Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Trout Creek, MI

We come up every year for the meteor shower, and every stay is a great one. New shower rooms, and huge dog park are awesome!

Pet-friendly. Site can be reserved. Shore access & trail access to many waterfalls within a short walking distance.

Beautiful & clean. Great site overlooking Lake Superior. Need to walk over highway to get to water. Very orderly and great Park Manager. Family & pet friendly with awesome playground.

Loved this camping trip. Great park. Super helpful and friendly staff/hosts. Clean bathrooms, pet friendly. Awesome location on Lake Gogebic shore. Close to Porcupine Mountains and Bond Falls and hiking trails. Would love to visit again.

This was our first time camping in Michigan and we loved being so close to Lake Superior. We're used to MN state parks, so we found the campsites in MI to be a bit small and too close to each other. The fire ring for the site behind ours was very close to the bed area of our camper. Our spot was campsite #98. There's not a lot of shade or vegetation between campsites in that row, but it was easy walking distance to the modern restroom/showers and Lake Superior. Next time we would like to camp along the lake. The trail around Lake of the Clouds was well worth it!

Pet-friendly. Site was able to be reserved online for overnight tent camping - however, it was labeled a "day-use" or "group" area - not sure if this was a fluke or what. Beautiful site right on the shores of Lake Superior with amazing views. The campsite was really busy, the sites looked packed together offering little privacy. This site is tucked away in a corner so you only have one neighboring site. Flooding would be a concern if expecting rain.

Beautiful family campground on the North ashore of Lake Superior. It has RV, tent and back country sites as well as cabins and yurts for rent. Many amazing hiking trails and beautiful waterfalls to explore near by. Campground has large clean bathrooms and showers and a nice camp store. It is also pet friendly and has WiFi,  but no playground.  We stayed at site 82 which had a partial view of the lake and backed the tree line. It was a nice site. I gave this campground 4 out of 5 stars because some of the sites were a little too close together but overall a great campground and we will be back!

This large campground stretches out along the lakeshore. Some sites have beautiful lake views(we suggest trying those first). There are also some double sites that would nestle you in closely with your neighbors- perfect for a larger group. A few walk in spots are available too. 

The nature trail doesn’t allow pets which was sad. However the paved bike route is nearby and goes for miles. Town is a short bike ride away. This weekend was an organized ride so it was quite a busy path. A couple days later the town had a large garage sale-type fair. The cookies and jam were great! 

This was a great discovery. We are adding this to our places to return to. 

The lake is beautiful and has a nice picnic area with a place to launch your boat.

This site is right next to the trail. Little to no privacy. Finding a place for a cat hole can be fun :D It does have a bear pole and water is available from the Big Carp River. I failed to take any photos of this location :(

We stayed at Van Riper State Park three times during June and July. The park is always clean and well-maintained. The bathrooms and showers and generally always nicely maintained as well, and there are plenty of both. The bathrooms do tend to run out of soap and toilet paper at busy times. Dogs are not allowed on the beach but also cannot be left unattended in your site. The rules are heavily enforced in this park. Park staff will ask you to move vehicles if you have more than two, and you will be asked to turn music completely off upon quiet hours. This is not the place to go if you want to party.

Sites 15 and 17, as well as several other sites along that side of that loop, now have a wooden fence at the back of them, so they are not as large as they appear in the photos online.

We have stayed in sites 14, 90 and 93. We travel with a 34’ trailer.

Site 14 is narrow but manageable. It is well-shaded by large pine trees on the site. Site is entirely dirt. There are trees to hang hammocks or clotheslines in.

Site 90 is on a corner by the propane tanks. It is a large site. It does have some roots and low spots. It is partial grass. It has nice shade and is adjacent to the bathrooms. There are trees to hang hammocks or clotheslines.

Site 93 is a large site that backs up to a small grass/tree buffer. It is across the road from the bathrooms. It has nice shade. There is a place to hang a clothesline but not hammocks.

