Looking for the best campgrounds near Ontonagon, MI? Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Ontonagon, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Find the best campgrounds near Ontonagon, MI. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.
Union Bay-Porcupine Mountains State Park is home to a seasonal campground that is available to visit from mid May to mid October. With a limited window of time, it’s well worth planning your trip in advance, as peak season can bring a gaggle of campers and tourists, making priority campsites difficult to find. The initial weeks of August are almost always packed, thanks to kids and college-students trying to camp before school starts again.
Subsequently, if you want smaller crowds but still want to enjoy the sun, try to reserve a spot during the latter end of August. This is also when the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival happens, giving you a great event to check out. Regardless of your needs, during camping season you can call the campground where staff will provide details on sites that you might not see at the Reservations Center or online. If you can’t find what you’re looking for online, give them a call!
If you happen to forget a thing or two, there’s the Porcupine Mountain Outpost store right outside the entrance to the campground. It's open from May through mid October. There you can find souvenirs, camping supplies, and even clothing. You might find the occasional pre-made sandwich, but besides soft drinks and milk, there are no real groceries here. You’ll have to travel all the way out to Ontonagon (25 miles away) for groceries. That said, you can make the trip worth if you if you grab a bite to eat at Syl’s, a legendary diner famous for its repertoire of comfort food classics.
The campground itself is moderately sized, with 99 sites available for RVs and tents. One of the draws to the campground is that all sites have at least 30 amp electric hookups available. One of the most common complaints here is due to the limited amount of pull-through sites, with many options too small to accommodate larger vehicles.
Porcupine Mountains State Park is uniquely known for its hybrid existence between contemporary and antiquated beauty. The park is extremely modern, thanks to the updated facilities and well maintained grounds. However, it skirts the line with a true wilderness feel, owing to the rustic touches, and charming yurt cabins, available for overnight accommodations as well. Whatever your intent to visit, there’s no mistaking the quant appeal of this Michigan state park.
$40 / night
Backcountry sites: An unlimited number of permits can be issued but only 63 spots have a metal fire ring. Fires are restricted to metal fire rings. Cost $14- for 1-6 people. Maximum number per site is 6.
$28 - $40 / night
The Porcupine Mountains Presque Isle Campground offers 50 rustic campsites near the scenic Presque Isle River. There are vault toilets and hand pumps for water. In addition to drive-up sites, there are also 6 walk-in sites. The campground is split into two loops. The east loop is a generator friendly side, while the west loop is generator free. There is access trails to the nearby Presque Isle River and or to the Lake Superior shoreline. Firewood is available for purchase at the campground office. At roughly 60,000 acres, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is Michigan’s largest state park. It is home to 35,000 acre old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, miles of rivers and streams, more than 90 miles of hiking trails, the Lake Superior shoreline and vistas unrivaled anywhere in the Midwest.
$4 - $20 / 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
Camping at River Road RV Park & Campground, Ontonagon, MI near the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Located by the Ontonagon River and Marina with easy access to Lake Superior, and just 1 mile from downtown Ontonagon.
River Road RV Park and Campground offers 30 full hookups with pull through sites for larger RV's and shady tent sites to accommodate all campers. Year Round Camping.
Free Wi-Fi
Pets Welcome.
Coin-Operated Laundry.
The Service Building has a laundry, flush toilets, and a new and modern shower facility that is handicapped accessible and features hot showers and a heated floor for those cool days.
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
Backcountry sites: An unlimited number of permits can be issued but only 63 spots have a metal fire ring. Fires are restricted to metal fire rings. Cost $14- for 1-6 people. Maximum number per site is 6.
$28 - $40 / night
The Porcupine Mountains Presque Isle Campground offers 50 rustic campsites near the scenic Presque Isle River. There are vault toilets and hand pumps for water. In addition to drive-up sites, there are also 6 walk-in sites. The campground is split into two loops. The east loop is a generator friendly side, while the west loop is generator free. There is access trails to the nearby Presque Isle River and or to the Lake Superior shoreline. Firewood is available for purchase at the campground office. At roughly 60,000 acres, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is Michigan’s largest state park. It is home to 35,000 acre old-growth forest, roaring waterfalls, miles of rivers and streams, more than 90 miles of hiking trails, the Lake Superior shoreline and vistas unrivaled anywhere in the Midwest.
