Join the fun near Onekama. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Onekama is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Onekama camping trip.
Platte River Campground is located in the southern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. This year-round facility is one of the most popular campgrounds in the park. It is within walking distance of the Platte River and a short walk or drive away from the Lake Michigan shore. Hikers can access many of the area's day use and backpacking trails just north of the campground.Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25 to 32 C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10 to 25 C) at night. Winters are cold, with daytime highs from 20 to 30 F (-7 to -1 C) and lows in the 10s and 20s F (-12 to -7 C). Snow is usually on the ground from late November through March.
Campers can hike, canoe, kayak and fish on the river or the lake. There are canoe rentals at nearby Platte River Point, where the river meets the lake (the point also has beach access for those wishing to drive there). The Platte Plains trail system boasts more than 25 miles (40 km) of trails, some of which can be accessed a short walk away from the campground. Trails to the primitive White Pine backcountry campground are also close by.
The campground lies in a wooded area within walking distance of the Platte River and less than two miles (3.2 km) away from the beaches of Lake Michigan. Although the lakeshore is long and narrow, it has northern hardwood and conifer forests, abandoned farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs and splendid examples of a glacially formed landscape.The most prominent features in the park, and those for which it is named, are the perched sand dunes above Lake Michigan. The overlooks at Sleeping Bear, Empire and Pyramid Point bluffs are about 400 feet (122 m) above the lake. With 65 miles (105 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams, the park is wonderfully water-oriented.
For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.
$50 / night
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
$14 - $27 / night
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/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
$25 - $65 / night
Lake Michigan Campground is perched on the shores of Lake Michigan, 15 miles south of Manistee. The area creates an incredible setting with a scenic overlook of the lake and a sandy swimming beach. This family campground provides an array of hiking and biking trails, plus swimming, fishing and kayaking.
A hardwood forest gives way to a beautiful sandy beach at the shores of the lake with a playground for younger campers. Trout fishing in Lake Michigan is another big draw. Bird watchers delight in seeing unique species like the piping plover and prairie warbler. The Arrowhead Trail, a short loop trail created by Boy Scouts, forms a loop between the campground and the beach. A trailhead for the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is also within the recreation area.
The recreation area sits on the eastern banks of Lake Michigan along Porter Creek, due north of Hamlin Lake. As the second largest of the five Great Lakes, Lake Michigan provides stunning views and limitless options for water recreation. It covers a whopping 22,400 square miles and ranks as the fifth largest lake in the world. The Huron-Manistee National Forests encompass nearly a million acres of public protected land. Nearly 6,000 acres is wetlands that extend over the northern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
The nearby Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area has abundant trails for hiking and backpacking.
$27 - $32 / night
$20 / night
D.H. Day Campground is located in the northern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. This rustic campground is one of the most popular in Northern Michigan and is open (weather permitting) from April 27 through the last Sunday in November. Reservations are required May 1 through October 15. Campsites are within walking distance of the Lake Michigan shoreline and a short drive to many popular features in the park. Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25 to 32 C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10 to 25 C) at night.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore's rustic D.H. Day Campground is beautifully wooded. Campers can swim, canoe, kayak, fish and relax along the shoreline of the campground. The multi-use Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail passes through the campground opening up 20+ miles (32 km) of biking and hiking. There are canoe and bicycle rentals nearby in the village of Glen Arbor. The historic village of Glen Haven is a short 15-minute walk away. Multiple hiking trails, the Dune Climb, and the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive are just a short drive away. D.H. Day Campground is the perfect launching point for a fun-filled stay at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
D.H. Day Campground lies in the middle of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near the historic village of Glen Haven. The spacious wooded campsites are no more than a 5-minute walk to the Lake Michigan beach. Features include northern hardwood and conifer forests, old farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs, and splendid examples of glacially formed landscapes. The beautiful, perched sand dunes, for which the parked is named, are just a few minutes' drive from the campground.
D.H. Day Campground is within minutes of the lakeside Village of Glen Arbor and the Historic Village of Glen Haven. The Dune Climb and Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive are a short drive to the south. The Alligator Hill Trail is less than a mile away. The Crystal River winds its way to Lake Michigan just a few short miles to the north. The harbor town of Leland is approx. 30 minutes away and is the gateway to both North and South Manitou Island.
