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Best Tent Camping near Trout Creek, MI

536 Reviews

Tent campsites near Trout Creek, Michigan offer several primitive camping options within the surrounding Ottawa National Forest and wilderness areas. The Burned Dam Campground provides free tent sites situated along the Ontonagon River with rushing water sounds from nearby Mex-i-mine Falls. Additionally, backcountry camping opportunities exist in the Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness, which features hike-in and walk-in tent access to remote sites.

Most tent sites in the area feature simple amenities suited for self-sufficient campers. At Burned Dam Campground, each site includes in-ground fire pits, picnic tables, and hanging posts for trash, though no running water is available. Sites typically have natural, ungraded surfaces of forest duff or dirt. The Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness requires hikers to pack in all supplies and pack out all waste, with no established facilities. A camper noted that "this patch of wilderness within the Ottawa National Forest is unmatched" and "remote and not well traveled." Vault toilets are available at some established campgrounds, but drinking water must be packed in or filtered from natural sources.

Tent camping experiences in this region vary seasonally, with summer months bringing both warmer temperatures and significant insect activity. Multiple reviewers mentioned the challenging bug presence, particularly at Burned Dam where one camper stated the "assault was nonstop" from mosquitos and biting flies despite using repellent. The area remains relatively uncrowded, offering peaceful settings along rivers and lakes. Many sites provide access to hiking opportunities, including connections to the North Country Trail which winds through the Upper Peninsula. Winter arrives early in this region, sometimes as soon as mid-October, requiring tent campers to prepare for rapidly changing conditions, especially during shoulder seasons.

Best Tent Sites Near Trout Creek, Michigan (24)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Trout Creek, MI

536 Reviews of 24 Trout Creek Campgrounds

  • Stephanie F.
    Jul. 3, 2017

    North Trout Lake Campground — Northern Highland State Forest

    Fewer amenities, but great trade-off

    We arrived on a Thursday and were able to snag one of the much-coveted lakeside sites for a private view of the sunset. Sites were level and clean and it never got busy for the weekend, which is just the way I like it. Although there are tons of other state campgrounds nearby with more amenities, I would gladly trade all of that for the no-electric, vault toilet, water pump solitude of North Trout Lake. The campground has a nature trail and is also located on a paved bike path that runs between nearby towns and connects to the other camping areas.

    Amenities: nice/clean vault toilets, water from pump tastes fantastic, swimming beach, firewood for sale onsite, no electric, no showers.

  • Nona A.
    Aug. 10, 2017

    Presque Isle - Porcupine Mountains State Park

    Great Campground for exploring, and for those who love waterfalls.

    If you're a person who loves waterfalls, then I recommend you don’t miss this campground.  Presque Isle Campground is located at the southern edge of the Porcupine Mountains State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  This campground has bluff overlooking Lake Superior, there is a walkway and stairs that take you down the bluff to the shore.  Walking distance from the campground is the Presque River you can hike along and see all the beautiful waterfalls this river has to offer.  This is a Rustic campground that has vault toilets, and hand pump drinking water. The campground, restrooms and surrounding area’s were kept very clean. There are 50 campsites that are equipped for tents, trailers, and RV’s.  Each site has a fire pit, and picnic table.  There is no electrical hook up, and part of the campground is generator free.  Six of the sites are walk in sites, there are parking spots for these sites, you park and walk in a little ways to your site.  I recommend a site that is located on the outer sides of the campground loop.  They are larger sites and more privacy from your neighbors.  Inner loop sites are closer together and open.  Be prepared for mosquitoes and blackflies.  Blackflies bite, and bug spray does not affect them.  I found keeping a hand towel or fly swatter moving around me helped keep them away.  They are more active when it is humid, and down by the water.  These flies seem to be common up here along the shore.