Pros: Clean, well-maintained park

Quiet

Lots of playground equipment

Bike/scooter pump track

Excellent beach area

Lots of green space

Hiking trails

Wood and ice available for purchase at the entrance

Laundry is available; one washer and two dryers

Very kid and pet friendly

Cons: Park website has out of date information, specifically that there is no longer a store on the beach, nor are there kayaks/SUPs to rent

The Water Warrior Island is no longer in the lake

There are very few sites with buffers between

It is sort of far to the beach and laundry from the modern campsites

No non-reservable sites available

During our trip through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan this was one of my favorite campgrounds. The only reason we didn't stay longer was fear of our rig not starting up again and leaving us stranded. This campground had LARGE campsites with 2 separate loops and plenty of room between campsites. There was only one other group at this campground on the second loop which we never saw. The road to this campground is gravel and is a very pretty drive winding through the woods. At night it is very surreal as the only sounds you hear are the ones you make and an empty night sky. The canopy tree cover makes it tough to see the night sky but there are openings where you can see the sky full of stars. The lake was very peaceful and calm. There were a couple of small docks at each of the campground loops. If you have dogs beware the lake bottom is heavy dark mud and can be troublesome getting off your dog if they decide to take a dip. They also have clean vaulted toilets which is always nice(just beware of large spiders). We would recommend staying at this campground for an extended stay!

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I have 3 stars because we reserved a spot on the lake. Great view. All the sites are jammed together with little privacy. One wash house with 4 showers(shared by both sexes) for entire campground. Crowded with tons of dogs, that seem to bark non stop. Off leash along rocks barking at people. Wish people would be a bit more respectful with their dogs. Understand this is one of the few campgrounds in the Porkies with electric hookup. We did a lot of day trips so that made up for the crowded camp sites.

Overall a decent Campground. Lots are spacious. Layout of fire pit on sites are poor. For example lot 76, fire is offset to the left of the electrical post. This is a problem since majority of RVs have awnings on the right side and electrical hook up on the back left side. Our fire pit ended up behind the camper. Poor layout by campsite personnel. “DNR Officer” that oversees the grounds is a zealot on dog leashes! “Your dog must be on a six foot leash even while swimming,” he yelled at me. Being an owner of a finely trained Labrador Retriever that I was exercising in the water, I doubt I will be back!!!!!!!!

Musky Lake Campground is a nice campground. We camped mid-late June and had a nice little trip. Here's the good and the bad.

The good:

A surplus of dragonflies means that mosquitos were NOT a problem. As someone who gets eaten alive this is important.

Deer are rampant in the area. The loons on the lake are the epitome of the north woods! I camp to enjoy wildlife, so this is a plus.

Nice hiking trails nearby. Numerous bike paths as well.

Large bathroom facility with flush toilets and showers.

The bad:

Sites are close together. I prefer a bit more privacy than they allow.

Lake access from the site is...existent at best. I was able to launch my inflatable kayak very carefully between the sticks and weeds, though I'm not sure anything bigger or heavier would be worth launching from the site.

No beach swimming areas for dogs. There's a dog friendly picnic area, but it is certainly no place to let your dog swim.This was disappointing. Many of the trails are also off limits for dogs which is beyond me, though this is unrelated to the actual campground I'm sure.

All in all Musky Lake is worth checking out. There is a nice human friendly beach at nearby (you can walk there) Crystal Lake. The location is good, not too far from civilization for those who like a grocery store nearby.The sites were level and had plenty of room for our 2 tents. This area has to be on your list if you are a bike rider! I felt out of place because everyone up there had their bikes, and I could see why.

Very pretty and clean. The views of Lake Superior are amazing. Lots of really nice hiking trails, rookie hiker and his lady here. Did the 5 mile summit peak loop fairly easily. Bathrooms are nice, showers lack some water preasure Dogs allowed on leashes and not in buildings.

