Best Campgrounds near Ontonagon, MI

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.

Beautiful spots, friendly staff, clean toilet and trash canat each site. Will definitely return.

I 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.

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.

Nice 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.

Very 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.

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!

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.

McLain 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’.

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.