Hiking

Camp Deer Trails

29 RV Sites, 8 Cabins, 7 Tent Sites

On the shores of Long Lake in Clare County, Michigan, Camp Deer Trails spreads across 140 wooded acres encompassing three distinct beach areas, a network of nature trails, and accommodation options from RV sites to log cabin rentals—all within the quiet inland lake country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, at a latitude that marks the traditional boundary between the state's agricultural south and its pine-forested north. Harrison, the Clare County seat, sits at the geographic center of the Lower Peninsula's tourism corridor between Houghton Lake—Michigan's largest inland lake—and the commercial resort activity of Mount Pleasant, giving Long Lake and the surrounding area a more secluded character than the higher-profile destinations nearby. The 140-acre property ensures that the lakefront never feels crowded regardless of occupancy. RV sites, rustic campsites, and ten cabin rentals with a variety of configurations accommodate the full range of camping preferences, with cabins providing both basic shelter options and more fully furnished retreats for guests who prefer comfort over tent sleeping. Three separate beach areas on Long Lake—an all-sports lake with swimming, fishing, boating, and water skiing—distribute the water activity across the property's generous shoreline and prevent the crowding that single-beach campgrounds encounter during peak summer weekends. Outdoor hot-water showers, regularly maintained restrooms, and the indoor lodge's ceremony and event infrastructure make Camp Deer Trails a year-round community gathering place for family reunions, weddings, and organized group camping that goes well beyond the typical campground use case. Long Lake's all-sports designation supports the full spectrum of water recreation—fishing for bass, pike, and panfish in the clear inland lake, kayaking and canoeing along the wooded shoreline, swimming from the sandy beaches, and motorized boating from the on-property launch area. Archery, geocaching, nature study programs, and backcountry camping trails on the 140-acre property extend the outdoor activity menu well into the surrounding woodland terrain away from the lakeshore. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the trail network during the winter season give the property a year-round outdoor identity that makes it substantially more than a summer-only camping destination. Harrison's surrounding Clare County landscape is defined by the inland lakes and river systems of the central Lower Peninsula—a terrain shaped by glacial action into a geography of kettle lakes, river moraines, and upland pine and hardwood forests that support one of Michigan's most active outdoor recreation economies. Houghton Lake, the state's largest inland lake, lies about 20 miles north and provides an enormous fishing and water sports destination drawing boaters and anglers from across the Midwest during the summer season. The Muskegon and Cedar Rivers both have headwater origins in the Clare County region, providing canoe and kayak routing through the central Lower Peninsula's most scenic river country. The warm-season camping program at Camp Deer Trails centers on the summer months of June through August, when Long Lake's swimming beaches and the cabin rental program operate at peak demand. Spring and fall offer fishing conditions that surpass the summer months—bass and pike activity on Long Lake peaks in the cooler water of May and September-October, and the fall foliage across Clare County's hardwood uplands in late September and October rivals anything in Michigan's better-known northern resort communities. Reserve cabin accommodations and lakeview sites well in advance for July and August, and consider mid-week options during peak summer season for more relaxed availability and quieter beach conditions throughout the day.

from $25/night

Tawas River RV Park

100 RV Sites

Tawas River RV Park in Tawas City, Michigan, offers 100 RV sites along the Tawas River near Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 42 feet. Full-hookup back-in, water-and-electric back-in, and water-and-electric pull-through categories join a boat ramp, beach, library, and game room. One hundred sites run in back-in full hookup, water-and-electric back-in, and water-and-electric pull-through categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 42 feet. Check which category you are booking — not every site carries sewer. A laundry, restrooms, showers, and RV storage handle the practical side. A boat ramp gives direct river access for boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, with a beach on the property and a pond and lake nearby. A library, game room, walking trails, pavilion, and horseshoes fill the grounds, with planned activities through the season. Pets are welcome. The setting is what distinguishes it. Tawas City sits in Iosco County on the western shore of Saginaw Bay, and the park occupies the Tawas River's final miles before it reaches the bay — the riparian and estuarine transition that makes this one of Michigan's most productive areas for fishing and birding. Tawas Point State Park's lighthouse and the migratory bird traffic through the point are both close. Summer is decisively the season in northeast lower Michigan, with fall color and the fishing runs extending demand. Reserve well ahead for July and August.

