Stargazers U.P. Campground
25 RV Sites
Stargazers U.P. Campground opened in Spring 2025 as part of the North Ironwood Acres resort on the Black River Scenic Byway in Ironwood, Michigan—a new 25-site campground in the Gogebic County section of the Upper Peninsula where the Black River's waterfall corridor, Lake Superior's Black River Harbor, and the dramatic dark skies of the U.P. interior have defined an outdoor recreation landscape that the resort's name captures precisely. Ironwood sits on Michigan's western U.P. border with Wisconsin, in the core of the Gogebic Range mining country that has evolved into one of the most complete four-season outdoor recreation destinations in the Great Lakes region.
Twenty-five large sites—each 75 by 35 feet—provide water, sewer, and 20/30/50-amp electric hookups on grassy pads with a bathhouse offering showers and flush toilets. A catch-and-release fishing pond accommodates paddleboarding and kayaking within the campground property, and private wooded multi-use trails give guests direct access to the Black River for river fishing, wading, and exploration without driving. Dog-friendly policies accommodate the working and hunting breeds that are common travel companions in the U.P.'s outdoor recreation culture. The Stargazers name reflects the property's unobstructed northern view, which provides optimal conditions for both routine stargazing and Aurora Borealis viewing—the Gogebic County latitude and the dark skies of the Upper Peninsula make it one of the more reliable aurora observation locations accessible by road in the contiguous United States.
The North Ironwood Acres resort's Lodge, of which the campground is a part, adds significant amenity depth: an event hall seating 200, a full-service cocktail bar, a general store with essentials, billiards, and approximately 7.8 miles of maintained trails on the 400-acre resort property. The combination of campground infrastructure and resort social facilities gives Stargazers a hybrid character between a traditional campground and a destination resort that is rare in the U.P. market.
The Black River Scenic Byway is the defining attraction corridor in the campground's immediate geography—the byway follows the Black River from Ironwood north to Lake Superior at Black River Harbor, passing through five named waterfalls (Gorge, Potawatomi, Conglomerate, Sandstone, and Rainbow Falls) that cascade through the sandstone and volcanic rock of the Black River canyon in a series of overlook platforms and moderate hiking connections. Stargazers is the closest lodging to all five waterfalls, making early morning and evening visits to the waterfall corridor practical without full-day drive commitments. Copper Peak, a ski-flying hill north of Ironwood that was the largest artificial ski jump in the Western Hemisphere during its operational years, now operates as a adventure tower with gondola and sky walk providing views across the U.P. into Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, 35 minutes east on M-64, protects 60,000 acres of old-growth northern hardwood and hemlock forest—the largest tract in the Midwest—around Lake of the Clouds, a mountain lake visible from the Escarpment Trail in a panoramic view that is one of the most photographed in Michigan. Peak seasons include summer hiking and water activity, fall color from late September through mid-October when the U.P.'s maple and birch forest delivers one of the most vivid foliage displays in the Great Lakes, and winter for downhill skiing at Ironwood's four ski areas—more ski terrain within a short drive than any other city of comparable size in the Midwest.
from $50/night
