Best Tent Camping near Watersmeet, MI

This is a beautiful area to visit even if it is just for a day, but just a days visit will leave you wanting to comeback for more! The Porcupine Mountains is located in the Northwest tip of Michigans Upper Peninsula. There are multiple entrances depending on what part of the park you want to visit. One of the most popular sites in the park is Lake of the Clouds. I have never been fortunate enough to see it on a clear day in person so you may take your chances by cloud cover or the fog. There are campsites that do sit close to the lake but require a hike. This park offers many hiking trails that pass and cross numerous lakes and streams. If you are a backpacker this is an excellent place to go. I would suggest later August or Fall. The trails can be impassable at times during the late Spring and the black flies will disappear usually by August but they can stick around. Check trail conditions often!! You can either camp with your tent or rent cabins along the trail which are usually well kept, I can not say the same about the Yurt however. You should book these cabins or tent sites well in advance as this is a popular park. I prefer tent camping but on my week long hike I decided to rent cabins instead and I am glad I did. I did hike the second week of June and the trails were unkept and the tent sites were thick mud with not much of a choice but to sleep in the mud. The cabins do have wood burning stoves, beds and benches. You will have the occasional rodent but some of the cabins had traps in them and if you set one and catch one, you will be left alone for the rest of the night. I had set the trap and reset the trap twice in 30 seconds, after catching two and coming to the conclusion I could be up all night doing this, after the third trap I just left the rodent in the trap and it must have been a deterrent because I wasn't bothered the rest of the night.

I really can't say enough about this park even though my hiking experience was miserable given the trail conditions. It is a challenge to hike but with such a vast are of wilderness there is so much more to do. Near by is the Presque Isle River Campground and Scenic Area which shouldn't be missed either.

Great little campground. It's small, clean and quiet. You self register for check-in, there's a bathroom building with 3 stalls and two showers(women) and hot water. We purchased an RV site($20) even though we were camping in a tent so our truck and trailer would fit and it comes with water and electricity at the camp site. Each campsite comes with a picnic table and fire ring. The ORV Route is right outside the campground entrance and you can ride to the trail. You can also get ice and gas at the gas station in town by taking the alley. We stayed again in 2020 in Our RV. They have 4 pull through sites with full hook-ups;$25 a night. 50/20 amps, high water pressure.

Several great sites to tent camp. Caught some blue gills. Good times

We stayed for a night while road-tripping north, and the proximity to Lake Superior was a wonderful surprise. Snagged a tent site day-of on the loop across the road. Cold morning swim at the beach down the road to wake up.

Host was very accommodating when we needed to plug in our boat. The moss-covered old growth forest provided an excellent tent site & entertained our 2 boys under 8 until they tired. The swimming area Was under kept but we still enjoyed all day. Overall our Saturday- Monday visit was very pleasing.

Originally we reserved a space by the lake. But the people at the next site were taking up our space. So we moved to another. Which was fine with us as we were tent camping and it was pretty cold(40 degree range) and windy and being off the lake seemed better. The older couple that seemed to be the ones taking care of the place were very nice and understanding.

Pretty rolling hills and water in leaf peeping season. Amazing trails out on the peninsula and throughout the park. Lots of birds and critters. Tent sites are very wooded. No one else was here when I was in October. Obey bear rules! Didn’t see any porcupines or mountains despite the park name!

Nice campground with all the basics of a National Forest Campground. The sites offer each site a fair amount of privacy. They are all suitable for trailers and tent camping as they provide a level tent pad in each site.

I'm only giving 4 stars because the campground is about a mile from the lake. However, the distance from the water does help with the mosquitoes.

Fire rings have grills, and there are wooden picnic tables.

Lac Vieux Desert is a big and beautiful lake with excellent fishing! Although we didn't do great, others did. This is the headwaters of the Wisconsin River.

This is a small simple campground with lovely lakeside tent sites among rather dense trees. If you walk east you’ll find a sandy beach to splash in. You can also find a long nature trail and a connection to the interstate North Country Trail. Excellent birding, including sandhill cranes, and wildlife. Pit toilets and seasonal water is provided. There are no reservations but you should be able to get a spot year-round.

The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful for starters. Also, the campground is gorgeous and there are a wide variety of sites suitable for trailer or tent camping including some walk-in sites that are very private. There are plenty of trees to shade you from the morning sun. The campground is located right on the shore of Lake Superior so each night prepare yourself for the most beautiful sunset you’ll ever witness. You’re also located near plenty of trails that lead to water falls.