For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.
$10 - $20 / night
Pop open your lawn chair and relax by the crackling fire. Most sites have room for 4 folks, a camper or tent, a boat, a dog or two and a few kiddos :D We have a tiny cafe, a small playground, a fish station, warm showers and bike/kayak rentals! Hop on the Betsie Valley trail for a 3 mile adventure to ice cream, beaches, shops...so much! We are not a big concrete pad RV park, we are a nice small family owned campsite. We try and keep it quiet and calm (but still fun!) If you are looking for the far North Electric Forest, this is not the place. What we are is a great base-camp for all your awesome Northern Michigan adventures!
$33 - $85 / night
Northern Exposure Campground staff takes pride in our state-of-the-art RV campground. Our goal is to provide a memorable experience to campers of all ages. We are a nonprofit organization that's committed to providing our guests with clean, safe, and updated camping facilities, fun family entertainment, and a helpful and friendly staff ready to answer all your questions and assist you during your stay. Welcome to Northern Exposure Campground, thanks for staying and helping us be the best RV camping destination in Northern Michigan!
$30 - $45 / night
Platte River Campground is located in the southern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. This year-round facility is one of the most popular campgrounds in the park. It is within walking distance of the Platte River and a short walk or drive away from the Lake Michigan shore. Hikers can access many of the area's day use and backpacking trails just north of the campground.Summer temperatures range from the upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25 to 32 C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10 to 25 C) at night. Winters are cold, with daytime highs from 20 to 30 F (-7 to -1 C) and lows in the 10s and 20s F (-12 to -7 C). Snow is usually on the ground from late November through March.
Campers can hike, canoe, kayak and fish on the river or the lake. There are canoe rentals at nearby Platte River Point, where the river meets the lake (the point also has beach access for those wishing to drive there). The Platte Plains trail system boasts more than 25 miles (40 km) of trails, some of which can be accessed a short walk away from the campground. Trails to the primitive White Pine backcountry campground are also close by.
The campground lies in a wooded area within walking distance of the Platte River and less than two miles (3.2 km) away from the beaches of Lake Michigan. Although the lakeshore is long and narrow, it has northern hardwood and conifer forests, abandoned farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs and splendid examples of a glacially formed landscape.The most prominent features in the park, and those for which it is named, are the perched sand dunes above Lake Michigan. The overlooks at Sleeping Bear, Empire and Pyramid Point bluffs are about 400 feet (122 m) above the lake. With 65 miles (105 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline and numerous inland lakes and streams, the park is wonderfully water-oriented.
For local information, please call (231) 326-4700 or call (877) 444-6777 for general information.
$50 / night
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
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/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
$25 - $65 / night
Lake Michigan Campground is perched on the shores of Lake Michigan, 15 miles south of Manistee. The area creates an incredible setting with a scenic overlook of the lake and a sandy swimming beach. This family campground provides an array of hiking and biking trails, plus swimming, fishing and kayaking.
A hardwood forest gives way to a beautiful sandy beach at the shores of the lake with a playground for younger campers. Trout fishing in Lake Michigan is another big draw. Bird watchers delight in seeing unique species like the piping plover and prairie warbler. The Arrowhead Trail, a short loop trail created by Boy Scouts, forms a loop between the campground and the beach. A trailhead for the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is also within the recreation area.
The recreation area sits on the eastern banks of Lake Michigan along Porter Creek, due north of Hamlin Lake. As the second largest of the five Great Lakes, Lake Michigan provides stunning views and limitless options for water recreation. It covers a whopping 22,400 square miles and ranks as the fifth largest lake in the world. The Huron-Manistee National Forests encompass nearly a million acres of public protected land. Nearly 6,000 acres is wetlands that extend over the northern portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
The nearby Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area has abundant trails for hiking and backpacking.
$27 - $32 / night
$20 / night
Scout
This campground is centrally located to everything that’s going on, on the west side of the state. Whether it’s trail riding, Traverse City Cherry festival or hanging in the town of Manton. There is always something going on. Spacious, super clean bath house and on Saturday nights listen to live music right at your campsite!
