Camping near Trenary, MI

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    SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile

    Campgrounds surrounding Trenary, Michigan range from established, reservation-based sites to more primitive forest camping areas throughout the Upper Peninsula. The Hiawatha National Forest encompasses many of these camping areas, with Au Train Lake Campground and Hovey Lake Campsites offering waterfront locations approximately 15-20 miles from Trenary. Most sites accommodate both tent and RV camping, though hookup availability varies significantly. Forest Lake State Forest Campground near Chatham provides electric hookups with access for boats, while Munising Tourist Park Campground offers more developed amenities including showers, water hookups, and sewer connections for visitors seeking modern conveniences.

    Road conditions and seasonal availability strongly impact camping experiences in the region. Many campgrounds operate from May through September or early October, closing during harsh winter months. "We reserved our site online. Having never been before we didn't really know what to expect. It was nothing less than perfect. Tucked away in a silent wooded area. Paved roads all the way in. 15 minutes from Munising," noted one visitor about Au Train Lake Campground. Cell service can be limited at more remote sites, with areas closer to Munising and Marquette offering better connectivity. Forest Service roads accessing some campgrounds may require higher clearance vehicles, especially during spring runoff periods or after heavy rainfall. Campers should come prepared with adequate supplies as convenience stores and markets are limited outside of the larger towns.

    Waterfront camping receives consistently positive reviews throughout the area, with Lake Superior and inland lake access being major draws. Sites at Superior Times and Otter Lake Campground offer water views paired with amenities like electric hookups, showers, and trash collection. Several visitors mentioned appreciating the spacious, private sites separated by wooded areas that provide shade and natural screening between campers. Wildlife sightings are common, with one camper reporting seeing "a porcupine hanging out in a tree and eating leaves, deer and a turkey." Proximity to natural attractions represents another significant advantage, as most campgrounds provide convenient access to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, hiking trails, and fishing opportunities. For visitors seeking more solitude, the state forest campgrounds typically offer quieter experiences with fewer amenities but more natural surroundings.

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    Best Campgrounds near Trenary (148)

      1. Munising Tourist Park Campground

      4.2(49)22mi from TrenaryRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "AMAZING views of Lake Superior just steps away from the camp site. Spots don't stay empty for long. The RV park stays full"

      "If you can’t get into the campgrounds in Pictured Rocks this site is a good alternative due to its proximity (three miles) the downtown and the entrance to the park. "

      from $29 - $45 / night

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      2. Au Train Lake Campground

      4.2(19)15mi from Trenary34 sitesRVs, Tents

      "Tucked away in a silent wooded area. Paved roads all the way in. 15 minutes from Munising. Was a perfect hideaway for us driving from SW michigan over memorial day weekend."

      "Small, remote campground, located on a nice size inland lake in Hiawatha National Forest. Close to Au Train, Munising and Pictured Rock National Lakeshore."

      from $26 / night

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      3. Otter Lake Campground & Lodge

      4.5(15)14mi from TrenaryRVs, Tents

      "Otter Lake Campground is nestled within the Hiawatha National Forest and a close driving distance to Munising, Michigan."

      "Was about 5 minutes outside Munising. Great place to stay if your planning on visiting pictured rocks. It’s right on the lake too with boat rentals if you just want to hang around your campsite."

      from $20 - $38 / night

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      4. Bay Furnace Campground

      4.4(32)21mi from Trenary49 sitesRVs, Tents

      "It's a small campground, but very near the lake, and the coolest part is the old blast furnace (hence the name of the camp on the bay) on display."

      "Convenient to Pictured Rocks, which is why we made this trip to Michigan."

      from $26 / night

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      5. Forest Lake State Forest Campground

      5.0(6)9mi from TrenaryRVs, Tents

      "Near Au Train Falls. On 8 mile Forest Lake, with access. $15/night. Walk-in and lake sites. Beautiful, quiet spot with many regulars. Great for respectful campers. Great Dark Sky View!"

      "Clean campground with access to the reservoir."

      6. Superior Times

      3.9(11)15mi from TrenaryRVs, Tents, Cabins, Glamping

      "We opted for the rustic campground which still allowed access to the bathroom and showers, but was secluded from the cabin and RV area. The lake access was great! Warm water and good fishing."

      "Outhouse and showers were clean Electric hook up

      Filled water at dump station We stayed in site 10 it was quiet and away from the core of the noise

      Friendly staff Seasonals were a little wild and"

      from $20 - $200 / night

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      7. Hovey Lake Campsites

      4.6(8)14mi from TrenaryRVs, Tents

      "There is a small store/restaurant nearby too. We didn’t see hiking trails but we found a lot of atv trails. Some people were walking along the road."

