Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Mears, MI has a lot to offer. Mears is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Mears. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
"Silver lake is one of the most beautiful areas you can go in all of Michigan. With dunes of it's own, & a perfect, calm crystal lake - it's great for swimming, kayaking and photography."
"But the location is awesome due to its proximity to the Silver Lake Off Road Vehicle Area, Lake Michigan, Silver Lake and the Little Sable Point Lighthouse. "
"Lol
My only suggestion would be to put in a fenced in dog park, but other than that, this is a must stop if ever in the Silver Lake area."
"The tent sites and full-hookup camper sites are separate (but there were a couple campers and plenty of pop-ups in our area) and the tent sites are grassy/wooded and on the edge of the campground."
"Clean facilities and closely located to Lake Michigan. Only drawback was how close the sites were to each other."
"Awesome location for camping, and is right on Lake Michigan. However, there is no grass and is pretty much all sand. As long as that doesn’t bother you, you will have a great time camping here."
"Silver Lake is a popular destination for off road vehicles, so this campground is always full of vehicles and traffic."
"Grocery store immediately off site within walking distance. Sand beach across the street on the shore of a beautiful lake or use the heated pool on site."
$38 - $60 / night
"We didn’t have a second vehicle so was trapped at the resort and close surrounding shops. The best thing about this park is the proximity to Silver Lake."
"Right in the heart of Silver Lake, this campground is the walking distance or a short drive to shopping, food and fun! the campground itself has a pool and game room for the the family."
"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 little town of Pentwater is close by. It is a neat place with shops and treats as well as art and a fancy grocery store. Plan to spend a day strolling the sidewalks there."
$40 - $160 / night
"Close to Lake Michigan and very clean! Will definitely come back"
"Locally there is a few lighthouses, parks, views of Lake Michigan. Ludington Bay Brewing was an excellent place for dinner and a drink."
"Sites were nice and level, we stayed at the western edge and only had neighbors to the sides of us. Campground was clean and serviced."
"Close to the dunes and the village of Silver Creek. Rent Jeeps at the village."
$46 - $69 / night
"But it improves dramatically as you drive over the hill and into the hollow where there are nicely spaced sites scattered across a field with a great playground and a path to Bass Lake."
"Whispering Surf has a private beach on Bass Lake--great fishing, sandy bottom, kayak and canoe rentals--plus 2 Lake Michigan beaches within walking distance."
$25 - $65 / night
"It is situated between Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan with several miles of beautiful shoreline along both lakes."
"You have easy access to Lake Hamlin and Lake Michigan for great swimming. Float down the creek to Lake Michigan or go hiking to the light house."
TravelerDefinitely the best camp ground in West Michigan! Clean sites, friendly staff, and many amenities. Camp store, laundry, showers and bathrooms, huge pool, hot tub, pickle ball courts, kids play ground, bikes, scooters, and kayaks for rent (with a kayak launch) and boat slips on the water. They have access to a dog park as well. Home away from home!
LegendThis park is a very nice RV park. All 257 sites are full hook-up (with cable), level, and have paved patios and for a $2 up charge you can get a paved site. Our site was super long (over 100’) and had a nice view of the large pond. There is pretty good separation between sites and on one side of us were large bushes that added privacy from our neighbors and the adjacent pathway. There are tent sites set off along one area of the park near the bathrooms. There are a few trees among the tent sites but they are not very private and located near the garbage dumpsters/recycle bins and on a main exit thoroughfare. There are also three “haciendas” for rent.
One of my favorite features of the campground was the fitness center. Poncho and his wife are triathletes so the facility is top notch with weight machines, free weights, cycles, treadmills, elliptical, medicine balls, and lots of bands. There are three heated pool on the property – two outdoor and one indoor with and two spas. Since we were there in mid-October the outdoor pools were closed but the indoor hot tub and pool were open (albeit, super crowded on the weekend with kids). There are two laundry rooms and three bathrooms that are very modern and clean. One of the cable television stations displays security camera footage around the property which was nice because I could see how full the laundry was before carrying all my stuff there. There is a game room for kids, playground, shuffleboard, and a clubhouse. There is a stocked pond on the property but it is only for kids (17 and under) to fish in. Cable television yielded 55 channels and WiFi was available at our site with a decent signal. The campground is very well-maintained with nicely mowed grass. The grounds crew was always working but they were not annoying with constant loud machines. There is a railroad track that runs behind the park but it does not get a lot of use so the noise was not too bad. If you don’t want to be near the tracks, ask for a site away from the south side of the park. There is an off-leash dog park but it really is too small and narrow for big dogs.
The campground is very convenient to lots of shopping and restaurants and within walking distance of a McDonalds, fruit market, drug store and grocery. Downtown Ludington is only about five minutes away which has a cute downtown with shopping, galleries, and restaurants. Ludington State Park is about 15 minutes away and has miles and miles of hiking trails and beach access. There is also a city park downtown which is along Lake Michigan with beach access and lots of room for a nice walk (but dogs are not allowed). The office staff was super helpful pointed out places to hike and things to do for the weekend. Also loved that they gave us a choice of sites and let us drive around the campground (in their golf cart) and pick out the one we wanted.
We camped here in an RV and really couldn’t find anything we didn’t like about it. New customers get a 10% discount and during our stay we fell into low season and nightly rates were discounted 50%. So for $28/night we got a really nice site with lots of amenities in a great location. If you are looking for a nice RV park at a great price near a nice coastal Michigan town, give this place a try.