Site #7 was a bit sandy and sat on the highest mound overlooking the peninsula campground. Some seasonal, some weekly, and a couple of tent campers occupied about half the sites. The 2 bath houses were well maintained and freshened each morning. Showers were clean and hot and free. The lake water surrounding was very clean and refreshing; you're able to swim at your own risk wherever you choose. Tent sites were well shaded and all lakeside. We had tents but chose an electric site. The casino close by was immaculate, an unexpected pleasure. The wife's luck on the slots paid for our 2 dinner buffets, bravo my honey! PS: Bring your best mosquito defenses as they are thick in the morning and early evening.

There are only walk-in tent sites here. We missed that before we headed here so we needed to look elsewhere. There are other campgrounds just a few miles away. The road in evokes that remote camping feeling - we loved the drive! 

We walked in to see the sites and they are beautiful. Wabasso Lake is visible from campsite but step closer and it’s beauty awaits. The close campsites were taken mid-week but one group was heading out as we arrived. It appears to get moderate use. 

The boat launch is also the camping parking lot. We love the look of this small lake but wonder if we could have camped a night in the parking area.

Nestled on Lake Tomahawk, this small campground is comprised of drive-in and walk-in sites. Walk-in sites being tent camp only, which is the option we took. There is a small beach on site, and a number of lake front sites to choose from. Oh, can't forget.. The sun sets over the lake! Paved roads made it easy for my children to navigate the grounds on their scooters. There are electric and non electric sites, a water pump, but no showers. Your park pass will give you access to Clear Lake campground (couple miles down the road), which does has showers, another beach, and also firewood sales. We meant to take the boat on multiple lakes, but the fishing on Lake Tomahawk was spectacular! Hiking the trails near our site, you really get a sense of being in the northwoods. We could hear the birds, frogs, found salamanders, seen an otter, musk rat, loons, and more.

The nearest town is Lake Tomahawk, where you can fuel up, get bait, or grab a bite to eat(maybe an ice cream cone for the kids).

As I said in the description, the grounds are simple. However, we booked three nights but felt the need at the end of our trip to book another. We'll be coming back. Safe travels.

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.

We stayed in this rustic campground mid-week in mid-September and were glad to find it wasn't busy or noisy. I think we hit it just right post-summer and pre-autumn colors (although several patches of trees along the way were blazing with fall color!). Loved that it had a 'no generator' side to help with the quiet we were seeking. While I had first booked Site 19 because all the lake sites were taken and I liked its privacy tucked into the woods a bit, we found that it was almost all dirt and, with rain expected, we didn't want to hang out in a mud bowl. We went back to the ranger and he recommended Site 11, which was actually super nice--still somewhat private but also grassy and with a slight view of Lake Superior.  I think 18 would be great, too, if the lake sites are unavailable. All of those looked awesome, with my favorites being #10 and #6. Site 10 was right across from us and was vacant for the majority of our stay, which allowed us to set our chairs on the bluff overlooking the lake and read and enjoy the views. 

The weather was unseasonably warm for mid-September and Lake Superior was oddly calm. This resulted in some flies, which was a bummer. Every night, though, the winds kicked up around dinner time and they were gone. When they were hanging around, though, (mostly mornings), they made cooking miserable and also the pit toilets buzzed with them, which was not fun. But I think once the autumn temps kick in and the winds sustain a bit, they'd be much less of an issue. 

The park is in an amazing location, with the Presque Isle River running through it and phenomenal hiking trails/vistas right there. It was also an easy drive to Lake of the Clouds, Summit Peak, and Ontonagon. Just stunning forests, waterfalls, hills and drives and, of course, the incomparable Lake Superior all within easy reach. We also stopped at Bond Falls on our way to the Porkies from the east, which was beautiful. 

Love the UP; love the remoteness yet accessibility (if that makes sense) of this campground; love tent camping on Lake Superior; love this place.

Beautiful and well worth the drive! Prepare for it to be packed on the weekends, but week day camping is pretty serene. Since Watersmeet is a VERY small town, groceries and other essentials are costly, so come already packed.

This campground is in a wilderness area so there are regulations if you choose dispersed camping. The are 4 campground loops and many campsites out around the lakes. We chose a spot in loop 3.

Our site is large with plenty of space for our teardrop and screen room. Water is right next to us. This loop even has flushing toilets. We can see our neighbors but there is plenty of greenery deflecting our view for enough privacy.

The road through this wilderness area is spectacular! It winds around a couple of lakes almost at water level. A few deer crossed in front of us so watch your speed.

We hiked around part of Clark Lake. It’s a beautiful trail and also has some backcountry campsites. There are some other hikes in the area too.

We had one dot of Verizon cell signal in camp but full service in Watersmeet, a short drive away.

We will keep this one as one to revisit.