Traveler
Was a quiet. Simple.. Just with nature...Site was clean, across street you can buy firewood ...Was a pleasant 2 night's....From site to the nearest store 15-20 min away..If needed...Had no issues...Be back Thanksgiving 2024..
Traveler
Access road is an unmarked two track that is not suitable for all vehicles. Campground is free and only six sites. Free and no registration attracts lowlifes who appear to have been there a significant amount of time or the whole season. If you have a leaky trailer that needs a tarp over the top, love having your pitbulls run wild, and firing up your generator, this may be the perfect spot for you. Not sure how the folks dragged the trailers into camp. Turned around and went elsewhere. Could have been a nice spot but...
Traveler
Conveniently located but proximity to the road makes it noisy. Locals drag racing on the nearby road subsided around midnight. Campsites were clean and spacious. I stayed at one of the two sites down the road by the boat launch. I stopped here after my first campground stop was full. This site will definitely get the job done but don't make this a featured stop.
Guide
After a decent ruck in, you have some immediate camped spots and can travel further for even more. Summer time is busy so get there early for a spot. Have been multiple times with bigger groups and have always found a spot for tents and hammocks. Enjoy hikes down the best for a distance view of the dunes and enjoy fires with lake views at night.
Guide
Beach was big and beautiful but you had to drive to get to it unless you love walking with a bunch of beach stuff in a bathing suit. Hamlin lake is close by and is a good spot for fishing.
Scout
Very nice park, walkway to the public beach, paved path behind the grounds. Modern, clean bathhouse. Not a lot of privacy between spots, big mature trees all through the grounds. Right by municipal airport with lots of flight activity.
Guide
Great location away from everything. Spacious sites that are spread out. We stayed in the Oak Loop. Only 5 minute easy walk to beach. Quiet. Enough cell reception to send a text but that's it. Pit toilets only in Oak and Violet loops. Flush toilets in hemlock and orchid loop. No showers, but showers available at convenience store down the street during the summer.
TravelerA small gem of a place. Park and pay to be in the National Forest...or disperse camping on Green Rd. We parked and hiked the mile and a half in to the Dunes. Take all your gear that you need if you don't want to trek back. Can not ride bike in or have anything with wheels on the trail. At the end of the Beautiful hike you come to the Dunes. Go to the right and you will see some spots to put a tent up(do not camp on Dunes or beach). To the right is easy walk and find. If you head to the left you will have to walk over some Dunes for a bit but this is where we went and found a perfect spot right where the forest and Dunes meet. Very short walk to the beach and it's AMAZING! We had it all to ourselves for hours. It's like looking at the ocean. Beautiful views, sunsets, night sky's. The water was warm and you could walk out a ways before it got deep. Great for swimming. It was perfect. One of my favorite spots away from the busy crowds. So worth the hike. Make sure you get wood and might have to hike it in. There is little to NO wood out there laying around. If you are willing to put the work in to hike out there then I promise it's worth it.
Guide
It’s a little cramped making it a bit overwhelming but the sites are nice and kept.
Traveler
Super close to manistee beach, came in on the weekend mid September, almost all the camp spots were taken. Forest was super eerie but beautiful.
Guide
Camp staff very friendly and park is well maintained. Nice hiking trails nearby and a 20 minute drive to a whole lot of entertainment!
Guide
The camping area is amazing. My group camped in the non electric section. Each area was set back from the road. Flat gravel pad. Small paved driveway for your car. It was peaceful. And absolutely dark at night. Perfect for star gazing. The comfort station was a short walk away. Clean bathrooms, shower areas, and a small room to wash dishes. You cannot wash dishes at your site. You must take precautions against bears. So food had to be locked in cars. We didn’t encounter bears. At the entrance is a canoe/tube business. You can float down the river to Lake Michigan.
Guide
Our site was great, easily fit a 17 foot trailer and a tent. Trails down to the water were appreciated by our kids. Neighbors are pretty close all around but that didn't matter until our last night. Several new campers rolled in at 10pm and proceeded to throw an absolute rager of a party until 4am - on Labor Day weekend. So overall a great campground but I wish there had been enforcement of quiet time or some kind of consequence for such horrible camping manners.
