Best RV Parks & Resorts near Trout Creek, MI

8/26-9/1/22- Free camping! There are vault toilets and hand-pump well drinking water in several places, and picnic tables and fire pits at each camp site. The sites are well maintained, clean, and reasonably flat. I tried self registering, but there was nowhere to sign-in. About 11Am the next morning, someone came by to register us. 2-bars Verizon 5G, and 2-bars AT&T 4G. 

We rolled in about 10pm and drove through the western loop sites 1-22, pulled into the first pull-through site(W5) that we could easily get our 34’ fifth wheel into and went to sleep. In the morning, I walked the loop and found several others that we could fit(now that it was light out), and we moved over one site to W6. Site W21 has a lake view and a large loop in front of this back-in site that would be super easy to navigate for a big rig. Sites 11 and 12 were really close together but had a good views of the lake as well. Later, we drove over to the east camp site that all seemed to have lake views, and sites E12 and E13 are surrounded on 3 sides by water, a turn-around loop, and more sunlight for solar powered rigs. I didn’t think to check cell signal while there. 

The towns of Watersmeet and Conover had the cheapest diesel fuel. The Wild Turkey Bar& Grill in Conover, WI had fabulous smoked meats, and there is a great little hardware store in Conover as well.

Twin Lakes MI SP: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 2-3 (A very clean campground, but old facilities, currently. A huge facelift in 2024 is being touted. New paving, new bath/shower rooms,and pavilion are coming. Shutdown during some of 2024 is anticipated. ) Price 2023: Usage during visit: 30% mid week Site Privacy: Poor Site Spacing: Poor Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Seems quiet Road Noise: Right along Hwy 26. Some sites back up to the Hwy. Through Traffic in campground: No Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes Potable Water Available: Yes Generators: Not needed Bathroom: Flush and pit Showers: Yes Pull Throughs: Some. Most are back in. Cell Service (AT&T): Very good Setting: Some tree cover in between the highway and Lake Roland Weather: High is I low 80s Host: Real nice young and helpful men manning entry booth Rig size: Large rigs Sites: Lakeside sites are the premium here and the only sites that would seduce me to visit. Good stop over place while

Van Riper State Park is a must-visit if you’re traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  It’s popular year-round, although camping is only open between May and October. Stop for the day to hike the trails and go for a swim, or stay a week and enjoy the sunsets and serenity.

The state park covers both sides of the highway with the campground and day-use area on the south side and a huge section of trails and wildlife viewing areas on the north.

There are 147 sites in the modern campground, including some sites with 50-amp electric service, and there are another 40 sites in the rustic campground. Plus, there are two mini cabins in the modern campground if you don’t own a tent or RV. All of the campsites have a fire ring and picnic table.

One thing we noticed is that the sites at Van Riper are very large– so much bigger than many sites we’ve seen at other state parks. This means there is plenty of space for your trailer, truck, bikes, screen tent, kids’ toys, etc. without feeling like you’re infringing on your neighbor.

Another plus for the state park is the laundry facilities. Two washers and dryers are located in the restroom building near the beach.

Van Riper State Park is extremely family-friendly, with activities for everyone. There are approximately 5 miles of hiking trails on the north side of the state park. One trail provides a very nice overlook of Lake Michigamme and the surrounding area. Other trails run along the Peshekee River or through the woods and may even provide the chance to see the moose that live in the area. The trails are not difficult, but there is some elevation to get to the lookout. If you don’t want to hike the whole 5-plus miles from the campground and back, you can drive and park at the group campground and go from there.

A sandy beach awaits both kids and adults on Lake Michigamme. The lake is popular as it is much warmer than most of the lakes in the Upper Peninsula. A large, fairly new playscape is also located near the beach, as well as a swing set. One of the most unique activities is a bike pump track. This is the only state park that we saw that had one. It was very popular with the kids and is conveniently located between the campground and the day-use area. The lake is popular for fishing and if you have a boat you can use the launch in the back of the park. It also is a good location for kayaking.

Loved this park. Despite the sites being pretty close, you have great water views, within walking distance to downtown and a short car ride away from lots of things to do and places to visit. 

All the sites are designed to be back-in but we asked if we could pull in forward so the view of the river was out our front window and our door opened right onto the patio. Luckily they didn’t have a problem with that so we had a great view. The patio is a wooden deck that hangs over the river bank and was suck a perfect to sit after a long day of exploring and enjoy a glass of wine. There is a picnic table, bench, BBQ grill, and fire pit and the patio providing nice shade during the day. The park is divided into two tiers and we were lucky enough to be in the lower one that was directly on the water. The upper tier has a view of the water too and the same patios but you are overlooking other RVs.  All sites are paved (as are the roads) with 20/30/50 amp electric, cable with 16 channels, and Wi-Fi. A nice feature about this park is that they do allow washing vehicles and your RV for a nominal fee.

