Best Cabin Camping near Paradise, MI

This beautiful state park is a stunner during the fall colors! Located just outside of the town of Paradise on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It has all the amenities of a state park such as: spacious camp sites with plenty of room for larger RV’s, fire rings, picnic tables, super clean bathrooms and showers, nature programs, a playground, and a camp store. The campsites vary from rustic to those equipped with electricity to camper cabins, depending on your needs.

There are miles of hiking trails, gorgeous waterfalls, fishing boat rentals, paddling/canoeing opportunities, large picnic areas for groups and more. In the winter, they offer snowmobiling and cross country skiing.

Camp site fees vary, but keep in mind that non-residents pay an additional $9 per day for use of Michigan State Parks.

We have stayed here many times, but on the rustic side (same entrance as modern). Beautiful campground, clean, with incredible views. Vault style outhouse, you may also use the showers at the modern campground via a trail that connects the 2. Kayak rentals on site. Friendly staff. Quiet get away.

Near: Paradise, MI with gas, groceries and souvenirs. Whitefish Point Museum. Whitefish Point Senic Byway- nice drive with awesome indigenous history. ~1hr from Sue St Marie. 25mins from the actual Tahquamenon falls.

Despite being close to the road, Northland Outfitters is a quiet, peaceful little campground. With aonly 14 camping sites and 4 cabins, it is small. 

Our site (#6) was located right on the Manistique River. 

There is a horseshoe pit, volleyball court, canoe, and kayak rentals available. Inside the office, a game table for cards or board games is also available to those staying at the campground. 

The bathhouse and shower were clean. Additional outhouses were available near sites farther away from the bathhouse. 

There is a small camp store with basic supplies. 

The downside to this campground is many of the sites didn't have much privacy between them.

nice tent sites, love the little camper cabin at river mouth campground, also love the lodge cabin that sleeps 8 , full kitchen 2 bathrooms located between upper and lower falls. great day hike from lower to upper have lunch at microbrewery then hike back or check to see if shuttle service is available. best place for fall colors

Great getaway place for a no-service weekend! Clean showers, bathrooms, and access to plenty of convenience stores and gas stations nearby. We stayed at the Rivermouth campground which was not too far from the Lower Falls area. Good hiking spots close by (Clark Lake and the falls). Clean area that was not too cold at night with a blanket and sleeping bag. Had an incredible time. Beware of woodpeckers and chipmunks!

Close to the falls, local bar open in summer minimal winter hours.

Beautiful look outs, site seeing, hikes, snowshoeing and good snow mobile trails in the area.

Local store- minimal supplies (essentials) In paradise

Rustic lots

Brimley isn't a big state park at only 160 acres; it consists of the campground and a small day-use area. 

The campground is the majority of Brimley State Park, with more than 230 sites. And the sites are crammed in pretty close to one another in a relatively open area with multiple rows.

A few of the sites around the outside edge back up to trees, while others back up to the day-use area. A few are technically on Lake Superior but there is a row of trees separating them so it’s not like you’d have a waterfront view.

The sites do come in varying sizes and a few are more pull-in sideways than back in. This helps with so much variation in rig size and type. There also are a few sites with 50-amp service. In addition, there is one mini-cabin.

There are three bathroom facilities in the campground. At least one is showing its age, with only 3 stalls and 1 shower each for men and women. The other facility is a newer, modern style restroom with 5 separate gender-neutral shower stalls. 

Brimley State Park technically has two beaches, or at least areas where you can reach the water. With lake levels so high in 2019 and 2020, there wasn't much of a sandy beach available, but there is a designated swimming area.

The beach area provides a great view of the St. Mary’s portion of Whitefish Bay where you can watch all the big Great Lakes freighters line up as they prepare to pass through the Soo Locks. Make sure you head down at night, too, as the freighters often are parked offshore overnight and likely to be all lit up.

We were there near the end of the fall season so it wasn't very crowded. But during peak times, you're going to be packed in pretty tight so think about that when booking a site and try to get out along the edges if you want more elbow room.

