Cabin camping near Traverse City is a great way to escape into nature, yet still have all the comforts of home. Finding a cozy cabin in Michigan has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect cabin rental for your Traverse City camping adventure.
Traverse City State Park is a 47-acre state park set in a more urban setting and featuring .25 miles of beautiful beach on the Grand Traverse Bay. The park is located only 3 miles from downtown Traverse City, one of the Michigan's most popular resort towns. The park was established in 1920 on about 16 acres of land after the logging industry began to wane. In 1921 and 1939, parcels were added to increase the park's land area. The original inhabitants of the land were the Ottawa branch of the Algonquin Indians.
Big Rigs, RVs, Fifth Wheels, Pop-Up Trailers and Tents are welcomed to escape to Traverse City’s wooded retreat! With Cabin Rentals, wireless internet (please request this when making a reservation), spacious and shady sites, heated pool, a variety of activities, camp store and goodie shop, and clean bath houses, Timber Ridge has all of the bases covered.
Offering the accommodations you need for all the ways you camp; in a destination that delivers: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Lake Michigan beaches, miles of hiking/biking trails, Traverse City, and more. A place where food, art, and events are abundant in everyday life. Whether you’re looking for an enjoyable weekend, a family vacation, or planning your entire season, this is the place. Families have spent a century vacationing and building memories here; we created a place that allows you to do the same with your family and friends.
Indigo was named after the shades of blue that dominate the surrounding landscape. Leelanau, the peninsula we are located on, is a Native American name meaning “Land of Delight”. That's all the inspiration we needed to create one of the country’s most distinctive outdoor lifestyle resorts.
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
$14 - $18 / night
Northern Exposure Campground staff takes pride in our state-of-the-art RV campground. Our goal is to provide a memorable experience to campers of all ages. We are a nonprofit organization that's committed to providing our guests with clean, safe, and updated camping facilities, fun family entertainment, and a helpful and friendly staff ready to answer all your questions and assist you during your stay. Welcome to Northern Exposure Campground, thanks for staying and helping us be the best RV camping destination in Northern Michigan!
$30 - $45 / night
Pop open your lawn chair and relax by the crackling fire. Most sites have room for 4 folks, a camper or tent, a boat, a dog or two and a few kiddos :D We have a tiny cafe, a small playground, a fish station, warm showers and bike/kayak rentals! Hop on the Betsie Valley trail for a 3 mile adventure to ice cream, beaches, shops...so much! We are not a big concrete pad RV park, we are a nice small family owned campsite. We try and keep it quiet and calm (but still fun!) If you are looking for the far North Electric Forest, this is not the place. What we are is a great base-camp for all your awesome Northern Michigan adventures!
$33 - $85 / night
Thank you for your interest in relaxing at our rustic retreat along cedar run creek!
About this special place:
This is a century old cabin sitting on 30 acres of land halfway between Traverse City and Empire just off M-72 West. This is a protected natural area so please be mindful of your presence on the land and among the plants and creatures. Leave things as they are.
We Provide:
Electricity, a full size bed, a couch, table, chairs, and a fan. We have an outhouse for you to use. Drinking water is available by hand pump and in the berkey inside the cabin. We are not far from Cedar Lake for swimming/bathing. We have a few hiking trails in the woods and one that leads to the creek. There is a fire pit outside for small fires (please check if there is fire danger and always put out your fire completely). There is very little cell service, a great way to unplug.
You should bring:
Bedding/sleeping bags, a way to keep your food cold, and a way to cook. Anything for camping. We suggest that you bring books, instruments, art making materials, and anything creative.
$55 - $75 / night
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
$27 - $90 / night
The Lake Leelanau RV Park is the premier camping resort on Lake Leelanau! We are located on 800 feet of frontage on the pristine shores of Lake Leelanau. The lake provides 21 miles of crystal clear waters for boating, swimming, fishing, water sports, and endless fun in the sun. It is filled with many types of fish including walleye, bass, northern pike, perch, trout, and loads of pan fish. For boaters enjoyment, we have a boat launch, gas pump, and 98 boat docks available for rent. Our beach has a large, shallow, and safe swimming area perfect for children and family fun in the water. It also boasts lots of sand for castle building and the occasional sand sculpting contests.
Scout
Very nice park, walkway to the public beach, paved path behind the grounds. Modern, clean bathhouse. Not a lot of privacy between spots, big mature trees all through the grounds. Right by municipal airport with lots of flight activity.
Guide
Camp staff very friendly and park is well maintained. Nice hiking trails nearby and a 20 minute drive to a whole lot of entertainment!
Traveler
The campground was well maintained. The sites had adequate privacy and space. I really enjoyed the trails through Cedar Forest along Lake Charlevoix. More unique experience than just hiking through the woods.
Guide
Our site was great, easily fit a 17 foot trailer and a tent. Trails down to the water were appreciated by our kids. Neighbors are pretty close all around but that didn't matter until our last night. Several new campers rolled in at 10pm and proceeded to throw an absolute rager of a party until 4am - on Labor Day weekend. So overall a great campground but I wish there had been enforcement of quiet time or some kind of consequence for such horrible camping manners.
Guide
Nice state park big sites on the lake
TravelerThe campsites are spacious and feature trails that lead directly to the Tippy Dam Backwater. There’s also convenient access for launching a boat on either the Manistee River or the backwaters side of the dam
Guide
This was a great campground, quiet and peaceful in the cherry orchard area of west Michigan, near Glen Arbor and Traverse City.
Our site, #20, had an improved gravel parking area for camper with a finished concrete pad with a picnic table.
Site, and whole campground was clean and well maintained. Our site was a full hookup but had one small issue where the drain dump was slightly uphill from the camper, so we had to work with the drain hose to empty tanks.
