Manistique is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Manistique. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Michigan camping adventure.
"Great site located between two lakes. In response to the previous review, your best directions will come from locating the site on your GPS (in our case Google Maps) and dropping a pin."
"We did have to clear a bunch of down trees to get down the road but we had the site and the lakes to ourselves. It was gorgeous."
$8 / night
"Quiet, secluded campsite on McKeever Lake. Very large site with a pit toilet nearby and two access points to Bruno's Run Hiking Trail (9 miles) near the parking area."
"The eastern side of the park is definitely quieter and less populated than the western half, but even the western half is pretty quiet except near Chapel."
"Campground Review
The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is great for backpackers. We camped at Lowney Creek and parked at the Beaver Lake Basin Overlook. "
$15 / night
"its in the middle of nowhere, on a lake, super freaking beautiful and theres hardly many people around. i cant wait to go back honestly. vault toilets & no showers, no electric either. super rustic"
"Great little campground in the middle of nowhere. 15 minute drive off the beaten path keeps the crowds away. Couple spots right on the water. Vault toilets were fairly clean and stocked."
$15 / night
$8 / night
"Rock island SP is a dark sky spot and combine that with lesser people around, it was a perfect location for stargazing!"
"We stayed at backpacking site B. In our opinion the best backpacking site in the island. It's secluded, tree covered but offers great views of Lake Michigan."
LegendIt just so happened we were there on the very last night they were open for the season. And yet they still had over half the sure booked! It's a small campground, but very near the lake, and the coolest part is the old blast furnace (hence the name of the camp on the bay) on display. Mother Nature took it over, but you can feel the history!
A few spaces are actually on the water front with beach access, but one is taken by the camp host, the other two are reservable.... And they were reserved. But there were others, all within an easy walk of the sand. Ours was tucked in the woods, others more exposed, all with fire pits and grills and picnic tables. Even a hanging post of some sort. Drinking water was also a perk.
There is no electric and there are no showers, but vault toilets are centrally located. There is an adjacent park with more tables and grills. Even though there were a lot of RVs, we heard no generators the night we were there.
This is a forest service campground in the Hiawatha Forest. Sites are $20 each as of 2019.
RangerHurricane River Campground is a rustic campground located along the Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore. The campground is accessible from Au Sable Point Trial Rd, or by Hiking along the North Country Trail. Campsites here are first come first serve. This campground has a Upper and a Lower sections of campsites. The lower section has 11 sites and is close to the shores of Lake Superior. The Upper section has 10 campsites. Some Sites will fit trailers but some are tent only. There are a couple sites for handicap visitors. Handicap sites become available each day to the rest of the public after 6 p.m. if not occupied, they do ask that you leave the next day at your earliest convinces rather than the 12 p.m. normal check out time, so if a Handicap person does come looking for a site the next day early it is available for them to use. This Campground is Rustic and offers vault toilets, drinking water, and trash/recycling bins. And I did see 1 bear box for food storage. Each site has a fire pit, picnic table, and a lantern pole. Each site was separated from the next site by trees, so your sites were so what private.
Each section of the campground has a Kiosk that has a drop box for payment of your site, and information on weather and actives that are in the area, along with the campground rules. There are lot's of things do keep you busy around this campground. You are located along the Pictured Rocks NLS. You can take a 1.5 mile hike along the shores of Lake Superior to the Au Sable Light House stopping to see old ship wreck remains. There are lot's of hiking trails around including the North Country Trail that begins in New York and ends in North Dakota. You could also just spend the day hanging out on the beach, and checking out the small waterfalls along the Hurricane River. The beach and river mouth is located a short walk from the Lower section of the campground, if you are staying at the Upper it is a 0.2 mile hike through the woods to the beach.
If you are planning on staying at this campground I would recommend that you arrive early to get a site especially in the summer months. Be aware of other close campgrounds as back up in case the campground is full. Little Beaver Lake Campground and Twelvemile Beach Campground are a couple that are close by.