This is a state park with a host usually at camp. Games available for campers from the host site as well as dog poop supplies. Great waterfront improvement with a store, kayak and SUP rentals, and inflatable water feature to use for a fee.

You can't beat the Porcupine Mountains if you're looking for wilderness experiences in Michigan. Union Bay is a nice campground to use as a base camp for lots of day hikes in the area.

It can be busy and weekends are louder with kids, dogs, loud neighbors, etc , just like most state parks. Weekdays tend to be quieter even when busy.

Many sites are quite close together and there isn't much privacy in those. Some sites have odd sizes and shapes so be prepared to adjust your rig on the site to get best placement and be level (back in vs. sideways, etc ). Also consider having leveling blocks with you.

Sites in bottom loop offer great views and access to Lake Superior. But even the upper loops are a short walk to awesome shoreline and amazing sunrises.

Bathrooms are clean and showers have good design, although shower heads could use some maintenance.

Staff working the office seem to really know their stuff about hiking the area, so check with them for ideas in addition to the Visitors Center.

If you want the wilderness feel of the Porkies but modern amenities at the end of the day, this is the place.

Note that cellular service can be extremely weak if you don't have a booster.

Loved the water view from our campsite, unfortunately on the other side was the main entrance and a highway so vehicular traffic sound was prominent. Sites are large, with some tree coverage. Many families with kids and dogs. Well maintained and great walking and biking trails in the park and surrounding area.

This campground has it all! Rustic or modern you will enjoy the beach, hiking/biking trails (many right from your site), boating, fantastic fishing, kayaking and year round events! The sites are large and clean! Even a park for the kids! We love it and its dog friendly to boot!!

Great for beginning backpackers and those who want a longer trip, the Porcupine Mountains offer 100+ miles of trails. Can make 2-3 day loops, or do in and out hikes. Beautiful views, old growth forests, waterfalls and rivers. Starting with the 2018 season, the backcountry campsites must be reserved in advance. Campsites have bear poles and fire pits. There are also a few cabins that can be rented, but don't allow dogs inside the cabins.

the campground is very nice and so are the campground hosts. its very close to 41 so you hear a lot of road noise (reason for my lower score). there are train tracks behind our site. we’ve only been here a few hours and havent had a train come by. it seems to be close to orv trails, lots of people here have sidexsides and quads. no one has been loud though. bathrooms are nice and clean and showers seem clean too (havent used them yet). no laundry here if youre looking for that. dogs are welcome.

Right on the lake. Rocky ledges made it very slippery, so no dip in the lake at the campsite. 30 amp service, but no water at the sites. Fill water tanks at the dump station. Plenty to do in the area. Took several day hikes with the family and the kids and dog enjoyed playing in Lake Superior at Presque Isle, about a 25 minute drive away, where they have a semi-sandy beach area and waterfalls. Did a pontoon rental for a day and enjoyed fishing on Lake Superior and taking a leisurely cruise up the Ontonagon River.

The one lane dirt road that heads here is almost 5 miles long. With the road closed just after the campground, people only come out here on purpose. This means that the other campers are the only ones around. The area ranger station is close to the start of the dirt road. It wouldn’t hurt to check with them if you have a larger rig. The sites aren’t that big.

The small campground nestles sites in close but still gives some privacy on most of them. On this weekend, most of the sites were taken. It’s a nice place for a free campground. The dirt road provides a nice long walk for our dog too.

This year we brought our dog. He tends to bark a lot but the campsites were spread out enough that he rarely barked.

It was busier this year compared to last year. Very few campsites were empty. A lot of kids on their bikes. Since the campground is a small loop, it's good for bike riding but also is close to the bike trail.

Same camp hosts this year. They are seriously so clean and organized.

We got a different site this year. This time we are right on the creek. We heard running water all day and night. Kinda nice. We brought our pop-up this year. No electricity but honestly didn't feel we needed it.