Traveler
Most sites have direct river access. All sites are walk-in, but not far from the parking area. There are two pit toilets for six sites and both were clean. They sites are large, but fairly open, not much between the sites.
Traveler
Elk is a great place to spend the night after a day of paddling or fishing. There are four sites with decent space between them. The pit toilet was decently clean and well away from the sites, so no smell. The only downside is that access is tricky. The landing is a steep bank with large rocks on the river bank.
Scout
David and Gail were so friendly and welcoming, especially for the inconvenience of a last minute stay on Labor Day weekend! I had questions during the booking process and messaged them- I had a response in minutes. We had a quiet spot and were able to get some uninterrupted sleep after a long afternoon at the beach.
There are several places nearby with beach access (the turquoise water of Lake Michigan is beautiful), and lakes under 5 minutes away for fishing. For rockhounding, check out the beaches near Old Mission Lighthouse. Should we find ourselves back on the road to the UP, we'll be sure stop back in. Thanks again for being so accommodating!
Traveler
Small campsites, but nice bathrooms and showers, close to Baldwin
Traveler
Went there to use dump station after camping at the local veterans retreat, nice facilities and staff. 15$ fee to use dump station
Ranger
Stayed at site 3. It was a relatively easy hike until you hit a hilly spot towards the campground. Mid July was very buggy.
Site 3 has easy access to an overlook which we made use of for photos of a storm that rolled in over North Manitou Island, our original destination. There was one vault toilet at the opposite end of the campground.
Like at Weatherstation, it was easy enough to get down to the beach for swimming and refilling our Grayls but to get back up was a bit of a challenge that grew old after a few trips.
Our last night, we stayed at the Bay campground which was nice. Fire rings are available and getting to and from the water was much easier. I'd recommend the Bay for people who want a more leisurely experience and one of the other campgrounds if you want to get some miles and get more rustic.
ScoutI can't say enough about this place. They where so nice, polite and friendly. We had some R.V. Issues and they where there to help. The camp site was very nice. There bathroom and shower were so clean. We will stay there again.
Traveler
No running water.
No electricity.
No flush toilets.
No internet.
No phone signal.
Pure heaven.
Rustic campsites. 50-100 yards from the river. Great water from the pump. Nice clean vault toilet. Very quiet at night. Peaceful and beautiful. We've gone ever year for the last 5 years. Going again next year.
Highly recommend a satellite-based GPS unit like Garmin or TomTom in your car. I was serious when I said no phone signal so Google Maps ain't gonna' get you there.
ScoutThe campground is a small, family friendly campground that has a lot of activities for both adults and kids. It is clean, has level sites and well maintained facilities.
TravelerThe campsites are spacious and feature trails that lead directly to the Tippy Dam Backwater. There’s also convenient access for launching a boat on either the Manistee River or the backwaters side of the dam
ScoutQuiet, large sites, like new bath house, 7th nite free, rate$35, good location for northwestern Michigan sites Water on all outside sites. interior sites share water hookups
Scout
Not a bad campground. Easy drive to Traverse City. Camp store is small and closes early, 7pm.
ScoutGreat campground. Booked two nights and had to request a third it was so perfect. We went up because it advertised orv access right from campsite. It’s really handy to not have to trailer over to the trsilheads. Quiet, bug spaces, huge bathhouse. We will be going back!
Camping near Onekama, Michigan, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, this area has something for you.
Camping near Onekama, Michigan, is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, but it's good to know what to expect. Whether you're in an RV or tent, there's something for everyone in this beautiful area.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Onekama, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, Onekama, MI offers a wide range of camping options, with 218 campgrounds and RV parks near Onekama, MI and 10 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Onekama, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Onekama, MI is Platte River Campground — Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with a 4.8-star rating from 60 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Onekama, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 10 free dispersed camping spots near Onekama, MI.
What parks are near Onekama, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 7 parks near Onekama, MI that allow camping, notably Huron-Manistee National Forests and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
