If you're looking for glamping near Stanwood, look no further. Glamping is not only a fun alternative to traditional tent camping, but also allows you to pack more or less gear as you see fit. These scenic and easy to access Michigan glamping locations are perfect for any adventurer.
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
$30 - $90 / night
Shelley Lake is a 15-acre lake, surrounded by National Forest land, the family-style campground is the only access to the lake. A foot-bridge over the creek leads to one of the sites. This campground is very popular during fishing season. Sites are surrounded by an oak and maple forest. The lake is only 15-feet at its deepest point.
$10 / night
Highbanks Lake Campground This campground is located on the 20-acre Highbank Lake, which is completely surrounded by National Forest System land. This is a popular campground for anglers and hikers. The beach is very swim friendly, shallow with a sandy bottom.
$24 / night
We are a family campground located on the backwaters of Hardy Dam. Check our website for availability
$22 - $50 / night
Ranger
My 1st experience with Tentrr convinced me that this is the way to have my own private oasis! Upon arrival at Pine Meadows, we followed the short red bark path through the trees to our cabin tent, which was next to a lovely meadow and near a small pond. Heidi, the property owner briefly stopped by to welcome us and assure us that she was available by text for any needs we might have- yet, Heidi said the property was ours for the duration, and we wouldn’t see her unless necessary. Wow! This was such a cool experience! We felt like we had our own personal pond, meadow, and cabin tent! The cabin tent comfortably sleeps three in regular mattresses. I believe there is a cot available. Nearby is a large tent that will sleep four more people. A picnic table and Adirondack chairs are next to the firepit. Heidi has many yard games available, such as cornhole and badminton, making this a great location for families. There is a spot among the pine trees with a large fairy display and little hide-aways for kids. Honesty, I can’t wait to bring my grandchildren to this! The nearby town, Interlochen, is minutes away and has a grocery store, a few restaurants, and a nationally famous music camp. Within driving distance is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which National Geographic rated as one of the best 21 beaches in the world. My hubby and I camp a lot, and in addition to the positives mentioned above, we truly LOVED NOT HAVING AN OVERLOADED CAR! We didn’t need to pack a tent, bedding(we paid the extra$10 for their bedding- totally worth it!); nor did we need a tent and chairs! We actually had room in the car this trip! Yes, Tentrr costs more than a regular campsite; however, you get the privacy and convenience of Glamping! Totally, worth it!
Traveler
I loved this campground really. It wasn't overbooked, everything was clean the gal at the desk kind and helpful. We had the river right down from us which was nice to swim in on a hot day. Pure Michigan indeed!
Traveler
Not too many people know about this area, so it's never as busy as some of the Lake Michigan spots. But, the fishing and scenery can't be beat!
Guide
This one is worth a visit. beautiful wooded sites, sandy creek runs through for wading and playing. The White River runs through the campground. Canoe landing at campground. BYOBoat or rent from Happy Mohawk, about a mile down the road (a nice hour or so float downstream from HM to WRCG landing). Fishing's good, too. Sweet pool, good store, Great facilities, laundry, and all that Western Michigan has to offer. You won't be sorry.
Scout
This was such a beautiful location!! And definitely a nice find! The one and biggest downside, which was NOT the parks issue more of a Michigan problem, was the infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars literally raining down on us the entire time…harmless little fuzzy guys but sooo damn annoying!!!! We later broke out in rashes all over due to the hairs from them getting into our pores and making you super itchy….so aside from that slight hiccup. It was a beautiful location and all the neighbors we encountered were awesome and very helpful! One even helped us out taking us to get firewood for an awesome deal!! Only downside is that we thought there would be a walkable beach access but there really wasn’t unless your down for and very steep narrow sandy path to the water and a very tiny “beach” area. And there was no walkable fishing spots either due to the only water access was on a cliff surrounded by trees so we decided against that. The views were incredible tho!!! And every campsite we saw including our own had a ton of tree spots perfect for hammocks!!! Overall I loved this spot with or without the caterpillars and would definitely go back!!
Traveler
Ionia has so many great outdoor activities for almost anyone. There is a disc golf course, mountain bike trail, equestrian trails, hiking trails, a beautiful no wake lake perfect for swimming, kayaking, or fishing. The beach is fantastic especially for little kids who might not be the best swimmers ready for Lake Michigan or lakes with lots of boats and waves to deal with. Nice and sandy and a nice store and ice cream shop at the beach.