$4 - $20 / 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
Traveler
Hancock campground has LOTS of RV sites as well as some really nicely hidden/shaded tent spots. You can walk down to the beach as well as some hiking trails nearby down the road. Also, it’s about a 33 minute walk to some restaurants and shops in town. Clean, heated restrooms. As of October 2024 when im writing this, their dryer is out of order, so laundry unavailable. Campground attendant is very nice as well
Guide
Great location, and has the basics for the camping. I was in site 44, and most of the sites in the "middle" were more of an open field with a couple of trees. There were no real clear boundary lines . If you are looking for a little more shade or tree cover, book a perimeter site. This is also the first campsite I've been to where the fire pit didn't have a grill grate on part of it. There is water on site, but it is the hand pump style, so it would help to have a large open container to capture the water.
Cell service was really spot (can be a good thing when camping), and I wasn't able to pick up a lot of radio stations either. Still nice to enjoy the quite dark skies. Short walk down stairs to Lake Superior which offered some great sunset views.
Lots of great hiking trails, and close to a lot of other fun attractions. I would plan on coming back up here another time, and possible pick a different site after being here.
Guide
We stayed for 3 nights. Lovely old and second growth trees. Bear and Wolf precautions, please. Hiking was good, fishing was good.
Guide
We stayed here the 2nd week of October. They were actually turning the water off for the year when we left. We had the park mostly to ourselves. They water access is nice and it is right off a main highway, although it was not too noisy. There are some state park hiking trails access from campground, also. Facilities were pretty standard state park fair. Sites seem to have plenty of room.
Traveler
Very wooded and quiet camp area - only 3 sites total in this loop! Note that there is no cell service here or really nearby. Not an issue if you're prepared for that! Great that we could access hiking trails from camp! Great spot for exploring the Porcupines and also for some privacy compared to the modern campground in the park. Night and day difference and you can use the amenities which are like 5mins away
Traveler
We love the area. Very nice people, well run campground. Staying on Lake Superior is almost always beautiful. Sunsets are amazing!! The sites are generous and partially wooded. Drawbacks, no laundry facilities, even in town. Stores, restaurants and gas stations nearby but expensive. (Though there is a dollar store) They do not take reservations, so it’s a gamble to just show up. You really have to be there, in person by 7AM to wait in line to get a site.
Overall, great place to stay!!
Traveler
We come up every year for the meteor shower, and every stay is a great one. New shower rooms, and huge dog park are awesome!
Traveler
Awesome little campground on the south side of the Porcupines. It’s in a convenient location to the hiking around the park. The sites are large, the campground is small (and quiet) and there’s even a creek that runs along the west side of the campground. We stayed in site 1. If you do cook using the fire pit grates, they do not have them here in the fire pits at this campground. You need to reserve sites and check in at the visitor center before you head to the site. I’d highly recommend this place to anybody in a tent especially!
ScoutThey don't do reservations, but despite having 10+ sites available, they're holding them for people who may never come.
Traveler
Excellent place to stop. Close to the lake. Great site. Peaceful. Reasonably priced
Traveler
We tented on lot 7 during the second week of June. It was very quiet. I was lucky to find this gem and you will only have spotty phone service at best. My dog had more fun than I did and we did a lot of hiking.
Traveler
Beautiful spots, friendly staff, clean toilet and trash canat each site. Will definitely return.
Scout
I can hear my neighbors talking at their campsite from mine. We are packed in here like sardines.
Beautiful area, though. Caught a rainbow just as we were setting up camp. And they had wood and ice.
