Looking for an adventure where you can explore Mount Pleasant and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Mount Pleasant, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Explore Deerfield Nature Park while hiking the beautiful 8 miles of trails. This Isabella County Park has trails perfect for hiking and biking on over 591 acres of land. Some of the trails run along side of the Chippewa River, with crossings at four bridges which include two swinging bridges, Lewis Pontiac Bridge and the Fisher Annex Covered Bridge. While exploring Deerfield, toss a disc or two around at one of the two 18 hole, state of the art, Disc Golf Courses. Bring along your camping gear for a rustic camping experience your family and friends will enjoy.
$20 - $25 / night
$15 - $25 / night
Owning a campground has been a dream of ours, and my family wanted to make this dream a reality. Our family has reached a new phase of our life. When we came across "Lost Haven" in 2013, we knew this was the right place for us. This campground offers a perfect beginning for us to develop the same kind of camping experience we enjoyed as a family.
This campground was established in 1975 and closed in 2012. Our hope is to reestablish this campground and grow with our present and future guests to come. We hope you enjoy your stay as much as we will enjoy having you.
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
$15 / night
ScoutThis was a great place to camp! Spot was on the lake, had plenty of spots to park an RV or tent camp, and had a playground for kids. Would recommend!
Scout
Each rv/trailer site is full hookup! Has both 50&30 amp. Tent sites also have water and electric. Has a pool, hot tub, mini golf, shuffleboard, and so much more! A quiet, relaxing place to get away from city noise.
Traveler
Decent sized and private sites. Clean restrooms, cute camp store. Nice beach and boat ramp. We’ve stayed here several times(both with our 5th wheel and just tent camping) and enjoy it. Staff could use some improvements- can be rude, unprofessional. Nice dog run for my mutts and mini golf course(has basketball, baseball, volleyball courts too). Overall, beautiful park.
TravelerI tent camped there July 2023 and the site was $20. The campground host was a very nice and helpful lady. There are electric at the sites and there were water supply spigots throughout the park. They do have free wifi, but it is very weak by the river sites. It is strongest near where the camp host is since the antenna is behind her camper. There was an old wifi access point plugged into my site's electrical outlet, but it was inoperative. Cell signal is good there though so it wasn't a big deal to me. Since I was tent camping I cannot attest to what size RVs and electrical amperage they have. The showers and rest rooms are locked at night. Just ask the campground host and she will lend you a key for the night. In addition to the main camping loop, there are about 12 river RV sites near the fairgrounds. It was fairly quiet being a week day. Just leave your trash in a bag near the lane and she will pick it up when she makes her rounds in her golf cart. A grocery store and a convenience store are across the road. You can book a site online via the village's website at https://marionmichigan.org/campground/ According to a google search the phone number is 231-667-0100. If that number is not valid the village office's phone number is 231-743-6801
Guide
They charge per person, so I paid $75 for my boyfriend and I to tent camp on the river for the 2 night minimum required. They are money grubbers who charge per person then put multiple parties on one site. Firewood available on site is soaking wet so had a lot of issues getting a fire started. Not much to do at the campground unless you want to pay an arm and a leg to rent one of their watercraft. Staff is incredibly rude and unhelpful. Everything they offer is an extra charge. Will not be returning here ever again.
Traveler
My husband and I have been going to Newaygo State Park for over 20 years. We started out tent camping and now have a pop camper. The thing we love most about this campground is the spacious site and that it is truly rustic with vault toilets and hand pumped water. Our kids also love this campground. They get to explore by themselves and there is plenty for them to do and keep busy. There is a playground, hiking trails, swimming area, geocaching, fishing, kayaking but the best part is the disc golf course. We spend a lot of time playing on the disc golf course. Have fun and just enjoy the outdoors.
Scout
I stayed in a friend's camper with my son for several nights in late September. The campground is very nice! The sites were large enough that it could hold a large camper and two vehicles easily. Some of the sites are a little uneven (the camper needed wood blocks underneath it so that the wheels weren't off the ground after leveling.
There are nice firepits and the firewood is cheap! 8 large pieces for $6, a wheelbarrow full of tinder for another $6. Bring a hatchet or axe because the wood pieces are huge!
There is a large beach with playground equipment, kayak and boat rentals (although those were closed due to COVID.
