What a joy to discover a gem in a beautiful, well-traveled part of our state. The Tawas State Park…read morecampground was closed for renovations, so my husband and I began looking for another spot to camp while enjoying spring birding in this area. Through a Google search, we found this campground. This campground is quiet, exceptionally well-cared for, convenient y located to all Tawas and West Branch attractions and located on a beautiful piece of property. The owners and hosts, Calvin and Jeannie, are wonderful people who will make you feel right at home. Though tent camping sites are available, we decided to splurge and rent a glamping cabin with a king bed. It was the perfect blend of luxury and the rustic feel of being in nature. We enjoyed meandering around the well marked trails and relaxing at the river, just a short walk from the campground. The spring birds were plentiful, allowing a quiet alternative to the more crowded Tawas spots. The glamping cabin was immaculately clean, the bed was firm and the bedding was very nice. The ceiling fan, standing fan and mini heater allow for a comfortable sleeping and relaxing environment. We enjoyed afternoons in the hammock, evening fires and then relaxing in bed streaming our favorite Netflix shows while eating microwave popcorn (we brought the food and technology; microwave, fridge and wifi provided) Every camper knows the sacrifices made while visiting the restrooms and showers. No sacrificing needed here. The facilities are large and super clean. They even smell amazing and are tastefully decorated. We were provided with a golf cart to trek back and forth to the restroom which was appreciated at night. What a treat! The campground is primarily seasonal campers with many sites for RV's and more limited tent camping, with and without utilities. The crowd seems older and quiet though there is a cute little playground and lots of space for kids to explore nature. Our grandson would love fishing from the river. This visit may have been our first but it won't be our last. We almost hate to write this review and risk this gem becoming more popular. Alas, we want the owners to enjoy wild success as they provide such a wonderful place to enjoy nature.

Very well kept campground and friendly owners. Nice area with path to the river. Swings near the…read morepond are enjoyable and peaceful. We will return.

Cannot begin to say enough good things about this campground and even better things about the staff…read morethere! We stayed in a cabin for one night and the house for another two. Very clean, well supplied with anything you need for a comfortable stay. Lots of room with big trees to provide shade to sites. The ONLY downside was the smell of the fish cleaning station which they are in the process of getting that taken care of. Marina/launch is perfect and can launch almost any size boat. Protected marina is very convenient.

Love Big Bend. We reserve the back group spot every year for the last 5 years. $10 per person per…read morenight, no limit on guests with a float on Saturday. Never had big issues and the small ones we did like the porta potty being in a bad location or not clean when we arrived was always attended to right away. The staff thay delivers wood is always so nice about it and back it right up as close as possible to the fire ring.

Very unorganized and unprofessional. This is not a family campground…read more My family and I felt threatened by the owners, staff, and seasonals here. We voiced our complaint and asked nicely for a partial refund.. the business owner and her son did not like this and resorted to screaming, swearing, and calling us names. Not once did they simply ask us to leave. Instead, they pushed up out the door by force. Her, her family, and the seasonals gathered in a group to surround the arcade room (where our children were playing) to lock them in. Mind you, our children were ages 1-5yr. I stepped out of the arcade to see the ambush of camp workers. We had to carry our kids out. Our kids were crying in fear of everyone, including the owner who was waving her fist in threat to punch us, and her 17yr daughter, whom she had try to fight us as well. Once we made in back to our site, it wasn't long before the police showed up with an eviction letter. We had to pack our things and leave ASAP. We didn't make it home until nearly 2 in the morning. Our kids were exhausted and hungry. Our children won't forget this. My daughter is afraid to sleep alone. I hope these people will one day get what they deserve. Playground Rusty, not maintained, unsafe for children. The kayaks were fun for us and our kiddos. It was convenient that the camp had kayak/tub rentals and transportation for drop off. Though, We did not appreciate the sexual graffiti of genitals drawn on the windows of the transportation buses for our children to see and question. Restrooms Unsanitary, not maintained. Could use some work. Picnic area Our power went out during a rain storm. The next day, one of the park employees shared with us that they were doing their own electrical. There were some exposed wires. This was not OSHA approved. And very unsafe, especially for an environment that is supposed to be safe for family.

I came here to see the lighthouse and ended up coming back multiple times for so much more. Only…read more$20 for an annual pass. The lighthouse is 150 years old and looks charming! I also enjoyed the Sandy Hook nature trail. I saw many birds, flowers, and a deer. I stopped at the beach to watch the kite surfers - so cool. This park offers something for everyone.