This park is great if the Lower falls Portage and Hemlock are full, which they usually are. This campground is small, but modern. The physical address is 32130 W. South River Road, Paradise, MI 49768, put that in the GPS in order to get there properly! Please be mindful that the town of Paradise closes up pretty early and if you are looking for a late night snack, you should be sure to stock up before camping! My husband and I wanted a late dinner and drove into town around 7:45pm (Sunday night) and everything was closed. We did make our way to the Tahquamenon Brewery at the Upper Falls before they closed at 8:30 pm. They had very good chicken wings and fries! We went there earlier in the day and there was an hour wait, but later in the evening we were able to get right in. The sites here are great and there is a modern bathroom along with pit toilets. I was surprised at the modern bathroom as this campground has an old style feel. This campground was laid back and not as busy as the lower falls portage or hemlock. There are mature trees and grassy sites. Our television did not come in for any service and phones did not work well here.

We love wintering camping here, I wanted to share some of the amazing sites to see during the winter.

We snow shoe the upper and lower falls, it’s absolute breath taking to see the falls freezing.

Not a lot is open in paradise so bring what you need. We pay at the booth every year. Fill out a slip and leave money. No bathroom or showers are open They do have a few out houses unlocked.

The hike to the falls is maybe a mile, it’s so beautiful.

Summer camping: has a lot more open and near by lighthouse.

Just a short drive from Mackinac lies a beautiful campground to sink into the quietness of a river setting. I stayed in the rustic portion with campsites right along the river. River access is available for small boats along with a fishing deck. Vault toilets and water merge with large campsites to create a quiet ambiance. Showers and a modern toilet are available in the modern portion of the campground which is a short walk through a playground and separating trees.

My site meant waking up to fog drifting down the river, birds chirping and quiet forest behind me. Walking my dog through the forest was nice as the fallen pine needles created a soft path. My site had plenty of room for the tent as well as tress to hang my hammock on. My dog couldn't wait to jump into the hammock and relax in the cool Michigan air. The campground hosts came through and we had a nice chat (which added to the homey feeling).

This campground is not by the Tahquamenon Falls area so I would make sure to get the correct location. It sits south of Paradise, MI. It was a 20 or so mile drive to get to the falls area with beautiful hiking trails. The remote location of the campground adds to the perfect Northwoods feel. The North Country Trail goes past the campground on the other side of the river. You can hike all the way to the falls area if you are up to it.

We stayed in site 38, in the Lower Falls- Portage campground. It's an open area which is  shaded. We had 30 amp and access to drinking water on site. Verizon was able to bring in 3G, at best. Bathroom/Showers were about 200 feet from our site. They were extremely clean, even though it was rainy and muddy. As for the rain, our site didn't have standing water, but it was mainly dirt, which was a challenge not to track in our rig. Bring a rug or at least a mat! Nice big fire pits. There is a guy that drives through the park frequently, selling firewood for $5 a bundle. From our campground, it was a short hike, down to the lower falls, store and restaurant. if you make the loop around the lower falls, it's about 3 miles and half of it is through some amazing woods. You can also hike to the Upper falls, that's about a 4 mile hike, one way. But as a reward, there is a Brewery, restaurant, store, big deck with fireplace, at the entrance of the Upper falls. If you truly want to camp to get away from TV, Internet, phones and the daily grind, this place might be for you.

The Tahquamenon Falls State Park is gorgeous! The campground that we visited was the one by the river mouth. The campground is well maintained, the toilets and baths - clean. The camp sites are situated in the middle of a river bend and the area is very picturesque. The town of Paradise is close nearby and one can find almost anything in the very well stocked stores. The river has a couple of waterfalls upstream from the Rivermouth Campground - the Lower and Upper Tahquamenon Falls. Other sites of interest nearby are the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, the Point Iroquois Light at Bay Mills on Whitefish Bay. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and Mackinac Island are also fairly close (a couple of hours away driving distance) in case you need to enrich your experience. The area is also pierced by the North Country Trail. A very refreshing hike for us was the hike between the Upper and Lower Falls. A nice reward at the end of the trail is a small brewery with some interesting beer selection. The whole area is very beautiful and despite the gloomy weather it was a memorable experience.

We stayed at the Hemlock campground near the Lower Falls.  The campsites are so close to one another, with absolutely no privacy/buffer.  I am used to camping at parks in Wisconsin, where there is generally more brush and understory plants and sites are better spaced out.  We were there on Saturday and Sunday nights, and the campsite was packed with people; an army of kids riding bikes and scooters, and some teenagers driving an RC car all over.  Lots of dogs, but thankfully they all seemed well-behaved.  I was shocked with how quiet it was after sundown.  I was expecting there to be some loud and obnoxious people, but everyone seemed to be respectful volume-wise.  

