Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Sanford? Finding a place to camp in Michigan with your tent has never been easier. Each tent campsite offers quick access to one or more of Sanford's most popular destinations.
Explore Deerfield Nature Park while hiking the beautiful 8 miles of trails. This Isabella County Park has trails perfect for hiking and biking on over 591 acres of land. Some of the trails run along side of the Chippewa River, with crossings at four bridges which include two swinging bridges, Lewis Pontiac Bridge and the Fisher Annex Covered Bridge. While exploring Deerfield, toss a disc or two around at one of the two 18 hole, state of the art, Disc Golf Courses. Bring along your camping gear for a rustic camping experience your family and friends will enjoy.
$20 - $25 / night
$18 - $32 / 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
$15 / night
Owning a campground has been a dream of ours, and my family wanted to make this dream a reality. Our family has reached a new phase of our life. When we came across "Lost Haven" in 2013, we knew this was the right place for us. This campground offers a perfect beginning for us to develop the same kind of camping experience we enjoyed as a family.
This campground was established in 1975 and closed in 2012. Our hope is to reestablish this campground and grow with our present and future guests to come. We hope you enjoy your stay as much as we will enjoy having you.
$15 - $25 / night
Traveler
Alright camp ground, it’s a members only. Few grouchy people that seem more miserable than into relaxing. It’s definitely an interesting atmosphere compared to other campgrounds. Staff are hit or miss, seems like the pleasant ones take layoff and move on. Small improvements are made year over year, which is nice.
Traveler
This place was fantastic. We stayed in the Lakeside cabins. Amazing views! We went kayaking, mountain biking, hiking and fishing. The wildlife is plentiful and the lake is full of fish. The staff are fantastic. If we needed anything, they were there in minutes. Always courteous and friendly. Will definitely be back
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.
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.
Scout
A great place for dispersed camping. Don't forget the bug spray! Only 20 minutes from town if you did! Great two weeks here!
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.
Scout
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Legend
The ONLY issue I had with this campground was that it's on a busy road. The campground is beautiful and very clean with a great swim area, cute playground, and newer shower houses.
Traveler
The only complaint about the week I spent was they didn’t cut the grass, other than that I had an amazing birthday week at Rifle River Campground, we found amazing flowers blooming like yellow and pink lady slippers I even found Agates, fossils if you’re a rock hunter and when you climb up the tower there’s a extremely large eagles nest.
The fishing wasn’t very successful I only caught a small one but the water was warm and clear you could see the sand doons.
Scout
If you enjoy camping without the crowd, this is an ideal location. There are mature trees all around and all the amenities, including water, sewer and electric hookup. There is a river on the property where you can fish. My husband caught several during our stay. The host, Megan, is very gracious and accommodating. Highly recommended!
Traveler
The place was beautiful for Memorial Day weekend. The neighbors in the campers were loud they were playing loud. I did notice lots of ticks. Our dogs all had at least one on them and all of us campers had a few. It’s expected being in the backs wood like that I just didn’t realize how bad. We did some hiking while there and the trails were nice for the most part all the storms definitely did a number on the trees back there lots down in the trails. Overall it was a great weekend
GuideExcellent owners! Super friendly that work hard to keep the place really clean. Its been in business since 1941 I believe.
They have 20 sites. The ones by the river are where we stayed. (sites 4&5). They also have some little cabins. They also do kyak rentals, with drop off and you boat back to their own landing. Super convenient.
We stayed the weekend and fully enjoyed it. We stayed in site 5 and had the river as our front yard. Electric is provided at each site, and they do have a dump station.
The ONLY downside I had, and I knew full well going into this and it didn't bother me, it is on M115, a fairly busy road. I know that might be a deal breaker for some, but was easily overlooked for the view we had, the kindness of the owners, and the cleanliness of the facilities and grounds. Most folks wont care, but some purists (Just know that I'm usually a boondock, REAL desolate camping kind of guy), wont like the traffic aspect. I didn't let it bother me.
I give 5 stars because they cant do anything a bout the location, obviously, so I rated on our experience. We had an excellent time, and will come back again.
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.
ScoutWe stayed here 2 years ago. The office where payment is made is a few miles away from the actual campground.
There is a dump station and water at the fairgrounds. Along the left side near the dump / water station as you enter are huge grassy sites marked by electrical outlets at the rear of the sites. The rest of the fairgrounds are set up like a traditional campground on a "loop" style. It looks like almost all the sites will accommodate a 40 footer easily.
There were 2 or 3 campers who appeared to be long term seasonal guests but it did not distract from our overall stay.
We pull an Imagine 2500RL pulled by a Ford F-150 max trailer package.
We stayed 4 nights and spent the days traveling around Bay City.
Founds a great BBQ that had been shared by MI PLAYGROUND --- Meaty's Roadhouse BBQ& Sausage Shack Bay City.
We are planning our Summer 2024 travels and will; be stopping at the Bay County Fairgrounds again this summer.
