Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Otisville? Finding a place to camp in Michigan with your tent has never been easier. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
Camp Agawam is located in the heart of Orion Township, Michigan. The camp was previously owned and operated by the Boy Scouts of America, until 2014 at which point Orion Township took ownership. Camp Agawam offers a wide variety of opportunities for all ages. With roughly 140 acres, numerous campsites, rental facilities, walking trails, a chapel, and beautiful Tommy's Lake, this is truly a picturesque park in the middle of suburban life.
$20 - $30 / 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
Island Lake Recreation Area is a 4,000-acre park in Livingston County that offers an "up north" experience without leaving southeast Michigan. The terrain is a mixture of open brush land to mature hardwood forest, with some pockets of open meadows mixed in. Island Lake is the only balloon port in the state park system. Balloons usually take off in the early morning or late evening, depending on the wind and weather.
Scout
This campground used to be all about family and friends. Camping friends that became family. 40+ years camping there, generation after generation. So many wonderful people. But the new owner has changed that camping experience for a lot of people. Seasonals and reoccurring weekenders. In fact over the last 2 years he has lost over 40+ seasonal families. Many who have been there 10,20 even 30yrs. He has done some much needed improvements but for what he is trying to charge people it’s ridiculous. Believe all the bad reviews. And the good reviews, well he pays for those by offering discounts for good reviews or free Wibit passes. The so called lake that he advertises is a nasty little pond that I’m sure is swimming with ecoli . , the Wibit is small and priced outrageously at more than $35 on most days and is riddled with holes and barely filled with air in most days. Which also makes it dangerous. The store does not have much to offer and what they do have is priced ridiculous. There is one bathhouse and a couple nasty outhouses. The owner also lies so much and thinks everyone else are fools. He doesn’t live in MI so you won’t ever see him either. Spend your money somewhere else. For what he is charging it is not worth it.
Scout
Nice place some spots look small.
Scout
We paid 500.00 for 5 days. At first our sights were so unleveled that we had to go In And request a site change. Looked to rent the bikes as pictured, NOPE they were toddle trikes.. very deceiving! First day kids were in the pool, looked a little dirty. 2nd day , 90 degree weather the
Pool was green! We spoke with staff and they said they were working on it. They were putting little bags of shock in.. REALLY! The pool ended up closing stating it was related to the weather!!! Rain 3 days prior! No refund offered, site dirty, grass not mowed, dirty unkept campers in the campground, no trash pick up! NEVER EVER AGAIN! Took a ride to other nearby sites… cost less, clean, offered more activities for kid.
Scout
Been using this campground for at least 12 years. Bathrooms are always fairly clean and there is plenty of shade. Nice ponds to view as well.
Scout
The campground seemed nice into Sat. Night came. They started Blasting loud music that drowned our or campfire conversation from 1000ft away. We end our night early and still couldn't sleep, because the music was so loud inside of our camper, a hard side camper. We called the camp store and they said they couldn't do smoothing about it. We won't be back.
GuideIt's a very nice campground with lots of trees and the sites are spaced out nicely in the Trillium loop. I've wouldn't pick site 93 however as the pavement is sloped and the whole site is sloped quite steeple. Also, it shares an electrical box with 95 and my camper cord was about 30 ft short.
Traveler
Beach, trails and children's solace pad, just an easy walk across the road. Newer bathhouse. Shady sandy campsite. Be sure and visit downtown Bay City, lots of great restaurants, a Riverwalk on both sides of the river, concerts in the park. Great atmosphere.
GuideA short trip from home, this was a great weekend getaway! The camp site was spacious but tucked back in a bit (we tent camped on an RV site). The campground was quiet as well.
We did a 7 mile loop hike and then went to Battle Alley Brewing in Holly (10 min away).
No grate on the firepit so be aware of that.
Would definitely come back - it’s like being up north but you’re under an hour from home.
GuideMost sites are good, though some have slopes to them. Choose carefully. Great newer playscape and splash pad (!) for the kids, across State Park Rd from the main campground. Nice newly opened visitor/nature center. Campground usually clean and patrolled. Showers/restrooms are good, cleaned twice a day. Friendly staff.
