Best Glamping near Port Austin, MI

Recent Glamping Reviews near Port Austin, Michigan

74 Reviews of 11 Port Austin Campgrounds

• A

  Andrew M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 28, 2021

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Awesome Sunsets and beautiful beach

  This Park is on our list of favorite parks to visit each year. With it being on the eastern part of the Saginaw Bay you have a great beach for swimming and sunbathing. We were noticing that this park seems to be in an overused state and what we mean by this is the bathhouses not so clean and not updated, sites littered with debris from previous campers and vegetation does not have the opportunity to replenish in between campers. The service roads although black top were in rough shape and hard to read the lot numbers. The State needs to send this park some love! 

  The town of Port Austin does provide some tourist type things to do but mainly a quiet little harbor town. Port Austin does hold a Farmers Market during the summer months which has lots of local vendors. tour the Port Austin Reef Lighthouse, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking are all close by.

• S

  Sammy S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 8, 2018

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Beautiful

  Never have been to Port Austin, wanted to check it out for myself. My boyfriend and I had our first date traveling there. I had heard there was an old ghost town around there, check it out. We put up a tent, talked under the stars it was absolutely gorgeous. Can not wait to come back and stay again for our anniversary! Camp ground is quiet, very large spots, from what I remember they have bathrooms! Very cheap!

• T

  Timothy P.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 21, 2019

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Gem on the tip of The Thumb

  This park is in a great location—The Thumb felt quite isolated. There are some pretty rad sites right on Lake Huron—unfortunately, we were on site 41 which buts right up against a main road and it got quite loud at times (especially on the weekends). Bathrooms were good for a state park. The beach was a little small, but water levels are high this year. DNR staff were pleasant, helpful and good at being present. Firewood is for sale at the gate for $5 a bundle. This campground is close to Caseville, Bad Axe and Port Austin where I would recommend renting a kayak and checking out Turnip Rock (only accessible by H2O). This park didn’t get a full 5 stars because of the proximity to the road (which wasn’t really that bad…). Great Park!

• L

  Linda H.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 24, 2018

  Old Orchard Park Campground

  Old orchard is beautiful

  First off, old orchard is on property that is owned by Consumers Powers Energy. They allow certain numbers of reservable sites and are slowly opening up more land to create more camping sites and standing Yurts. I love old orchard. We had our camper on one site for three months but had to pay for 3 weeks at a time. Our site was very large and it was very quiet on the fill hookup did of the park. Most of the staff is helpful and some even will teach the RV newbies how to care for their camper.

  The area around the park has several areas of interest including Lumbermans monument, iargo springs, and downtown Oscoda on lake Huron. It is on the banks of the Ausable river. Kayaking, boating, pontooning, fishing-all beautiful. There is just North of the park an off shoot road that goes to Champagne Hill where people have large homemade slip and slide mats to slide down the steep sand dunes into the water. People bring their pontoons, boats and watercraft and all meet up at different locations and have a great time. The campground has a small beach but it has not been allowed to be fully developed due to consumers energy wanting a natural rustic feel to the park. Yes it is hard to get in, on a first come first serve basis, but that is because it is a great place to stay.... I give this place 5 stars. I love it there

• 

  l.jeczen@hotmail.com T.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 18, 2019

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Great family camp!

  Great campground at the top of Michigan's thumb. Close to fishing, kayaking and a great beach.

• S

  Sheila

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2021

  Stafford County Park Campground

  Campground on Lake Huron

  Nice small campground on the shore of Lake Huron in Port Hope Michigan. Back in Full hook up and water/electric sites. Also cabins to rent. Marina in the campground. Most sites are gravel.

• M

  Matt M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 1, 2018

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Great staff and check in, busy campground!

  Port Crescent is a clean and comfortable campground with great lake views even from sites not on the water. It's also an extremely busy campground so not a place to find silence and solitude, nevertheless with Michigan's state park booking system it's a great option!

• 

  Gary G.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 28, 2021

  Tawas Point State Park Campground

  Great park with a lighthouse

  East Tawas is a place I've visited most of my adult life. There's some walking trails here, the lighthouse is a close walk/bike from anywhere in the park. Getting to town is a few minute drive, or a very long bike ride on the road.