      "There was a little trail right to the waters edge at our site, nice and sandy (dont need water shoes) We spent most of our time there soaking up the sun in our tubes. Very quiet secluded site."

      8. Haymeadow Creek NF Campground

      4.4(5)13mi from TrenaryRVs, Tents

      "Even though this campground is a decent distance from the main road, the way out is paved. This was unexpected but there are plenty of unpacked side roads to explore."

      "The loop is also directly connected to a cheeky little waterfall trail. Nice and out of the way"

      9. Pete's Lake Campground

      4.6(9)18mi from Trenary48 sitesRVs, Tents

      "Petes Lake is a great campground tucked in the Hiawatha National Forest. The campground is located about 15 minutes south of Munising. "

      "One interesting thing is that there are information plaques around camp giving you something to learn as you walk through camp. We’ve never seen this before- it’s a nice touch."

      from $24 - $50 / night

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      10. Island Lake

      4.5(6)16mi from Trenary11 sitesRVs, Tents

      "Stayed in this secluded little campground that hugs around Island Lake for 3 nights and it was a great experience. The sites 9-11 are distanced from the others and that’s where I stayed."

      "Each one has a trail to the lake. The road in camp is narrow but it’s one way so it works fine. This is a rustic campground with vault toilets.  The boat launch is really tight."

      from $26 - $65 / night

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    Recent Reviews near Trenary, MI

    692 Reviews of 148 Trenary Campgrounds


    • Erin F.The Dyrt Pro User
      Aug. 14, 2026

      North Gemini Lake State Forest Campground

      Beautiful

      Great little rustic spot on a decent fishing lake. Busy place with campers, fishing, and people on ORVS. The mosquitoes are pretty terrible if you get off into the woods, and deer doesn’t deter them.

    • Erin F.The Dyrt Pro User
      Aug. 12, 2026

      Island Lake

      Quiet

      We arrived on a Tuesday afternoon during peak season and pulled right in to a fcfs site. Most sites are on the lake, but it’s down a sizable hill and filled with tree cover. Sites are spacious and spread apart enough for privacy. Hand pump for water and vault toilets are clean.

    • Tom B.The Dyrt Pro User
      Aug. 10, 2026

      Haymeadow Creek NF Campground

      Nice, quiet boondocking site

      No trash service.  I stayed in a 24ft travel trailer and most sites are plenty big for such a rig.  Poor to no cell service (Verizon).  My spot allowed marginal Starlink, but most sites are heavily wooded and you will likely have too much obstruction to get Starlink.  Hay Meadow Creek trailhead is in the campground.  Very nice hiking that goes to the pretty creek. Campground is free. I assume it's a 14 day limit, but there is no sign posting a stay limit.

    • Tylene C.
      Aug. 7, 2026

      Indian Lake RV Resort and Campground

      DIRTY and misleading website

      Our stay at Indian Lake RV Resort was extremely disappointing. The campground did not match what was advertised. Pics are misleading on website. The bathrooms were not maintained as posted. A sign stated they would be cleaned daily between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., but we arrived Tuesday afternoon and did not see them cleaned until Thursday. During that time, one toilet in the men's restroom remained clogged and full for two days. I informed the owner that the hand soap dispenser was empty. Later, as I was walking down the road, he called out,"Hey you, here's soap," and handed me a bottle to put in the restroom myself. Guests should not be expected to restock the campground bathrooms. Other than that interaction, we never saw the owner or staff around the campground after check-in. There was also a constant sewer odor near our friend's campsite by the septic field. Several amenities were either unavailable or not as advertised. The rec hall was never open during our stay. The beach was cluttered with toys and did not appear to be maintained. We were also disappointed that there was no boat launch available as we had expected. Overall, the campground felt dirty, poorly maintained, and misrepresented. Based on our experience, we would not stay here again or recommend it to others.

    • David M.The Dyrt Pro User
      Aug. 7, 2026

      Catchin' Crickets Campground

      Best campsite bathroom ever

      This was a great campsite, bathroom was super nice, the owners came and said hi to everyone and gave advice on where to visit in the area. Super relaxed environment and very clean, also the water from the pump actually tastes pretty good. Not rusty at all.

    • T
      Aug. 7, 2026

      Indian Lake RV Resort and Campground

      Not recomended

      We camped at this campground for 10 days. The bathroom was partially cleaned one time. We did notify the owner and nothing was done. The entire bathroom (both women's and men's) were disgusting. The floors especially in the showers were filthy.

      I would not recommend staying at this campground.

    • Robert Sheri D.
      Aug. 6, 2026

      Indian Lake RV Resort and Campground

      Not Good!

