Best Tent Camping near Boulder Junction, WI

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Quiet campground across the road from the busier Crystal Lake campground. Convenient to the lovely bike trail that takes you to Boulder Junction and Manitowish Waters.

Just south of Boulder Junction, WI. New and clean bathroom facilities with showers and flush toilets. Lakeside sites have their own path to the lake. Campers would leave their water “toys” ashore for use the next day. Loons singing; very peaceful.

This campground is really close to Boulder Junction. It’s a fun town with lots of interesting things to do (We stumbled upon the weekly Lyons Club flea market and found some wonderful homemade jam and cookies) . The campground is rustic. We loved the sites along the lake. Site 1515 has a separate tent nook and it’s own short trail going downhill to the lakeshore. Vault toilets and water are available too. 

We loved the remote feeling here as well as being minutes away from town. The paved bike path passes nearby. We used it as a walking trail after a storm left trails wet.

This is a beautiful campground nestled in Wisconsin’s north woods. There are many choices for sites. Some are larger (we saw a site with a camper and double sun shelter along with space for vehicles and a trailer) and some smaller (vehicle and tent). New rules say that you must have reservations but we had cell service so you can do things when you show up if there’s room. A sprawling beach was enjoyable - didn’t see swimmers. There are vault toilets throughout along with a nice, centrally located shower house. The paved bike path goes right to the campground. You can visit Fallison Lake to hike. This way accesses other campgrounds too. Keep riding and you will discover a corner store with ice cream. Go the other direction and you can pedal to Boulder Junction. We did get a bit turned around with all the campgrounds and snowmobile trails but it added to the fun of discovering our adventure.

We planned to stay 2 nights, our site was so beautiful we ended up staying 4! Our site had amazing water views morning and night. The water was super clear and we listened to loons every day. Close to Boulder Junction, fishing, biking, hiking, swimming all available. Showers available within a 5 minute drive, our site restrooms were always clean and the camp host was very friendly. Couldn't ask for a better place to stay!

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.

Although none of the sites are on the water, it’s just a short walk to the water from any site in the campground. The campground is clean, has vault toilets, and pumps for water. The sites don’t offer a lot of privacy, but are generally flat and easy to access. We kayaked for a few hours-beautiful and clear lake. It’s a rocky, not sandy, bottom.  If you bike, this is definitely a good place to stay. It’s right on the bike trail and a short ride to Boulder Junction, where you can get cold beer, good food, and great service at Aqualand. Aqualand has all outdoor service and seemed very safe from a Covid 19 standpoint.

This is much smaller than the north trout lake campground. There were also a bunch of trucks with boat trailers parked on the road in. This means that there is a lot of activity here. 

The sites are ok. They look nice and are on a small loop. Toilets and water are available. The drawback for us was that it’s just a busier place. The road along the lake is the bike route. Ride towards Boulder Junction and there are beautiful spots to stop and enjoy. Several benches can be found or just keep going all the way to town. This paved path is perfect for walking too- we did several miles a day with our dog. 

You can drive across the main road and find Little John Lake too. We found people putting their boats in to go fishing.

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.