  Like most Michigan State Parks, your site has electric (30/50) only. Water spigots are located in various spots throughout the park. I advise you fill your freshwater tank at home, or when you arrive, at the dump station.

  There's a few ADA sites with concrete pads, all others are grass. Comfort stations are in good shape.

  Beaches are, like most in Michigan, eroded due to high water levels, but still useable.

  You can watch sunrise on the Lake Huron side, sunsets over Tawas Bay.

  I've never really interacted with staff here, but never needed to. Park is clean. There can be lineups at the dump station.

  A few sites are pull thru. Most back-in.

  If you have a vehicle, there's many places to see in the area, like Lumberman's Monument. Tawas has a nice farmers market, worth a visit for fresh veg and other items.

• 

  Kate K.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 28, 2019

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Book early

  Probably one of the most popular state parks in Michigan, and for good reason. Most of the park is located on the water and the views are pretty gorgeous. The sites are small, so we usually book two. The grounds offer bathrooms and showers, as well as electric and water for RVs. No rustic options available, so all sites are $35 per night. The campground is located only a few short minutes from the launch site for Turnip Rock, so it’s become very popular for weekend trips.

• 

  julie S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 26, 2023

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  We got lucky

  We got lucky for a spur of the moment weekend get away and scored the perfect site at a campground we had never been to before. It's a busy campground.. but this site made us feel like we were in our own little world. The lake was only a few yards from our tent. There is also a dark sky preserve there which worked out perfectly for the meteor shower that was going on that weekend. One of my favorite camping trips ever... it was just gorgeous. I booked online through the michigan parks website. There must have been a cancelation that I got lucky and grabbed. It really was the perfect camp site.

• M

  MJA

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 13, 2022

  Tawas Point State Park Campground

  Tale of Two Campgrounds

  Location is excellent.  This is a well maintained park, fantastic beaches and nice trails.  I arrived on a Thursday and left Sunday.  The sites are on the small side without any barriers, which was fine midweek.  On the weekend, overcrowding was the norm.  This was my first experience at a Michigan state park, and I do not know if others have designated spaces based on the size of the RV or tent.  This would make a more pleasant experience for campers.  My guess is the park was designed long before people hauled around a 30 foot camper.  No park rangers facilitated parking that I could see, and clearly you should book your spot as early as possible.

  Midweek 5 stars, Weekend 1

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 28, 2025

  Stafford County Park Campground

  Waterfront county park

  General: One of six Huron County parks in Michigan’s “thumb”. This park is open from May 1– October 15. Three different types of campsites (Lake view, FHU, and two rustic areas) plus six cabins. Like other county parks, day use and camping areas are next to each other. The sunrises are beautiful!

  Site Quality: All sites are level with gravel pads. There is zero privacy between sites. Sites 1-4 in the Lakeview section are pull-through. All other sites are back in. Both rustic sites are truly tent-only; it was not clear where cars would park, and only one of these sites (in the back of the campground) was occupied when we were there. 

  Bath/Shower house: Located directly across the road from the Lakeview sites and at the end of the FHU sites. They were reasonably clean. For some unknown reason, the bugs tend to congregate in the women’s bathhouse but not in the men's. This was confirmed by the park host and my husband, who could not understand why I mentioned how many bugs there were! Did not use the shower. 

  Activities: Small beach– not clear if it allowed swimming but it appeared to. Older plus a newer playground. Saw some boys with fishing poles. Horseshoe courts, tennis courts plus ball field. The tennis courts looked a bit sad, however. 

  We were lucky to snag Site 1 on the day before the Labor Day weekend started; this site has no neighbors on one side. This is hands down the best site for RVs or campers but if you are tent camping, I’d recommend the waterfront rustic sites (1-10) would be the best sites. Besides the rustic sites, the campground was completely full on the Thursday before Labor Day weekend. It was just a pass-through for us on our way to Canada, but I am glad I made reservations a few months in advance!

