20F are back in sites with 50 Amp. There are some deluxe pull throughs with patio & grill on site. There are some extra long pull through sites.
There are the usual KOA amenities like a heated pool, playground, a game area & bike rental. There's a nice hiking trail in the back. It takes you to the bike trail, so back track back to the campground unless you want to walk on the bike trail/road.
What makes KOAs & this KOA special are the clean bathrooms & showers. It's always a pleasure to know that a shower will be KOA clean!
Staff was courteous & efficient. They delivered ice & wood to your site.
This is a good base camp for the area. I would stay again if in Mackinaw City!
ScoutVery nice campground, great service, facilities and location! You must go to Darrows Restaurant Mackinaw City!! You will thank me for sure, ya it’s that good! Have a piece of their pie. They sell over 110 pies per day….everything from peach to coconut cream!
LegendThis very popular state park is a real winner due to its gorgeous remote location, sandy beaches, and crystal clear waters along the shores of Lake Michigan-- located just southwest of the iconic Mackinac Bridge. The sunrises and sunsets alone are worth the price of admission! And, we lucked out to be camping during a meteor shower, one of the best we’ve ever seen. We laid out on the beach and watch the night sky for hours.
All of the sites have electric hookups and are rather packed together, so there is literally no privacy between them if it’s a busy time of the season. The sites along the lakeshore are the best, and have direct beach access, but you need to be the early bird and make a reservation the morning that they open up. The campground hosts do a great job of keeping this park very clean.
Because of all the cool things to do and see at this park, we honestly didn’t sit around much during the day. We hiked, biked, swam, snorkeled, and paddled our hearts out. We made it out to the most remote islands that are part of the park and even found Petoskey stones along the shores. Some of the finest Lake Michigan paddling we've done!
We can’t comment on the bathrooms and there were simply too many people at this campground for us to feel comfortable using them during a pandemic, so we set up our own portable shower and toilet tent and it worked just fine. We would highly recommend this option to others who don’t have a bathroom in their camper or are tent camping.
The closest “real” grocery store is in Mackinaw City, about 30 minutes away. But, Mackinaw City is a total tourist trap, so I’d avoid going there unless that is your thing. There is a small general store for snacks, ice cream, ice, and adult beverages about 4 miles outside of the park.
GuideOne of the best state campgrounds. This is a very large park and can be hard to get into. It has wonderful trails around it, good sized sites, an active ranger program for kids. There is the upper campground (Pines), which does not have direct views or water access, but is a great campground. The lower section is on the water. There is beach access for all campers along the water and gorgeous views of the Mackinaw Bridge. It's a great hub for all the activities in the area: the dark sky park, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, etc.
Traveler
We stayed here for 4 nights during the July 4th weekend. The campground is terrific from the moment you check in. We had an electric only site along the back and the sites were huge and level with tons of trees. The lot butted up to state land. The grounds and bath house were clean and always had hot water for showers. The pool was incredible. It was huge and shaped as the state of Michigan! Activities were plentiful and included volleyball, shuffle board, carpet ball, mini golf and much more! The best part was how quiet the park was at night even when fully booked. We will definitely stay here again as it is only a 25 minute drive to Mackinaw City and to Petoskey, MI. P.S. Buy the fire starters they sell in the office. They are the best I have ever used!!
GuideThis campground is located just out of town in Mackinaw City, MI. The location of the campground is within 5 minutes of downtown Mackinaw, within 1-2 miles of a beach and about 10-15 minute drive of St. Ignace. The campground pretty small and quiet. We camped in a small back in site with water and electric hook-ups. There is one bathroom and shower facility but it looks like they are building another. The bathroom was clean and constantly maintained. The staff was friendly, and helpful. They offer trash pick up each morning and ice delivery. There is a small campground store with some basic essentials. There is some construction going on, but we haven’t heard any equipment and the area is fenced off with a privacy fence so we haven’t seen the construction either. Overall this campground is very nice.
