Twin Bears Wooded Campground
Indian River, Michigan
139 RV Sites, 4 Cabins, 21 Tent Sites
4.52 reviewsTwin Bears Wooded Campground sits four miles east of I-75 in Indian River, Michigan, in the heart of the Inland Waterway region where Burt Lake, Mullett Lake, Crooked Lake, and Pickerel Lake interconnect through a chain that has drawn northern Michigan campers for over a century. The campground's twin bears wooded character is evident from the first site—160 wooded sites spread beneath a mature northern hardwood canopy that shades the property through the summer season and turns the landscape into a color spectacle each fall.
The campground offers a range of site types across 160 positions: 31 full hookup sites with sewer, 57 with electric and water, 51 electric-only, and 21 rustic primitive sites, giving it the flexibility to serve RV travelers, tent campers, and everyone in between. Four camping cabins—two with full plumbing—provide enclosed accommodation options for guests without their own equipment. A recently renovated bathhouse serves the property, and a pool and mini golf course provide the primary on-site recreation. Weekend programming includes outdoor movies and kid-friendly events that make extended family stays more structured, and the campground is pet-friendly through its May 1 to September 30 operating season.
Indian River occupies a geographic center point in Michigan's lower peninsula where the northern terrain—jack pine, hardwood forests, clear lakes, and cold streams—begins to define the landscape in earnest. The Inland Waterway, which allows continuous canoe and small-boat travel from Conway on Crooked Lake through Indian River to Cheboygan on Lake Huron, passes through Burt Lake and Mullett Lake immediately adjacent to the campground's area. This waterway was used for centuries by Odawa and Ojibwe peoples and became one of Michigan's first recreational canoe routes in the early twentieth century—a heritage that gives Indian River a connection to northern Michigan's paddling tradition that the surrounding lakes maintain to this day.
Burt Lake State Park provides public swimming, camping, and boat launch access to Burt Lake—one of the largest inland lakes in Michigan—directly from the campground's neighborhood. Mullett Lake, one of the clearest lakes in the state, supports excellent walleye and lake trout fishing. Mackinac Island and the Straits of Mackinac are roughly 30 miles north, accessible via the Mackinac Bridge for a day trip that covers one of Michigan's most iconic destinations. The Tunnel of Trees scenic drive on M-119 from Harbor Springs provides some of the most celebrated road scenery in the Midwest, and Charlevoix, Petoskey, and the shores of Little Traverse Bay are within comfortable day-trip range.
Twin Bears Wooded Campground runs May 1 through September 30, aligning with the northern Michigan camping season when the lakes are warm and the hardwood canopy is at its fullest. Fall color arrives in late September, and the final weeks of the season deliver some of the most striking camping conditions of the year. Sites fill quickly for July and August weekends, and cabin reservations are particularly competitive—early booking is essential for peak summer stays at this campground that combines wooded seclusion with Inland Waterway access in a part of Michigan that rewards the travelers who find it.
What does this place offer
- Bathrooms
- Boutique Shop
- Cabins
- Corn Hole
- Dog Park
- Dump Station
- Firewood
- Forest
- Full Hookup
- Gated Entrance
Select your site to book online
4.5
Overall rating
2 reviews
Alicia
May 2025
We stayed for Mother's day weekend and had an awesome time. The campground owners were so friendly and welcoming. They even let us borrow an extension cord when our power cord wouldn't run all the way to the box.
The campground was mostly empty since it's early in the season but we were able to enjoy the mi...Show more
M
Morris
July 2024
Quiet campground, only possible complaint is that water and power on the wrong side of a rig and sewer needed several hose sections as it was far away.
Location
Things to know
Check-in: 2:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AMRules
Check-In Procedure
- Check-in: 2:00 PM
- Check-out: 11:00 AM
- Early Check-In/Late Check-Out Fees (because time is money)
- Early Check-In (before 11:00 AM): $25.
- Late Check-Out (after 12:00 PM but before 5:00 PM): $25.
- No sneaking in at sunrise!
- Don’t make us send the cleanup crew with a megaphone.
- Notify the office if you’re planning to bend time.
- Showing up before noon without warning is like cutting in line at a buffet—rude!
- Check-out" means leaving the park, not just waving goodbye from your tent.
- While each park attempts to accommodate your exact spot request, the on-site manager has the ultimate decision for spot placement.
Firewood
- Don't Be a Bug Smuggler
- Bringing outside firewood is a big no-no (thanks, DNR!).
- Our office sells top-notch, bug-free wood that's been given the VIP treatment to keep invasive critters out.
- Help us keep our forest fabulous—buy local (from us) or face the wrath of a million tiny invaders!
Camping Policy
- Nightly Rates: One tent or one RV per site.
- Want to add a tent? That’ll be $15/night.
- But listen up: Tents alone are never permitted on FHU sites, unless you want to see our manager do the grumpy cat impression.