from $55/night

Fox Run Family Campground & RV Park

Fox Run Family Campground & RV Park in Fife Lake, Michigan, offers full-hookup RV sites on a forested property off US-131 in Grand Traverse County, with a lake, walking trails, and a big-rig-friendly layout. The campground sits at the Old Walton Junction trailhead, giving direct access to hiking and ORV trail connections. Full-hookup RV sites carry water, sewer, and electric on a layout sized for big coaches. A general store covers camp basics and firewood, laundry and a dump station handle longer stays, and restrooms, showers, and WiFi serve the sites. A lending library rounds out the practical amenities — a small touch, but one that says something about how the family runs the place. Pets are welcome. The trailhead position is the distinguishing feature. Old Walton Junction connects directly to hiking and ORV trails that extend into the surrounding national forest, which means riders and hikers leave from the campground rather than trailering out. A lake sits on the property for fishing, with walking trails, biking, horseshoes, corn hole, and picnicking across the grounds and a playground and dog park for families and pets. Fife Lake sits in the white pine and mixed hardwood landscape of northwest Lower Michigan, on the US-131 corridor connecting the Grand Rapids metro to Traverse City. That gives the family-owned campground two distinct markets — through-traffic on the highway and regional recreation demand generated by the Manistee National Forest, Fife Lake itself, and the northern Lower Michigan trail network. The campground serves the Michigan season. Summer lake and trail traffic drives the peak, with fall color and ORV riding weather extending demand into October. Reserve ahead for summer weekends and fall color.

from $34/night

Walnut Hills Family Campground

81 RV Sites, 2 Cabins, 18 Tent Sites

Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, Michigan, offers 81 RV sites, two cabins, and 18 tent sites across 45 acres on the Shiawassee River, with 30 and 50-amp service. Beachfront and riverfront water-and-electric categories join a 50-amp full-hookup tier, alongside a water park, swimming lake, beach, and inflatable water toys. Eighty-one sites span full hookup 50-amp, water-and-electric 30-amp, water-and-electric 50-amp, water-and-electric beachfront 30-amp, and water-and-electric riverfront categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, with fire pits and picnic tables. Read the category carefully — most tiers carry water and electric but not sewer, and the dump station covers the rest. The beachfront and riverfront categories are the ones to request. Two cabins and 18 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, dump station, showers, firewood, and bike rentals handle the practical side. Two billing details: power is billed monthly based on usage, and the seasonal site season runs May 1 through October 20. A water park and swimming lake anchor the summer, with a beach, boat ramp, and kayak rentals opening the river for boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. An arcade, game room, ball field, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, gaga ball, horseshoes, inflatable water toys, golf cart rentals, walking trails, hiking, biking, a playground, pavilion, and dog park fill the rest, with live music and planned activities. The scenic river frontage in central Michigan is what brings families back year after year. Summer is the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $23/night

