Best Glamping near Traverse City, MI

Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort houses upscale yurts and glamping accommodations minutes from Traverse City's attractions. This four-star rated property features safari-style canvas tents and modern yurt rentals equipped with comfortable beds, electricity, and private outdoor spaces. Wild Cherry RV Resort, located in Lake Leelanau, also offers premium glamping options with full hookups and climate-controlled accommodations. Both resorts provide glamping guests with access to modern bathhouse facilities, fire rings with attached grills, and picnic tables. Most glamping sites include water hookups, while select luxury accommodations feature en-suite bathrooms and kitchenettes. "We rented one of the park houses to join friends who have RVs. It was a great way to try out camping for our family," shared one guest about their glamping experience at Timber Ridge.

The recreational amenities at these glamping resorts distinguish them from traditional campgrounds. Timber Ridge features a swimming pool, man-made lake with inflatable water toys, jumping pillow, and miles of mountain biking and hiking trails accessible directly from the property. According to a visitor, "The campground is great for what it is, a resort type campground with tons of activities and opportunities for fun. It is not a typical campground for people looking to get lost in the woods." Guests can explore the VASA trail system connected to the property or take advantage of organized activities like dodgeball tournaments and themed weekend events. Located just 10-15 minutes from downtown Traverse City, these glamping destinations serve as ideal basecamps for exploring local wineries, restaurants, and Lake Michigan beaches while returning to comfortable canvas accommodations each evening.

Best Glamping Sites Near Traverse City, Michigan (39)

    1. Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort

    21 Reviews
    Traverse City, MI
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 947-2770

    $60 - $260 / night

    "We were searching for a super last minute campground near Traverse City for Memorial Weekend and everything within a quick drive seemed booked."

    "There is a pool, jump pad, miles and miles of mountain biking trails and hiking trails, a man made lake which has some inflatable water toys."

    2. Holiday Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    Grawn, MI
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 943-4410

    "Was able to check in early...because campers had checked out early and they had time to check the site...very clean...close to all the great sites around Traverse City...the only thing was where our site"

    "It has everything; off of Silver Lake to swim, fish or rent a boat. Their is no reason to leave this paradise (except for groceries/drinks)."

    3. Whitewater Township Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Williamsburg, MI
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 413-1160

    $45 - $60 / night

    "Nice bathrooms. This park is situated up on a hill on beautiful Elk Lake. Elk Lake can easily access Torch River and into Torch Lake. It has a fantastic boat launch which we have used."

    "Nice quiet township park between Traverse City and Charlevoix. Clean restrooms and spacious lake view sites,"

    4. Scheck's Place State Forest Campground

    5 Reviews
    Kingsley, MI
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 922-5280

    "I like the location; very secluded in the State Forest but only a half hour from downtown Traverse City. This facility meets the recreation need of a diverse cross section of Michigan residents."

    "The other is the trail camp. You drop your money in the box pick a spot of as much space as you want (there is hardly ever a lot of people)."

    5. Traverse City KOA

    9 Reviews
    Buckley, MI
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 269-4562

    "This KOA is just south of Traverse City and very centrally located to all that makes this area so awesome! Wineries, Sleep Bear Dunes, golf courses, and of course downtown Traverse City."

    "25 min south of Traverse city. Nice sites, some have patios and chairs with bonfires. Nice pool and friendly staff! Lots of kids though as they have a massive kids playground."

    6. Duck Lake Campground — Interlochen State Park

    6 Reviews
    Interlochen, MI
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 276-9511

    $27 - $90 / night

    "Typical rustic camper, so camping close to others is not my typical cup of tea, but I messed up my rustic campsite reservation by week and managed to get the last open spot for the weekend in the main"

    "Just spent 5 nights at site 185 that borders along the north trail. Had an issue with noise one night but a ranger took care of it. Buildings were clean and staff was very nice."

    7. Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds

    4 Reviews
    Grawn, MI
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 943-4150

    $25 / night

    "Quiet, large sites, like new bath house, 7th nite free, rate$35, good location for northwestern Michigan sites Water on all outside sites. interior sites share water hookups"

    "Website to check is www.northwesternmichiganfair.net/campground-information/

    Campground is closed July 28th - August 11th

    They have electric on all sites, both water and electric on some sites and a"

    8. Traverse Bay RV Resort

    2 Reviews
    Williamsburg, MI
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 938-5800

    "Sites are all paved with water electric and sewer, but also landscaped. Wifi is terrible but good cell coverage. There’s trash pick up at 10:00 at your site. No fire rings."

    "We attend a horse show circuit near by. It is the creme de la creme of RV parks. The sites are individually owned (and leased out) and many of the owners have made their lots very nice."

    9. Turtle Lake Campground

    8 Reviews
    Honor, MI
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 275-7353

    "Close to traverse city and sleeping bear dunes!"

    "Family friendly, there is fishing and canoeing, fire pits and swimming in the lake. They have a camp for horses too."