- Don’t turn our park into a junkyard
Occupancy
- Rates cover 2 adults and 3 kids. Extra adults (18+)? $5/night. Extra kids? $2/night.
- Max 4 adults, 8 people total—don’t try to cram in your entire family reunion.
Vehicles
- Two vehicles max (cars, trucks, boats, trailers, ATVs).
- No squatting on empty sites or parking like you’re playing bumper cars.
- Extra vehicles? Spill the beans to the office for overflow parking.
- During busy holidays/weekends, it’s $5/day for the overflow lot.
Trash Policy
- Leave trash in your fire pit or campsite, and we’ll slap you with a $25 "litterbug" fee.
- Keep it clean, folks—nobody likes a campsite that looks like a rock concert aftermath.
Smoking Policy
- Take it outside, unless you want an extra cleaning fee.
Pet Policy
- Allowed with a $25 cleaning fee. Leave the cabin filthy or smoky, and we’ll hit you with another fee.
- The person who booked the cabin is on the hook for damages, so don’t let your cousin Dave go wild.
Services
- For When Nature Calls (or Your Tank Does)
- Non-Camper Dump Fee: $25.
- Non-Camper Water Fill-Up: $20.
- Honey Wagon (Septic Pump-Out):
- Monday–Thursday: $20.
- Emergency Next Day: $35.
- Same Day: $50 (because urgency costs extra).
- All campers need a gate valve—don’t make us explain why.
Campers/Boats/Trailers
- $10/day. Cars: $5/day (during season).
Activities
- Free Fun, No Excuses
- Mini Golf is Free!
- Grab equipment at the front desk, but start your game 30 minutes before the office closes, or you’ll be golfing in the dark.
Pool Policy
- Open 10:00 AM to office closing, Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- No lifeguard, so kids under 14 need an adult shadow. No running, diving, or WWE moves.
- Drinks allowed (no glass—don’t be that person).
Cornhole
- $20 refundable deposit for bags.
- Other sports gear is free on the cart outside the pool.
Friday & Saturday Fun (Memorial Day to Labor Day)
- 5:00 PM: Wagon Ride—hold onto your hats!
- 6:00 PM: Candy Bar Bingo—sweet stakes, sweeter wins.
- 9:00 PM: Outdoor Movie (if it’s dark enough).
- Weather or chaos might cancel these, so don’t cry to us if it rains.
After Dark
- Kids under 18 must be at their site unless with an adult.
- No bike riding—save the Tour de France for daylight.
Quiet Hours
- 10:00 PM–8:00 AM.
- Keep it down unless you want to star in everyone’s grumpy morning story.
Driving
- Kids are running wild—drive slow! Speed demons will be banished.
Car Tags
- Must be visible, or your car gets a one-way ticket to tow town at your expense.
ATVs/Dirt Bikes/Motorcycles
- Driver’s license required, 8:00 AM–10:00 PM only.
- Stick to the speed limit, or you’ll be eating dust in the parking lot.
Campfires
- Never leave them unattended. Douse before leaving, sleeping, or checking out. -
- No burning trash or pet waste—$25 fee for scofflaws.
- Watch your kids around fires unless you want a singed eyebrow story.
Trees
- No tree cutting.
- Leave the lumberjack vibes at home.
Picnic Tables
- Return them to their spot, or pay $20 for our table-retrieval cardio workout.
Bounce-Houses
- Sorry, no inflatable castles.
Golf Carts
- Show us $100,000 liability insurance, or you’re walking.
Prohibited
- Don’t Even Think About It
- No fireworks, water balloons, party poppers, generators, chainsaws, Chinese lanterns, flamethrowers, machine guns, pirate swords, rockets, spacecraft, light sabers, or drones (without permission).
- Also, no electric car charging—take your Tesla to a gas station (kidding, but seriously, no charging).
Visitor Policy
- Don’t Sneak in Your Entourage
Visiting Hours
- 9:00 AM–9:00 PM. Register at the office, pay $5/visitor, and pick up a vehicle pass.
- If your site’s already got two vehicles, guests will have to park in the overflow lot.
- No tag? Say hello to the tow truck.
Overnight Guests
- Register before the office closes and follow camping rules.
- Check out by 11:00 AM or face the late fee.
Music
- Keep it chill—nobody wants your playlist on blast.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy
- Cancelling your reservation on the day of or within 7 days prior to arrival will result in no refund.
- Cancelling your reservation 8 to 14 days prior to arrival, the guest will be refunded half of their total stay.
- Cancellations 15 or more days will receive a full refund minus 1 night's deposit.
Refund Policy
- There will be no refunds after you have checked in, for inclement weather, failure to follow the Rules & Regulations, or disorderly conduct.
- Manager/Owner reserves the right to have discretion on all refunds.
- All Spot2Nite reservations require payment in full at the time of booking.
- Please contact Spot2Nite to cancel a reservation via email to [email protected] or call (877)778-2683, Option 1.
- Spot2Nite convenience fees and credit card processing fees are non-refundable.