Guide
Very nice n open for pulling in and doing dispersed camping, nice overview of the lake from the hill , quite too, fire pit made of rocks
Guide
Really nice and level site(62) just a short walk from the beach. Really clean and well kept state park. Hiking trails are plentiful. Centrally located on the Keweenaw Peninsula allows time for exploring many sites this location has to offer. Too bad the “Gitch” washed away some of the lakeside campsites, hopefully they rebuild soon! My family will definitely come back!
Guide
Cool Spot at Number 15 with my Boardwalk down to the River
GuideI spent an overnight in this beautiful place. I was all alone in the campground. A few people drove down to the water while I was there. The place is a "lovers lane" of sorts.
The road in is AWFUL. But slow driving is the cure for that.
There are a few spots suitable for a small travel trailer, but most of them are better suited to tents.
Legend
Saw a deer walking through camp. Nearby brewery was a nice treat! Sites we stayed at were pull through sites with full hook ups. A picnic table and fire pit is provided at each campsite and we were able to stay next to friends we were traveling with (specified we would like neighboring sites when we made the reservations). Nice amount of tree cover at our sites. The road into the campground was nice and smooth. There is also a small playground, bathrooms, and sanitary dump site in the campground.
LegendNice small lake, easy access from the main road. Road to the lake isn’t paved and there are huge potholes so go slow. A couple of the campers looked like they’re long-termers, but there was still plenty of room. It’s a dispersed area with some sites with fire pits that are cleared and open for camping, maybe about 6 spots or so. A couple of the spots are right down at the water.
There’s also a little trail by the water but the mosquitoes were too bad for me to try and hike it. Though this is definitely a local hangout, with trucks coming in and out almost all day and late into the night, everyone was respectful and quiet, and it was really nice and peaceful overnight.
There was a little road noise but not bad at all. Some interesting animal calls overnight as well. There was good cell reception for Verizon and ATT.
LegendVery nice and clean city park, right in town on the main road. The sites are all open and have zero privacy between them, but there was still a calm friendly vibe at the park (usually wide open campgrounds feel chaotic and messy to me).
FHU sites are $35/night, power only is $25, tents are $15. Pull through sites to your left as you come in, and to the right is a loop with back in sites.
Dumping fee for non-campers is $15, a bit higher than most places, and it’s another $15 to fill your tank with water. :(
Good cell reception here since it’s right in town. There’s a swing set but not much else in terms of activities or a playground. Each site has a nice new picnic table and fire pit. There are trash dumpsters but no recycling here.
ScoutCity run operation. Close to downtown Hancock. A few sites right along the canal. Variety of site configurations - from remote tent pads to open areas that permit families to set up camp units close together. Limited sites that have sewer, water, and/or electric.
Legend
This is one of the nicest USFS campgrounds we’ve stayed in. It’s freshly paved, including each camp spot’s parking area, so they’re relatively flat. It’s more open and clean and cared for than most USFS campgrounds we’ve stayed in.
It’s $16/night, self pay at the iron ranger. No host, no dump station, no recycling. There’s water (closed when we were there though), a trash bin, and vault toilets.
There’s a nice walk near site 18 to a scenic overlook of the lake, and if you keep going past the overlook there are stairs that take you down to the boat ramp, beach, day use area, trail to the falls, etc. Really nice lush beautiful green trail.
A few sites have a “view” of the lake, meaning you can see the water through the trees. #18 has the best view of the water. No cell service at the campground but Verizon and ATT had a very weak sporadic signal from our site (#20). This signal went away everywhere else in the campground though.
Flies and mosquitoes were annoying!
Legend
The road to this campground wasn’t too bad, it was paved most of the way, though there were a lot of potholes and bumps and dips. The last mile or so was unpaved but not bad at all.
We came here intending to stay at this campground right on the water, and maybe find some agates, but it was just not the vibe for us. The camping areas are big grassy open areas, and everyone just finds a spot along the perimeter and sets up camp. It had just such a crazy, chaotic feel to it- ATVs going up and down the road, shirtless barefoot kids on their bikes zooming around, beach going families going to hang out at the water for the day- it seemed like these were locals and they all knew each other, like a group camp.