GuideThis place is FUN!!!
The campground in itself is a blast. The waterpark, playground, hammock area, swings, biggest sand box ever, all the activities, and can’t forget the ice cream shop!!!
Then add in ATV access from the campground, waterfront sites to park your jet skis, and horse rides onsite!!
We never really wanted to leave! The staff were awesome! The grounds are well maintained and they have the best grass. Lol
My only suggestion would be to put in a fenced in dog park, but other than that, this is a must stop if ever in the Silver Lake area.
ScoutThe Layout of the campground is great. Perfect to bring your pets. Nice pools and close enough to the state park to go tubing or a beach day at Lake Michigan. Everything is close so you are not missing anything.
LegendSilver lake is one of the most beautiful areas you can go in all of Michigan. With dunes of it's own, & a perfect, calm crystal lake - it's great for swimming, kayaking and photography. Holiday Park campground was on the south shore of the lake, had a swim area, boat launch, and was immaculate. Pets were allowed and sites were very level for trailers. All sites had electric hook ups and they are sectioned out by environment, like woods, lakeside, up on the ridge line, and there's even island sites. I prefer the lake and island sites if you can get them. There's something about waking up to that lake that is dreamy!
TravelerThis is a great little camp ground right on Lake Michigan. Pretty open so not a ton of privacy but a nice set up to meet new friends. The campground sits above the lake so be ready to trek up and and down a large set of stairs but the beach and views are worth it! Water, outhouses, ice and firewood available. No showers. Pet and family friendly.
TravelerAwesome beach and/or forest locations for camping! Spots near the parking are but also some spots you can hike to. Beautiful all around. And pet friendly!
TravelerPretty standard Michigan State Park campground. Nice staff. Park maintenance is currently building a wood fence to keep folks away from steep bluff edge. Views of Lake Michigan fairly limited. If these were improved, this would be a much more popular park. I was very disappointed that their stairs to beach had been eroded near its base so you could no longer access beach but had to drive to one of two local beaches. I stayed one night and unfortunately had to camp next to a group who had a very barky, anxious large dog. Some folks need to leave their poorly trained dogs at home.
GuideGreat family campground - Paired with the area offers many options!
With mostly modern sites situated in hardwoods, pines, or a mixture, we stayed in the hardwoods area; however, my kids would have enjoyed the pines better for it appeared to have hammock hanging at almost every site. Well-maintained and clean restrooms had soda vending machines.
Children's play area with equipment and activity field, where several kites were hoisted high into the air, were great. Gillette Visitor Center in the State Park area about 1/4 mile away offers Explorer and interpretive programs Tuesday through Saturday, with topics ranging from nature history/preservation to information on wildlife. We enjoyed the spider and bear presentations most, but maybe that is because I have all boys! The campground beach, only a 5 - 10 minute walk from any site, was awesome! While there wasn't a lifeguard, I appreciated the "flag system" advising how safe the water is each day. Unfortunately, a red flag was flying on our visit, so we only waded at the water's edge- but - still cool to lay out on the sugar-like sand and walk its 3 mile length! I do regret not making it back to the beach for sunset as our camping neighbors RAVED about it the following morning!
My favorite part of this campground was the trails. In addition to several trails within the campground (the one along the creek was especially loved!), many more can be accessed in the state park, which contains over ten miles of trails in its 1,200 acres. Trails to dunes, beach, and other parks as well as dune preserve: all well-marked and vary in difficulty, weaving through pine and hardwood forests nestled among dunes. Plus, the adjoining North Ottawa Dune Preserve offers an additional ten miles of trails! OMG - what a phenomenal place for a walk in the woods or trail running! One of our walks was up a 5-story staircase near the nature center, leading to an observation platform with expansive views of majestic dunes and Lake Michigan. I was impressed that a portion was barrier-free.
Some family ventured into nearby towns of Muskegon, Spring Lake, and Grand Haven to experience what they had to offer: shops, museums, World War II boats, piers to walk, and several craft breweries - all 15 minutes away! Our dogs enjoyed the visit to the unleashed dog park at Coast Guard Park that is a ten-minute drive or a five-mile walk through the trails.
Logistics to note: Campground sells ice - $2/7# bag and wood/$5.50 a bundle. We quickly realized that residences outside the park sold it at $5 for larger bundles. Area grocery stores include a Meijer superstore and Leppinks grocery. We preferred Leppinks for the quick trip and Meijer for items beyond groceries, such as that forgotten bathing suit or a propane tank for the grill. While we don't have a big rig, I did notice the backup of campers at the two campground dump stations Sunday before 1pm checkout. Being a state park, Hoffmaster requires vehicles have a recreation passport to enter ($11/year -residents and $32/year -non-residents or a daily rate of $9). No alcoholic beverages between April 15 and Labor Day.
I talked to a ranger about coming back later this year, and he told me it is best to book months ahead for weekends because they fill up at the beginning of summer; however, cancellations are not uncommon, so watch the DNR site for openings. Weekdays usually have availability, especially the first half of the summer. He added that a great time to visit would be the weekend before Halloween as they encourage people to decorate their sites, wear costumes, and participate in trick or treating on Saturday night.
Discover the joy of camping with your furry friends near Mears, Michigan, where several campgrounds welcome pets and offer a variety of amenities and activities for an enjoyable outdoor experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Mears, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Mears, MI is Silver Lake State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Mears, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 155 dog-friendly camping locations near Mears, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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