Timber Ridge Resort

Timber Ridge Resort in Traverse City, Michigan, offers RV sites, cabins, cottages, and yurts in Grand Traverse County's cherry orchard and vineyard countryside along the Lake Michigan shore — a four-accommodation-format resort in the heart of one of the Midwest's most desirable travel destinations, where the cold-water bay scenery, the nationally recognized wine and culinary industry, the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Traverse City's genuinely excellent arts and dining culture combine to make this stretch of northwestern Lower Michigan one of the most broadly appealing regional destinations in the Great Lakes. The resort's accommodation range from full-hookup RV sites to basic and deluxe cabin configurations to yurts gives it the flexibility to serve the full spectrum of Traverse City-area visitors. Full hookups for RV travelers and a range of cabin, cottage, and yurt options give Timber Ridge Resort the accommodation diversity to serve groups of different sizes, equipment situations, and comfort preferences across the cherry blossom, summer, fall color, and ice wine seasons that define Traverse City's four-season appeal. The resort's Traverse City location gives guests the immediate access to the town's downtown breweries, restaurants, galleries, and farmers markets that makes TC one of the few small Michigan cities consistently drawing visitors from Chicago, Detroit, and Columbus specifically for its locally produced food and drink culture. Pets are welcome. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 22 miles west of Traverse City, is a National Park Service unit protecting 71,000 acres of Lake Michigan shoreline, perched dunes up to 400 feet above the lake surface, hardwood forest, and the offshore Manitou Islands — one of the most scenically varied National Lakeshore units on the Great Lakes and the site of the Dune Climb, where visitors ascend 130 feet of loose sand for a Lake Michigan viewshed that ABC's Good Morning America viewers voted "the Most Beautiful Place in America" in 2011. The North and South Manitou Islands, accessible by ferry from Leland, provide backcountry island hiking and camping in a Great Lakes wilderness setting. The Old Mission Peninsula and Leelanau Peninsula wine regions surrounding Traverse City have emerged as nationally significant producers of Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and cool-climate white varieties in a viticultural region whose 45th parallel latitude and Lake Michigan microclimate create growing conditions directly analogous to Alsace and the Mosel — a comparison that serious wine consumers have validated through consistent critical recognition since the 1990s. The peninsula tasting room circuit, accessible by bicycle from downtown Traverse City, gives guests the wine tourism experience integrated into the cherry orchard and Bay scenery landscape rather than separated into a discrete industrial wine district. Timber Ridge Resort operates from spring through fall in northern Michigan's Great Lakes climate, with the National Cherry Festival in early July representing Traverse City's highest-demand tourism week and the August color transition beginning the fall foliage season that peaks through October in the maple and beech hardwood forests of the Sleeping Bear and Leelanau country. Ice wine production from frozen Riesling grapes in January and February gives wine enthusiasts a winter-season reason to visit that the summer tourism economy obscures. Reserve accommodations months ahead for the Cherry Festival and peak August weekends, when Traverse City accommodation across all categories fills from the Midwest's established Traverse City visitor market.

Tippy Dam Campground and Cabins

17 RV Sites, 3 Cabins, 11 Tent Sites

Tippy Dam Campground and Cabins sits in the heart of Manistee National Forest in Wellston, Michigan, positioned directly on the Manistee River at one of the state's most celebrated trout and salmon fishing destinations. The campground takes its name from the Tippy Dam—a hydroelectric facility on the Manistee that creates the impoundment responsible for the world-class steelhead and chinook salmon runs that draw anglers from across the Midwest each fall and spring. The campground provides 24 electric sites and 11 non-electric sites, all with picnic tables and fire pits, plus a bathhouse with showers that received a complete upgrade in fall 2024. A water fill station and dump station handle logistical needs for self-contained rigs. Rustic cabins sleep up to six people each and come equipped with bunk beds, a propane heating stove, solar-powered lighting, a table and chairs, and a fire circle outside—a genuinely remote feel despite the convenient road access. An accessible fishing pier extends over the Manistee River from the parking lot, putting productive water within reach for campers of all mobility levels. The tippy dam campground is pet-friendly and operates year-round for campers who time their visits around the seasonal fish runs. Manistee National Forest surrounds the campground on all sides, creating one of Michigan's most immersive forest settings—stands of northern hardwood and conifer, sandy two-track roads, and the wide, cold Manistee River moving steadily through it all. The river here is wide, dark, and deep in the pool below the dam, an ideal holding environment for the large salmon and steelhead that stack up during fall and spring runs. The North Country Trail and Manistee River Trail both pass through the area, offering multi-day backpacking routes and day hiking options through the national forest with river views and backcountry scenery that rivals anything in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The Manistee River downstream of Tippy Dam is one of Michigan's premier canoe and kayak routes, offering a gentle float through forested national forest land with a series of riverside campgrounds accessible only by water. Several liveries in the Wellston-Mesick area offer canoe, kayak, and tube rentals with shuttle service, making it easy to run a half-day or full-day river trip. Caberfae Peaks ski area is about 20 miles east and offers winter recreation once the snow arrives. The resort town of Cadillac, about 30 miles east, provides full commercial services, waterfront dining on Lake Cadillac, and additional paddling on the connected Lakes Cadillac and Mitchell. Tippy Dam Campground is one of Michigan's genuine four-season destinations—steelhead in spring, canoeing and hiking through summer, salmon runs in September and October, and snowshoeing and ice fishing through winter. The fall salmon run is the calendar's peak, attracting serious anglers who know that the Manistee River below Tippy Dam ranks among the most productive chinook salmon fisheries in the Great Lakes system. Electric sites fill quickly during the salmon season and summer weekends, so reservations are important for peak periods. If you're looking for a Michigan campground where the river itself is the primary attraction—and fishing, paddling, and trail miles define the daily agenda—Tippy Dam Campground and Cabins delivers the real thing.