Aside from the awkwardness of being so close to other campers, the site itself was nice; flat, pine needle/dirt base.

The bathrooms were alright.  Showers were limited to 3 and always busy.  Water fluctuated between warm and mostly cold.  I did read that the bathroom/shower building is going to be replaced next year, which will be wonderful for future campers.

We bought firewood from the park's dispenser near the entry building.  It seemed wet and did not burn very well.  The second night we purchased our firewood from Gene's Tahquamenon General Store, just down the road, and it seemed to be better quality.   The general store looked nice inside, with all kinds of useful items for sale.

While we stayed at Tahquamenon Falls SP, we visited both waterfalls, which were beautiful and easy to get to.  Bathrooms at both falls were large and clean.

We also made a day trip to Whitefish Bay to see the Shipwreck Museum and hang out at the beach.

We wanted to get dinner in Paradise our second night, but the two food trucks that we originally wanted to check out were closed.  (Sub shop in town was also closed when we tried to stop by at lunch time)  We considered eating at one of the two sit-down restaurants in Paradise or driving to the brewery by the Upper Falls, but we didn't want to wait very long or spend that much money.  We ended up going to Eddy's food truck across from the Wheelhouse.  Food was alright, prices were fair for a food truck, owner was super friendly, and there was a nice little seating area off to the side.

Overall our camping experience at this VERY popular park was good.  If I were to camp there in the future, I would be sure to make my reservations much further in advance in order to get a site on the outer edge (or try out the rustic campsites).

Our first visit to this park and first stay at campground, and it was absolute bliss!  Absolutely worth the drive to enjoy all the peace, quiet, space, views, amenities, trails and of course the waterfalls.  Words cannot really explain the beauty all around.  The recent upgrades to this park can easily be seen and appreciated in the well kept grounds, available amenities, picnic areas, pavilions , fully functional accessible bathrooms and large personal shower rooms. Not a detail was missed!    And yes, the restaurant is a plus!  We enjoyed delicious bison burgers and beer.  The campground was full of guests but quiet, clean, clean restrooms, self serve firewood machine that accepts cards!  We were surprised to find out that you will need to pay for state park pass even with camping reservations. The $40 annual pass is the best value if visiting for longer than 3 days.  We stayed for 4 nights with 34’ camper on site 188, which is at the very beginning of loop but still very quiet, no road noise. Outer sites are very spacious, inner sites are much smaller.  Convenient trails connect Lower and upper falls, 4 miles.  One mile trail to reach lower falls from campground. the lower falls alone will give you plenty to explore.  We spent two days there, one kayaking around the lower falls and river where you can launch your own kayak from lower falls, next to picnic area and paddle up to the falls and down river. but be mindful, you will paddle upstream heading back. Some areas are low but doable. The park offers canoe rental but only to lower fall and back. We spent another full day just walking around taking everything in, and cooling off in the falls of course.  The upper fall area is just as lovely but you can only view from view points.  We enjoyed an evening walk to upper falls when hardly no one was there.  The park is roughly 30 mins to nearby lighthouses, 90 mins to western points like Munising and pictured rocks.  No need to second guess this place, just go and enjoy responsibly!  And please be respectful of this beautiful park.

Awesome base camp to explore the UP of Michigan. Clean facilities, level sites, well spaced out, and beautiful scenery

A must if you live in Michigan. Portage camp is a walk from the lower falls. Brand new and clean bathrooms. Sewage dump is a mile at hemlock camp. Get water there before you go to your site.

This has and will remain my favorite campground in Michigan. Easy access to the Tahquamenon River, bathrooms are always clean and showers all work very well, sites are generally private due to surrounding trees, and the overall campground is small relative to most modern campgrounds.

As a lifelong Michigander it’s always been on my bucket list to travel up to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and visit Tahquamenon Falls. This campsite was taken care of, had great facilities, electricity, quiet by 10pm and was a 6 mile hike to the Upper Falls from camp.

Only reason why I’m giving it a 4 instead of 5 was because the toilets were backing up semi-frequently.

What amazing waterfalls there are in Upper Michigan! There are a couple camping areas and after some research we chose to stay in the Upper Falls campground (which seemed less busy than the Lower Falls). Our site was large right near the creek, which was scenic, but I think attracted more mosquitos unfortunately. This campground is very near to a restaurant and a little store. The hike between the lower and upper falls was nice and we enjoyed it a lot!