The campground itself is very nice, but you may find the activities are a short drive away from your site to get there. The sites are all a little bit shallow especially if you have a larger travel trailer you may find it a bit tight. There is a great variety of shaded and sunny sites. There is only one bathroom for the campground so it can be a bit busy and it could probably use an update.
TravelerWell if you are arriving here late, good luck.... Pretty much the worst signage I’ve seen in Michigan State Recreation Area. Very good signs to pretty much everything other than Beechwood Campground. Once you do figure out that you have to drive to acolyte back end of park to register then turn all the way back around and find hidden non marked campground, you’ll soon realize they are walk/hike in sites. NO WHERE on DNR website for reservations does it say this. As is if this isn’t bad enough, once you park and find trail the sign then reads “East or west” for sites. Not B1- whatever this way B whatever that way do bring your compass too and flashlight if dark. To say the sites are uneven is putting it mildly. For 15 sites, you seriously can’t level them?? Really lazy considering how nice disc course is and signage for course. I wouldn’t waste your time or money camping here, visit park and use trails or disc course yes. Camp, no way ever again!!
Traveler
Super nice and relatively cheap campground with so many things to do! Love the back woods with trails for bike riding or a quick walk. :)
ScoutThis campground is a home away from home. It’s beautifully situated in the middle of the state. Ample boating, fishing swimming. The facilities are great and they have a good truck on site. We camp here at least twice a year.
TravelerGreat campground with amazing views and tons of activities to do.
We camped during the week so many of the campground provided activities where not happening but many other outdoor activities to do. The first is obviously Hardy Pond. With a beautiful beach that we saw park staff racking every day to make sure it was clean of seaweed or trash and two boat ramps as well as many places to moor your boat for your stay. You will need to pay either a $7 daily or $30 annual fee for your boat but kayaks and canoes are free.
The park is right next to the Dragon Trail, a hiking and mountain biking trail that runs 47 miles round Hardy Pond. There is a short loop called the Brower Park Loop that has some amazing views and is great to hike.
Most of the sites are pretty large and all 3 areas of the campground are nice and a little different in their own way. My only complaint the whole time was Monday morning the area we were in, the "honey wagon" was going around and pumping the seasonal campers black tanks. It made a pretty un-appetizing smell while we were trying to eat breakfast.
Be prepared for extra fees for your cars and boats, the sites are still so fairly priced its really not that bad.
ScoutSwim area is great... You can go 200 ft. out before it gets deep... Hayrides and movies on the weekend...
TravelerBrower Park is a quiet campground with three separate areas with sites. They accommodate large RVs as well as smaller trailers and tents. Each site has a fire pit and a picnic table. Electricity and water hookup is included at each site. Our site was near the Muskegon River and was very peaceful. Bathrooms and showers were clean and easily accessible.
GuideIf you own a boat this campground is for you. It is very busy but if you decide to being kids, there are playgrounds and a craft barn. Alot of seasonal campers but alot of slips for visitor boats.
RangerThere is something for everyone here. Tent, camper, or RV and fun for all ages with everything from 3 playgrounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, and tennis courts, to a boat launch, fishing pier, and fish cleaning station. There is also a fairly large swimming area. The showers are actually nice and clean! The restrooms were surprisingly clean and modern as well. Firewood is available in bundles or loose and you stack it yourself. There are numerous picnic areas throughout the campground. There are picnic tables and fire rings at every site and hook up such as electric and water vary. Kids are riding their bikes all over, fishing, playing at playgrounds, the beach, everywhere. Everyone was very friendly. You probably don’t necessarily need a sleeping pad or air mat if you’re in a tent, but they’re always nice. The mosquitos weren’t bad at all! We stayed at site #226. You do need a county park pass, $6/day until 10pm or $25/year.
Rangerthis was such a nice place to kick back and relax that I had to return. plus I had to make use of my annual county park pass I bought! ($25 for the year). Perfect place to do some fishing since they have a fish cleaning station and lots of access to lots of water!! Also a nice place for kayaking. water was calm, beaches were sandy, and firewood was plentiful.
ScoutThis campground is on the beautiful muskegon river, it has a large swimming area, nice sandy beach along the swimming area, play grounds, everything is clean and well kept, there is a trail head with a gorgeous trail along a smaller stream and an art barn with activities for kids to create each day.
TravelerVery wooded and spread out among the campsites! Close to the water, and there’s a trail along the perimeter of the campground with amazing views. Great stargazing as well.