Some of the best campground hosts are here.
Groceries, restaurants & laundromats are a short drive away.
TV reception was ok, and T-Mobile worked well enough.
TravelerI love to come here when I want a quick get away from home because it is only 30min away.
The campsites are big,secluded, wooded, and clean. The people in the check in stand are nice, friendly, and helpful as well.
I do wish there was more public bathrooms, it’s a long walk or a quick drive to the only flushable toilets in the campground.
Raccoons run this place! Don’t leave any food or garbage out ever or you will be robbed by a gang of raccoons who are not afraid of people.
Ranger
Our site was averaged out to $82.71 a night with the weekly rate discount.
We were in Site# 306 (a deluxe plus RV site - be aware that some of these are back-ins and not clearly labeled on the site map - we had to change sites to a pull-thru). We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-through.
We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site along with my jeep.
The site was easy to level.
Our site was not shaded with zero trees. We weren’t able to sit outside because of the direct sun until after 8:30pm.
This was a smaller lot with our neighbors fairly close.
The deluxe plus lot comes without a concrete patio but with a picnic table and fire ring. They do sell firewood and will deliver to your site.
There is free WiFi. They do not offer Cable TV but there are quite a few channel options.
There is not a community outdoor kitchen or community fire pit.
They do not provide garbage service at your site so you must walk to garbage dumpster.
You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. They also allow you to rent pedal bikes. They do not provide golf cart rentals.
They do have a heated indoor and heated outdoor Swimming pool and one hot tub.
There is a Playground. They also offer Gaga ball, basketball sport court, and volleyball courts. There is a Game room for kids. They have a Putt putt course and Jumping pad.
They have a great general store.
There is a separate Activity Center for kids.
There are tons of scheduled activities for kids like wagon rides, arts & crafts, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, etc. Activities are scheduled all day from 9am to 8pm.
There is a snack bar on site from 4pm-9:30pm where you can get hot dogs, brats, pretzels, nachos, ice cream, etc.
The streets are mostly paved and good for riding bikes.
This is an RV park with cabins to rent also. Tent camping is also allowed.
They have two shower houses. The shower house has the typical stalls. There is a great area to hang clothes and store your toiletries in the shower stall. These are kept very clean.
There is a laundry facility. It is a cash only facility, but they have a change machine in the arcade room. There are approximately 4washers and 4 dryers. It is approximately $2.75 to wash and $0.75 to dry a load.
They do not have a fenced in dog park. There are areas to walk dogs though.
Flies were an issue and bug spray was needed.
There were no trails to hike off of the campground.
Some fun things to do outside of the campground are Frankenmuth FunShips (chocolate & wine tasting), the Golden Ticket Trolley, the Bavarian Belle (popcorn & sodas) River Place Shops, wineries, and Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland store. This RV park is less than a mile to downtown/River Place Shops where there is tons of shopping.
Traveler
We just got done with a 3 night stay at Sleepy Hallow. The campsite itself was great, nice a roomy while also being wooded. The bugs were pretty intense, but bug spray helped. They are working on the natural gas pipeline nearby, so there was lots of construction noise. Verizon service was basically non existent other than at the beach. The dog beach was small and full of algae.
Scout
Thank you to EVERYONE who takes time to REVIEW! ….WHEW!! This year seems every place is FULL or Closed for repairs or High polluted numbers. many are struggling finding someplace to go, and People do READ REVIEWS, and this “ OLD HAG”
Really needs a class in “ consumer relations “ I have been in retail for 30 plus years and THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT, there is NO. “ what did you do to deserve to be treated THAT way? GOOD LUCK finding a NEW JOB when you don’t have one because THIS joint gets shut down do ton Bankruptcy….. hahahaha… you may think you’re smart NOW, but when you get served a dose of you’re OWN medicine out in the REAL WORLD.. well, I’d give anything to see that…
Making people’s lives miserable who just want to have a good time? How fucking miserable are YOU?