We stayed here on the very last night they were open this season. The staff was very friendly and they actually had campsites that were more private then almost all the Michigan state parks we have stayed at. It was a bit pricey for camping $40 for a pop up truck camper with only electric and water. 

They have hot showers that were clean and looked taken care of. They have a  playground, playroom and a pool. None of this was open during our visit but I imagine in the summer it is all going strong and the kids have a blast. My one complaint was it is pretty close to the road and during a heavy tourist season it could probably be pretty loud.

There are four choices when camping at Tahquamenon Falls State Park: rustic and modern Rivermouth, Hemlock, and Portage; this review is for Portage. Portage is the most popular campground, due most likely to the closeness to the lower falls. We arrived on a Sunday in September and it was almost, if not entirely, full. The other campgrounds had more availability. Easy access to the lower falls via a boardwalk and then you can continue on to the River Trail leading to the Upper falls (where there was a brewery!). This is a challenging hike but if you go in the summer months, there is a shuttle. There is a gift shop and snack bar with delicious ice cream. I was impressed with the cleanliness of the bathrooms and the shower rooms. Michigan State parks earn extra marks for their recycling: paper, plastic,aluminum, and best of all - propane canisters. I wasn’t sure what “returnables” meant so it might be good to explain. Sites were generous in size but the interior ones did not have any privacy separation, the only reason I am giving this a four star rating. Try and snag an outside site for more privacy.

Reviews can be so subjective, an employees bad day, the crowed at the campground etc.....

Let's start with the campground on its own merits removing all people involved. 

Bathrooms - Centrally located and exceptionally clean and modern with very nice individual shower stalls.

Campground sites - Sites ranged from normal size to no chance for privacy whatsoever. We stayed in site 3, it seemed to be one of the sites with a bit more room.

Ok we arrived at what turned out to be a few minutes before the office closed. The guy working the office seemed to be in a hurry to leave and did not really give us much info on the campground, he just highlighted the available sites and sent me on my way. When we got back to the office, less than ten minutes later, he was gone and it was locked up. So I used the phone service and called my site in. 

As I was doing this another state park employee walks up to the office, I inquire about wood, he says it is not available any longer because the cash drawer is closed out already. I was like can you put $5 on the counter and do it in the morning? No He tells me I need to drive to town and find wood, but does not tell me where to get it from.

I was a bit surprised because we had been camping at state parks in Michigan for a week and had nothing but amazing and super helpful park employees at every park. 

So we drove to town and finally found someone who had wood in stock.

When we got back to the campground we set up camp, settled in and took the dog for a walk. Headed back to our campsite to get a fire going and relaxed for a bit enjoying the fire. After we settled in for the nite, things got loud, people yelling, dogs barking, it was one of the noisiest campgrounds I have ever been in. I am not sure how late into the night it went but it seemed like there were a lot of campsites that got together to party. 

So other then the time around the campfire the stay here really was not our cup of tea so we moved on the next day and most likely will not return to this campground.

Stayed here for 4 nights early July 2020. Social distancing had some sinks and urinals turned off. Seemed super clean. 4-6 tent only spots are in pretty good shade. All sites had at least water and electricity. Swingset and covered sandbox for kids. Volleyball net. I saw dogs and cats; we brought 1 dog. 

Cell coverage (AT&T for my family, Verizon for my friends) was pretty hit or miss at 0-2 bars at any given time. I could sometimes stream audio for an hour or two. Other times, it wouldn't do anything. Wifi was available, but it wasn't any more reliable than cell service down in the tent area. Service wasn't normal until hitting either of the east-west roads at the north and south sides of the UP that run along Superior and Michigan, ~8-10 miles north or south of the campground. We like limited to no signal, but realize some count on it, so try to always include it in reviews. 

Campground was pretty busy and the internal noise levels were fine, but you could hear vehicles (possibly cars as well as ATVs) racing off grounds in the night. I'm a very deep sleeper, so this didn't bother me, but I did hear it when I was awake for my nightly jaunt to the potty. My buddy mentioned it kept him awake for a while.

Went tubing with a launch from the grounds and got picked up by staff about half to 3/4s of a mile down river. My guests paid, so not sure how much, but perfectly nice little break from the heat for an hour. 

~20-5 minutes to closest spots to hit the beach, both of which were about 10 degrees cooler than the campground.