The park is small with just 25 sites so book early if you are coming during the summer and they do have seasonal stays with good rates. We called with just a couple weeks notice but scored a site because someone cancelled. Added bonus is that this park is next door to a large waterfront park which is great for kids with lots of things for them to play on (just know dogs are not allowed). There are also picnic areas, sandy beach, and a boat launch. Continuing past the park is a four-mile paved, non-motorized pathway leading to downtown. 

There are no bathrooms or showers in the park so you must have a self-contained RV meaning pop-up campers and tents are not allowed. There are flush toilets in the waterfront park just outside the campground but were used heavily and not always clean if the park was very busy.

Loved that fact that you could walk to town. We strolled into the Keewenaw Brewery for a beer a couple of afternoons, checked out a museum that pays homage to the birthplace of American hockey (which started in Houghton), did a little window shopping, and ate the best pasties at Roy’s Pasties and Bakery. It is well worth the time to venture up the Keewenaw Peninsula to explore the other towns like Copper Harbor and Calumet. Calumet is an old copper mining town and there are lots of museums and interesting sites to see there including a very nice National Park Service visitor center. We toured the Quincy Mine and really enjoyed that. 

Pros:

·        Great water view

·        Nice patio with picnic table and bench

·        Within walking distance of town

·        Nice walking path

·        Lots to do and see in the area

·        Paved sites and roads

·        Full hook-up with cable and good WiFi

Cons:

·        Must have a self-contained RV

·        Sites are close to each other with very little privacy

·        Most sites have no shade

·        May be hard to get a site if you don’t book early

We are on site 22. Very spacious have room for our 20ft TT and could have put up a large screen tent but there is a big dip in the site which caused a huge puddle where we would have placed it. Nice view of the lake can see at least part of it from almost anywhere in the camp. Picnic table and fire ring on every site. There are several full hook up sites (water sewer electric). There are a few pull through sites. Some of the sites (the ones a crossed from us) have a huge dip right at the edge of the site to get in out of the site that can cause some issues with low sitting vehicles. Hosts were very friendly and informative, offered some scheduled programs through out the week and free coffee and doughnuts Saturday morning at the host site. DNR staff almost always available. Serves as a great base point to see probably hundreds of water falls. Some are located just down the street from the campground. Mordern shower clean and had hot water and restroom, clean but toilets are a little tricky to flush...doesn't seem to have enough flushing power. Verizon phone works great... hotspot from Verizon phone works great as well. there is also some WiFi available from somewhere that works but doesn't work(cuts in and out) not sure if it is the parks or a nearby place. The roads in the campground are narrrow but manageable. The park is located on a main highway (41) so you get the noise from the traffic on the road...sometimes this noise can make it hard to have a quiet conversation with those in your camping party....it quiets down some at night but still a lot of noise. Also train tracks runs along the back of the campground which can be quite noisy. We've been here almost a week and have heard only one train(we aren't here a lot during the day we are out exploring). Nice day park across the road from the campground. Located about 30 min. From Houghton (and a Walmart) and about an hour drive to the porcupine mountains.

General: 76 site (including five tent sites) campground stretched out on both sides of Lakeshore Drive. 50 sites are on the lakeside of the road with the remainder on the other side. Some have 50-amp electric, and some have 30-amp. No reservations are taken, and the campground appeared full when we were there on a Tuesday in September. It is located adjacent to the town park/playground/picnic area. The office is open 8 am– 8 pm and if you arrive after hours and are lucky enough to find a site, you use the pay station. 

Site Quality: Sites 65-70, located directly on Lake Superior are considered Premium. There are 12 other lakefront sites (not considered premium). Sites 39-44 are located directly on the road so road noise will be an issue if that bothers you. Sites are close together with no physical separation between them. 

Bathhouse: Was clean and well-lighted. Two pay showers were available.

Activities/Amenities: Wilderness trail (approx. ¾ mile), basketball hoops, disk golf, the beach, playground at the adjacent park plus a playground in the campsites across the street. 

We had stopped at the picnic area next to the campground, so I checked it out for a possible future stay. As long as we don’t get one of the roadside spots, it would be good for passing through. Probably would not stay here more than one night as we prefer campgrounds with more privacy. Also, not sure why ATVs would be welcome here – for us, the noise would be an issue.

A bit tricky to maneuver but once you are set up this is a great city waterfront park! The sites are close but the view and proximity to outdoor walking make this a campground we will return to visit.

The campground host is helpful and if you get a chance, purchase a book he wrote to enjoy a coming of age in the Upper Pennisula story!

Love Houghton and exploring the history and geology of the area.

We camped for a week in our 42 ft motor home with jeep. We walked the water view trail daily with our four legged camper. There is a city beach/park adjacent to the campground and although there are no restrooms or showers at the campground, there are restrooms at the adjacent beach area.

We were able to access the campground WiFi and our satellite had a good signal. ATT coverage was good.

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!