    There are many things to do around the campground close to your site and others are a little bit of a drive from your site in the Porcupine Mountains State Park.  If you like to stay close to your camp, you can hang out on the beach, hike along the Presque Isle River and discover the Manabezho Falls, Manido Falls, and the Nawadaha Falls.  Also the Lake Superior Trail and North Country Trail are right by the campground.  These trails will connect you with other trails in the Porcupine Mountains.  The Porcupine Mountains have lot’s to offer anyone stopping to visit.  We took and day and seen The Lake of the Clouds, and Summit Peak.  They both are gorgeous areas to explore.  

  • Stacia R.
    Apr. 27, 2019

    Presque Isle - Porcupine Mountains State Park

    Stunning landscapes

    We camped at Presque Isle in the Porkies for a long weekend in October. The color change was amazing! This campground is rustic with only vault toilets and no hookups. There is a section that allows generators during certain hours of the day, a non-generator area and a few walk-in sites. There are a few sites which are along the cliff side looking down to Lake Superior, we were lucky enough to reserve one of those, site 2. It was a very large site, equipped with the standard picnic table and fire ring. Many of the sites back up to the woods, which were smaller and a little soggy while we were there. This campground is one of two in the park, Union Bay is the other more modern campground located right on the lake. The sites there are much smaller and crowded. I prefer the more remote Presque Isle campground by far. Less amenities but far less people. The hiking throughout this park is unparalleled in its beauty. The campground is close to the Presque Isle river trail which is waterfall after waterfall. The park has a ski lift we rode to check out the views from the top of the mountain, as well as an 18 hole disc course. It’s the hiking and rugged beauty of the area that is the main attraction, especially catching the fall colors surrounding Lake Superior.

  • Roger W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 18, 2023

    Twin Lakes State Park Campground

    Good Stop Over

    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

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 4, 2024

    Bates Township Park

    Motorcycle camping

    Great find. Sunday night beginning of June. Only camper in the tent section. Quiet spot with good hosts. Close to the lake. Grass and gravel. Restroom share with the park/boat launch area. I would definitely stay here again. If there was a drawback would be sites have some slope toward lake. Being only one there I found flat spot to tent but if busy choice might be limited. No control over weather but woke up and had to pack up in the rain. Definitely check it out! Thanks to the Hosts!

  • Hilary S.
    Oct. 11, 2020

    Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

    Beautiful at peak fall color!

    I did a 3 day/2 night hike during peak color, starting at the Lake Superior Trailhead. I was warned the Lake Superior trail was muddy when I checked in, and the ranger was not joking - I was grateful to have trekking poles to help balance on logs, branches, roots and rocks to try to keep my boots as dry as possible in the parts of the trail that were submerged. 

    Campsite LS-14 had a lovely location on the lake, but was very muddy/previously submerged with water. It immediately abuts site LS-13. There was a wooden platform to put my tent on, but I had to bolster the corners so that it was big enough for my tent poles to have something to rest on. If I had gotten in before dark, I might have seen the small area near the trail side of the site that had higher, dryer ground. There is supposed to be a bear pole for these sites, but the group at the other site said there wasn't one. In hindsight, I think there probably was, away from the campsites, but since I had a canister, I didn't go looking for it after dark. The Lake Superior trail continued to be muddy until you got close to the Big Carp River mouth.

    Campsite BC-8 was a big upgrade - very large site, a little patch of open sky over the fire pit, easy access to the river for water. The big trees provided good shelter from a minor storm and high winds overnight. This site is right alongside the trail, but separated from the cabin and next site by a good distance. The hike out from here up the Big Carp River trail to Lake of the Clouds is a somewhat longer trek with a bit of elevation gain, but nothing too intense in my opinion.

  • Andrew D.
    Jun. 26, 2023

    Franklin Lake

    Great campsite

    Stayed one night on  a Sunday.  Mostly empty but you can see it is heavily booked for the Fourth of July weekend. They just added electric hook up to some sites in the South End.  Right now the price is the same for electric or non-electric sites.

    Sites are large and decent spacing between sites.  Heavy tree cover with mostly shade.

    The site was mostly gravel with nice fire ring and picnic table.

  • K
    Jul. 14, 2021

    Ontonagon Township Park Campground

    Life saver — if timed right !