from $32/night

Whitewater Township Park

40 RV Sites

On the shores of Elk Lake in northern Michigan's Grand Traverse County, Whitewater Township Park and Campground offers 55 sites with electric and water hookups along a stretch of pristine inland shoreline located between Traverse City and Charlevoix. The park sits in Whitewater Township—a quiet community of farms, orchards, and forest roads that captures the essence of northern Michigan before it was discovered by the tourist trade—and puts guests within 15 minutes of Elk Rapids and about 20 minutes from Traverse City's vibrant downtown. For campers who want sand, water, and genuine small-town Michigan atmosphere, Whitewater Township Park delivers without the crowds of better-known alternatives. Sites offer electric and water hookups, keeping the setup comfortable for most RV travelers, along with a dump station and pay showers for the basics of campground life. The park's setting directly on Elk Lake's shoreline gives guests a sandy beach and boat launch for access to the water—one of the most important amenities in Michigan lake country, where getting on the water is the entire point. A playground, pavilion, nature trails, and a boat launch round out the facilities. Firewood and ice are sold on-site, and the park's clean restrooms, maintained daily, keep the experience above average for a township-managed facility. Elk Lake occupies a deeply glaciated basin in the heart of northern Michigan's inland lake system, connected to both Lake Skegemog and Torch Lake through narrow straits that make the entire chain navigable by watercraft. At roughly 3,000 acres and depths reaching nearly 200 feet, Elk Lake supports excellent warm-water fishing for walleye, smallmouth bass, and various panfish, while its clear, cold bottom sections hold lake trout. The approximately two miles of nature trails winding through the park pass through varied terrain of upland forest and wetland—a rewarding walk in any season. Elk Rapids, just 15 minutes from camp, is one of Michigan's most charming small towns—a harbor village on the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay with excellent restaurants, an independent bookstore, boutique shops, and a genuinely welcoming small-town energy. Traverse City, under 30 minutes south, is the commercial and cultural hub of northern Michigan, anchored by the National Cherry Festival each July, a world-class winery scene along the Old Mission Peninsula, and a downtown packed with outstanding restaurants and live music. Torch Lake, universally acknowledged as one of the most beautiful inland lakes in the country, lies just minutes east and is worth the visit for its Caribbean-blue water alone. Whitewater Township Park operates May through October, with summer season at peak capacity for boat-based recreation on Elk Lake and fall offering exceptional color as the surrounding hardwood forests transition through September and October. The park fills quickly on summer weekends—reservations well in advance are strongly recommended for July and August. Off-peak visitors in late May, early June, or September enjoy the lake with smaller crowds and comfortable temperatures ideal for paddling and fishing. Book your lakeside site at Whitewater Township Park and discover why northern Michigan's inland lakes rank among the finest camping destinations in the entire Great Lakes region.

