National forest & lakeshore campgrounds

Hiawatha National Forest, 72 sites spread along a wooded peninsula on Brevoort Lake. Rustic, so no hookups. Flush toilets, drinking water, a boat launch, and swimming on the lake. The sites run big with real tree cover between them, and a good number sit right on the water. Reserve early if you want a waterfront one, they go.

72 sites · About 30 minutes west of the Mackinac Bridge, off US 2 past St. Ignace.

A Hiawatha National Forest campground on Lake Superior, about 49 reservable sites in heavy woods with brush between them, so you get shade and some privacy. Lake's a short walk from most sites, shoreline is rock and logs, not a sandy beach. Rustic: vault toilets, water spigots, a dump station, no hookups, no showers. Old iron furnace ruins on a little loop. Two things to know going in: the entrance road is potholed, and M-28 noise carries by day, then quiets at night.

49 sites · About 5 min west of Munising on M-28, at the village of Christmas.

Forty-eight forested sites on Pete's Lake, an inland lake in the Hiawatha National Forest. Sites are wooded and spread out, with a few looking onto the water. Swimming beach and day-use area, vault toilets, drinking water, no hookups and no showers. Bruno's Run trail runs right through it. Tent, RV, and van all fit.

48 sites · About 15 minutes south of Munising, off Forest Highway 13.

44 sites wrapped around little Soldier Lake in the Hiawatha National Forest, under red pine, aspen, and maple. Non-electric, vault toilets, drinking water on site. Two sandy beaches, swimming, and non-motorized boating only, so no motor noise on the water. Reviewers say the sites run big and well spaced, you are not on top of your neighbor.

44 sites · About 25 miles west of Sault Ste. Marie off M-28, near Strongs.

Hiawatha National Forest campground on Monocle Lake, 42 wooded sites cut into the trees with real shade and room between you and the next pad. Vault toilets, drinking water, no hookups. Swimming beach and a boat ramp on the lake. Point Iroquois Lighthouse is under two miles off.

42 sites · About 25 minutes west of Sault Ste. Marie, near Brimley.

Forty-some sites in the woods on the east shore of Colwell Lake, a 145-acre lake in the Hiawatha. Thick trees between sites, so you get some room. Sandy swimming beach that stays shallow, a boat ramp, and a fishing pier. Mostly rustic with vault toilets and drinking water, but a handful of sites have electric.

40 sites · About 20 min south of Munising on M-94.

Hiawatha National Forest campground on 60-acre Camp Seven Lake, 39 reservable sites among the pines. Swimming beach, a paved trail along the water, boat launch and fishing. Big level sites with room between you and the neighbors, but the pines are thin on privacy. Vault toilets, no showers, no dump station, so come with empty tanks. Both electric and non-electric.

39 sites · About 14 miles north of Rapid River, near Escanaba, a good haul west of the Mackinac Bridge.

Hiawatha National Forest campground on the bay shore, 38 sites across two loops in oak, hemlock and hardwood. No hookups, vault toilets, water from a well. Swimming beach and boat ramp right there, and the walleye fishing is the draw. Quiet, sites spaced apart. Book ahead or take a first-come spot.

38 sites · A couple miles east of Rapid River, then south on CR-513.

Hiawatha National Forest campground on the south end of Au Train Lake, the biggest inland lake around here at 830 acres. Big wooded sites under pine and aspen, lots of shade, room between you and the next pad. Rustic: vault toilets, drinking water, no hookups. Boat ramp and a swim beach right there, no lifeguard. Tent, RV, or van. 34 sites you can book.

34 sites · About 10 minutes southwest of Munising, in the central UP.

Hiawatha National Forest, 33 sites strung between US-2 and the lake behind 20-to-30-foot sand dunes, with the beach steps away. Vault toilets and drinking water, no hookups. Mix of shaded and open sites, most of them wooded. Honest catch: daytime highway noise carries, but it dies down after dark.

33 sites · About 18 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge on US-2.