      We stayed there a total of 10 nights at the end of July into August 2026.  The resort was pretty busy, likely due to the State of Michigan state park around the corner being closed for construction.   I can't imagine anyone coming back to this resort, if they planned on using the bathrooms.

      In that time, the bathrooms got cleaned one time.  When we asked management about it, we were told the floors get messy when it rains , however they would "be down in a little bit" to check on them. They never came, unless it was in the middle of the night.  However, the next morning, the same messes remained!  And we only had rain for one evening during that stay.

      Had they been to the bathrooms more than once they would see that when we said dirty, we meant:

      1.  toilet tissue pieces remained on the floor, stuck in the same spots for several days;  

      2.  the trash cans were not emptied and over flowing for several days;

      3.  there was no hand soap for several days;

      4. the shower stalls had paper trash on the floor and left shampoo bottles laying on top of the partition wall all time we were there;

      5. the men's bathroom had a plugged toilet, with feces, for most of our stay;

      6. one of the men's bathroom sinks was plugged with what appeared to be the remains of a man's full beard, with the hair left in the sink, for days as well; and

      7.  the only day it rained during our stay, one of the very large rolls of toilet paper, was thrown on the sidewalk outside of the woman's bathroom, LEFT IN THE RAIN, rather than placed on a roll inside one of the stalls.

      I can't imagine anyone saying the bathrooms at this resort were well maintained.  They were disgusting!

    • rThe Dyrt Pro User
      Jul. 30, 2026

      Manistique Lakeshore Campground

      Excellent spot on the beach!

      The Manistique city campground is a very nice spot among US highway 2. It was completely update around 2018. We snagged a spot right next to the beach (Site 24, probably the best spot in the park).

      It’s a full service campground and everything is really very nice here. Highly recommend. There can be some traffic noise from US-2 but nothing too bothersome. We really like this spot especially when we are not boondocking.

      They had no issue with plugging in our EV.

    • CThe Dyrt Pro User
      Jul. 30, 2026

      Colwell Lake Campground

      Colwell CG site #24

      Beautiful location right up on the lake, walking trail with a boat ramp. Camp site is very spacious.


    Guide to Trenary

    Campgrounds throughout the Upper Peninsula near Trenary, Michigan cater to diverse camping styles with established facilities like Forest Lake State Forest Campground and Otter Lake Campground & Lodge providing tent and RV accommodations. The Hiawatha National Forest region contains numerous camping options ranging from developed sites with electrical hookups to more rustic experiences. Most campgrounds in this area offer direct access to lakes, rivers, and forest land, with several sites situated along shorelines for water activities.

    Camping season generally runs from May through October, with most facilities closed during winter months due to harsh weather conditions. Many campgrounds open around mid-May and close by late September or early October. "Super beautiful campground. Spent 10 days here to visit all the waterfalls, Pictured Rocks, Twelve Mile beach etc. Also just 20 min from beautiful beaches on Lake Superior," notes one camper about Forest Lake State Forest Campground. Road access varies considerably, with some sites requiring travel on unpaved forest roads. Cell service is limited throughout the region, particularly at remote locations like Otter Lake where multiple reviews mention no cell coverage. Campground amenities range from basic (vault toilets and hand pumps for water) to more developed facilities with showers and electrical hookups.

    Waterfront sites represent a significant draw for campers visiting the Trenary area. Forest Lake State Forest Campground receives consistently high ratings for its lakefront sites and peaceful setting. As one visitor described it: "Some waterfront sites, the lake was beautiful but we didn't have much luck with fish. Plenty of wood around and water hand pump on grounds." Wildlife viewing opportunities abound with several reviews mentioning loons, sandhill cranes, and osprey. Campgrounds like Otter Lake provide family-friendly amenities including boat rentals, basketball courts, and swimming areas. Many visitors appreciate the secluded nature of camping in this region, with Haymeadow Creek described as having sites that are "spread out" creating a feeling of being "all on your own out here." Most campgrounds maintain clean facilities, with reviewers frequently noting well-maintained bathrooms and showers at the more developed sites.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What camping is available near Trenary, MI?

    According to TheDyrt.com, Trenary, MI offers a wide range of camping options, with 148 campgrounds and RV parks near Trenary, MI and 17 free dispersed camping spots.

    Which is the most popular campground near Trenary, MI?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Trenary, MI is Munising Tourist Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 49 reviews.

    Where can I find free dispersed camping near Trenary, MI?

    According to TheDyrt.com, there are 17 free dispersed camping spots near Trenary, MI.

    What parks are near Trenary, MI?

    According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 parks near Trenary, MI that allow camping, notably Hiawatha National Forest and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.