Searching for a tent camping spot near Rose City? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. Each spot offers quick access to one or more of Rose City, Michigan's most popular destinations.
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
This property is nestled between West Branch and East Tawas with a 90-acre private lake! There are multiple tent sites as well as renovated cabins situated on or off the lake. Several amenities are included such as firepits and BBQ grills. The main lodge has a men's and women's restroom with showers. There is also a commercial kitchen available to cook your favorite meals. There are two docks for fishing as well as kayaks, row boats and a peddle boat to enjoy the beautiful lake.
$50 - $300 / night
Recreation areas located near Hoist and Reid Lakes, north of the Au Sable River in the northeast corner of the Huron National Forest.
White Pines Campground is a backcountry campground, with a restroom and a fire ring. This 60 acre greenspace is mostly undeveloped, offering only parking at the main entrance and a single trail through the forest. When the original 20 acres of the park were acquired in 1927, they contained one of the few remaining pure stands of white pines in the county. The park has since been managed with the goal of preserving this stand and enhancing it with plantings of new white pine seedlings.
Au Sable National Scenic River The access road is gated to prohibit motorized access. Visitors to this campground are primarily river paddlers. To access the site from the road, visitors will need to walk .25 miles into the large, old-growth eastern white pine to find the campground. Trees offer a screen from the river, but still allow campers views of the river and wildlife. Brochure with map: This brochure is set to print on 11 x 17 paper, landscape (wide) orientation. To print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper set the print area to "shrink to printable area", this will make the text on the page smaller. Flickr Photo Album
This rustic campground sits along the picturesque shore of the Au Sable River. The campground offers excellent opportunities for trout fishing. Paddlers can easily access the river and use a group camping area. There are 7 sites for tent and small trailer use. Camping is limited to a 15-day maximum stay. Amenities include vault toilets and potable water from a hand-pump well. The campground is located 15 miles east of Grayling via M-72, McMasters Bridge and Conners Flat. Sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No reservations.
Wakeley Lake Campground is a part of the Wakeley Lake semi-primitive non-motorized area .__The campground is made up of 5 walk-in sites near the east shore of Wakeley Lake.__
Trail System: The trail system within the Wakeley Lake semi-primitive non-motorized area is 8.5 miles in total. Several loops provide hikers the ability to take a hike that suits their skill level. Trails are also open to bicycles. In the winter, the Wakeley Lake area is groomed for cross country skiing and snowshoing. Water Activities: Non-motorized boating is allowed, however, visitors must hike in with their equiptment. Wakeley Lake is also a peaceful location for other water activites such as swimming and fishing.__
Trail System: The trail system within the Wakeley Lake semi-primitive non-motorized area is 8.5 miles in total. Several loops provide hikers the ability to take a hike that suits their skill level. Trails are also open to bicycles. In the winter, the Wakeley Lake area is groomed for cross country skiing and snowshoing. Water Activities: Non-motorized boating is allowed, however, visitors must hike in with their equiptment. Wakeley Lake is also a peaceful location for other water activites such as swimming and fishing.__
Visitors to the area will be treated to a forested setting that varies from tag alder and conifer swamps to upland jack and white pine mixed with oak. Wakeley Lake Campground and the Lake itself are set relatively close to the parking location in the semi-primitive nonmotorized area. The lake tapers out into a swampy marsh area along the shoreline in some areas. The 2,100 acres area is habitat for loons and eagles and visitors may view loons nesting from March 1 to July 15. Please respect wildlife and view from a distance.
This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (989) 826-3252.
All reservation changes, cancellations, and refunds are managed through Recreation.gov.
$10 / 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
Reid Lake The Reid Lake Area is a little over 3,000 acres in size. The forest in the area is primarily hardwoods and creates a small, remote, lake environment. The lake is a small, 13-acres, with a variety of fish. Twelve miles of gently rolling trail will lead you around Reid lake. The trails are open for back-country skiing in the winter, and are not groomed. Difficulty on the trails ranges from easy to more difficult. Flickr Photo Album
This is a popular campground during fishing season. Recreation opportunities include hunting, picnicking, mushroom gathering and berry picking. The picnic shelter is a Civilian Conservation Corps construction from the mid 1940's.
Ranger
The lake has an island in the middle and is great to explore by boat. Not sure how much there is to do without watercraft, as there’s just a really short trail. A friend snowmobile camps here in winter, that’d be beautiful to try. Nice basic primitive state park tent camping. Clean and simple. Shady.
Traveler
We visited this campsite for a long weekend in October, looking for that autumn experience. Our site was right on the lake, and had a great view of the river and the trees changing. Our site was very large, especially for tent camping, and that seemed to be the trend. Others were camping with campers and tents, but there was pretty of room to spread out in the late fall.