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 12, 2025

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Very popular campground nestled between the highway and the beach

  General: A real hodgepodge of options: paved sites, sandy sites, some with electric, hammock sites, several different types of cabins, and domes. Our stay was in 2023, and this review is based on that, but the campground was closed for the 2024 season for upgrades. 

  Site Quality: Varies greatly. We were able to secure two different sites for our two-night stay. Upon arrival, however, we doubted we would be able to navigate our 18-foot camper van into Site 58– it was sandy, narrow with trees, and cars were parked alongside the narrow access road, making backing in very difficult to impossible. We were able to switch to Site 69 for the first night. The second night we were in site 56 and enjoyed listening to the waves lapping up against the shore. Not all sites are level. Little privacy/separation between sites but if you can score a waterfront site, then it’s all good. Sites 93, 95, 95A, 98, 99A, 101, 103, 105, and 107 back up to the old river channel and the water was very stagnant and green. The beachfront sites mostly have nice views of Saginaw Bay/Lake Huron but be cautious when selecting: some are sand and not level. You will hear road noise from M25 on the 19 sites that back up to the road (and also some of the sites opposite these). 

  Bath/Shower: Two bathhouses (east and west) plus a couple of vault toilets. The East Bathhouse was very modern and clean. The West Bathhouse looked to be a bit older but still seemed fine. 

  Activities/Amenities: Beach access, fishing, swimming, and an observation platform for bird watching or night sky viewing (the weather did not cooperate to check these out). There are nearby hiking trails, a playground, a basketball hoop, and a horseshoe pit. There is a dump station. Kudos to Michigan for extensive recycling! 

  We arrived late at night, and I was able to get in a nice walk around the campground before the rain started, dampening our options for the rest of the day. Obviously, our stay here would have been better with better weather, but I caution you to be careful when reserving your sites based on your type of camping. Despite the abundance of mayflies (gross but not biting) and the muddy sand-covered road from all the rain, we’d stay here again if we could get a beachfront site. We enjoyed our time here and would love to see what improvements were made when the campground was closed (although I thought it was very nice before).

• 

  David B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 13, 2020

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Tight

  Narrow and tight, lots of tents, pop ups and sand. Nicely treed area though and of course next to the lake

• 

  Emily F.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 31, 2021

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  On the water

  Well maintained. Sites are kind of tight. Well maintained facilities and it’s nice to be so close to the lake.

• 

  Jennifer M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 26, 2021

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  1 of my Favorites

  Love hearing the waves out my bedroom window here

• 

  Rodger M.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 19, 2021

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Batten Down the Hatches

  We loved this campground. The proximity to the beach was phenomenal. Our site, 95A was along the old river channel which made for nice views of water fowl. I will say though, the Canada Geese were extremely active…even at late hours of the night and early morning (expected). Lake Huron did not disappoint. We enjoyed some sunsets, weathered driftwood, more geese, sea gulls, and sand pipers.

  The weather started out decent and very fall like, but come late Friday night, sustained 20 mph winds and unrelenting downpours ensued. Did I mention we were in a tent?! Fortunately, I truly did “batten down the hatches” so to speak. This is not a tent review, but the Sam’s Club 9’ x 14’ tent never leaked, never ripped, and held its own!

  Flies out did mosquitoes, and bees were in full pollination mode. We did fog our site and used Thermacells which helped within Mosquitoes. Chipmunks ruled the campground. They were busy everywhere. Also a local woodpecker was going to town at a site next to us. We didn’t see any raccoons or deer…did I mention geese?!?

  Site had 120v and 30 amp service, a picnic table, and fire ring. It was directly across the street from the restrooms and showers.

  Site Size was approx 33’ x 50’

  Shower facilities were a bit dated but functional. Restrooms were clean with nice hot water and high powered hand driers.

  We’re planning another trip and hoping to make it to the sites closer to the lake.

• G

  Gary E.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 22, 2022

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Great family fun

  We stayed here on Labor day last year and loved it. We are going back again this year. We will be making this an annual plan.

• G

  Gary E.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 5, 2022

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  2nd time

  This was our 2nd time here. We stayed on site 71 this time down by the beach. Good amount of space for our set up. Nice view of the lake from across the road.