A small Hiawatha National Forest campground in the woods between Irwin Lake and the Indian River, about 32 sites under mature hardwoods. Waterfront sites sit on the river. Rustic: vault toilets and a drinking-water pump, no hookups. Boat ramp on site, and the Bruno's Run trail runs right through it. Most sites are wooded and well spaced, a few are open with less privacy.

32 sites · About 16 miles southeast of Munising.

Hiawatha National Forest campground on Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay, with a sand beach you can swim off and 24-some rustic sites under pine, oak, maple, and birch. No hookups, vault toilets, hand-pump water. Lakefront sites front the sand; some sites near the road catch traffic noise. Bring bug dope when the wind dies.

24 sites · About 25 minutes west of Sault Ste. Marie, off the Whitefish Bay Scenic Byway.

Twenty wooded sites in Hiawatha National Forest, sitting right along the Carp Wild and Scenic River. Deep shade, decent space between sites, rustic setup: vault toilets, hand-pump water, no hookups. Stairs drop down the bank to the river, where the trout and the paddling are. Bring bug spray, the mosquitoes mean it.

20 sites · About 8 miles from St. Ignace, just west of the Mackinac Bridge.

Small rustic Hiawatha National Forest campground on Walker Lake, with Whitmarsh and Brown lakes close by. Thirteen sites in deep pine, spruce, and maple woods. Reviewers say the sites run big and private, well spaced in the trees. Vault toilets, no hookups. Non-motorized boating with a carry-down ramp, no designated swimming beach. Site 9 is the open one if you want sun.

13 sites · About 30 min southwest of Sault Ste. Marie, off M-28 near Strongs.

Eleven sites on a 32.5-acre inland lake in Hiawatha National Forest, mostly pine, well spaced with trees between you and the next pad. Rustic: vault toilets, a hand pump, no hookups, no showers. Carry-in boat and kayak launch, and fish in the lake. Level ground, real privacy. Quiet is the whole point.

11 sites · About 13 miles south of Munising on the Lake Superior side of the UP.

Ten reservation-only sites in the woods on 67-acre Lyman Lake, in the Hiawatha National Forest. Rustic: no drinking water, primitive vault toilets, $8 a night. Sites run big and well spaced, so you are not in your neighbor's lap. Swimming is good off sites 3 and 5, and there is a back-in boat launch between 6 and 7. Access road is rough, so mind your ground clearance.

10 sites · About 14 miles east of Rapid River, then north up Forest Highway 13.

Six rustic sites on the Sturgeon River in Hiawatha National Forest, tucked under big trees with some pads right over the slow water. Nonelectric, vault toilets, and the artesian well it's named for, iron-and-sulfur water that's an acquired taste. Canoe trail runs through it. Sits next to Forest Highway 13, so expect some logging-truck noise.

6 sites · About 20 minutes north of Rapid River, off US-41 east of Escanaba.

Forty-eight drive-in sites in four loops on Clark Lake, an Ottawa National Forest campground next to the Sylvania Wilderness. Old-growth woods with vegetation between sites for screening, so you get shade and some privacy. Swimming beach and non-motorized boat and canoe access on the lake, flush toilets plus a vault toilet, drinking water in most loops, a few sites with electric, dump station nearby. The lakes are no-motor and it runs dark and quiet, with little to no cell service.

48 sites · About 7 miles southwest of Watersmeet, in the far western UP.

About forty sites in pine, hemlock and hardwood on a bluff above Lake Superior, where the tannin-dark Black River meets the lake. Paved spurs, woods between sites for some privacy, a handful with a lake overlook. Vault toilets, non-electric, no showers. A wooden suspension foot bridge crosses the river to the sand swimming beach, and short trails run upriver past five named waterfalls. One thing to know going in: the water system is shut off for the entire 2026 season, so haul your own.

40 sites · About 15 miles north of Bessemer, at the end of County Road 513 in the far western UP.

Thirty-two drive-in sites in forested northwoods on Lake Ottawa, a deep cold-water lake in the Ottawa National Forest. Tents and RVs both fit. Flush toilets in old CCC-era log buildings, potable water, an RV dump station, no hookups and no showers. The swimming beach and boat launch sit in the day-use area next door. The Ge-Che Trail, about 9 miles of dirt, runs from the campground.