from $45/night

Jellystone Park™ North Port Huron

67 Cabins

Jellystone Park at North Port Huron sits directly on the shoreline of Lake Huron in Carsonville, Michigan, delivering a Great Lakes lakefront camping experience anchored by the full Yogi Bear's Jellystone entertainment franchise. The park's position on M-25—the scenic lakeshore highway that traces the Michigan Thumb—puts guests within sight and sound of one of the Great Lakes, with a sandy swimming beach opening directly onto jellystone port huron's wide blue horizon. The Water Zone drives the daytime action: a multi-level splashpad, giant water slides, a floating water obstacle course, and jumping pillows keep kids occupied through the hottest Michigan summer days. The resort pool, an 18-hole miniature golf course, outdoor laser tag arena, and game room extend the activity options into the evening, and the Campfire Café serves pizza, burgers, and chicken tenders alongside homemade ice cream from the Camp Store. Paddle boat rentals offer a quieter way to explore the lake's edge, and golf cart rentals let guests move between the resort's sections with ease. Full hookup RV sites, tent sites, and rustic cabins with full kitchens and private bathrooms provide accommodation options at multiple price points. Lake Huron's shoreline at this stretch of the Michigan Thumb is characterized by clean sandy beaches, relatively calm water, and the wide open horizon that makes the Great Lakes feel genuinely oceanic. Carsonville is one of the quieter communities along the Lake Huron coast, which means the lakeshore around Jellystone Park North Port Huron retains a relaxed, uncrowded character that's harder to find at some of Michigan's more commercialized beach towns. The Thumb's agricultural interior—cherry orchards, bean fields, and small Victorian-era towns—provides a distinctly Midwestern backdrop just a few miles inland from the resort's beach. Port Huron, at the southern tip of the Thumb where Lake Huron drains into the St. Clair River, is about an hour south and anchors the region's commercial activity with waterfront dining, the Blue Water Bridge crossing to Sarnia, Ontario, and the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse—the oldest lighthouse in Michigan. Sanilac County's shoreline is dotted with small harbors, lighthouses, and public beach access points. The Sanilac Petroglyphs State Historic Site preserves ancient Native American carvings on exposed limestone, one of Michigan's most unusual and overlooked archaeological sites that provides a genuinely educational detour from a beach camping trip. Jellystone Park North Port Huron runs a full summer season from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with character events, foam parties, candy bar bingo, and dance parties structured around peak summer family camping weeks. Lake Huron's beach season aligns well with the resort calendar, and fishing and water recreation extend the appeal into the shoulder seasons for adult campers. Cabin reservations fill quickly for summer weekends, and the combination of Great Lakes beachfront access with the Jellystone entertainment package makes this one of the stronger all-in-one family camping experiences available on Michigan's eastern shoreline.

from $50/night

Boyne Country RV Park and Campground

24 RV Sites

In Boyne City, Michigan—on the southern shore of Lake Charlevoix in the Charlevoix County community at the heart of Northern Michigan's most celebrated four-season resort region—Boyne Country RV Park and Campground provides 30 sites within minutes of restaurants, shops, and the full commercial and recreational infrastructure of a genuine Northern Michigan resort town, with a modern service building featuring hot and cold water, flush toilets, and showers, a disc golf course, and a mini nature preserve alongside the lake, river, mountain, and forest access that makes Boyne City one of the most completely equipped recreational communities in the Great Lakes region. The campground's town-center proximity means guests walk to dinner rather than driving, and the lake, ski, and trail access starts within minutes. Sites range from 10 full hookup sites with sewer, water, and 30-amp electric to 20 additional sites with 20 and 30-amp electric service, all on level, large 35-by-50-foot pads that accommodate the variety of rigs the Northern Michigan camping season attracts. A dump station and adequate parking serve the property's logistical needs, and recreation areas and a mini nature preserve on the grounds provide the immediate natural character that makes the campground feel genuinely wooded despite its walkable proximity to town. A general store handles daily supply needs, and the community fire pit creates the evening gathering space that Northern Michigan's cool nights make particularly inviting from Memorial Day through September. Boyne City sits at the head of Lake Charlevoix—Michigan's third-largest inland lake at 17,260 acres and 72 miles of shoreline—in a setting where the lake's sailing, boating, fishing, and the surrounding forest and resort infrastructure create one of the most complete outdoor recreation environments in the northern Lower Peninsula. The Boyne River flows through town from the east, and the surrounding Charlevoix County landscape of hardwood and conifer forest, inland lakes, and the Lake Michigan shoreline accessible across the Charlevoix peninsula creates the natural context for the four-season resort culture that Boyne City has developed. Boyne Mountain, seven miles southeast in Boyne Falls, operates one of Michigan's premier four-season ski and golf resorts with the Alpine Slide, zip lines, and lift-served mountain biking in summer and downhill skiing on 60 trails in winter. The nearby community of Charlevoix, 12 miles west on Lake Michigan, provides the Earl Young Mushroom Houses—the whimsical, organic-shaped stone cottages designed by eccentric architect Earl Young in the mid-20th century—the Venetian Festival on Pine River Channel, and the ferry service to Beaver Island, Michigan's most remote inhabited island 32 miles offshore in Lake Michigan. Petoskey, 15 miles north, adds the historic Gaslight District, Petoskey State Park, and the Petoskey stone beaches where the fossilized coral specimens unique to this area of Lake Michigan's shoreline can be collected. Boyne Country RV Park operates seasonally in Northern Michigan's outdoor recreation calendar, with the prime season running from Memorial Day through Labor Day for summer lake and outdoor recreation, with some fall foliage season extension through mid-October when Charlevoix County's hardwood forests produce the color display that makes Northern Michigan's autumn one of the Midwest's most photographed seasonal events. Reserve your site at Boyne Country and let Lake Charlevoix, Boyne Mountain, and the walkable character of one of Northern Michigan's finest resort towns deliver the full Great Lakes resort experience.