• A

  Andy B.

  Guide

  

  May. 31, 2023

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Beautiful Lake views

  If you get the right spot, you have essentially private access to the beautiful waters of Lake Huron. Clean beaches and large private lots.

• 

  Doug L.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 2, 2023

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Port Crescent - Beautiful Campground on the Shores of Lake Huron

  Port Crescent is a really amazing campground to visit. The campground contains cabins, tent, and RV sites. Our site (95) was an electric only site but water was nearby.

  Our site was on the sand but large enough to park the camper parallel to the campsite. we were well off the road there were no worries concerning passing vehicles.

  The nature and wild life there are simply amazing and the sunsets on the beach were incredible. They were even more amazing because wildfire activity enhanced the fading rays of the sun.

  We did buy the yearly MI recreation pass, not only for this but for some other stays we had planned in MI. The pass was $35 which was affordable.

  For Astronomers this is a certified dark sky park the IDA. This is a Bortle 3 site with an SQM reading of 21.79 mag./arc sec2. I did not get to observe here due to smoke from wild fires.

  Saginaw Bay is nearby and its a beautiful place to visit.

  to Make sure you know where your gas stations are as they are a long way away from Each other. Also the water spigots in the park don't have hose connectors to either fill up with potable water at the dump station or bring water canisters with you.

  Otherwise have a great time, we did!

• 

  Ashleigh M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 12, 2018

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  When it rains it pours

  It was forecasted to rain during our visit to Port Crescent and we decided to brave it and hope the forecast would be wrong. It wasn’t. It rained most of the day Saturday and Sunday. I know it’s not the park’s fault, but there was literally nothing nearby to do in the rain. I was looking forward to kayaking Turnip Rock, but I’m not doing that in a thunder storm. It was a pretty miserable weekend. The sites are large but lack privacy. The bathhouse got pretty gross with all the mud and could use an update. Overall, the weather really affected my opinion of this whole area. I will probably be back though, because I still want to kayak to Turnip Rock.

• E

  Emily S.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 22, 2018

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  All the comforts of Lake Life

  My family and I have been here many times. The proximity to the water can't be beat. Canoe and kayak rental locations are a short way away, as are the town and local focal points. Save room for dessert at The Farm, a fine dining experience just a mile away from the campground with world class food.

• 

  Magy C.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 27, 2018

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Good camping

  Very very busy campground. I don’t think there was an open site while we were there. Our site was right near the playground, and although we have no kids it was not bothersome AT ALL surprisingly. They have a few cabins to rent that have decent privacy. As well as bathrooms and showers —not the nicest but definitely bearable. Hiked to the water that was clean and easy to swim in and walk in with bare feet, too!

• V

  Vaughn S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 11, 2019

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  One of my favorite campgrounds growing up and still is to this day.

  Been coming here for over 20 years and still love it.

• 

  Janessa L.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 11, 2020

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  Introduction to Camping

  I organized a camping trip for my best friend's birthday - who's never been camping before.  I couldn't have asked for a better campground or area to introduce her to the hobby.  We chose a shady, rustic site that was decent in size - fire ring and picnic table provided.  The private beach was our favorite feature of the campground.  The sand was white and soft with a volleyball net; it was never too crowded.  There is a ton of things to do in the area: hiking, biking, kayaking, swimming, horseback riding and a Dark Sky Preserve.

  The bathroom facilities were large and obviously cleaned regularly.  There are shower rooms for added privacy (I'd suggest water shoes or flip flops for the shower rooms.)

  It's very family friendly and people were respectful when darkness fell in regards to volume.  The only setback for me was that it was very crowded, but not more so than the average loop campground sites.  It's just personal preference to do dispersed camping.  Perfect for families or someone who's never been camping before to see what it's all about!

• M

  Matt M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 27, 2020

  Port Crescent State Park Campground

  We’ll be back!

  First time staying here. Great campground. Sandy beach. Swimming is great! Sites are close and driving through campground is tight. Cell and tv signal is limited. Pictures are from site 92