Ranger
Short backpacking walk to this no-reservations rustic campsite. You need a backcountry permit and there’s usually a small fee. Lovely forested secluded tent sites. There’s only one or two fire pits, but going there is a nice way to meet your neighbors (only 2 other groups when I was there in April). Sites aren’t too sandy and are pretty shady. Follow bear rules!!
Guide
The campsites are purely for tent camping and are around 20'x40'. We went with a group and fit four tents on one site with a picnic table and fire pit for less than $10 each. There is a large bath house with showers, a pavilion/picnic area, where they sometimes have a DJ at night. And there's a really nice open area and playground for the kids. The front store /check-in desk has some supplies for while you're there, and they also offer canoe/tubing/kayak trips with transport, directly from the grounds. We had a great time and plan on going back again.
Guide
Lovely rustic campground, with several sites fronting Lake Huron. We tent-camped in August and swam twice a day in that beautiful crystal clear water. Our site was not particularly private (a medium-sized RV came in part-way through the week and its generator ruined our serene quiet), but its location on the water was priceless. We enjoyed touring the area, and especially loved Presque Isle. Some gorgeous farmlands to drive around, too, and we serendipitously came across an amazing sunflower farm. We'd love to return to this campground.
Guide
They charge per person, so I paid $75 for my boyfriend and I to tent camp on the river for the 2 night minimum required. They are money grubbers who charge per person then put multiple parties on one site. Firewood available on site is soaking wet so had a lot of issues getting a fire started. Not much to do at the campground unless you want to pay an arm and a leg to rent one of their watercraft. Staff is incredibly rude and unhelpful. Everything they offer is an extra charge. Will not be returning here ever again.
Guide
the sites are sandy and surrounded by tall pines and ferns. some biting flies, especially near river (late june). multiple vault toilets and one water pump. sites are spacious enough for small campers and walk/boat-in tent sites are great and have their own vault toilets and pump (though they are less shaded and a little more open than the forest sites). there's a river trail to walk and parking for the walk/boat-to sites. there's an ORV trail nearby and the road can get noisy from that. otherwise quiet and cozy.
GuideI have camped here a few times over the last decade. I have tent camped in the past and now with a travel trailer. The sites are large, and some humongous. The campground is quiet, and the lake is right behind the campground. A nice sandy shoreline and shallow water makes for a relaxing day. There needs to be some maintenance done at this campground, at least two water pumps are without handles, one was with out a handle three years ago as well, so the missing handles may be part of the campground management plan. There are a few vault toilets placed in various areas in pairs. Of each pair, one is closed, presumably to reduce costs associated with maintenance.
The fire rings in some sites are brand new, so it is obvious that maintenance is underway.
Overall this campground is still on a list of favorites that we return to once or twice a year.
Guide
If you are looking for decent modern campsite Harrisville offers that. There is a bike trail that goes into town. Friendly host that offer books. There is wood on site to purchase through a vending machine. Only takes exact amount. Sites are pretty close together which makes getting to know your neighbors from the get go. The bathroom was very nice. Extremely clean and well kept. Staff was there several times even this late in the season cleaning at 6:30 am. The view of the lake was lovely. I happened to have site 74 which has a great view of the lake. Though the traffic of bathroom goers is annoying. The bathroom offered such bright beam of light I never used any of my flashlights. Depends on how you feel about that. If you’re looking for nice weekend to sleep outside this is nice. If you’re looking to get away from it all and have peace and quite. This is not it. Even in September. Staff was super friendly. I originally booked 82 and it was extremely tiny for a tent site more suited for a RV. Be mindful when picking your site. Majority on the water side are tiny and are more suited for RV not a tent. I mean tiny!
Traveler
A great campground about 20 min south of gaylord, on otsego lake, as with most michigan state parks they have nicely taken care of campsites and easy access to bathrooms, the beach from our site was a little bit of a hike but there was easy access to the lake via stairs, electrical is available and there was a good combination of rvs and tents so all are welcome, they offer actinities for kids on the weekends, and they usually have holiday happenings
Scout
Sand, pine trees, vault toilet, fire ring, gorgeous views, serenity, bear pole - my family adores this place. It is possibly the nicest camping we've done in Michigan. Water filter is a MUST unless you want to walk to the parking lot every time you need potable water. None of us ever got sick drinking the filtered lake water. Kayaking and canoeing in is easy. We have walked in, too. Having a wheeled cart is nice for bringing in large family-sized tents and other heavier items.
Traveler
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
Traveler
Needed a tent sight for 3 pup tents motorcycle camping. Nice quiet secluded campground in the woods. Nice clean baths and showers. $25 for tent $35 RVs pull threw.
