Best Tent Camping near Stanwood, MI

I 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

My husband and I have been going to Newaygo State Park for over 20 years. We started out tent camping and now have a pop camper. The thing we love most about this campground is the spacious site and that it is truly rustic with vault toilets and hand pumped water. Our kids also love this campground. They get to explore by themselves and there is plenty for them to do and keep busy. There is a playground, hiking trails, swimming area, geocaching, fishing, kayaking but the best part is the disc golf course. We spend a lot of time playing on the disc golf course. Have fun and just enjoy the outdoors.

We came to this campground on a very busy weekend for camping and we made a reservation online just in case they were all full, but they do have a self-serve drop box if you don't have a reservation. The walk-in tent sites were gorgeous, very hidden away in the trees, and 2 sites are literally right next to the river. The drive-in sites are close together but surrounded by trees so it gives you some privacy. Host camp has flushing toilets next to it, ice/wood available, and can make change for you. Vault toilets are available every few sites. Over run with caterpillars, not sure what kind but they were everywhere. We went across the street to rent a Canoe and float the Pine River. Great location.

The Allendale KOA is a perfect spot for GR residents looking to have a nice camping getaway without having to drive out too far. The owner and his family are wonderful, and they’ve got a decent shop set up for anything you need while there.

Office hours have a split between open times so the family can have dinner together, but we had no issue checking in late while they were temporarily closed(I’d just recommend calling ahead so they’re aware).

We do not have kids, but we noticed a ton of activities for them so parents will love this place!

Tent sites are perfectly spacious and it’s a nice wooded area to just sit and look at the stars at night. Firewood is available for purchase at a reasonable price.

My singular complaint (and it isn’t even a huge gripe) is the bathrooms. The women’s stalls have no locks on them (not a huge deal as they aren’t typically busy), and the toilet paper is so thin it tears as soon as you grab a piece. I assume this is likely to keep it septic friendly, but I definitely recommend bringing some wipes and a trash bag instead for your own comfort.

Overall we love it here and plan on being frequent visitors!

I stayed in a friend's camper with my son for several nights in late September. The campground is very nice! The sites were large enough that it could hold a large camper and two vehicles easily.  Some of the sites are a little uneven (the camper needed wood blocks underneath it so that the wheels weren't off the ground after leveling.

There are nice firepits and the firewood is cheap! 8 large pieces for $6, a wheelbarrow full of tinder for another $6. Bring a hatchet or axe because the wood pieces are huge!

There is a large beach with playground equipment, kayak and boat rentals (although those were closed due to COVID.

Modern bathrooms with showers, but honestly I never needed to use them (we had the trailer).

There are a few downsides:

1. Because it's so close to Grand Rapids and some other cities, it typically is full on the weekends. Booking a site can be troublesome. Our friends booked the site from Tuesday through Monday and it was totally full on Friday and Saturday night.

2. The lake is effectively a plate, so don't expect to do much fishing from shore. The water is incredibly shallow. (But that makes for a very nice beach!)

Overall, I wouldn't tent camp here simply because of the crowds on the weekend, but I'm glad I went. If you have a trailer and like the camping community, you would like this. If you're looking to get away from people for a while, keep looking. This isn't for you.

I would not recommend camping here. While the campground was nice, with quite a few nice activities for kids, the area was clean and quiet while we stayed there and our location was nice in a wooded area. There were a few permanent campers or people living at the KOA which didn't take away from our experience. The bathrooms were nice but could use some small updates. 

I wouldn't recommend people stay here unless they can avoid one member of staff, who we were informed is the owner's mother. We had an easy check-in and set up, upon arriving back at the campsite late Friday evening we noticed we could not find our parking placard and decided to get a new one once the office opened in the morning. Unfortunately, when my partner took our car to use the bathroom facilities next to the main office before going into the main office. The owner's mother was next to our vehicle began berating and accusing him of "coming off the street to use their bathrooms". He apologized for the placard not being up and repeatedly explained to her that we were staying at the campground until Sunday and were coming in to get a replacement. This woman continued to accuse him of lying and followed him extremely close to the main office and then re-issued our placard. This location is rural and I find it surprising that anyone would go out of their way to use their bathrooms or that this would be such a contentious issue. 

We have never been treated so poorly or made to feel like criminals trespassing at a campground. It made the rest of our stay very uncomfortable especially every time this woman would drive by on her golf cart and her home was very close to the tent sites. If we were not leaving the next morning we would have left this campground immediately. After reading other Google reviews this seems to be a reoccurring issue with this individual and I would recommend reading those reviews as well before choosing to stay here. The other staff was kind and professional however this woman seems to be a continual issue.

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!

Went with three families, had secluded site near back. It was perfect. Towed tubes to a few places on to river and enjoyed a long 3 hour float and a shorter hour float. We had four tents on our site with plenty of room, and a fire each night.