ScoutFirst off I can’t even give it a zero star!!! But was going here for 5 years and definitely will be the Last!! Seems office has new rules now you can’t roll your 12 by 15 carpet mats out NOMORE but a 3 by 5 mat!! Who wants that little shit if you have furbabies coming in and out of your camper? Just a lot more dirt on your inside space!!Abssolety NO SERVICE!! You gotta stand in one spot just to hold a conversation on you phone!! No WiFi to check your Home ring camera!! No WiFi even if you try and USE YOUR OWN HOT SPOT!! So not even a fire stick 😩Most off lady in the office very unprofessional!! Ask her for a discount and she got the nerve to say I DONT GOT TIME FIR THIS!!! Excuse me miss grouchy, costumers are always to be satisfied!!! You got time to take our $$$$ at least have a POSITIVE ADDITUDE !!!! This probably why your campground was so EMPTY This year but best luck to you in the future!!! NEVER AGAIN!!
ScoutSites are long but not wide. Level. Full hookups. Wifi you can stream on. LTE cell service. Clean showers. Walking path around pond, fishing dock. $28 site, No old beaters allowed. Old clean units welcome.
Scout
5 dollars per day, or if you are staying with family take your card to camp store to get a card that will last the time you will be. They don't tell this at the gate.
5mph speed limit. Kidds are out of control on bicycles and walking they will dart right in front of you no desiplane.
Can take a long time getting in and getting to your campsite GOOD LUCK.
Guide
This is the second time staying in these campgrounds in two weeks. Both times stayed in the more wilderness area D with lots of trees and sites for tents or back-in trailers. The grounds are huge with bike/hike trails, a lake and a disc golf course. Mountain biking seems to be very popular there are dirt trails off the paved hiking loop. Sites have electricity and water and are well spaced out.
Guide
This park and campgrounds are very manicured with tons of RV, trailer and tent sites. The lake has a small shallow swimming area and beach that gets very busy during the day but less traffic right before sunset. There are lots of family activities like mini golf, kids bike courses and playgrounds. It’s a very large open family camping area. The staff are very nice and very busy making sure the grounds are perfectly maintained. I camped in the area F on the outer perimeter just down way of the beach area. I had plenty of room for my tent, awning and to park my SUV. The was electrical and water (non potable) at the site. During the weekdays I only had a few neighbors further down in tents or travel trailers. On Thursday almost all sites filled up with travel trailers. A park employee told me they would be fully booked for the next two weeks. Very nice camping, quiet. Holly Oaks Offroad park is across the street and Holly Recreation area is adjacent. Lots of great towns nearby like Fenton.
ScoutI rarely write reviews good or bad on any business ever, but this one is a BEWARE situation and I feel that fellow campers/RVer’s need to be aware of the campground!!!!
It has been many years since we were last at this campground. I booked a sight online for a week, thankfully it was only a week! We arrived at the campground, setup our 5th wheel, attempted to set up the WiFi, only to find they have WiFi in the store but no WiFi was available for our site. I contacted the office, spoke with the owner, she said “I will send someone out there to check the “repeater” maybe something is wrong with it because we should have WiFi”, never sent anyone that we were aware of and never called me to confirm wether or not we had the WiFi working. I drove up to the store and this nice young man informed me that the further away from the store you will not get WiFi. I told him that I spoke with the owner yesterday and she said that she was sending someone out to check the repeater and we NEVER heard back from her. He proceeded to call the owner on his cell phone, of which I could hear her talking, he said bring your computer up to the store and login, then take it back to the campsite and you should be able to login”, so I went back to the campsite grabbed my ipad, then back to the store. I was able to login to the WiFi. Went back to our site, no WiFi. This is a problem for me, not having WiFi, not only for work purposes but also TV services. I called the store, same young man told me that you do not have WiFi, you will need to come up to the store for services. I said that was unexceptionable, we were told we would have WiFi, it is also advertised online and in your brochure. He said “I can’t help you, you do not have WiFi on your site”. I let it go until the next day.