Modern bathrooms with showers, but honestly I never needed to use them (we had the trailer).
There are a few downsides:
Because it's so close to Grand Rapids and some other cities, it typically is full on the weekends. Booking a site can be troublesome. Our friends booked the site from Tuesday through Monday and it was totally full on Friday and Saturday night.
The lake is effectively a plate, so don't expect to do much fishing from shore. The water is incredibly shallow. (But that makes for a very nice beach!)
Overall, I wouldn't tent camp here simply because of the crowds on the weekend, but I'm glad I went. If you have a trailer and like the camping community, you would like this. If you're looking to get away from people for a while, keep looking. This isn't for you.
Guide
This is one of the best campgrounds for kids that I've ever visited!!!
The campground itself is beautifully laid out and maintained. It features roughly a 150 some odd sites ranging from tent sites to RV and cabins. Each site has a cement fire ring and electric hookup. There are communal water spickets generously scattered around the grounds. The bathrooms and showers are very clean. They are closed an hour a day for thourgho cleaning and restocked and wiped down in the late evening. They have one large group camp area, but it is for organizational reservations only (as most of them are). Howeve, there is a cul-de-sac of 5 or 6 (I can't remember) sites off by itself. Those sites are very large (except the one on the end, which of course we had reserved for the weekend) and have huge space between them. There is also an additional parking pad there for overflow. Though they're not a sanctioned group site these would be perfect for it. We've already planned to reserve these sites next year for our large (35+people) family camp weekend. The drive around the campground is all paved and very long, so be sure to bring your bikes!!
Now for the amusements and conveniences. . . . . There is a small playground in the campground, but you have to cut through campsites to reach it. There are trails for hiking around the wider state park area as well as a few that lead across the street to the swim area and day park. Take a 2 min walk from the camp office across to the day park and you'll find the Spray by the Bay splash pad, a huge timber playground, beautiful sandy beach along Lake Huron, sandy swim area, geocaching, pavilions, well kept bathrooms and changing rooms. We spent all day at the park with 4 kids 6yrs and under and not a single on of them complained of being bored.
They have campground hosts that facilitate free activities organized by the park. We did a kids craft and enjoyed hot cocoa or coffee Saturday morning and then returned after dinner for Back-to-School bingo and popcorn. See pic of the August schedule for a better idea of what was offered.
They sold ice and wood at the camp office and there was an ice cream place next door to the park. It's a 5 min walk from the park office.
We didn't have to leave the park once all weekend. It was so relaxing to have everything we needed on hand and not have to run out for things.
One final note: there were quite a few May Flies. According to the park office they're pretty much there all summer. They weren't bad at the campground except at night around the bathrooms. We walked over to the day park before breakfast one morning and the playground was covered with them. As the day got hotter and the playground got busier there were hardly any, but that morning visit was rough. We actually abandoned the playground till later in the day.
TravelerCampground was perfect for tenting. Right by bathrooms and they were very clean. Short walk to the beach!
Scout
This place was so cute and the owners were very friendly. I tented with my 2 kids here for the weekend and will be going back for sure 😁
ScoutWe stayed in tents. At night it was peaceful, during the day it was very busy. The lake access was very busy.
Scout
family owned dog Freindly. Kids have activities hay rack rides and train rides heated pool tent and travel trailer some pull thrus all in all nice place
ScoutNot a great place to tent. Great place to stay with a small camper or RV if passing through Bay City or going to an event. Beach is not the most sanitary.
ScoutI stayed in a tent with my family. It was nice at night very quiet, during the day it was very busy, the site was very big. The lake access was extremely busy , there is options to rent a tube and boat
Ranger
There is something for everyone here. Tent, camper, or RV and fun for all ages with everything from 3 playgrounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and tennis courts, to a boat launch, fishing pier, and fish cleaning station. There is also a fairly large swimming area. The showers are actually nice and clean! The restrooms were surprisingly clean and modern as well. Firewood is available in bundles or loose and you stack it yourself. There are numerous picnic areas throughout the campground. There are picnic tables and fire rings at every site and hook up such as electric and water vary. Kids are riding their bikes all over, fishing, playing at playgrounds, the beach, everywhere. Everyone was very friendly. You probably don’t necessarily need a sleeping pad or air mat if you’re in a tent, but they’re always nice. The mosquitos weren’t bad at all! We stayed at site #226. You do need a county park pass, $6/day until 10pm or $25/year.