Only other negative is that there are no trees for the majority of sites for shade cover.
This was a good spot for a two night stay as it’s close to the Sleeping Bear National Dunes and also many local wineries.
Have fun!
Scout
Very nice and well maintained campground. Bath house facilities were very clean, and campsites were fairly spaced, giving decent privacy. There are some activities in the area related to the park. All in all a very nice State Park campground.
GuideFirst time camping here. Site 72 had a nice view if the make. Very nice park. Bathrooms s d dhowers ckean for really need to be upgraded. They have a ni. ce dog beach bit no real wslking trails as it is only 64 acres. Very nice beach! Already booked our next trip there.
LegendI love this state park. It is located right on beautiful lake charlevoix. The campground doesn't have any road noise. The beach is long and sandy and there are lots of hiking and biking trails.
LegendThe park has a small sandy beach the swim area is sandy. The playground needs some updating. A lot of the sites back up to the busy road and you can hear road traffic noise all day and night.
Legend
Campground across the road from Otsego Lake. The campground has lots to do for kids but the sites are small and the trees are small.
Legend
This is so great koa with no road noise. The trees are mature and beautiful. This is a great laid back, family campground. The sites are bigger than other campgrounds in the area.
GuideWell, the spots are very small and you have to park sideways. Nothing can beat the price of staying in Traverse City. If you have your own camper, the showers are nice. You’re right downtown and there’s a catwalk over the beach.
Legend
This is a great campground South of Gaylord on Otsego Lake. I believe all sites have electric. The park is beautiful with a many sites having lake views. The playground is the classic old playground with swings and slides and some big tires to climb on. The water was mostly sand with some rocks. The campground has 4 cabins to rent right on the lake.
Guide
The campsites were nice and level and reasonably large. I chose a site near the bathrooms, which were quite annoyingly closed. The campground was located right next to a busy road. So, there was road noise through the night.
I was happy I got to charge my batteries, though.
I met a squirrel that was so spoiled by previous humans that when I accidentally dropped a bit of food on the ground, he ran right up, over my foot grabbed it and then ran about 10 feet away and ate it.
GuideWe were camping in mid-October. It was chilly out and raining, but the bathrooms there were still nice! It has a good location in Traverse City, but unfortunately the park isn’t connected to the bay. There is a walk over bridge, so you don’t have to cross the road! But the park is right next to a busy road and near an airport, so it was a little noisy. Inside the camper it wasn’t too noisy from cars though. If a person is looking to be in Traverse City to camp just be near the city then this would be a great place to be, but if you’re looking for quiet, nature, and easy access to swimming then it’s not my #1 choice.
GuideWe visited in mid-October. The campground was fairly empty. One complaint we had was that most of the electrical outlets are shared between 2 or 3 sites. The location of the connection point for our site 75 is on the left side of site 77 and our cable could not reach. (See photo). The other issue is that the campground is very close to the main road and you can hear the traffic. Otsego Lake is a pretty big lake and there is a beach area and even a dog beach section. There is a playground area that also has a small baseball field. There are two water fill stations as you enter the park, which is a good idea (also water and two dump stations on the exit side).
Scout
Large open spaces, partially shaded Nice breeze off the Lake Michigan Great sunsets
Traveler
What an awesome campground.. not a bad spot here.. next time we come,we will not get one on the lake,the ones on the other side of the road.provide trees for hammocks and trees for emergency tarping situations.. great place
Scout
We stayed here for the first time over Labor Day weekend. The campground great with a lot of amenities for young and old alike. We will definitely be going back, and would recommend this campground to anyone.
TravelerNice and quiet campground. Unfortunately there isn't any swimming at the campground. Great overnight spot if you're headed further north.
Scout
This cabin is a joy to stay in. Brennin, Jamie, and their dog Rue are gracious hosts. As OG locals to traverse City, brennin and Jamie are plugged into the goings on in the area, as well as a plethora of sweet spots to check out that aren't totally overcrowded with fudgies. The cabin is big, can easily fit a family, has electricity, and basically everything you need to have a good time. Easy to get to, you can drive right up to the cabin and load in. But also, you're straight up in the middle of the woods. One of my favorite places to stay for sure!
ScoutStayed out here for an art retreat and loved it. Gorgeous property with a huge canopy of maple trees, lovely campfire spot and a cute cabin. Slept like a log.
Legend
The park is beginning to look its age. Stayed 4 nights while visiting the Traverse City area. Crowded with families making use of the last couple weeks before schools return. Rained well one night and our grass less site turned nasty. Good Verizon signal and has water available at several stations around each camping loop. Great location, however, to visit Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
TravelerCampground was beautiful and had many trails to walk & bike. We had a nice time walking down to the beach and walking the trails. Beach was very nice and had kayaks and paddle boards available to rent. Campground was pretty quiet at night (we did stay during the week though) & bathrooms were clean. The lake is amazing and would definitely go back!
ScoutCame up here for my anniversary getaway with my fiancé, booked for two nights and the second day had an emergency come up and had to leave! I let Jamie know and without asking or expecting, she refunded me and wished me luck with our situation. The cabin was cute and cozy, I slept like a baby, definitely going to come here again. Thank you so much Jamie!
Camping near Traverse City, Michigan, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities. Whether you're looking for a rustic experience or a family-friendly spot, there’s something for everyone.
Camping near Traverse City, Michigan, has its quirks, but with the right preparation, it can be a fantastic experience for everyone!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Traverse City, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Traverse City, MI is Traverse City State Park with a 3.9-star rating from 49 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Traverse City, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 49 cabin camping locations near Traverse City, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