32 sites · About 5 miles southwest of Iron River, in the far western UP.

Twenty drive-in sites on Perch Lake, a big fishing lake in the Ottawa National Forest. The loop sits in UP woods with natural vegetation screening between sites, and a lot of them have lake access. Concrete boat ramp for getting out under your own power, good for pike, walleye, crappie and perch. Vault toilets and hand-pump water, no showers, no hookups. No swimming beach and no trails to speak of, so this is a fishing and paddling spot, not a hiking one.

20 sites · About 10 miles south of Sidnaw on gravel, in the western UP's Kenton Ranger District.

Not one campground. This is 102 single-family sites scattered along about 55 miles of the lower AuSable River in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, so the number hides the truth: you pick a spot on the river, not a loop. Mix of drive-in, boat-in, and walk-to sites, most on bluffs above the water, some a steep climb down. Wooded and spread way out, a quarter mile between sites in places. Primitive all the way: no drinking water, no toilets, no trash pickup, you pack it all in and out. Fire rings, and that is about it. Reserve April 15 to November 30 on recreation.gov.

102 sites · Strung along the river roughly between Mio and Oscoda, about 15 miles west of Oscoda.

Four wooded loops right on the Lake Michigan shore, south of Manistee. Hardwood and pine canopy over large, well spaced sites, so you get shade and room. Sandy beach is a short walk down, and the Arrowhead Trail runs through the campground into the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness. Dry camping, no hookups, paved pads, vault toilets with flush toilets on two of the loops. Bring bug spray and don't count on cell signal.

53 sites · About 15 miles south of Manistee, off US-31 and Forest Trail Road.

Forty-four sites on Sand Lake, a shallow inland lake of about fifty acres in the Manistee National Forest. Mixed hardwood forest, so some sites sit in heavy shade and others are more open. Sandy swimming beach, boat launch, and fishing for bluegill, perch, and smallmouth. Flush toilets, coin showers, and drinking water, but no hookups. The first loop (roughly sites 1 to 30) is more wooded and spread out. Sites above 30 sit closer together. Cell service is thin, Verizon especially.

44 sites · In Lake County near Irons, about 30 min north of Baldwin and an hour southwest of Cadillac.

An off-road-vehicle campground on 175-acre Mack Lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forests, about 42 sites in jack pine plains. The Mack Lake ORV trailhead starts right in the campground, so this is a staging base for trail riders. Expect engine noise and dust through the day. There is a day-use swimming area with buoys and carry-in boat access, vault toilets, hand-pump water, no hookups. Jack pine runs thin on shade, though a few waterfront sites get some.

42 sites · About 15 min southeast of Mio, in Oscoda County.

Thirty-three sites in two loops on Round Lake, a 91-acre inland lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forests and the only public way onto the water. Wooded and rustic, with a sandy swimming beach and a gravel boat ramp for fishing sunfish, bass and pike. Vault toilets and drinking water at some sites, no hookups and no showers. Mostly private land rings the rest of the lake.

33 sites · In the village of Sand Lake near National City, roughly 20 to 25 min northwest of Tawas City.

A Huron-Manistee National Forest campground on the Pine River, the only Forest Service campground on it. About 31 sites take tents and RVs, many shaded and set apart, and ten are paddle-in or walk-in riverside sites you can reach from the water. The Pine is fast and a Blue Ribbon trout stream, so this is a canoeing and fishing base more than a sit-still spot. Flush toilets and drinking water, no showers and no hookups.

31 sites · On M-37 at the Pine River, about 1.5 mi south of M-55 and 20 min south of Cadillac.

A Huron-Manistee National Forest campground on the south shore of 160-acre Nichols Lake, around 28 sites on paved spurs that take tents, vans, and RVs. Swimming beach, paved boat launch, and an accessible fishing pier on the water. Flush toilets, showers, and drinking water, but no electric hookups. The North Country Trail runs through near the boat ramp. Sites are roomy but the layout is fairly open, so privacy is thin and it draws a crowd in summer.