Traveler
We tented at this campground. Good location, decent bathrooms.
Scout
Pprivate. Modern and Rustic, so tents don't need to be in a Zoo of RVs. Tons of trails, great kayaking and canoeing
Scout
This campground has sites for RV’s and tents. Vault toilets that are cleaned daily. Small lake with a beachfront. No motor boats allowed. We come every year!
LegendMost outdoor camping adventures are to capture memories and epic moments…this one was no different.
Ours is a very active family…we enjoy all things paddling, hiking, cycling, fishing. With a family spread out in age, we attempt to settle in on activities that will be somewhat of an equalizer of talent and ability…to maintain family harmony and interest. This is no easy task.
We love Michigan outdoors! We chose paddling and camping the Big Manistee River. As is the expectation when we camp…there will be rain…and this outing was no different.
Rains bloated the Big Manistee, so the sleepy river was moving pretty swiftly. We contacted Chippewa Landing…and they met us at our put in (Grayling area)…and drove our vehicle to their livery for our take out.
Obviously, we camped at different spots along the river, but our first stop was the Upper Manistee State Forest Campground and Canoe Camp. Which was perfect for dragging the boats out and placing them near our tents.
Nothing inherently special about this campground other than its convenience. It was clean (as most Michigan campgrounds tend to be)…and being on a weekday…empty…totally. Even with the copious amounts of rain, the ground is fairly sandy and there was no mud or puddling to contend with. With the rain came cooler temperatures, which we were prepared for and enjoyed.
If you haven't floated or paddled the Big Manistee…you owe it to yourself and those you love. Its a beautiful river…and on a early week paddle…we had the river to ourselves…save one fly-fisherman at our halfway point. It is still fairly primitive with few built up areas, so you feel like you are "out there."
Sadly, the trip took us less time because of the increased waterflow…probably should've explored the river banks more…or dragged anchor to slow us down. But it was, indeed, a memorable trip!
However, having the extra time allowed us to go to one of our very favorite campgrounds, D.H. Day campground in Empire. Yes, the Empire strikes back!!
GuideThis is a family owned campground that is about half seasonal lots and half daily lots. The daily lots are large with room for a couple tents or even a travel trailer and tent. There are two bathroom buildings with showers, which were always clean. When we were there the campground was quiet and the owners were laid back and helpful.
There are ORV trails on the campground property, as well as a good sized playground. There are nearby lakes and drop-in points to the Au Sable River for kayaking and canoeing, and Hartwick Pines is down the road with hiking trails. Grayling and Gaylord are both within a convenient distance. I'd happily camp here again!
TravelerWe tented at this campground and enjoyed it so much! Loved being right by the water, and bathrooms were so clean. Would go back!
Scout
This place was so cute and the owners were very friendly. I tented with my 2 kids here for the weekend and will be going back for sure 😁
RangerWe absolutely love camping here weather it’s in a tent, hammock or RV we have always loved camping here.
Night sounds are so relaxing.
We typically do the sites closer to Mio sites 1-6
Plenty of trails and fishing.
No water No electric No sewer
Traveler
We tented here. Our location was right behind the general store so at night the lights were very bright. This KOA has so many activities for kids and we enjoyed ourselves here!
Traveler
Loved camping on this lake. We hauled our canoe loaded with our tent and amenities on a dolly the half mile or so back to the camp sites. Some of the best catch and release artificial lure only fishing. Loved watching the loons on the lake.
GuideNice open area big enough to put our 8 person tent. Picnic table and power! The Lake Huron is a stones throw to the East. Great place, we will be back soon!!
ScoutMostly shade but not dark like other sites. Large area so room for camper and tents. Fire ring located near back corner... away from your awning. Path behind site makes for short walk to the beach.
Scout
Pure Michigan
Guide
Stayed here before the 4th of July for the weekend and was really impressed with the facilities and size of spaces at the campground. For being such a busy campground (since there is a boat launch) the sites are still quite large! We were able to fit 2 large tents, a small tent, 2 cars, 1 boat trailer and a sun shade for our gear with plenty of room to spare.
The restrooms (which I am told were recently renovated) were very clean.
The beaches were well maintained and plenty of space to moor boats overnight.
In addition to the boat launch there is also a camp store down the road with tons of snacks, camping gear/utensils, and Higgins lake souvenirs.
I will definitely return again! Be sure to catch a sunset from the campground beaches, you won’t regret it!
If you aren't familiar with this lake it is extremely clear (see video) and very large, there are 2 sandbar areas which are very popular providing 3-4 feet water to hangout in.
Tent camping near Rose City, Michigan offers a chance to immerse yourself in nature, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a rustic experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Rose City, MI is Spruce Rustic Campground — Rifle River Recreation Area with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.
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