Scout
So if you're looking for a place to relax and enjoy a nice atmosphere, and have friendly people that run the campground, don't camp here!! I've camped in this campground for 15 years. Until this past season trying to give the new owner the opportunity to make this campground awesome again but the owners are RUDE. They don't care how the campground is maintained from grass cutting(or lack of) to fire pits full to trash/litter on sites and moldy bathrooms, minimal operating toilets, power issues when hooking up to the outdated power system and to getting assigned a site that was not booked for due to over booking sites. Then there is the blatantly disrespect to the customer's who usually are supposed to be always right but the owner is straight out of New York which is loud and has rude comments about campers that they do not care for and they are not afraid of who hears it. I can go on and on about what the campground is and how campers who are there to relax and enjoy the atmosphere shouldn't have to worry about catching something from a bathroom visit. So just saying that this place is a campers beware!!
TravelerI tent camped there July 2023 and the site was $20. The campground host was a very nice and helpful lady. There are electric at the sites and there were water supply spigots throughout the park. They do have free wifi, but it is very weak by the river sites. It is strongest near where the camp host is since the antenna is behind her camper. There was an old wifi access point plugged into my site's electrical outlet, but it was inoperative. Cell signal is good there though so it wasn't a big deal to me. Since I was tent camping I cannot attest to what size RVs and electrical amperage they have. The showers and rest rooms are locked at night. Just ask the campground host and she will lend you a key for the night. In addition to the main camping loop, there are about 12 river RV sites near the fairgrounds. It was fairly quiet being a week day. Just leave your trash in a bag near the lane and she will pick it up when she makes her rounds in her golf cart. A grocery store and a convenience store are across the road. You can book a site online via the village's website at https://marionmichigan.org/campground/ According to a google search the phone number is 231-667-0100. If that number is not valid the village office's phone number is 231-743-6801
Scout
I have been here for over 2 weeks now and I am absolutely loving it! The Camp Hosts are delightful and helpful. It’s a quiet and peaceful setting ❤️
ScoutShowers and Rest Rooms have been updated and were well taken care of. The park rangers were extremely friendly and helpful. We are newbies, but if this is what rving is like, we will definitely be enjoying it.
GuideAugust 24, 2023
Happy Campers Our stay on Megan’s site exceeded my expectations. She has put a lot of thought and effort into making the site and stay as pleasant as possible. It’s quiet and feels secluded. The river and cedar trees were my favorite things. The fire ring and picnic table are a short walk down the hill from the camping site. At night there are lights along the path and at the river. If you like to fish, bring your poles because the fishing was good right from the banks of the river. We are already planning to come back!
GuideAugust 17, 2023
Our first RV trip I can’t say enough how much we enjoyed this spot! Its a nice secluded spot, but still close enough to town if you need to grab a few things. Megan& her kids were nice enough to show us around her property on where to kayak(and recommended some other places for longer trips). The riverside firepit and table was the perfect relaxation spot, with the soft sound of the river as background music while we enjoyed drinks and a game of chess. Abundant wildlife and it’s soo dark at night the sky is unreal! Never seen that many stars. No light pollution. Can’t speak highly enough about Megan. Helped get us an emergency vet appt. after our dog had an accident in our camper. Thank you again. We look forward to booking this site again. Our best to you and your family. Mike and Angela(and Brownie& Prince🐾)
GuideAugust 16, 2023
Great Hosts will return soon Amazing host and beautiful spot, we could river from the site and it’s just a short stroll down the lighted pathway to waters edge. One of our dogs had an accident while there and need veterinary attention and Megan was able to help us get in to get him care. We will be back.
GuideAugust 13, 2023
We had the best time!! The space is very secluded, quiet, and peaceful. There were no disturbances and the owner was very kind. Look forward to returning!!!
GuideAugust 8, 2023
Great camping spot! The river was fantastic and we caught several beautiful sunsets reflecting on the water. There is a pad for rvs as well as plenty of places for tent camping. The river and firepit are just a short hike down the hill and there are super cute patio lights lighting the path. Megan was a great host and took the time to show us all the cool spots to put the kayaks in. Will definitely be back next year with the kid. Bring bug spray!!
GuideAugust 6, 2023
Our family had a great time at Wispering Water! It was very pieceful and relaxing by the river. Our kids had fun fishing and kayaking. We will definately book again. The Esch Family
GuideAugust 4, 2023
Country paradise This spot is so lovely! The full hook up rv spot has everything you need, plus it's a very quick walk down to a gorgeous river hang out spot. We spent all our time down at the river while we were there. Fishing, swimming, and playing around in the tiny rapids. Plus there's frogs and toads to catch. My son loved it!
Traveler
Campsites are pretty close together and you can hear traffic nearby most of the day. Sites are well kept and toilets were nice and clean. Easy to get in and out but doesn't really feel like camping with all the traffic noise.
ScoutWe had a nice stay. It is a small campground and that is exactly what we were looking for. We got there on a Thursday afternoon and the best site #6 was taken but we were able to find 3 private sites that were unoccupied. There were several dogs and some barking but not too bad.
Camping near Sanford, Michigan, offers a mix of beautiful nature and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a quiet getaway or a family-friendly adventure, there are several campgrounds to explore.
Camping around Sanford, 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 Sanford, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sanford, MI is Deerfield Nature Park with a 5-star rating from 1 review.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Sanford, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 20 tent camping locations near Sanford, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
