Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Ontonagon, MI

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!

Pet-friendly. Site can be reserved. Shore access & trail access to many waterfalls within a short walking distance.

Beautiful & clean. Great site overlooking Lake Superior. Need to walk over highway to get to water. Very orderly and great Park Manager. Family & pet friendly with awesome playground.

Loved this camping trip. Great park. Super helpful and friendly staff/hosts. Clean bathrooms, pet friendly. Awesome location on Lake Gogebic shore. Close to Porcupine Mountains and Bond Falls and hiking trails. Would love to visit again.

This was our first time camping in Michigan and we loved being so close to Lake Superior. We're used to MN state parks, so we found the campsites in MI to be a bit small and too close to each other. The fire ring for the site behind ours was very close to the bed area of our camper. Our spot was campsite #98. There's not a lot of shade or vegetation between campsites in that row, but it was easy walking distance to the modern restroom/showers and Lake Superior. Next time we would like to camp along the lake. The trail around Lake of the Clouds was well worth it!

Pet-friendly. Site was able to be reserved online for overnight tent camping - however, it was labeled a "day-use" or "group" area - not sure if this was a fluke or what. Beautiful site right on the shores of Lake Superior with amazing views. The campsite was really busy, the sites looked packed together offering little privacy. This site is tucked away in a corner so you only have one neighboring site. Flooding would be a concern if expecting rain.

Beautiful family campground on the North ashore of Lake Superior. It has RV, tent and back country sites as well as cabins and yurts for rent. Many amazing hiking trails and beautiful waterfalls to explore near by. Campground has large clean bathrooms and showers and a nice camp store. It is also pet friendly and has WiFi,  but no playground.  We stayed at site 82 which had a partial view of the lake and backed the tree line. It was a nice site. I gave this campground 4 out of 5 stars because some of the sites were a little too close together but overall a great campground and we will be back!

Right on the lake. Rocky ledges made it very slippery, so no dip in the lake at the campsite. 30 amp service, but no water at the sites. Fill water tanks at the dump station. Plenty to do in the area. Took several day hikes with the family and the kids and dog enjoyed playing in Lake Superior at Presque Isle, about a 25 minute drive away, where they have a semi-sandy beach area and waterfalls. Did a pontoon rental for a day and enjoyed fishing on Lake Superior and taking a leisurely cruise up the Ontonagon River.

This site is right next to the trail. Little to no privacy. Finding a place for a cat hole can be fun :D It does have a bear pole and water is available from the Big Carp River. I failed to take any photos of this location :(

This is a very nicely maintained privately owned campground. Really great spaces for long Class A and C Motorhomes. Nice fishing on the Ontonagon River and big marina close-by. Porcupine Mountains just minutes down the road. Nice selection of books and DVDs to borrow too. Great play area for kids.

Right across the street is a river. They have a few docks. Just a few blocks from the Ontonagon city marina. Somewhat close to city beaches on Lake Superior. The bathrooms and showers are always clean. Nice pull through sites and full hookups. You can socialize or keep to yourselves.

We absolutely loved camping at Union Bay! There were a lot of people, but they aren’t so close that it’s annoying. There’s electric at all the modern campsites, as well as the typical picnic table, fire pit combo. While the site itself was sort of small (ours was not suitable for anything other than tents) I actually enjoyed having all our stuff close by. When you stay here, don’t forget to put your trash in your car! We didn’t and we’re visited by a pretty sassy raccoon 😂 The sunsets on Lake Superior were amazing, and we even saw an awesome storm coming in that ended up just being a lot of wind. Short drive to tons of hiking trails, including the Escarpment trail which is one of the most amazing hikes in Michigan. If you’re hungry, there’s a great diner in Ontonagon that has amazing pizza and breakfast! Totally recommend and will definitely be back! (ps prepare for black flies, deet doesn’t even scare the little vampires and they are literally everywhere. I recommend bringing a good anti itch stick/spray)

Ontonagon County Park is right on Lake Gogebic. If that is all you read you might book a site. This place doesn't look like it has been updated in years. It is run down.

The positive is that it is right on the lake and has a boat ramp. So if you want to boat and can't find another place to camp on the lake, this will work for you. Otherwise I would head down the road a couple of more miles and stay at Lake Gogebic State Park or find a private campground on the lake.

We found this campground on a walk around the town of Ontonagon, but didn't get a chance to camp here as it was already closed for the season.  We caught it after the beauty of the fall color had already gone, but it's probably a stunner!  We'll be back sometime...

