Rifle River Campground, near Lupton, Michigan, is a lively destination that offers a mix of fun and relaxation for campers. With a variety of sites, including options for tents, RVs, and cabins, it caters to different camping styles and preferences.

This campground is known for its beautiful surroundings, featuring scenic views of the river and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities. Visitors have enjoyed fishing in the clear waters and exploring the nearby hiking and biking trails. One camper shared, “If you’re into exploring, there’s lots to do,” highlighting the abundance of trails and lakes in the area.

Amenities like electric hookups, drinking water, and showers make it convenient for those looking for a comfortable camping experience. While some campers mentioned the lack of a camp store on-site, there’s a nice one just across the street for any supplies you might need. 

Rifle River Campground is also a popular spot for social gatherings, with many campers enjoying tubing down the river and sharing stories around the fire. Just keep in mind that it can get lively, so if you’re looking for a quieter experience, timing your visit might be key. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or just looking to unwind, this campground has plenty to offer.

Rifle River Campground & Canoe Livery, LLC is located in Sterling, MI along the beautiful Rifle River. We offer camping both modern and rustic camping with over 25 campsites directly on the river. Whether you prefer to enjoy to serenity of the river in one of our canoes, tubes or kayaks or simply want to explore nature, we have what you need to enjoy your camping experience.

Rifle River Campground

Join the fun near Alger. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Michigan camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Michigan camping adventure.

Alger

The Best Camping Near Alger, Michigan

This campground offers sites for tents and RVs, has water and electrical hookups available, and has bathhouses (if you can call them that). You can also rent canoes, kayaks, and inner tubes to traverse the river with; they drop you off upstream and you bank right at the campground for them to collect the various watercraft. There are fire pits placed periodically around the camp, however, they do not correspond to specific sites and are communal with whatever sites are nearby.

While the views of the river are great from the majority of sites, the entire campground is on a hill. There are few - if any - level areas to camp, and very few hammock-friendly trees. The staff are crotchety and disorganized; they will give you one answer one hour and a different answer the next; they add charges on for every little thing (including showers &amp; firewood - you cannot bring in your own), while the cost to rent a site is exorbitantly expensive (compared to other, comparable sites) to begin with. We attempted to rent kayaks; they were out and told us that we would have had to reserve a year and a half in advance, while others of our group managed to rent them with no problem. The times for the bus to take us upstream were constantly changing with no notification Standard policies such as amounts necessary to rent a site, security deposits, minimum nights required, and how many people were allowed per site were also fluctuating depending on who you inquired with and when you did so. It must be said that when we camped there the camp was far from full, so an overwhelming number of campers could not be to blame at the time.

I would not recommend this campsite or canoe livery to anyone.

Decent views, unhelpful staff and difficult sites

We camped in what was called a “rustic” site. Which really meant that it was a lawn in the middle of the campground with no hookups. We came in late and only stayed one night but I would love to go back and try the river tour, because they allow dogs to go with you! My sister in law set up the site and was unimpressed with the way the front desk staff treated her she felt they could have been more professional. And at $15 per person I felt that site was a bit overpriced.

Cramped but we would go back

if you haven’t been to the rifle river, I do suggest going just because it’s a Michigander past time. Going up for the weekend with a group of friends and floating down the river in tubes/canoes/kayaks and drinking your day away! The water is not clean however, and if you find yourself floating down and feel the liquid courage kicking in telling you to climb a 100ft rock wall—DON’T. Our last trip my boyfriend fell from the top and contracted a flesh eating bacteria. Lesson is that fresh or open wounds anywhere and this water don’t always mix well 😅 but that should not scare you from having your own laughable Rifle River stories!

Social camping

Rifle river camp ground is a yearly trip for us! A lot of fun going down the river on tubes! Typically not a family friendly location as it’s more of a party campground.

Rifle river is a blast!

Lots to do if your if your into exploring. Lots of hiking trails, bike trails. Lots of lakes, great beach areas!

Great place for adventure!

Came here on Father’s Day weekend, the campground was really nice and a ton of fun! If you book at the right time, you can get a spot right by the river which is super appealing.

Great Area

Rifle River offered a nice variety of camp sites. There is a cluster of quiet sites, a track of sites tucked away in some pines, and then the modern sites. The campground itself is large and has a couple lakes to go fishing in. There is no camp store on the grounds, but there is a nice one across the street from the entrance to the park.

A nice variety!

The only complaint about the week I spent was they didn’t cut the grass, other than that I had an amazing birthday week at Rifle River Campground,  we found amazing flowers blooming  like yellow and pink lady slippers I even found Agates, fossils if you’re a rock hunter and when you climb up the tower there’s a extremely large eagles nest.

The fishing wasn’t very successful I only caught a small one but the water was warm and clear you could see the sand doons.

Photos of Rifle River Campground

Real photos from real campers