Camp Nissokone is a really great summer camp. I love going there for the week! In Spanish En…read moreEspanol Camp Nissokone es un gran campamento de verano. ¡Me encanta ir allí durante la semana!

From the owner: YMCA Camp Nissokone is located near Lake Huron in Oscoda, Michigan. Now in our 105th year, we offer…read moreday and overnight camp for children ages 5-18 from Michigan and beyond.

Loooooooove Camp Barakel so much. We have had many great weekends here while enjoying couples and…read morefamily retreats. This is a Christian camp, and they preach God's Word and apply it in a meaningful way. They tell about God's grace and Jesus's forgiveness, and bring it full circle to teach about improving and healing relationships. Every time we have attended, we have been blessed by it. Thank you!!!!! They are on a beautiful spring-fed lake, and there are tons of activities and opportunities to get back to nature. And as a true Yelper I can honestly attest: The food is good, too! Some of the sleeping accommodations are more rustic than some newer ones, but they are in the process of renovating every cabin, as I understand. The newer lodges are really nice!! I'm sure they can fully fill you in about where you would stay if you call. Life is simple here and it provides an opportunity to focus on what is most important. I have huge respect for their dedicated staff. They treat others with such love, and you can feel an attitude that demonstrates their care and dedication in their ministry. I have seen their worship leaders gracefully serving others as staff in the dining hall. There is a lot of walking involved. My dad went with a walker and could get around, but some places were a little harder than others, and a few were just too hard. There are two camps, one on each side of the lake, so they can run two different camps at once, or one big camp. I also love singing hymns in chapel, especially Ancient Words. It really sums up what they are trying to do here. Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world, They resound with God's own heart Oh let the ancient words impart. Words of Life, words of Hope Give us strength, help us cope In this world, where e'er we roam Ancient words will guide us Home. Ancient words ever true Changing me and changing you, We have come with open hearts Oh let the ancient words impart. This is not just a summer camp or a lake getaway. Barakel means "The place where God has blessed" and we have encountered Him here. Barakel is not fancy, but it's real, and I mean that in deepest and best sense of the word.

I just spent a weekend fishing while at a Christian Men's Retreat at Camp Barakel in Fairview, Mi…read more(near Mio in Oscoda County), and I wanted to blog my experience because I could find no fishing information for the camp's privately owned Shear Lake. https://www.bing.com/maps?q=shear+lake+michigan&FORM=HDRSC4 https://www.campbarakel.org/ Shear Lake is a shallow, clear water, spring fed lake with a sandy bottom and sparse aquatic vegetation. The perimeter of the lake is peppered with many lay downs of fallen trees. While staying at Camp Barakel, the campground provided small rowboats, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats for recreational use. At peak times of the day, there can be a lot of campers using the small lake, so fisherman will need to be patient with the recreational users who are attempting to paddle around it. Prior to fishing on Shear Lake, the only fishing information that I could find was that the lake contained Blue Gills. Having fished the lake last fall and this spring, I can verify that Shear Lake has Large Mouth Bass, Rock Bass, Perch (some are jumbo size, being12 inches or larger), and Blue Gills. The lake is rumored to have Pike, but I am not aware of any being caught. Although the lake may contain only a few lunkers (last fall, I failed to set the hook with a weedless frog on what was probably around a four pound bass), the overall Large Mouth Bass fishing seems to be quite good. Some 16 to 18 inch bass were caught while while standing on the docks. Even though the lake has sparse vegetation, the lake's shallowness makes it easy for lures that come in contact with it's sandy bottom to constantly pick up clumps of plant material and algae. Also, it's easy to get hung up on the many branches and tree trunks that line the shore. Consequently, weedless lures (like a Texas-rigged soft plastic worms), plus mid-water and top-water lures (which are fished away from the shore) work well. I caught ten Large Mouth Bass (12 to 16 inches) and one Rock Bass last weekend on a Texas-rigged soft plastic worm. Some had good luck using spinners or top water lures that worked in the mildly windy conditions, like Jitterbugs. Others had good luck with live baits such as Big Red Worms or Minnows. Last fall, I had some luck swimming small curly tail jigs, but I now now prefer to drag Texas-rigged worms along the lake's bottom, near the many fallen trees.

When they were young, we loved taking our boys to Camp CedarRidge. Great staff, excellent…read moreprogramming, Christ-centered. Mike Rauch, the camp director, has made our connection to camp even better. One of our sons completed his Eagle Scout project at camp by building a set of railroad tie steps in a hillside. Now we serve on staff and value the fellowship and camaraderie.

From the owner: Located in the middle of Huron National Forest in Oscoda, MI, Camp CedarRidge allows kids to unplug…read moreand make memories that last a lifetime. For 75 years, our goal has been to help campers grow closer to Christ and form lasting friendships. Whether attending an overnight camp, day camp, or wilderness adventure trip, your camper will have a one of a kind experience, cultivating his or her independence, exploring new skills, and learning how to bring Christ into every aspect of life.

My family has been going to paddle brave for years. 8 years was the last time we were there. But…read morethey have new owners who are amazing and care bout the campers. They are working very hard on improving the campground and it shows. I wish I had before pictures of the "love shack". That is what everyone I know calls it sorry don't know the actual name. Lol. But it was disgusting inside. I took these pic to and omg what a huge improvement. The bathroom and showers wow. I can't wait to go back

Paddle brave is my very favorite livery in roscommon! My whole life I've kayaked the ausable out of…read moregrayling and grew very comfortable and familiar with penrods and how they do things. Paddle brave upholds the same standard in my opinion. Rental fees are fair, equipment options are competitive. Tubes, single kayaks, tandem kayaks and canoes. They offer options of float times predominately on the south branch but I recommend starting from the park in downtown roscommon and ending at chase bridge. Perfect length and very pretty. We've also kayaked through sections along the mason tract pathway which allowed us to dock at the chapel in the woods and eat launch on shore. The vans pick you up at the end, we have been picked up once by a young man driving the van ....he wasn't very mechanically inclined and the van was severely over heating. My husband stepped in and gave him some assistance but we truly felt it was a gamble if we'd make it back to the livery anytime soon! So I guess I do wish they maintained the vans more. Otherwise no complaints! We now own our own kayaks and paddle brave will allow you to use their pick up/ drop off service for a small fee if you don't want to deal with that aspect of personal floats. Great place!

My favorite campground in Michigan. Privately family owned with welcoming year rounds and weekend…read morecampers. Directly ON the East Branch of the Au Sable river and close to everything northern Michigan. Clean restrooms, gaming room & playground for kids, camp store with DNR licenses & ice. Lots of sand and trails less than a mile away for ATV's. Lots of fishing within biking / short driving distance. Power hook ups for RV's & travel trailers & primitive sights for tents. Heated year round bath house. Always enjoy camping here, most of our family makes frequent trips throughout the summer.