Best RV Parks & Resorts near Manistee, MI

Nice RV park with full hook up. Tight, close spacing for some of the sites. For the price I thought it would have more space. Indigo has a nice atmosphere plenty of trees and a nice pool. Plenty of kids for my son to play with. Playground was very disappointing! I would come back but I would be more than happy to try other RV Parks.

My goal is always to find campgrounds that are in state park or national forest settings, but with all the conveniences of a private campground. It’s a bonus if there are lots of things to do in the area. Indigo Bluffs delivers on all fronts. We had a lovely, shaded, level, spacious site which most of them seemed to be.

The campground was large - it’s actually two parts - an RV resort for large fifth wheels and Class As and another campground for everyone else. I really liked the regular campground as it had a lot more shade than the RV resort area.

Indigo Bluffs is close to Empire which has a beach and Joe’s Friendly Tavern. Joe’s has excellent hamburgers and plenty of beer variety. It is also close to a trailhead for the Sleeping Bear Dunes Heritage Bike Trail. The Sleeping Bear Dunes trail is wonderful, a bit hilly, but oh so scenic! It is also close to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park and the infamous Dune Climb. We took a short drive to Sutton’s Bay and rode on the Leelanau Bike Trail to Traverse City. If you do this, be sure to stop at Farm Club on the way back. Excellent brewery and farm-to-table restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and a farm market.

We will definitely return to Indigo Bluffs!

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!!!

Ashley here from The Dyrt! It was great to add this property that was purchased in 2007. This RV Park has been operational for over 10 years! Let’s help them out and leave some reviews!

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

We had a large family camp weekend at Stony Haven. We had 5 sites (21-25) pack to capacity with 32 people.  They owners allowed use to squeeze in a few extra bodies more than their policies specify.

They offer so much at the campground!! We rented bikes and tubes, but they also rent canoes & kayaks (including launch & pickup), pedal cars, yard games and wifi hotspots.  They have a nice playground with swings, a sandbox, slide and climbers.  Adjacent to the playground is a large pavilion with charcoal grills and a volleyball quart.

The tent sites were very nice. Well maintained, each with their own fire ring, a picnic table,  water spickets and electric.  They also have full hookup sites for RVs, rustic sites and mini cabins.

There is a walking path around the back of the campground. It cuts through the woods and past a pond.  My kids (ages 1.5, 3, 5,& 6) spent hours at the pond catching frogs.

The bathrooms were clean and checked several times a day. There were public bathrooms with a few stalls and a shower, but there were also 2 private bathrooms with showers, one of which was handicap/family.  There were 2 additional private shower rooms.  They also have a laundry facility ON SITE!!!!  This came in very handy when I opened up my canvas hammock and found mold.

There is access to Stony Lake across the street and that connects to Lake Michigan.  There was an awesome county beach 5 min down the road on Lake Michigan.  It was right where the big lake meets the outlet for Stony Lake, Benona County Park. When they weren't at the pond my kids were playing in the sand and swimming at the beach.  I love little outlets like this because they are usually shallower and warmer than the big lake and are great for my littles.

They offer a short worship service on Sunday mornings for all that wish to participate. 

They owners were so sweet and easy going. We called several times to adjust our reservation right up to the day before and they gracefully tolerated our shuffling and were able to accommodate us. They even allowed us to leave our packed trailer at the site while we spent the afternoon at the beach after checkout.  We came back to the site ate, used the bathroom, hooked up the trailer and took off for home.

We have stayed here several times. Wooded sites and a decent amount of space. The staff is friendly and they are very helpful in finding a good site based on what you are looking for. The campground is convenient to Sleep Bear Dunes, Traverse City and all the nearby activities. I would give it 5 stars but it is a bit pricey. We always stay at the RV Park and not the Resort. The Resort is for big rigs only.

The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness is dispersed camping, and nearby is Lake Michigan Campground with tent and dry rv camping. We stayed there and almost had the whole place to ourselves.

Be warned- there is no cell service or wifi, so plan ahead and let people know you won’t be reachable. And then enjoy being disconnected :)

The campsites were big and beneath mature trees for max shade and privacy. There’s a small bath house with flushing toilets. No hook ups or electricity of any sort. Camp hosts sold ice and firewood and there was potable water.

The dunes are a quick walk and well worth it. There is a trail from the campground right down to the beach. We hiked all day and lounged on the beach. Dogs are welcome on-leash.

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.

Really cool rustic sites as well as full hookup sites for rv and a boat access to lake Hamlin that you can take right out to lake michigan. In a very convenient spot right in between ludington and Big Sable point lighthouse. Only downside is if you're staying in a tent the showers aren't updated so hopefully the owners get on that but that's it for the bad! This place was awesome and very cozy with nice access. Definitely going back again.

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.

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!

lots of options here from full hookup to walk in tent sites. we prefer the non electric loop which tends to be much more quiet. took a star off for the reservation system which was put in place a few years ago. sites have to be reserved now, no showing up and being assigned a site. because of this people book them up “just incase” making it’s very hard to get a site and resulting in a lot of empty sites. it’s very frustrating. we used to stay here once a year but have since started staying at one of the state forest campgrounds nearby.

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.

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

I cannot overstate how well maintained and setup this campground is. Amenities galore, very friendly staff, and sites are well thought out. You cannot reserve individual campsites which is a bummer as not all sites are the same. The east side of the campground has the river and lots of mature trees for shade. The west side is nearly wide open to the sun. Only saplings trees that where planted when the campground was build in 2015. Their website has all the information you need so a couple of notable things that you won’t find there.

The whole place is clean. Very clean. They even pick up your garage from your campsite every day. The camp store is surprisingly well stocked with everything you could forget at home. And it’s clean (did I mention that?). If you purchase ice, firewood, or propane from the store they will deliver it to your site for free! Very nice touch. Also they have a lot of activities scheduled for the kids on a daily basis. They post the weekly schedule everywhere and the events are well run. You will never get bored staying here. Lastly this campground is quiet. After it gets dark about 10pm the whole campground seems to go to bed. I stayed over the 4th holiday weekend and the place was completely full and all you here is crickets. This is a huge plus in my family camping book.

I did a through investigation of all the sites for when we come back and found these to be the best for various reasons. But since you can’t reserve specific site you can request them. Here they are in no particular order.

Best RV sites: 50, 39, 76, 32 Best tent sites: 152, 138, 142, 50, 39, 32

Listen to the individual videos for info and review of the amenities