Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Higgins Lake, MI

W.O.W. This is the CLEANEST campground I have ever been to. Seriously not 1 cigarette but or candy wrapper on my site when I arrived. Picnic tables are freshly washed. Sites around#40 are spacious and shaded all day which was awesome. No mats allowed but it was great as the grass is green and lush. Store has apparel, camping tools, and ice cream. Kids ran there every day and it is affordable and friendly. Pool is super clean as well as the bathrooms. Loved the online check in process so there was no delays and we just pulled right into our site. If you have pets there is a fenced in dog park with pick up bags and mowed trails for daily walking or biking. We will be back!!!  WIFI too!

This is one of our families favorite places to camp. Higgins lake is beautiful. The water is less than waist deep for about 100 yards out and then drops off to about 90' deep. The water color is amazing when the sun is out. There is a massive boat launch in a protected lagoon. The campground has about 400 sites. There are a few sites with full hook-ups. some of the sites are difficult to get into once you get up into the trees away from the water front.  Getting a site here during the summer can be very difficult. You will want one of the sites closer to the lake.  If you want one of these sites, you will need to be ready to book the site 6 months in advance. There is also a camp store that sells ice cream and homemade pizza.

Ive been wanting to paddle Higgins lake for a long time but never did because I know I am not a huge fan of state parks.... especially the large, crowded ones like this. You know what though? This place wasn’t all that bad! It was busy, there was a TON of sites, and not much space between neighbors... but, the sites were heavily wooded, the boat launch/lake was beautiful, and our neighbors were very friendly. So honestly, it could have been much worse. I could see how this place would be ideal for large families and small children. Lots to do and plenty of other kids to play with. Also a great spot for people who use trailers, campers, and pop ups, rather than traditional tents.

The location of this campground is great and it's best feature in my opinion! This park is just two miles to downtown Traverse City (one of Michigan’s most popular resort towns), a quarter mile from a pretty beach and the beautiful blue waters of Lake Michigan, and it sits along the TART Trail which is a 10.5-mile bicycle trail running through the city.

While the park is small at just 47 acres, it holds pretty many campsites – approximately 350 (and two cabins). Campsites are set among tall pine trees so there is a bit of shade but that also means that they are sandy with little grass. Roads are paved and narrow if you are trying to maneuver with a large (40+ RV) and you may have difficulty backing into your site with the numerous trees lining the road. All sites are back-in with electric. Sites and patios are sandy with varying degrees of levelness. There is a dump station and water spigots are scattered throughout the campground. Picnic tables and fire pits are at each site. Sites are $31/night ($49/night for the cabins) and reserveable online.

This park is right on US-31/M-72 which means there is easy access in and out but it can be noisy if your campsite is close to the road. Expect the campground to be very busy on weekends and in the summer and tightly packed.

Amenities include: picnic area, beach, fishing, hiking/bicycling trail, three bathhouses, playground area, camp store, pet walk (no off-leash dog park).

Outside of the park there is a lot to do in Traverse City. Early July is the ever-popular Cherry Festival which lasts for a week. But you better book your campsite early if you want to enjoy all the festivities (which happen to be close to the park). The summer farmers market is great and held every Wednesday and Saturday. Early in the season, asparagus is plentiful and locally-grown asparagus is the best you will ever have being super sweet, tender, and inexpensive. For beer drinkers, consider paddling the beer trail that takes you from Boardman Lake to Lake Michigan and past numerous breweries where you pull over for a pint. If it's ice cream you want, you have come to the right place. There are multiple creameries with Moomer's being our favorite and for some reason eating it right at the farm stand was the best.

Stayed here before the 4th of July for the weekend and was really impressed with the facilities and size of spaces at the campground. For being such a busy campground (since there is a boat launch) the sites are still quite large! We were able to fit 2 large tents, a small tent, 2 cars, 1 boat trailer and a sun shade for our gear with plenty of room to spare.

The restrooms (which I am told were recently renovated) were very clean.

The beaches were well maintained and plenty of space to moor boats overnight.

In addition to the boat launch there is also a camp store down the road with tons of snacks, camping gear/utensils, and Higgins lake souvenirs.

I will definitely return again! Be sure to catch a sunset from the campground beaches, you won’t regret it!

If you aren't familiar with this lake it is extremely clear (see video) and very large, there are 2 sandbar areas which are very popular providing 3-4 feet water to hangout in.