Cost is $20/night, self pay. We didn’t see anyone that looked like a host, but who knows, maybe there was a host parking in there amidst the chaos. There are several day use area parking spots- no camping allowed here.
Easy access to the beach from the campground & day use. There’s a playground for the kids, and toilets, and a bunch of picnic tables set up behind the building in the center by the pay station. We didn’t stay the night but I can’t imagine that it’s quiet or calm at night here. No hookups or other amenities other than trash bins.
LegendMcLain SP - MI:
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer)
Overall Rating: 4.0
Price 2023: $35
Usage during visit: Near full, mid-week.
Site Privacy: Most sites have little privacy. Lake view sites: do not count on any privacy to the sides. but what you can create with your trailer.
Site surface: Grass and Gravel sites.
Reservations: Yes.
Campground Noise: Pretty quiet during our stay.
Through Traffic in campground: None
Electric Hookup: Yes. Bring an extension cord . Required for some sites.
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes
Potable Water Available: There is a dump station on the way in to the camping area. Potable water is there and there are a few scattered spigots. See the map in my photos.
Generators: All sites have electricity.
Bathroom: Pit and flush toilets.
Showers: Yes
Pull Throughs: See ‘Sites’, below.
Cell Service (AT&T): Good
Setting: 1 - 41 in open grass area with few trees. 42 + in nice wooded area
Weather: Highs in low 80s during our stay.
Bugs: Not bad. Probably the breeze from the lake is holding them at bay.
Solar: All are electric sites
Host: Never seen.
Rig size: The largest I’ve seen is about 35’.
Legend
Twin Lakes MI SP: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 2-3 (A very clean campground, but old facilities, currently. A huge facelift in 2024 is being touted. New paving, new bath/shower rooms,and pavilion are coming. Shutdown during some of 2024 is anticipated. ) Price 2023: Usage during visit: 30% mid week Site Privacy: Poor Site Spacing: Poor Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Seems quiet Road Noise: Right along Hwy 26. Some sites back up to the Hwy. Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Yes Generators: Not needed Bathroom: Flush and pit Showers: Yes Pull Throughs: Some. Most are back in. Cell Service (AT&T): Very good Setting: Some tree cover in between the highway and Lake Roland Weather: High is I low 80s Host: Real nice young and helpful men manning entry booth Rig size: Large rigs Sites: Lakeside sites are the premium here and the only sites that would seduce me to visit. Good stop over place while
Traveler
Our campsite possibly was the best one The Beaver Lodge Interpreted Trail System is a good hike. Bathrooms are conveniently located. Cell phone service isnt good, but didnt come for that.A great get away.. I gave a 5 star, for the beauty.
GuideVery nice place, well set up. It was super hot so the bathroom floors were sweating and wet But over all clean.
If you don’t have water it’s a bit of a pain but onboard tanks or jugs are doable.
Camping near Ontonagon, Michigan, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, this area has something for everyone.
Hiking: Explore the trails around the campgrounds. Many campers recommend the trails near Union Bay Campground — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park for their stunning views. One reviewer mentioned, "Although there are not many trails leading from this campground, you can drive to many other trailheads."
Fishing: Lake Gogebic is a popular spot for fishing. A visitor at Lake Gogebic State Park Campground shared, "Fishing is decent on this big lake," making it a great choice for anglers.
Waterfalls: Don't miss the nearby waterfalls. A camper at Black River Harbor Campground noted, "Great hiking and waterfall viewing," highlighting the natural beauty of the area.
Camping near Ontonagon, Michigan, offers a unique blend of nature and adventure. With beautiful campgrounds and plenty of activities, it’s a great spot for your next outdoor getaway.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Ontonagon, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, Ontonagon, MI offers a wide range of camping options, with 64 campgrounds and RV parks near Ontonagon, MI and 2 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Ontonagon, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Ontonagon, MI is Union Bay Campground — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park with a 4.1-star rating from 39 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Ontonagon, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Ontonagon, MI.
What parks are near Ontonagon, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 8 parks near Ontonagon, MI that allow camping, notably Ottawa National Forest and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