from $45/night

Mountain Valley Lodge and Campground

60 RV Sites, 16 Tent Sites

Three miles from Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, Michigan—in Benzie County in the northwestern Lower Peninsula where the Betsie River, the Crystal River, and the surrounding chain of spring-fed lakes create the river kayaking, trout fishing, and lake recreation landscape that Benzie County's outdoor community is built around, and where Crystal Mountain's 58 ski trails and championship-quality golf courses anchor the resort economy that keeps the Thompsonville area busy across all four seasons—Mountain Valley Lodge and Campground provides 76 campground sites, 20 lodge rooms, a heated outdoor pool, and the most functionally complete non-resort-affiliated camping option adjacent to Crystal Mountain for guests who want the mountain's amenities at campground pricing. The three-mile proximity to Crystal Mountain creates the combination that neither the mountain's own camping nor a distant campground can match. Seventy-six total campground sites include 10 large full hookup pull-through positions, 50 full hookup back-in sites, and 16 electric-only sites serving tent campers and small pop-up rigs. Every campsite includes a fire pit and picnic table in the standard configuration that Michigan campground guests expect as the baseline site amenity. An 8-room bathhouse building with private shower rooms and separate men's and women's restroom facilities serves the campground's shared hygiene infrastructure. A heated outdoor pool provides the aquatic recreation anchor for summer stays, and a volleyball court and basketball court extend the organized sport options. A recreation room in the lodge—with a full-size pool table, air hockey, and additional table games—provides the indoor entertainment infrastructure for rainy Michigan summer days that the campground's wooded position makes statistically likely on any multi-week stay. Twenty lodge rooms give guests traveling without RVs the enclosed accommodation option at campground-proximate pricing, making the property's combined lodge-and-campground format practical for mixed groups where some members arrive in RVs and others prefer conventional lodging. Crystal Mountain's four-season resort character makes the Thompsonville area a year-round viable destination in a way that distinguishes Benzie County from single-season camping markets. Winter brings Crystal Mountain's 58 ski and snowboarding trails, ice skating, and tubing to a scale that makes it Michigan's largest family ski resort. Summer converts the mountain to a golf destination with championship courses and the Alpine Slide—a wheeled summer luge run down the ski terrain that is among the most purely enjoyable non-athletic summer activities in the Michigan resort landscape. The spa, the resort's extensive summer hiking and mountain biking trails, and the canopy tour extend the warm-season activity calendar. The Betsie and Crystal Rivers accessible within minutes of the campground provide the kayaking, canoeing, and fly fishing access that Benzie County's cold, spring-fed river systems are specifically celebrated for in the Michigan outdoor recreation community. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore—ranked by Good Morning America viewers as the most beautiful place in America in 2011 and sustaining that reputation with the Dune Climb's 200-foot sand face above Lake Michigan—is a 45-minute drive west, providing the national park day trip that completes the Benzie County camping itinerary. Mountain Valley Lodge and Campground is open year-round in alignment with Crystal Mountain's four-season resort calendar. Book early for ski weekends in January and February and summer peak weeks in July and August, and let the three-mile proximity to Crystal Mountain turn a Benzie County camping trip into the full northern Michigan resort experience at the fraction of the mountain's on-site accommodation pricing.

