Best Cabin Camping near Sault Ste. Marie, 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.

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.

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.)

This was my first time on Drummond and the township park was a pleasant surprise. After taking the ferry over, it’s only about a 5-10 minute drive up the road to the park. Run a lot like a rustic state park, it’s a self-serve, pick a spot, and put the money in the slot kinda place. Each site has its own rustic stone fire pit and picnic table. I believe the campground had about 48 sites and 30 of which had electric. I think probably 20 of them had lakefront (which were a bit smaller). The wooded sites were pretty large and had nice privacy. The bathrooms were rustic style pit toilets and there are no showers. There were however some beautiful hiking trails and beaches for swimming. The island itself is full of ORV trails, so most of the people come for that. The rest are just looking for some beautiful scenery on a quiet island. I will definitely be back!

Not the greatest, but certainly not the worst campground. All first come-first served, with self-checkin. $15/night for rustic, $17/night for electric. We had an electric site, however ours was not working. We were able to plugin to the reverse side amp, and make it work. I left notes on my payment envelope, but they either ignored it, or no one was on-site during our 4th of July visit. There was however, a number to call, had it been a bigger issue.

We had a group of 6, and we took sites 3 & 4 directly ahead as you entered the campground. This area was great, IF you are using both sites

PROS: •Enough space for 3 tents, 3 cars, plus a screened food tent.

•The sites behind us had a line of trees, so it was private and we felt like we had our own little are.

•Lake views through the trees, but just a very short walk down to the shore for fantastic sunset views. It was great to bring some chairs and drinks to enjoy the lake sunsets.

•Directly across from the beach-access drive.

•Directly across from one of three bathrooms.

•Campground is less than 6 miles from the ferry and also close to the “Four Corners” area with a store, restaurants and gas.

•A large sign on the main road made it easy to find, as we arrived in the dark with no GPS.

CONS: •These two sites are not only near the entrance, which can have heavy traffic, but also line the boat launch drive. Constant boats and cars passing by.

•Our sites’ landscaping wasn’t well maintained. Lots of tall grass and weeds throughout both sites.

•Only 1 fire pit for sites 3 & 4 combined.

•The nearby bathroom was by far the worst of the 3 on-site. The men’s was pitch black at all times of the day and I felt like I was going to fall through the floor. We were excited when we found it so close to our site, but we used the others further away. The other bathroom had lights, was maintained and actually locked.

•Of course, the electrical not working was a bummer, but thankfully it worked out.

Walking around during the day, I’d say site 20 might be the best. There were other sites with better water views, directly on the water, but they were flooded and also lacked any privacy. Site 20 had good views and plenty of space, surrounded by trees.

Overall, a nice little campground. Disappointed in a few things, but would likely return.