TravelerWilderness State Park is one of my favorite campgrounds in northern Michigan. They have true rustic sites, where you have to hike into, usually a little over a mile. If you want to get away into your own space, Wilderness has it. There are plenty of trails to explore and of course some Great Lakes State waters! They also have regular campsites and cabins. I haven't stayed in those areas, but have checked them out and they look great. My focus is always on the rustic!! Also, Wilderness opened a dark sky park this past year as well. If you want to explore some gorgeous dark night skies in Northern Michigan, I suggest checking it out!
ScoutWe had a great time here. We rented a cabin for the whole family. The cabin was clean a very cozy.
ScoutMy wife and I spent the first day and night of Memorial Day weekend at one of the cabins here and absolutely loved it. Private and peaceful with unmatched views of the night sky over the lake. The cabins are simple but perfect for the basics of what you need for a great time outdoors.
Scout
They gave us a bogus charge of 50$ several days after we left, for smoking in a cabin. Myself, my wife and our 4 year old son do not smoke. Never have never will. The bogus charge is being disputed but that’s not the point. Warning to others to find somewhere else to camp, at least if you’re renting a cabin. What a scam operation.
TravelerWe booked site 118 for the third week in October and really enjoyed our stay! A few things to note:
- The showers and camp office were both closed when we arrived (10/23/24). I asked a park ranger and he said they typically close around the first week in October. If this is the case when you arrive too, you check in at the camp office using the phone in the yellow box which will direct you to a park employee. You will need your reservation number and license plate number ready.
- Don't forget to purchase your Michigan parks vehicle pass, which is separate from your camp reservation.
- Surprisingly, the potable water spigot near our campsite (just a short walk away) was still on! I know there was another review on here that said it was off already by mid-October, but it was on for us!
- You are a stones throw away from your parking spot, although some spots do align directly with their site most are not actually on their site, but still very close.
- Pets are not allowed on the beach during piping plover nesting season (April I believe.)
The beach front sites like ours are really really neat. You have a pretty good view of the water and your own private path right down to the beach. Keep in mind, you are likely to experience high winds. There were a couple days where our tent was getting buffeted around and starting a fire was challenging.
I know a lot of the reviews say it's a pretty loud, busy campground, which I'm sure is the case in the warmer months. When we were here it was a virtual ghost town. All the RV spots next to us were completely closed for the season and we had no neighbors at all until Friday night. When neighbors did arrive they were quiet--but that's always luck of the draw!
Site 118 is within view of the vault toilet, which supports around 6 sites so if it had been busier there would have been quite a few people coming and going in front of our site. I think if we went again while the showers and camp office were open we would maybe go for a different site slightly farther from the bathroom and with a bit more tree cover (122 looked quite nice if I remember correctly.)
We had no issues at all with wildlife.
There is a little store called Cecil's Trading Post 5 min drive away from the campground where they have an honor system for firewood--cash only, of course. The store itself was closed while we were there, but we bought firewood from them. It looked like you could maybe also get ice on the honor system.
Mackinaw city is quick to get to and there were plenty of restaurants and attractions still open when we were there even though it was right on the cusp of the off season. If you want to drive over the bridge into the UP, it's a 4 buck toll each way for cars FYI.
We stopped at a local brewery very close to the campground called Biere de Mac, which I highly recommend--great beer, good food, big open grassy outdoor area that allows dogs, and super friendly.
Happy camping!
Legend
Lime Island Recreation Area is located in the St. Mary’s River at the very east end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It sits in the middle of the river with Canada on one side and Michigan on the other. Raber, Michigan is the nearest shore town, 2 miles across the river. The only way to reach the park is by boat but there are no designated ferries, so the only way to reach it is by using your own boat or finding someone in the area with a boat willing to charter you and your gear. Non-motorized boats are not recommended due to the many freighters and choppy water conditions.
