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


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


Highbank Lake National Forest Campground


Muskegon State Park


Pines Point National Forest Campground


P. J. Hoffmaster State Park


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 Campground


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



Appendixes and Index




Appendix A: Camping-Equipment Checklist


Appendix B: Sources of Information


Index



About the Author