For such a township park, it has comprehensive services, with many waterfront options, and all sites have electricity.  The sites are rustic, there is a dump station as well as a water filling station for RVs.  The bathhouse has showers, there is a cute playground, and it has beautiful views of both Lake Superior and the Porcupine Mountains (about 20 miles away).  You can easily walk into town for basic supplies.

Options for hiking, cycling, and water activities of all kinds abound.  This campground is one of many along the shores of Lake Superior's Water Trail.

We visited with our dog the first week of October to catch the fall colors. After driving up from Chicago, checking in, and then driving to Little Carp River Road, finally ready to hike at 4pm. Parking lot isn't huge and all sites were booked that weekend but we were able to snag a spot. We took the Little Carp River trail all the way to the site, which was easy to follow, a good bit of up and down but nothing too difficult. Reservation site says 2.3 miles, we did closer to 3.5 by the time we arrived. LC-7 and LC-6 are close to each other but far enough away that you have some privacy, couldn't hear the other party chatting. Fire wood in the area was sparse, everything was damp. Bear pole was tough to find, follow the trail past the site, then a stump, at the second huge tree on your left, turn to your right and climb the hill.

Site has a fire pit, logs to sit on and plenty of level space to pitch tents. It is right on the trail, so you may see some traffic. Good coverage from old growth trees, enough hills in the area to find privacy for squatting, and the river is easy to access. If I had to choose between LC-6 and LC-7, would pick 6, it's up higher and further from the trail.

We hiked back the next morning, went to Lake in the Clouds and then Ontonagon for lunch. Visited Squeeze on Main for food and beer, place is brand new, looks nice, price reasonable, food was ok. Then the bar a few doors down for more beer, they had a good selection.

Then we drove to the Pinkerton Trail head, limited parking on the side of the road, but room enough on the end for a few cars when we arrived. Pinkerton was a pleasant stroll through the woods, lots of boards, dead falls, and mud, and it's a gradual descent. Met up with the Superior Trail 3 miles in, then went left to LS-3.

LS-3 is everything we came for - right on the lake, plenty of firewood, ultimate in privacy since no other sites are within at least a half mile, perfectly level spot for the tent and a built-out fire pit area. Highly recommend.

We stayed here to visit Porcupine Mountain State Park. We enjoyed the park, had some great hikes along water falls and spending time along the shore of Lake Superior.

Check-in was smooth and they offered us several options of sites to pick from. The campground seems to be well maintained and some of the sites are large. Our site was grass and had some ruts from previous guests. It sounded like they had a lot of rain earlier in the summer.

Some sites do face each other which we find a little awkward when you are not traveling with friends. The pressure to visit when outside every time does feel a bit uncomfortable. We were fortunate to have a great family next to us which made the awkwardness feel much less uncomfortable.

There were some sites that were full of toys (four wheelers and side-by-sides) but we never felt that they were noisy. There were a couple of sites that enjoyed “sharing” their music with the campground, but that didn’t subside after a while (thankfully).

Ontonagon is a quiet sleepy little town which didn’t seem to have much happening. But it was a Covid year and everything is a little different.

We enjoyed our time here and would stay here again and will bring some friends along as well.

I have 3 stars because we reserved a spot on the lake. Great view. All the sites are jammed together with little privacy. One wash house with 4 showers(shared by both sexes) for entire campground. Crowded with tons of dogs, that seem to bark non stop. Off leash along rocks barking at people. Wish people would be a bit more respectful with their dogs. Understand this is one of the few campgrounds in the Porkies with electric hookup. We did a lot of day trips so that made up for the crowded camp sites.

Overall a decent Campground. Lots are spacious. Layout of fire pit on sites are poor. For example lot 76, fire is offset to the left of the electrical post. This is a problem since majority of RVs have awnings on the right side and electrical hook up on the back left side. Our fire pit ended up behind the camper. Poor layout by campsite personnel. “DNR Officer” that oversees the grounds is a zealot on dog leashes! “Your dog must be on a six foot leash even while swimming,” he yelled at me. Being an owner of a finely trained Labrador Retriever that I was exercising in the water, I doubt I will be back!!!!!!!!

Very pretty and clean. The views of Lake Superior are amazing. Lots of really nice hiking trails, rookie hiker and his lady here. Did the 5 mile summit peak loop fairly easily. Bathrooms are nice, showers lack some water preasure Dogs allowed on leashes and not in buildings.

You can't beat the Porcupine Mountains if you're looking for wilderness experiences in Michigan. Union Bay is a nice campground to use as a base camp for lots of day hikes in the area.

It can be busy and weekends are louder with kids, dogs, loud neighbors, etc , just like most state parks. Weekdays tend to be quieter even when busy.