The campground is NOT well kept. The grass/weeds was a foot long throughout the campground, it clearly had not been mowed in a few weeks. My husband took the dogs out on our site to go potty, he came back in only to find he had ticks on him and the dogs. Most likely because the grass hadn’t been mowed. After being lied to about the wifi and now the ticks, we decided that we would need to find another campground. We are 44’ long with an 8’ deck and being a Friday we knew we had some challenges ahead of us to find another campground, but we did, thank God!
I drove up to the office and informed them of our displeasure and that we are checking out. I said we will pay for the 2 nights we have stayed here but we would like to be refunded the balance of what we prepaid (almost $400.00 dollars), and a refund for $20.00, $10.00 for each gate key we were charged. The young man called the owner on his cell phone, she said she will not refund the money. I said to the young man that was unexceptable, and I want my money back. He said he can’t refund our money. I told him I will get my money back one way or another, and that I will warn everyone about the “real” situation of this campground, his response was “ok, have a good day”, and I left.
If you are interested in staying at this campground, I highly suggest you take a ride and go see it for yourself. They are very expensive, overpriced for the campground conditions and amenities , and services that are stated online and in the brochure are not accurate! If you want to save yourself the headache, disappointment and loss of your hard earned money, STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAMPGROUND!!!
GuideThe spaces are nice and open. The playgrounds are new. There’s and arcade and beach. The downfall is that ots open to the public. This is our 4th year coming here and its now a common occurrence for stranger danger. If you’re an adult with no kids, you’ll have a great time!
Scout
Very loud, lots of children, kids will be kids, but the loud music until very late and the dogs barking all hours not necessary! At least I know most of Tom Pettys songs now from listening to them all night!
Guide
We had a large group of families with varying ages and abilities. We used multiple different styles of cabins and a few RV sites, as well as various buildings for activities. All in all, it was an incredible time and I highly recommend it. Staff was helpful with activities such as archery but, seldom seen if not directly helping with things. It was nice to feel like we had the run of the place but, still know that help was available if we needed it. The location is pretty great, off the beaten path but, within 30 minutes of major stores and conveniences.
Laundry facilities would have been awesome since we were staying a full week but, there was a laundromat only about 15 minutes away.
The food selection was about what you'd expect in a public school cafeteria and resulted in health-minded guests needing to make their own meals in the cabins and meals were VERY rushed, only allowing 30 minutes for our large group to get their food, eat and be out of the building.
The grounds were well maintained for a rustic campground but, bathrooms and meeting buildings were adequately upgraded and offered pleasant amenities, such as a game room, large gym and decent air conditioning.
We had a great time here and look forward to returning one day!
Guide
Well maintained and up kept with some neat features and trails.
Avoid the vending machines.
Traveler
My boyfriend and I only reserved one night and it was wonderful. Our site was in the woods and just what we needed. Walker was very welcoming and super generous! We did a lil walk around the grounds and saw a few people fishing and they had some catches. Walker brought us wood for our fire and it was well worth the fee for the amount he gave us. He truly was great! We definitely enjoyed our stay and would definitely recommend.
Traveler
We love this campground. It’s quiet and well maintained. The owners are friendly and willing to help. Wood bundles are available for purchase and they deliver to your site. No tents allowed but pop-up are welcome. The bathrooms are key for me and are very clean. There shower are private and are quarter operated. This is our go-to when in the area.
Guide
I have stayed here over 100 times in past thirty years. Front camp sites are better than back. Staff are friendly. The only rude person here is the camp store owner. Fishing is great, boat, kayaks, trails for everyone. If it rains everything is mud if your in the back camp section.
GuideIt's always great to spend time at Holly. The only downfall is the public bathroom. Camp sites are pretty big. Tent camping is also A bad place to hang out as nothing is level for tents.
Camping near Otisville, Michigan, offers a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun family adventure, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Otisville, Michigan, has something for everyone, whether you're a family looking for fun or an RVer seeking adventure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Otisville, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Otisville, MI is Genesee Otter Lake Campground with a 2.3-star rating from 3 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Otisville, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Otisville, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