Scout
Pure Michigan
Traveler
Great spot. Friend rented out two plots in the rustic campsites. The walk from the parking lot to the site was a bit of a hike but it was nice to be near the lake and not a bunch of cars. Great fire pit and place to place tents.
TravelerRangers working the area are very friendly. Many options to choose from in terms of camping, from rustic, tent to fully functional cabin lodging. The park is very large, so it is always good to have a vehicle able to drive to the trails and beach. Campsites are decent sized, can fit probably 3 four person tents per site, which includes a concrete firepit and picnic table. In the north campsites there is a lot of tree covering, and there are a lot of walnut trees that were shedding a lot this time of the year. Bathrooms are well spaced between the campsites you, and have showers along with some vending machines outside of them. Spigots are scattered throughout and are very accessible. Be sure to bring at least 100 feet of extension chord if you want electricity, because the power ports are not as accessible from some areas. Overall very pleasant campground.
TravelerBrower Park is a quiet campground with three separate areas with sites. They accommodate large RVs as well as smaller trailers and tents. Each site has a fire pit and a picnic table. Electricity and water hookup is included at each site. Our site was near the Muskegon River and was very peaceful. Bathrooms and showers were clean and easily accessible.
ScoutRight across the road from Michigan's Adventure amusement park
ScoutWe go to sleepy hollow about every other year. Normally we go closer to the fall and it is a great park. This time, however, we could tell that the staff does not keep up on it as much. The firepit was surrounded by water, and our site (142) really only had dry space for one tent.
Guide
A friend and I stayed two nights in a tent. The campground is on the smaller side. You mostly see campers and RVs, many who stay seasonally. It felt like a community where everyone knows each other well. The couple on the neighboring campsite were incredibly friendly, offering help with fire starters and a hammer to pound down the stakes on our tent.
Our site had a fire pit, picnic table and electric hookup we used to charge cell phones. There wasn’t much shade but there are other shady sites in the campground.
While the river site was scenic, mosquitoes were of course having a feast! There was a play area for the kids, volleyball net and horseshoe pit. The camp store had the basics with hard pack ice cream for sale. There’s also a game room off the camp store with pool, ping pong and laundry room for longer visits.
You’re able to rent a tube, kayak or canoe to cruise down the Muskegon River. They were kind enough to shuttle us to the drop off point a couple of miles away.
There is a restroom/shower building that’s kept quite clean. The ladies room had three separate showers and I never had to wait for a turn during my stay.
It’s definitely a family campground so if you’re looking for a quiet camping trip, this place is perfect. It’s a bit far from the Detroit area for a weekend but I’d definitely return for a longer stay.
RangerI have camped here for years and really like it. The park is huge and there are lots of places to ride your bike. It's a typical Michigan state campground, not much different. Nice bathrooms and big lots.
Traveler
Black Creek State Forest Campground has huge sites with shade and sun; clean vault toilets with hand sanitizer; creek views and is very quiet despite a little road noise. Definitely recommend for someone looking for a mid-Michigan get-away.
The Chippewa Nature Center is about 10 miles away and has great trails; excellent visitor center and reconstructed 19th century homestead.
Guide
This is a really good family campground in the middle of Michigan. Campsites are spacious and wooded. There is a lake for swimming ability to fish and put in a kayak. Sites have electric with shared water. Campground registration is efficient and friendly. Wood can be purchased at the campground. The small town of Clare is nearby with groceries, ice cream, restaurants and gas.
Scout
I went camping here for my Birthday over Memorial Day weekend. This is a hidden gem in northern Michigan, our campsite was right on the lake where we were able to pull our boat right up to, plenty of private space, and so fun to fish. I will definitely be back!
Traveler
Great staff and very nice sites, lots of trees and a great little lake beach. Not too far from things to do in the area, and Lake Michigan fishing is only about 45 minutes away.
Nestled in the heart of Michigan, Mount Pleasant offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a peaceful retreat. With beautiful landscapes and well-maintained facilities, these campgrounds provide the perfect backdrop for your next adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mount Pleasant, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mount Pleasant, MI is Deerfield Nature Park with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Mount Pleasant, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 tent camping locations near Mount Pleasant, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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