Best Cabin Camping near South Branch, MI

Campground Review: This very popular campground is a few miles from downtown Traverse City, on the edge of Grand Traverse East Bay, Lake Michigan and fills up very quickly during the summer months. It is open year-round though and the fall is gorgeous in Michigan. As a city-based campground, it has many amenities and makes for a great alternative to paying much higher prices for the hotels, motels, and B&B’s in the area. This is a nicely wooded campground, and though the sites are spacious, they are rather close to each other, so not much privacy. But, given that this campground provides direct access to the TART Bike Trail (which can use to get to Traverse City, the Leelanau Wine Trail, or many other points north) and there is a safe, over-the-road walking bridge that takes you to the beach on the bay, we didn’t spend much time IN the campground itself. The various sites accommodate everything from small tents to large RV’s and all come with electricity. There are even two small camping cabins available for rent. The immaculately clean bathrooms and showers are free to campers. Firewood and ice are available onsite by the office. The only major drawbacks are that you can hear the road (which is pretty busy most days) and there are railroad tracks next to the campground (though we never heard a train and were told that it was infrequent).

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loWrZLOItQc

Product Review: As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I get gear to review from time to time. On this excursion, we took the Saris Freedom SuperClamp 2-Bike Rack for a test spin while camping and wine tasting via the Leelanau Bike Path, which is accessible from Traverse City State Park in Traverse City, MI. We were in the market for another bike rack and had researched various racks just before this one arrived. We think this is a pretty good option for the price point.

What I like about this rack:

1. It secures to the vehicle trailer hitch via a threaded bolt rather than a pin; this holds the rack securely and minimizes swaying of the bikes as we go down the road. A locking attachment to this bolt discourages theft of the entire rack.

1. The bikes are held securely by clamping to the wheels and don’t contact the frame. Our previous bike rack was a hanging rack which did some damage to the paint job on our frames --NOT an issue with this rack.
2. The rack is very easy to use, simple to set up, and holds the bikes securely.
3. It comes with a lifetime warranty. When our first rack arrived, one of the plastic wheel cups was cracked, but one quick call to the company and we had a whole new rack within a few days. Nice!

Room for improvement:

1. The integrated locking cables stow away within the frame of the rack, which is cool; but they aren’t long enough to thread through the high-clearance frame of my husband’s mountain bike – so we can only lock down his back wheel not the frame. The cable will accommodate most traditional bike frames, but they aren’t thick enough to really secure the bikes for anything longer than a run into the grocery store anyway, so we’re adding another lock when necessary.
2. The straps which secure the wheels are a little awkward to use, both securing and releasing. You have to use two hands to do this, and reaching the straps for the bike closest to the vehicle is a bit tricky.
3. When the bikes are off the rack and it is folded into its storage configuration, we have no problem opening the tailgate of our truck; but, with both bikes on the rack, getting into the back of the truck is difficult. If you have a hatchback, make sure the bikes are the last thing you load up!

Product Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpgajt1V1Yc

Product Link: https://www.saris.com/product/superclamp-2

This park is a very nice RV park. All 257 sites are full hook-up (with cable), level, and have paved patios and for a $2 up charge you can get a paved site. Our site was super long (over 100’) and had a nice view of the large pond. There is pretty good separation between sites and on one side of us were large bushes that added privacy from our neighbors and the adjacent pathway. There are tent sites set off along one area of the park near the bathrooms. There are a few trees among the tent sites but they are not very private and located near the garbage dumpsters/recycle bins and on a main exit thoroughfare. There are also three “haciendas” for rent. 

One of my favorite features of the campground was the fitness center. Poncho and his wife are triathletes so the facility is top notch with weight machines, free weights, cycles, treadmills, elliptical, medicine balls, and lots of bands. There are three heated pool on the property – two outdoor and one indoor with and two spas. Since we were there in mid-October the outdoor pools were closed but the indoor hot tub and pool were open (albeit, super crowded on the weekend with kids). There are two laundry rooms and three bathrooms that are very modern and clean. One of the cable television stations displays security camera footage around the property which was nice because I could see how full the laundry was before carrying all my stuff there. There is a game room for kids, playground, shuffleboard, and a clubhouse. There is a stocked pond on the property but it is only for kids (17 and under) to fish in. Cable television yielded 55 channels and WiFi was available at our site with a decent signal. The campground is very well-maintained with nicely mowed grass. The grounds crew was always working but they were not annoying with constant loud machines. There is a railroad track that runs behind the park but it does not get a lot of use so the noise was not too bad. If you don’t want to be near the tracks, ask for a site away from the south side of the park. There is an off-leash dog park but it really is too small and narrow for big dogs. 

The campground is very convenient to lots of shopping and restaurants and within walking distance of a McDonalds, fruit market, drug store and grocery. Downtown Ludington is only about five minutes away which has a cute downtown with shopping, galleries, and restaurants. Ludington State Park is about 15 minutes away and has miles and miles of hiking trails and beach access. There is also a city park downtown which is along Lake Michigan with beach access and lots of room for a nice walk (but dogs are not allowed). The office staff was super helpful pointed out places to hike and things to do for the weekend. Also loved that they gave us a choice of sites and let us drive around the campground (in their golf cart) and pick out the one we wanted. 

We camped here in an RV and really couldn’t find anything we didn’t like about it. New customers get a 10% discount and during our stay we fell into low season and nightly rates were discounted 50%. So for $28/night we got a really nice site with lots of amenities in a great location. If you are looking for a nice RV park at a great price near a nice coastal Michigan town, give this place a try.

If you are looking for a camping getaway, this may not be the place for you. It is always bustling with action, but can be lots of fun! I would definitely say this is geared more towards children and families than an escape into nature. There is a camp store, turbo bikes, a variety of family activities, a pool, playground, bike park, equipment and rentals, laundry facility, cabins, cottages, and yurts for rent. This is also a pet friendly campground, so there are many dogs. Probably one of my favorite parts was dodgeball... and the multiple bike trails that connect to the VASA trail system.

This gem of a state park is phenomenal. Camped here in cabins three times over two winters. Cabins with bunks (will sleep 5 total), mini fridge, electricity and heat. Outside pit toilet. Hiking trails are some of the best. Beautiful lighthouse, dunes, beach, inland lake (Hamlin Lake), river and Lake Michigan. Very quiet and snow-covered in winter. Gets very busy in summer. So many activities for all ages. Kayak rentals in summer. Great fishing. Guided snowshoe tours and lamp light snowshoe hikes in winter are awesome. Camp store. Several playgrounds. Beautiful new beach house.

We were here over July 4 in mini cabin. We had been back country camping before that so were happy to have a cabin for a couple nights. Mini cabin is at tip of park with nice view of lake Michigan sunsets. Cabin had mini fridge, coffee pot, ceiling fan, and I think a heater for winter. 2 sets of sturdy bunk beds. Camp sites were packed with RVs and tents. I don't think I've ever seen a more crowded camp ground. Many campers brought their own bikes, kayaks, boats so there must be lake access nearby but definitely not from this park. Beach inaccessible due to high lake waters. Outhouse was clean and well maintained. Showers a short walk away.