    10. Wild Cherry RV Resort

    6 Reviews
    Lake Leelanau, MI
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (231) 271-5550

    "All sites have picnic tables but not all have fire pits (if you have your own you are allowed to use it). "

    "This was a great campground, quiet and peaceful in the cherry orchard area of west Michigan, near Glen Arbor and Traverse City."

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Glamping Reviews near Traverse City, MI

305 Reviews of 39 Traverse City Campgrounds


  • John L.
    Nov. 11, 2019

    Betsie River Campsite

    Safe, friendly, quiet, kid friendly, the best.

    Friendliest people. Amazing staff. Beautiful little campground. Honestly everyone is so friendly. Bathrooms are always clean as are the showers. There's wood and ice on the property. A great little cafet. A small general store. We have so much fun here. Tge owners are amazing. Honestly I hate writing such a great review simply because I don't want to loose my camping site. Lol people find a great place like this it'll always be booked. But honestly you can't go wrong here. The place is sandwiched between the betsie river and a paved bike path. Your 2 mile from a great beach and lake michigan. 20 min from the dunes. 35 or 40 min from Traverse city and it's gorgeous views and fun stuuf to do. Did I mention wine. Wineries are plentiful in this region too. Plus some micro brew. Just awesome. There's a small playground for the kids in this park. It's so safe the kids ride bikes and walk all over the campground with out much concern.

  • C
    Jun. 14, 2020

    Traverse City KOA

    Great family campground!!

    This KOA is just south of Traverse City and very centrally located to all that makes this area so awesome! Wineries, Sleep Bear Dunes, golf courses, and of course downtown Traverse City. This campground is very well laid out and easy to maneuver any size rig. The front part of the campground is very well shaded, however, many sites are only a few feet away from M37, which can get noisy from the traffic. The back half of the campground is a little more open, but most sites are still partially shaded. The owners and staff are very friendly and accommodating. Fire wood and ice are available and they will deliver right to your site. As the caption says, great family campground. If you have kids, this is the place for you! With that being said, here is why I gave a four star rating.....we were asked promptly at 10pm to turn our music off, which wasn’t loud at all. Beyond our campsite it could not be heard at all. They have what they call a strict 10pm-8am quiet hours. At 7am there were at least 8-10 kids riding bikes and scooters all over the campground and nothing was said. I appreciate a them having policies and creating a place for families to make memories, but please enforce those policies for everyone. Oh, and one last thing....they are very pet friendly! I have never seen a campground with so many dogs! Ours had a blast!

  • Emily M.
    Jul. 7, 2021

    Insta-Launch Campground & Marina

    Excellent Site

    We were directed here after learning the state park was closed. I was hesitant about this campground at first, but it was an excellent stay! The staff were absolutely wonderful. We came on bicycles and they let us stay only one night even though the typical minimum stay is 2 nights. The manager even gave us a few dollar discount for our site.

    It was a particularly difficult day of biking and I was in a bad mood when we arrived, but after securing a site and talking to the manager, I was smiling and laughing the rest of the night. The employees are kind folks who care about the quality of your stay.

    They have a big camp shop, excellent ice cream, flush toilets, free showers, and coin laundry! Wifi throughout the campground allowed us to watch tv from inside our tent. There was an electric hook up at our site with a drinking water spout too! 

    The tent sites are right off the river with docks to fish from and launch your boat from. One of the wonderful things about this campground was that because it is privately owned, it was very reasonably priced. It was significantly cheaper than the state parks. Of course, you are trading off beach access for price, but with a Lake Michigan beach under three miles away, it is worth it. Overall, it was a lovely stay and by far my favorite campground in Michigan for the price.

  • Bucky W.
    Jun. 26, 2021

    Traverse Bay RV Resort

    More like a country club

    This place is amazing. It’s more like a country club than it is camping. Sites are all paved with water electric and sewer, but also landscaped. Wifi is terrible but good cell coverage. There’s trash pick up at 10:00 at your site. No fire rings. There are small ponds with fountains and a heated pool. This is close to Traverse City which we love.

  • K
    Aug. 14, 2021

    Leelanau State Park Campground

    Quiet camping near Traverse City

    This is a quiet campground near Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes with amazing views of Lake Michigan. We stayed at site 42 right across the dirt camp road from the lake. Not many RVs so the nights were quiet. Vault toilets needed to be pumped empty when we visited near the end of the season in August but they were cleaned everyday. Great location for our family to visit Suttons Bay and Sleeping Bear Dunes with plenty of bike trails and beaches in the area. Closest town is Northport with a full grocery store. Campground has firewood and ice on site plus some basic supplies at the gift shop.

  • A
    May. 28, 2019

    Northern Exposure Campground & RV Park

    Awesome for Families & Big Groups / All Ages

    This campground is perfect for campers of most experience and age levels.  If you are looking for rugged, wilderness / secluded camping its probably not your place but for everyone else it's a hidden gem.  

