Best Cabin Camping near Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Traveled here in August of 2020 with my family. (2 adults, 4 kids) Since there are a lot of us we got two joining sites so we could spread out a bit and we were glad we did. The sites aren't super tiny, but having two was worth the extra $$. The kids loved the beach and swimming in the clean Lake Superior water. 

Close enough to Sault Ste. Marie  and Taquaminon Falls. 

Very quiet but we were there mid-week so it wasn't too crowded either.

Facilities were fine, especially for a state park.

Brimley is in great proximity to Sault Ste Marie and Tahquamenon Falls, so there is plenty to do in the area. I especially recommend driving down the Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway And also checking out the Bay Mills Farmers Market on Thursday evenings in the casino parking lot.

Right across the road from the campground is a small IGA store where you can get many different food items. Also down the road is Superior Pizza and Subs which is a great place for a quick and easy dinner.

In the campground itself, many of the sites are generously sized with electric access for those who need it. There are three bathhouses throughout the park, which is where Brimley loses a star. I am only familiar with the largest main bathhouse, but I imagine the other two are similar. The main bathroom is often dirty, and the showers (which are closed off little shower rooms) have no working ventilation and get super hot with mildew and mold growth on the walls.

However the shining star of this campground is the beach. The swimming is some of the best with a nice sandy bottom and no rocks. The water is generally cold, as Lake Superior often is, but it’s nothing too cold for swimming in. The view is lovely, and you can often see the freighters that pass through The Soo.

All in all, I highly recommend staying at Brimley State Park if you are in the area.

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.

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

Lime Island Recreation Area is located in the St. Mary’s River at the very east end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It sits in the middle of the river with Canada on one side and Michigan on the other. Raber, Michigan is the nearest shore town, 2 miles across the river. The only way to reach the park is by boat but there are no designated ferries, so the only way to reach it is by using your own boat or finding someone in the area with a boat willing to charter you and your gear. Non-motorized boats are not recommended due to the many freighters and choppy water conditions.

Overnight accommodations include six cabins that can sleep between four and seven guests each, as well as 10 tent sites on wooden platforms that look out over the river. The park is a favorite among fishermen, couples, and large families who like to rent out all the cabins for annual reunions. 

A boat slip comes with your reservation. The island has limited electricity (solar-powered only) and no running water. Portable toilets are provided and there is a pump for a potable-water well. Cabin guests need to provide all their own gear, including sleeping and cooking supplies and equipment.

Approximately 7 miles of hiking trails traverse the island, providing guests the chance to wander, explore and possibly encounter wildlife. With so little human activity you never know what you’ll find.

One of the favorite pastimes of guests is sitting and watching the large Great Lakes freighters pass by at all hours of the day. They pass so close to the island you feel you could almost touch them. It’s quite a sight!

There's a ton of history on the island, some of which is still visible. According to the Michigan DNR, “Lime Island provides a significant representation of early 20th-century industrial and maritime history. The coal dock, fuel storage tanks, Quonset hut with bunker, fuel heating and pumping equipment, other supporting buildings, and scattered industrial equipment, provide a complete picture of the island’s use as a ship refueling depot. The schoolhouse, superintendent’s house (that was brought to the island by dragging it across the frozen river), cottages, and fruit trees remind visitors of island life for the workers that supported the depot.”

It's not an easy state park to reach, but if you can find a way to get there, the seclusion should make for some great camping on the tent platforms (or hanging out in the cabins if you're into that sort of thing.)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Most beautiful place in Michigan. Favorite sites are right on the shore which is rocky. There is a shallow sandy swim beach. On calm days, I can't get off the water for long. Reminds me of the Carribean with all the islands in the bay. If you have 4 wheel drive, go to fossil beach. No showers, pit toliet, electric at some sites

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.

Sometimes you spend a long time getting somewhere and you think,“Why haven’t I ever come here before now?” I grew up in Michigan and had no idea that Drummond Island even existed, let alone had ever come close to it. Now, that I know it’s there, I plan to return, again and again. The campground run by the township on Drummond Island is, kind of like the island itself, a step back in time– but in a good way. Tucked away in a little rocky bay on the north shore of the island, protected and lovely, the campground seems like it hasn’t changed much in 40 years. But what more could anyone want, than a lovely campsite next to the water, with a rustic stone firepit for$15 a night? 

Many of the sites have electricity which only costs an extra $5 if you’re in a trailer, $3 if in a tent. Rustic pit toilets are clean and come equipped with the standard Michigan pit-toilet bouquet (seriously, what it up Michigan?). We arrived after a steady week of rain and the campground was quite muddy in spots. But this was also a result of the record high water level of Lake Huron. 

This is a paddler’s dream launch site, we left our boats on the shore for the week and jumped in them whenever the desire arose. Islands, rocky ledges, and fossil hunts lie around each headland. For those more adventurous paddlers the county has put together a number of paddler’s trails complete with suggested campsites, stop in at the visitor’s center for more information. 

The township has several restaurants and a nearly full-stocked grocery store where you can find all of your basic supplies if not every variety of your usual food stuffs– no shortage of booze though. The island is famous for its OHV trails, and there are some weekends you may want to avoid if motorized recreation is not your thing. We got out on the water and found ourselves practically alone.

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!

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.

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.

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.

If you love the outdoors and love being surrounded by nature and getting lost in tranquility, this is it! Beautiful, breathtaking Tahquamenon Falls! As beautiful as it is green it is even more beautiful as you can imagine In the fall! This place has it all! There is a lower falls area and a upper falls area to this park separated by about 5 miles. You can drive to either end with a short walk after parking or you can take the North Country Scenic Trail for a relatively easy hike from one end to the other! I suggest wearing secure shoes or boots for this hike. There is a shuttle service available if you decide to hike and need a ride back to the other section. You can rent canoes or kayaks at the lower falls if you desire more adventure than just hiking. The views of the Upper Fallsalls are jaw dropping while the sunset of the Lower Falls is breathtaking. These are the second largest falls East of the Mississippi next to Niagara Falls with plenty of viewing available as well as a 90+ stair climbs and descent to get almost an armslength from the Upper Falls. There is camping availability at both ends of the park. I prefer the lower falls as it is less crowded even though most of the campground is open sites. The Upper Falls does have a restaurant, brewery and souvenir shop. I suggest keeping your gas tank full given you never know where you may end up site seeing and gas stations are not abundant. If you come from the West you will be fortunate to pass through the Moose capital of Michigan in Newberry, but if your lucky enough you will see one of the parks very own Moose. I suggest making a trip North East of the park taking hwy123 East to N.Whitefish Point Rd up to the Great Lakes Shipwrecked Museum. This is somewhat of a tourist trap but a sight to see and abundant information and history. The bell from the famous Edmund Fitzgerald sits in the museum and with Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" playing in the background give you a sense of erienes. If your up for a little more adventure pass up to the Northwest and hit CR 412 and check out Crisp Point Light house. I suggest a 4 wheel drive vehicle as it is a lot of dirt and bumps, but if your into light houses you won't be disappointed with the sight and story of this beauty! There are many more lighthouses in the area but this one is special.

Great camping location, with nearby beaches and playground. Sites are not huge but definitely roomy enough for bigger camping set ups. $16 Grant's you access to this national park and all others in the state.