28 sites · About 20 minutes west of Baldwin, off M-37 south.

Twenty-seven sites on Kneff Lake, a 20-acre stocked trout lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Woods are oak and pine, so you get shade. There is a beach for swimming and the lake is non-motorized, carry-in canoes and kayaks only, so it stays quiet. Hand-pump wells for water, vault toilets, no hookups. Sites 1 to 18 have gravel pads, 19 to 27 are paved.

27 sites · About 10 min east of Grayling off M-72.

Nineteen sites in a red pine plantation above the AuSable River, a Huron-Manistee National Forest campground next to the Lumberman's Monument. Sites sit up on the high banks, not down at the water, shaded by big oak and red pine and spread out enough for some privacy. Vault toilets, drinking water, no hookups and no showers. The Highbanks Trail runs right from the campground.

19 sites · About 15 miles west of Oscoda on the River Road byway, roughly 25 minutes from Lake Huron.

Nineteen wooded sites in the Huron-Manistee National Forests, sitting on a high bluff over Loud Dam Pond, a dammed stretch of the AuSable River. Sites are well spaced and shaded, pull-through and paved, with vault toilets and drinking water, no hookups. The water is down a steep trail and a long staircase, so it is a view from the top more than a walk-in to the river. Worth knowing: ORV trails are nearby and you will hear engines some of the time.

19 sites · About 7 miles north of Hale, off the River Road Scenic Byway near Oscoda.

Nineteen rustic sites in red pine on Seaton Creek, where it meets the Hodenpyl Dam backwater of the Manistee River. A Huron-Manistee National Forest campground, wooded and shaded, sites spread out. Vault toilets and a hand-pump well, no hookups and no showers. The Manistee River Trail trailhead is right in the campground, and a suspension bridge across the river puts you on the North Country Trail.

19 sites · Near Mesick, about 50 min southwest of Traverse City.

An equestrian campground in the Manistee National Forest, built for horse people, so know that going in. Nineteen large pull-through sites in a white pine stand, flat and sized for horse trailers, with hitching posts and quiet, private spacing between sites. It is the trailhead for 18 miles of non-motorized horse trail. Vault toilet, a well for drinking water, no hookups. No lake or river here, this is a woods-and-trail camp. If you do not ride, the big trailer pads and horse setup may feel like overkill, but it is calm and well-shaded.

19 sites · About 8 miles east of Wellston on M-55, roughly 45 min southwest of Cadillac.

A Huron-Manistee National Forest loop on the Pere Marquette River, the canoe and trout-fishing river is the whole reason to come. About 17 standard sites plus a few walk-in and group sites, no hookups, vault toilets, drinking water, no showers. It is wooded, but a 2005 tornado thinned the canopy here, so expect less shade than the campgrounds around it. A North Country Trail connector runs off the loop.

17 sites · About 10 min west of Baldwin, in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Seventeen sites in mixed hardwoods on 58-acre Island Lake, with a buoyed swimming beach and non-motorized boating. Vault toilets, no hookups, no showers, and bring your own water since the site has none. ORVs aren't allowed in the campground, but the Mack Lake motorized trails run nearby, so expect some engine noise off in the trees.

17 sites · About a half hour up M-33 from Rose City, in the Mio Ranger District of Oscoda County.

An off-road-vehicle campground built around the Meadows ORV Trail System, so plan on dirt bikes and ATVs and the engine noise that comes with them. About a dozen nonelectric sites in pine and hardwood forest, with vault toilets, a hand-pump well, and no hookups. The West Branch of Big Creek runs just southwest, but this is a trailhead camp, not a swimming spot. Access road is rough, and it runs first-come, first-served.

13 sites · About 22 miles east of Grayling, near Luzerne.

Twelve sites on Wagner Lake, a small shallow lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forest, ringed by mixed hardwood. There is a swimming area and you can carry in a canoe or kayak, but the lake is non-motorized only. Vault toilets and a hand-pump well for water, no hookups, no showers, no dump station. Two things to know going in: a lot of the sites sit on a slope so leveling is a chore, and the loop is tight on a dirt road, so anything much over 25 feet will fight the curves. Quiet and tucked back.