Many sites are quite close together and there isn't much privacy in those. Some sites have odd sizes and shapes so be prepared to adjust your rig on the site to get best placement and be level (back in vs. sideways, etc ). Also consider having leveling blocks with you.

Sites in bottom loop offer great views and access to Lake Superior. But even the upper loops are a short walk to awesome shoreline and amazing sunrises.

Bathrooms are clean and showers have good design, although shower heads could use some maintenance.

Staff working the office seem to really know their stuff about hiking the area, so check with them for ideas in addition to the Visitors Center.

If you want the wilderness feel of the Porkies but modern amenities at the end of the day, this is the place.

Note that cellular service can be extremely weak if you don't have a booster.

Union Bay is the only “modern” campground in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, offering around 100 fully-reservable, electric sites with access to a modern bathroom and shower house. The lakeside sites, as you can imagine, are the most popular and spacious, and most often booked 6 months in advance.  If you come after leaf season, you can have the place to yourself.  However, the winds off the lake can be powerful and the numerous campsites on the upper level offer a bit more protection, if somewhat more cramped. 

The boat launch is right next to the campground, if you plan to get out onto the big lake. The outdoor adventure opportunities in the park are endless, from hiking, biking, and paddling in the spring through the fall to skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.   But, bring your muck boots if you come in the fall or spring, as the trails and campground is wet and full of mud.

As a designated wilderness, motorized recreation is not allowed within the park, so your walk in the woods remains undisturbed. Backpacking is very popular here and backcountry camping sites are numerous, and reservable (get your permit at the Visitor’s Center). The park offers cabins and yurts, some of which are only accessible by trail which and heated by a wood stove making a winter adventure more attractive. There is also a downhill skiing area located within 3 miles of the Visitors Center.

The bathrooms at Union Bay are modern and comfortable with individual unisex shower units accessible via an outside door. The laundry room has 1 washing machine and 2 dryers(be sure to run the dryer on high). Water is available at several spigots throughout the campground, and the sewer dump station is right on the way out of the campsite to take care of that business when you leave.

Be sure to drive or hike up to the Lake of the Clouds overlook and trail network. The glacially carved escarpment offers a priceless view of what the locals call “the Porkies” and makes the long drive to get here worth it.

The closest town of significance to Union Bay is Ontonagon, 18 miles away, so plan ahead with supplies. Just outside the campground is a small, privately run, campstore where you can get ice cream, ice and a few other food items, and lots of tourist trinkets – just look for the oversized black bear.

Great for beginning backpackers and those who want a longer trip, the Porcupine Mountains offer 100+ miles of trails. Can make 2-3 day loops, or do in and out hikes. Beautiful views, old growth forests, waterfalls and rivers. Starting with the 2018 season, the backcountry campsites must be reserved in advance. Campsites have bear poles and fire pits. There are also a few cabins that can be rented, but don't allow dogs inside the cabins.

We stayed in this rustic campground mid-week in mid-September and were glad to find it wasn't busy or noisy. I think we hit it just right post-summer and pre-autumn colors (although several patches of trees along the way were blazing with fall color!). Loved that it had a 'no generator' side to help with the quiet we were seeking. While I had first booked Site 19 because all the lake sites were taken and I liked its privacy tucked into the woods a bit, we found that it was almost all dirt and, with rain expected, we didn't want to hang out in a mud bowl. We went back to the ranger and he recommended Site 11, which was actually super nice--still somewhat private but also grassy and with a slight view of Lake Superior.  I think 18 would be great, too, if the lake sites are unavailable. All of those looked awesome, with my favorites being #10 and #6. Site 10 was right across from us and was vacant for the majority of our stay, which allowed us to set our chairs on the bluff overlooking the lake and read and enjoy the views. 

The weather was unseasonably warm for mid-September and Lake Superior was oddly calm. This resulted in some flies, which was a bummer. Every night, though, the winds kicked up around dinner time and they were gone. When they were hanging around, though, (mostly mornings), they made cooking miserable and also the pit toilets buzzed with them, which was not fun. But I think once the autumn temps kick in and the winds sustain a bit, they'd be much less of an issue. 

The park is in an amazing location, with the Presque Isle River running through it and phenomenal hiking trails/vistas right there. It was also an easy drive to Lake of the Clouds, Summit Peak, and Ontonagon. Just stunning forests, waterfalls, hills and drives and, of course, the incomparable Lake Superior all within easy reach. We also stopped at Bond Falls on our way to the Porkies from the east, which was beautiful. 

Love the UP; love the remoteness yet accessibility (if that makes sense) of this campground; love tent camping on Lake Superior; love this place.