TravelerI’ve read lots of reviews that were lukewarm about Newaygo, but we enjoyed our 3 day getaway. Ample activities in the area (hiking, disc golf, biking, swimming, kayaking, fishing, tubing and stargazing). And shopping and nice brewery in Newaygo. Most sites are large and separated from the next. The noise levels really dropped off in the evening. Will be back!!
LegendOur reason for choosing this park was that we had rented a Pop-up trailer to see how we'd like it, and this was the nearest campground. That said we found the pop-up to our liking, though it felt huge to us!
Campground was primitive, but that's what we go for anyway. Very little in the way of trails, thought the main one had Frisbee golf along the way, which was unexpected.
Hardy Dam Pond is actually a good-sized man-made lake, and as such, has no beaches to speak of. There's a small swimming area near the boat launch.
We were there in July of 2020 and the "Trump navy" was out in force. Lots of motorboats overloaded with flags, some inconsiderate boaters almost swamped our little canoe. (This was shortly after a nationwide news story in which Trump boaters swamped and sank *each other* on a lake in Texas).
Some of the campers partied late, and some boaters got an early start, so noise levels were unpredictable.
Nearby, a great place to stock up on meats and Jerky in the area is Galesburg Meats in Kalamazoo. Also a must see is the Gilmore Auto Museum in Hickory Corners
ScoutNicely designed campground w privacy between sites. To bad staffing cuts didn’t allow there to be any DNR employees to enforce the 10pm noise curfew. Two nights of brain damaging laughter and frivolity by campsite 21 ruined the whole experience. The cigar boats running full throttle all day was annoying. To bad the new Dragon trail will get less attention because of the negatives that go w this over crowded destination. I will not be back. Going to buy my own campground. Done w State Park System.
TravelerPretty sweet spot, quiet and clean
ScoutI bring the kids to this park every 4th of July weekend, we absolutely love it. I always reserve my site on the Poplar side, due to it having closer access to the lake to swim. Outhouses and water and pump are a bonus. The drive is paved so we always bring bikes for the kiddos! Another added bonus is the hiking trails.
TravelerQuint, easily accessible, ample space, and well shaded are words I would use to best describe Newaygo. If you have no intentions on sleeping in, then you’re sure to enjoy the few hours of early morning bliss, after 7:30 am it’s throw down generator wattage and raw horse power roar from every wake making and noise creating nautical vessel imaginable.
TravelerAs I am entering the old fart stage in my life I really enjoyed how private the sites are and how incredibly quiet it was there. Definitely my favorite place to camp near my home.
TravelerIf you have any watercraft, this is a good weekender spot. The hike trails are easily traversed and if you ask the camp ranger at reception, you can also rent single or tandem kayaks for *quite a reasonable price in varying time blocks if you don't have any watercraft of your own - you just tell them what time that you want to start and they will bring the kayak to the boat launch for you, which is great. Trash dumpsters and firewood are available at the campground entrance (if wood for some reason is unavailable, there's a BP gas station nearby that also sells it for $1 cheaper a bundle). The designated swimming area for the site is not the best unless you have small children, but if you like towed tubing, there's plenty of that happening mid-lake, outside of the other pontoons and boats. Also, despite the features listed here, there are no shower facilities available at this site, so bring bath wipes if you want to stay fresh! The water pump was also inoperable during my stay, but came prepared with plenty of bottled water anyway. The campfire pits also do not have grates for grilling/cooking any hot food, but if you have any cast iron cookware, you can get around this by placing your fire pit logs as evenly as possible so you can set your cookware direct on the flame (or just bring a mini grill if you prefer). Also close enough to Grand Haven so you can spend a few hours there as part of a mini get-away and still get to your site within about an hour or so.
RangerI stayed here for a couple nights while I was on a business trip up that way, because camping is way cooler than staying at hotels. It’s all rustic sites, but the campground is nice. There’s good hiking, an awesome disc golf course, and the lake right there with boat launches for fishing. If you’re not into fishing or disc golf, you might be happier elsewhere, but I love those two things, so I want to go back and visit again. I did manage to get an enjoyable little hike the morning I packed to leave before work, and it was enjoyable.
ScoutThe campground is slightly rustic with no water or electric hookups. There is, however, a fresh water fill station when you first arrive where you can fill tanks or containers. The outhouses were very clean and in good condition. The sites are fairly spread out to give nice wooded privacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Stanwood, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Stanwood, MI is Newaygo State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Stanwood, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 38 glamping camping locations near Stanwood, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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