from $50/night

Wolf Lake Resort and Campground

30 Tent Sites

Wolf Lake Resort and Campground in Muskegon, Michigan, overlooks the tranquil expanse of Wolf Lake in western Michigan's Lake Michigan shoreline community, combining lakeside camping and resort amenities with positioning in one of the Great Lakes region's most diverse outdoor recreation environments. Situated in Muskegon County where the sandy dunes, freshwater lakes, and river systems of the western Lower Peninsula meet the Lake Michigan shoreline, the resort serves guests drawn to the area's exceptional combination of water recreation, dune exploration, and the beach culture of Michigan's Gold Coast. The resort accommodates guests in RV sites ranging from full hookup pads with water and electric connections to traditional rustic tent sites, with a beach, boat rentals, a fishing pier, kayak and canoe access, and a clubhouse providing the recreational infrastructure that keeps guests engaged throughout multi-day stays. A playground, laundry facility, and walking trails add practical and leisure amenities, and the lake's fishing opportunities—targeting bass, bluegill, and perch in Wolf Lake's productive waters—give anglers a resource that doesn't require driving to public access points. The resort's lakeside character creates a cohesive outdoor experience where the water is the organizing element of each day. The Muskegon County landscape is defined by the glacial legacy that shaped all of western Michigan—thick deposits of glacial outwash forming the sandy soils that support the white pine and oak forests inland and the spectacular dune systems along Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline. Wolf Lake sits within this post-glacial landscape as a clear, moderately productive inland lake typical of western Michigan's lake-dense interior, while Muskegon Lake—a large protected bay connecting to Lake Michigan—lies a short drive west, providing access to the big lake's open-water sailing, powerboating, and shoreline character. Muskegon State Park and P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, both within a short drive of the resort, protect magnificent Great Lakes dune ecosystems where towering sand dunes rise directly from Lake Michigan's shoreline and offer sledding, hiking, and some of the most dramatic lake views accessible from the western Michigan public land system. The Muskegon Channel and Muskegon Lake provide access to Lake Michigan for boaters heading offshore, and the USS Silversides Submarine Museum—home to one of the most intact WWII submarines in the United States—provides a compelling historical attraction in Muskegon's revitalized lakeshore district. Downtown Muskegon's growing restaurant and brewery scene reflects the community's ongoing economic revival. Wolf Lake Resort operates seasonally from late spring through early fall, with the peak Michigan summer season from June through August driving the heaviest demand for lake swimming, boat rentals, and the beach amenities that make western Michigan lake resorts such a consistent draw for families from Grand Rapids, Detroit, and the greater Midwest. Fall offers a quieter but equally beautiful experience as the surrounding hardwood forests transition to October color and the lake fishing picks up with the cooling water temperatures. The resort's combination of direct lake access, boat rental infrastructure, and proximity to Muskegon's Lake Michigan dune parks makes it a well-rounded choice for guests targeting the Michigan Gold Coast experience.

from $35/night

Leelanau Pines Campground

52 RV Sites, 9 Cabins, 5 Glamping Sites

Leelanau Pines Campground in Cedar, Michigan, offers 52 full-hookup RV sites, nine cabins, and five glamping sites on the southern shore of Lake Leelanau, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 50 feet. Lakefront basic and lakefront standard categories join premium and standard back-in tiers, with a disc golf course, jumping pillow, beach, and bar. Fifty-two back-in sites run in lakefront basic, lakefront standard, premium back-in, and standard back-in categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 50 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The lakefront tiers are the ones to request, and offering both a basic and a standard lakefront option keeps waterfront within reach at two price points. Nine cabins — including two luxury types sleeping up to eight — and five glamping sites round out the lodging. A laundry, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. A disc golf course, jumping pillow, sports courts, pickleball, basketball, gaga ball, corn hole, walking trails, a playground, on-site dining, and a bar fill the grounds, with the lake supporting boating, fishing, and swimming. Wine and beer tasting and a golf course are nearby. The Leelanau Peninsula is one of Michigan's most celebrated summer regions, where Lake Michigan's moderating climate produces cherry orchards and a serious wine country, with Sleeping Bear Dunes and Traverse City close. Summer is decisively the season in northern Michigan, with fall color drawing a strong second wave. Reserve well ahead for July and August.

from $53/night