Scout
LegendWhen camping here, bring your kayak inland off the beach. The strong winds here should not be trusted. You can access the campground by North Light Creek beach. It's about 10 miles from William's Landing. Primitive latrine, food storage pole, and fire ring. Benches are at the campsite as well. Grand Island is a beautiful place to explore!
TravelerI loved this campground. I wish we were on the lake side for the spectacular views, but it's not a long walk over to watch the sunset or enjoy your morning cup of coffee.
Our site had a pole for a lantern, picnic table, fire ring and tent pad. The water spigot was a few sites over as was the vault toilet. The vault toilet was clean and didn't smell. There were many garbage cans.
Our site was large and private. We had neighbors on either side of us but didn't hear them or see them from our site.
The flies were extremely bad or first day but not our other two days. Bring lots of DEET for you and permethrin or something for your dog just in case!
Overall great experience and can't wait to come back!
LegendGeneral: Very small (12-site) rustic campground on Lake Superior (Pictured Rocks National Seashore); although none of the sites have a direct view or access to the lake, it is just a short walk down some steps to a small but rocky beach. Reservations are required. Same-day reservations are accepted (but the campground was full when we were there).
Site Quality: All sites are wooded and spaced a very decent amount of space apart, providing ample privacy. Each site has a tent platform and fire ring with grill grate. No hookups or any type.
Bath: Two vault toilets only. Clean but no hand sanitizer so make sure you bring that and a flashlight at night!
Activities: A short walk to Au Sable Lighthouse (1.5 miles). We took our chairs and a light snack to the beach to enjoy the sunset.
We appreciated the privacy that foliage provided between sites and generally like small campgrounds compared to large ones. This was only an overnight stay for us. We did not check out the Upper Unit of the campground, about two miles from the Lower so don’t know how many sites are there or what they are like.
LegendThis campground is 15 minutes away from Manistique but feels quite remote. Campsites are in a couple loops. The first one seems set up for multiple family or friend campers. A volleyball net and horseshoe pits are found here. These also had less shade. Driving towards the small boat launch will uncover a couple more sites with more privacy. We saw one camper set up there with his teardrop camper.
The river is a medium size that looks nice for canoeing. Fishing seems to be another draw. We moved on to avoid the flies but in the right season this would be a nice getaway spot.
GuideThe channel marker campsite is the perfect distance (about a half mile on a well maintained flat trail) from the ferry dock and could be accessed by water too! There is a primitive toilet at the site along with a bear pole and storage locker, and a campfire ring with grill top. The site is private yet still close to the trail with an adjacent trail down to the beach, both areas include beaches.
The site requires that all tents are placed within 15 feet of a sign which only grants space for 1 tent easily. We also were able to fit one hammock within these guidelines.
There is provided firewood at most all the other campsites we walked by, but no wood was provided to this site.
Also note the bugs (mosquitoes and flies) are horrendous! Even with strong deet spray. Good idea to invest in the bug net gear the ferry service recommends!
TravelerI have been visiting this campground since the early 90s with my family. My Dad used to come here when he was young. It does not have all the modern “glamping” amenities - no water/electric hookups here! No showers or running water! Outhouses only! And that’s just how it should stay. Half of the campsites have direct private lake access for swimming or boating purposes. The other half cozy up against the deep woods. All campsites are decently private, with a fair amount of foliage and woods separating all of them, unlike some places where you pitch a tent ten feet from your neighbors. There is a boat launch and a fish cleaning table, and every site has a picnic table and a metal ringed fire pit. This is perfect for the true rustic tent camper. I spent five days here in early July 2020 with nothing but my motorcycle and a two person tent, and it was all bird songs and wildlife. The only downsides are that there’s only one location to dispose of trash, so you could have a decent hike to do so, and the fact that there’s no electric hookups means glampers tend to run generators which can be a little annoying. But this is a wonderful place and it holds many good memories for me!
Tent camping near Manistique, Michigan offers a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the serene beauty of the Hiawatha National Forest. With a variety of campgrounds to choose from, you'll find the perfect spot to pitch your tent and unwind.
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