    Nice spots both on the river show and across the road.  Easy water access for very little children and non-motorized boats / Kayaks, etc.  Nicely equipped playground and evening activities at the Camp Store/Office on special weekends.  

    This campground has the cleanest restroom/shower facilities of any campground I have been too.  Also the staff is very friendly and helpful.

    One tip, fire pits do not have grill tops attached and the pit opening is pretty wide.

  • Ann D.
    Dec. 30, 2020

    Whitewater Township Park Campground

    Nice little Campground

    Nice bathrooms. This park is situated up on a hill on beautiful Elk Lake. Elk Lake can easily access Torch River and into Torch Lake. It has a fantastic boat launch which we have used. There are hiking trails nearby and the campground is about 15 minutes away from the quaint town of Elk Rapids and a very touristy Traverse City. The playground isn’t much, but offers the kids a place to go.

  • Nancy W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 27, 2017

    Wild Cherry RV Resort

    Nice Park, Lots to Do Nearby

    We visited Wild Cherry RV Resort on the recommendation of some friends and found the park to be nicely maintained, sites were well-spaced, and we LOVED the area. Our site was a pull-in that faced a large pond on a corner that overlooked a four-acre lake. We never had a neighbor on the site next to us during our stay and since we were on a large corner there was nobody on that side either so we never felt crowded. The park was very quiet and since our site was in the back of the park there was not much traffic.

    The park is called a “resort” which is a little misleading because there are very few amenities. There is no swimming pool, no tennis courts, no shuffleboard, no fitness center, no playground, in fact there were not even bathrooms/showers (except for porta john and tent shower in the rustic camping section).  There was a small club house and a driving range but that was pretty much it. You do get a free newspaper delivered to your site daily. It turned out that we didn’t care about the lack of amenities since we were so busy exploring and we don’t often use all the amenities that private parks offer anyway.  The park is a mix of seasonal and transient people. Most of the seasonal people went to work during the day which made the park even quieter. And while they do have a lot of seasonal campers none of the sites were junked up. Sites are gravel with paved patios with the average lot being 45x70 (according to their brochure). There are nice grassy areas between sites that is very well-maintained. All sites have picnic tables but not all have fire pits (if you have your own you are allowed to use it). 

    The roads are very wide and there are not too many trees so maneuvering big-rigs is not a problem. The water, sewer, and electric were all placed appropriately in the site so no extended hoses were needed. There was no cable but sites are very open allowing for good satellite reception and we were able to get over a dozen antenna channels. Sites are either pull-in (which we had) or back-in. There are no pull-thrus. Set back in a wooded area are a scattering of rustic tent sites, rental cabins and yurts with potable water, grills, fire pits, and picnic tables. These sites are so tucked in a wooded area that I never noticed them until the last day I was in the park.

    There is a lot of activities within a short drive of this park and we wished we would have stayed longer. The park is in a perfect location to explore the towns of Leland (and Fishtown), Lake Leelanau, Northport, and Sutton’s Bay. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the town of Glen Arbor are a 20 minute drive and Traverse City is about 45 minutes. All these towns are quaint coastal towns with shopping, galleries, good restaurants. The park is on the Leelanau Peninsula which is one of Michigan’s most well-known and revered wine region and there are three wineries within a couple of miles (one is just across the street from the entrance). That being said, there are nearly some 20 wineries within 15 – 20 minutes of the park. There are a few state parks and county preserves nearby that have hiking, scenic views of Lake Michigan and picturesque lighthouses.

    All-in-all we really liked this park and would definitely come back. We took advantage of their “Big-Rig Special” which gave a 25% discount if you booked 4 nights. Otherwise, the price per night was $69 which we found to be expensive for what you get. The biggest dings we give this park are for the high nightly price and the lack of amenities that should come in a “resort” with that high a price. This area is one of our favorites in Michigan and we easily could have spent a couple of weeks here enjoying the area.

  • Holly Jo J.
    May. 31, 2018

    Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort

    Excellent Location with Lots of Activities

    We were searching for a super last minute campground near Traverse City for Memorial Weekend and everything within a quick drive seemed booked. I called up Timber Ridge to check if anything came available and they offered an RV site that we could use for our tents. It was a miracle!

    The campgrounds were easy to navigate and even with all the activities available it never seemed too busy or too crowded or too loud. our campsite (although surrounded by RVs was perfect size and spot for 4 of us camping with 2 tents and an SUV loaded down with kayaks.

    The RV spot had electric and water so we were able to take advantage of that to keep portable devices charged and clean dishes we’d brought along. and the campsite comes with a fire ring (with attached grill) and picnic table.

    Would definitely come back here next time we’re in the area!


Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Traverse City, MI?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Traverse City, MI is Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort with a 4.5-star rating from 21 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Traverse City, MI?

TheDyrt.com has all 39 glamping camping locations near Traverse City, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.