12 sites · About 30 min southeast of Grayling, near Mio.

Eight rustic sites on the National Scenic stretch of the AuSable River, in the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Seven standard plus one tent-only, all nonelectric, in mixed hardwood and pine so you get real shade. Vault toilet, no water, no hookups. The river is a short walk for fishing and wading. One thing to know going in: an ORV trail runs along the entrance road and connects to the Alcona ATV and Mack Lake systems, so the campground is quiet but you can get engine noise from riders coming and going.

8 sites · On the AuSable River near Curran, roughly between Mio and Alcona Pond in the northern Lower Peninsula.

Six walk-in tent sites on Wakeley Lake, a small nonmotorized lake in the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Know this going in: you park and haul your gear about half a mile to the sites, so pack light or bring a dolly. No motors on the water, canoe-able, catch-and-release artificial-lure fishing only. Loons and eagles nest here. Mixed woods of jack pine, white pine and oak with conifer swamp around the edges. Rustic and quiet, water gets shut off seasonally so bring your own.

6 sites · About 10 to 15 minutes east of Grayling.

A small national-forest campground on the White River, set in dense white pine with sites spread out and brushed in for privacy. Drinking water, flush and vault toilets, no hookups and no showers. People come here to tube and paddle the short float around the point, and to fish the river for trout and salmon. Quiet and off the main roads.

5 sites · In Oceana County near Hesperia, inland from the Lake Michigan coast, roughly 45 min north of Muskegon.

Four paved loops in northern hardwood and conifer, south end of Sleeping Bear near Honor. The drive-in sites run large and well treed with decent spacing, so you get shade and some screening. Loops 1 through 3 have electric, Loop 4 is non-electric. Flush toilets and hot showers in every loop, plus a dump station. The Platte River is right there with a paddle launch. Lake Michigan beach is about a mile and a quarter out by trail, not a step from your tent. The walk-in tent sites sit close together with little privacy, so weigh that. Reservations only through recreation.gov, no walk-ins, and summer weekends fill months out. A park entrance pass is required on top of the camping fee.

179 sites · South end of Sleeping Bear near Honor, about 10 min south of Empire and roughly 40 min southwest of Traverse City.

Rustic and wooded, in the heart of Sleeping Bear Dunes near Glen Arbor. Spacious sites under the trees, about a five minute walk to the Lake Michigan beach. No hookups, no showers, vault toilets and shared water spigots, so come set up for dry camping. Foliage gives some cover, but sites sit fairly close together. Roads are narrow and tree lined, better for smaller rigs than big ones. A national park entrance pass is required on top of the camping fee, and the Michigan Recreation Passport does not count here. It books up, so reserve early on recreation.gov.

87 sites · In the dunes near Glen Arbor, about 1.5 mi west of town and 7.5 mi north of Empire on M-109.

Rustic National Park Service campground on Lake Superior, split into two sections off H-58. Upper sits back in shady hardwoods with good spacing between sites, Lower runs closer to the water and is the trailhead to the Au Sable Light Station. Beach is rocky, a short walk down some steps, not a sand dune. No hookups, vault toilets, well water, generator-free and quiet. Reservation only on recreation.gov and these 22 sites book up fast in summer, so grab one early. A Pictured Rocks entrance pass is required on top of the camping fee.

22 sites · In the UP on Lake Superior, about 12 miles west of Grand Marais off County Road H-58.

Nine rustic sites on Little Beaver Lake, a small inland lake inside the Beaver Basin Wilderness. This is not the Lake Superior shore. Superior is a 1.5 mile hike out. Deep woods, well water from a hand pump, vault toilets, no hookups, no generators. $25 a night. Two things to know going in: the access road is narrow, twisting, and hilly, and sites are small, so check your rig length before you book (36 ft single, 42 ft with trailer). No pets, anywhere here. Reservation only on recreation.gov and these nine go fast, and as of 2026 you also need a park entrance pass to get in.

9 sites · UP, Lake Superior country, about 20 miles northeast of Munising off County Road H-58.