    No reservations, that’s on us. Looked at several after driving around all day sight-seeing. We called the number on the listing; got a pre-recorded message from the township. Decided to check it out in person. First, camping is divided up; two loops on beach side of the road, two loops on the non-beach side. We nabbed the last place on the beach side and could see Lake Superior from the site. Camp hosts were very accommodating considering we roll in just as they’re locking up shop around 8:00pm. Got us checked in and sold us firewood. We quickly set up and were on the beach in minutes. The water felt so good, we ran back up and got into trunks to swim. Brisk but totally swimmable. The beach was sandy, the lake-bottom sandy/small pebbles (no aqua-socks needed). The beach wasn’t AS pretty as other places we’d been but still had spectacular views. The trash was nearby, showers and flushing toilets a quick minute walk to other loop. Fire rings in each site and power/water posts (no generators, yay!). It’s worth driving over to see if they have a spot!

  • Danielle A.
    Sep. 27, 2016

    Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping

    Lovely, covered backcountry sites

    A lovely area with a good balance of open space and tree cover. Nearby Clark Lake is very pretty, good for swimming, and serves as the primary water source. The area is covered in soft pine duff but finding a truly flat spot free of any small mounds of moss or decayed nurse logs can be a challenge.

Guide to Trout Creek

Tent camping near Trout Creek, Michigan offers primitive forest sites within the Ottawa National Forest at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 1,600 feet. The region receives approximately 70-90 inches of snowfall annually, with spring thaws often extending into May. Camping options include established forest campgrounds, wilderness sites, and remote backcountry areas with varying levels of accessibility depending on seasonal road conditions.

What to do

Paddling opportunities: Big Lake State Forest Campground provides direct lake access with a small craft launch right in the campground. "The lake was nice and there was a small beach. Enjoyed listening to the sandhill cranes every morning," notes one camper at Big Lake State Forest Campground.

North Country Trail hiking: Multiple camping areas connect to this long-distance trail that winds through the Upper Peninsula. According to one camper at Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping, "Sylvania would make a perfect starting or ending place for a section hike" of the North Country Trail.

Ghost hunting: For those interested in paranormal experiences, Robbins Pond Campground offers unique nighttime viewing of the Paulding Light phenomenon. A visitor describes the experience: "This campground is located at the end of Robin's Pond road where the Paulding Light is seen... The atmosphere is cool if your into the spooky factor."

What campers like

Complete isolation: More adventurous campers appreciate the deeply remote sites available. At Blockhouse Campground, one visitor noted it was the "Most isolated camp site I've been to. Requires driving down a dirt road the branches off another dirt road. It's 8 miles down the road with major washouts."

Waterfront locations: Many campgrounds feature proximity to rivers or lakes. At Paint River Forks NF Campground, campers enjoy sites that are "clean and well managed" with access to the river, though they recommend camping "Mid summer with a big group of people."

Private sites: Campers frequently mention the spaciousness between sites at many Ottawa National Forest campgrounds. One reviewer at Emily Lake State Forest Campground states: "Several great sites to tent camp. Caught some blue gills. Good times," highlighting both the privacy and fishing opportunities.

What you should know

Bug pressure: Beyond standard mosquitoes, the region hosts aggressive biting flies. At Big Lake State Forest Campground, campers warn: "Horse flys were incredibly bad," while others mention preparing for serious bug pressure throughout summer months.

Road conditions: Many campsites require travel on unpaved forest roads with variable conditions. One visitor to Blockhouse Campground described "major washouts" on the access road, while another camper noted Big Lake's entrance "is not for low clearance vehicles...it is full of HUGE flooded potholes (small ponds really). Not recommended for 2 wheel drive, low clearance vehicles."

Early winter weather: Snow can arrive as early as mid-October. A camper at Big Lake shared: "In mid-October, we woke up to full on winter one morning, so be prepared for anything in the shoulder season."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Trout Creek, MI?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Trout Creek, MI is Burned Dam Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 3 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Trout Creek, MI?

TheDyrt.com has all 24 tent camping locations near Trout Creek, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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