Overnight accommodations include six cabins that can sleep between four and seven guests each, as well as 10 tent sites on wooden platforms that look out over the river. The park is a favorite among fishermen, couples, and large families who like to rent out all the cabins for annual reunions.
A boat slip comes with your reservation. The island has limited electricity (solar-powered only) and no running water. Portable toilets are provided and there is a pump for a potable-water well. Cabin guests need to provide all their own gear, including sleeping and cooking supplies and equipment.
Approximately 7 miles of hiking trails traverse the island, providing guests the chance to wander, explore and possibly encounter wildlife. With so little human activity you never know what you’ll find.
One of the favorite pastimes of guests is sitting and watching the large Great Lakes freighters pass by at all hours of the day. They pass so close to the island you feel you could almost touch them. It’s quite a sight!
There's a ton of history on the island, some of which is still visible. According to the Michigan DNR, “Lime Island provides a significant representation of early 20th-century industrial and maritime history. The coal dock, fuel storage tanks, Quonset hut with bunker, fuel heating and pumping equipment, other supporting buildings, and scattered industrial equipment, provide a complete picture of the island’s use as a ship refueling depot. The schoolhouse, superintendent’s house (that was brought to the island by dragging it across the frozen river), cottages, and fruit trees remind visitors of island life for the workers that supported the depot.”
It's not an easy state park to reach, but if you can find a way to get there, the seclusion should make for some great camping on the tent platforms (or hanging out in the cabins if you're into that sort of thing.)
Guide
We have been going yearly to the cabins in Cheboygan State Park for many years and have stayed at each cabin they offer. All of them are great, vault toilet and hand pump for water, drive up (although the road in can be a little rough). Some have better beach access then others, 2 of them have firepits on the beach to enjoy the amazing sunsets. Excellent view of the bridge and many large boats going by, perfect photo opportunity!
GuideClean restrooms and showers, cozy little cabins of all different sizes. Would go there again.
Legend
My only major ‘complaint’ with this campground is that there is only 1 mini cabin. It was awesome! Very clean and well maintained. Many RV’s in the park, so we were happy to not be in a tent. The camping sites were not large and not secluded, so keep that in mind when choosing a campsite. The park offers a nice sandy beach, but we mainly used it as a ‘home base’ for checking out other upper Michigan attractions.
TravelerNice quiet park, cute cabins, nice spots throughout the park. Short walk to a clean beach. Ranger programs for kids, nice playground.
ScoutGreat park have camped there multiple times in the cabins and in a tent. Right on the water with great trails for hiking and walking a dog.
Ranger
Beautiful view Dump near by it can get smelly and hospital local can be noisy, neither bothered us. Right on the water, very close to town, good park in town but not super kid friendly.
One cabin
They view is worth it!
Traveler
Pickerel lake views are the best. The houses and cabins have beach views. The campground is off the water a small walk but very nice sites with different hookup options. Can accommodate large RVs in the drive through lots and the smaller sites have nice privacy.
Scout
Love being shaded by full mature trees everywhere yet the campgrounds are very well cared for inside and out. We’ve chosen to rent a cabin. Simple yet clean. I’m a bit fussy about having a firm mattress; no problem, I brought a firm air mattress to put over their marine covered like mattress. My brother put his 38’ trailer on a pad with full hookups. We wanted to follow figure out the best scenic bike route to get into Petoskey and beyond toward Charlevoix to go along the shorelines as much as possible. Customer service is amazing and they printed of a map for us as well. Lake Michigan beach is about a 5 minutes drive.
GuideThe KOA campground is close to Petoskey, but outside town enough to be a bit quiet. A short drive to breweries, wineries, and dinner.
There are amenities that would be good for a family and also big enough for a peaceful weekend for couples. There is a stream that runs through the middle of the cabins for a peaceful setting.
Cabin camping near Mackinaw City, Michigan, offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, making it an ideal getaway for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Mackinaw City, MI is Wilderness State Park Camping with a 4.5-star rating from 72 reviews.
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