Best Tent Camping: Michigan

As a native of Michigan, Matt Forster has camped all over the Great Lake State. He’s carried his gear in backpacks, Duluth packs, saddlebags, and car trunks and slept in tents, pop-ups, camper vans, and RVs. He and his wife live in Michigan with their two young children, who are both just experiencing camping for the first time. These days, camping trips often come down to tossing the tent in the back of the car, loading up way too much equipment, and praying for good weather (a necessity with two kids in tow). As a freelance writer, Matt is the author of Backroads & Byways of Michigan (The Countryman Press), Backroads & Byways of Ohio (The Countryman Press), Colorado: An Explorer’s Guide (The Countryman Press), Best Hikes Near Detroit and Ann Arbor (FalconGuides), and a travel app for Michigan’s Grand Traverse region called Up North! Grand Traverse (available on iOS and Android devices).

Michigan Campground Locator Map

Map Legend

Acknowledgments

Preface

Best Campgrounds

Introduction

Southeast Michigan




Holly Recreation Area: McGinnis Lake Campground
Lake Hudson Recreation Area Campground
Pinckney Recreation Area: Crooked Lake and Blind Lake Campgrounds
Port Crescent State Park Campground
Waterloo Recreation Area: Green Lake Campground

Southwest Michigan




Fort Custer State Recreation Area Campground
Highbank Lake National Forest Campground
Muskegon State Park: South Channel Campground
Pines Point National Forest Campground
P. J. Hoffmaster State Park Campground
Tubbs Lake State Forest Campgrounds
Warren Dunes State Park: Rustic Campground
Yankee Springs State Recreation Area: Deep Lake Rustic Campground

Northwest Michigan




Arbutus Lake No. 4 State Forest Campground
CCC Bridge State Forest Campground
Fisherman’s Island State Park Campgrounds
Graves Crossing State Forest Campground
Lake Dubonnet State Forest Campground
Ludington State Park: Jack Pine Walk-In Campground
Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area: Dispersed Campground
Peterson Bridge South National Forest Campground
Silver Creek State Forest Campground
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: D. H. Day Campground
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore: South Manitou Island, Weather Station Campground
Wilderness State Park: Lakeshore Campground

Northeast Michigan




Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground
Jones Lake State Forest Campground
Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Ossineke State Forest Campground
Pigeon River State Forest Campground
Rifle River State Recreation Area: Spruce Campground
Sawmill Point Primitive Campsites
Tomahawk Creek Flooding State Forest Campground

Upper Peninsula




Bay View National Forest Campground
Bewabic State Park Campground
Big Knob State Forest Campground
Black River Harbor National Forest Campground
Bond Falls Flowage Campground
Brevoort Lake National Forest Campground
Carney Lake State Forest Campground
Courtney Lake National Forest Campground
Henry Lake National Forest Campground
Monocle Lake National Forest Campground
Petes Lake National Forest Campground
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore: Twelvemile Beach Campground
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park: Presque Isle Campground
Portage Bay State Forest Campground
Pretty Lake State Forest Campground
Sylvania Wilderness and Recreation Area: Clark Lake Campground
Tahquamenon Falls State Park: Rivermouth Pines Campground



Appendix A: Camping Equipment Checklist
Appendix B: Sources of Information
Index

About the Author