Free Camping Collection
Established Camping
Union River Rustic Outpost Camp — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
About
State Park
From the MI DNR Porcupine Mountains website:
Union River Outpost is a small three-site rustic campground located on the Union River. The campground offers solitude and a camping experience unlike a typical modern campground. Union River is a classic UP trout stream. The sites are ideal for tent, van or compact campers.
There is a vault toilet, but no running water is available at any of the outpost campgrounds. Fill up at park headquarters or visitor center.
Fee Info
Union River Outpost Rustic Camping $ 17 per night
Just $12 when purchased with your license plate registration renewal, the Recreation Passport is your very own key to exploring Michigan state parks, trails, historic sites, boat launches, and more. It’s the easiest way to support and protect these resources for the next generation. Michigan.gov/RecreationPassport.
Michigan Resident Vehicle Passport When Purchased:
with Annual Plate Renewal via Secretary of State $ 12 at State Parks (Valid Until Next Vehicle Registration) $ 17
Michigan Resident Motorcycle Passport When Purchased:
with Annual Plate Renewal via Secretary of State $ 6 at State Parks (Valid Until Next Vehicle Registration) $ 11
Non-Resident Annual Pass $ 34 Non-Resident Daily Pass $ 9
Reservation Info
Registration Office (May 15-October 15): 8am-8pm
(October 16 -May 14): 8am-4pm
Check-in: 3pm, Check-out: 1pm • Quiet Hours: 10pm-8am
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
Features
For Campers
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
LegendOne of my favorite campsites! Near hiking and Lake Superior too
This is a perfect, secluded spot. We are so happy that this site opened up on the website. Don’t forget to make that reservation and see what is available.
Site 1 was so secluded and private. It really felt like nobody else was out here. We had more than enough room to set up and could even have fit additional tents. The gravel drive was uphill so we ended up turning the camper 90 degrees.
2 miles after the main campground check in you will find the small road to the Union River Outpost campsites. Sites 2 and 3 are right on the gravel road. Site 1 has its own 80 foot spur. The vehicles on the main road can be heard but they stopped around 7. The vault toilet and garbage can are quite far. They are next to site 3.
Keep walking past campsites and over the bridge. Take the right trail and it connects with the Union River mine trail. It’s 1 mile long and perfect for relaxing after dinner. It’s not clearly marked but we saw an interpretive sign so we knew we were going the right way. We asked the ranger about hiking trails and she highlighted a few on our map. Don’t forget that the park rangers are a great resource.
More amenities can be found at the main campground in the state park. We filled up with water there. One important place to stop is the food truck that is on the main road going east out of the park.
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GuideSecluded and quiet!
We loved this spot! We wanted to stay longer but we didn’t have the time. This camp only has three sites! We stayed on UR2. It was wooded! We had two tents and one car. The rustic toilet was very clean and was no struggle to use. There is a bridge and really nice trail along the river with waterfalls right at the end of the campground. In the right conditions you could probably fish off of the cross country ski trail which we walked too.
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Location
Union River Rustic Outpost Camp — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is located in Michigan
Coordinates
46.748796720505084 N
89.74972456008084 W