The lighthouse is beautiful going up to the top is a beautiful view the people that worked there…read moreare very nice. The tour was very informative. And they do have a gift shop

I've canoed or tubed on a lot of the popular Michigan rivers for these activities and have never…read moreseen an operation like this. Entering the check-in area is like walking into the lobby of a luxury resort. There are several booths with clerks ready to register you, and of course a wide selection of merchandise you might want to check out if you forgot some essential for your trip, like sun block or a waterproof phone case. Once registered, we were assigned a bus boarding area and got ready to ride to the put-in site. The trip was short and we were soon turned loose on the river. We took the 4-6 hour trip and finished in just about 5, with only a short lunch stop. The river was very pleasant, slow with occasional riffle areas where we picked up some speed, and not to many rocks or logjams to navigate around. Quiet and solitude? Well, no. If you're making this trip on a hot summer Saturday, expect to be in the company of several other parties during the length of your trip. One offered us a jello shot, which we passed on, though thirty years ago that would have been tempting. Not much chance of missing your take out, which is back at the campground, which takes up a large stretch of the riverback before you hit the actual landing. Once there, you just hand your tube/boat to an attendant and walk back to your car. I probably wouldn't choose to camp here--the campground is large and not shaded in many parts. Lot of potential for it to get loud. But for canoeing or tubing, a top-notch rental operation.

Have an annual camping weekend for 3 years and always enjoy this campground. They have water and…read moreelectrical at the campsite for a reasonable price and there is plumbed restrooms and showers that are walking distance. They maintain the facilities and always clean. It's really nice to have a campsite along the river and really nice they shuttle you to the starting point and provide usually good quality tubes and also offer tubes for your cooler if you pay per cooler tube.

We RV camped here during the week, Monday thru Thursday. Check in time is 3:00 pm and check out…read moretime is 3:00 pm. Courteous staff and a small selection of T-shirts or sweatshirts at the camp office. The campground was very well taken care of. It was quiet and peaceful. Easy drive from campground to put in and take out sites for kayaking the AuSable River. Glennie is less than 5 miles for groceries gas and a couple of cafes/restaurants.

Absolutely amazing campground. We make the trip up from Florida each year. Definitely the nicest…read morecampground I've been to.

By sheer luck, we were able to snag a spot for Father's Day weekend. It wasn't just any spot, it…read morewas one of the few non-permanent spots with an unobstructed view of Tawas Bay/Lake Huron. We were able to hear the waves crashing and we basically had a private beach. You couldn't book online, but the person who helped us set up the reservation was very courteous. When we arrived with our camper, the manager actually rode his bike in front of us to guide us to our spot and helped my husband as he was backing up the camper so that the door would open right on the cement pad. It does come with an above ground half barrel firepit. We didn't use their facilities since we had full hookup (I'm pretty sure all the spots have full hookup). The playground, albeit small, was within view of our campsite so we were ok with letting the kids go play on it while we set up camp. And it looks like they have a boat onsite that you can charter out for fishing, but with just the 4 of us and 2 of us until the age of 7, it wouldn't have been a value add to the quality of our trip, especially since I was pretty familiar with the Tawas area and we were less than 10 minutes from downtown. If you're looking for a party campground, this isn't it. There are a lot of seasonal and permanent residents onsite, so weekend sites are hard to come by. My family enjoyed the experience so much, we plan on calling them early next year to try to get the same spot way in advance so we can go swimming from our own private beach again! Highly recommended.

We stayed here this past summer, 2013 and it was very quiet and serene. You would never know it was…read moretucked in the woods just off the main road. You were close to town, (Tawas), and the farmers market and all shopping. You had your own private beach and boat hook up. They even hosted a Chartered Dinner Cruise on the weekends. The sunrise was breathtaking and worth getting up early to see.

Norm is awesome. Best place to sick on the lake. Best place to fuel up. Best place for last minute…read moresupplies. The owner actually checks all boats every day and prior and post storms. He will retie if needed. Great service and great people.

From the owner: Smith's Landing is located on Wixom Lake just north of the State boat launch on Dundas Road…read more We offer 25 beautifully manucured campsites, and 40 docks available for rental. Even if you don't have a boat we offer pontoon rental for the fisherman or just a pleasure cruise. If you need a snack, beer, ice, or minnows, we have a fully stocked party store and bait shop. You're always invited to sit back, watch the boats and relax on our new deck that overlooks the beautiful lake. Enjoy some nachos, popcorn, home made sandwiches, or an ice cream cone. Smith's Landing also offers full service dockside gas for your boats and jet skis, no other establishment on Wixom Lake offers this service (not to mention treats for the dogs and icy pops for the kids). We are family owned and operated, Norm & Karen live onsite, and the whole family helps out in the store and on the docks, and want you to feel like family too!

The camp ground was very quiet. Lots are very clean and big. Love the trails.fishing pond is…read morewonderful to watch the kids catch and release.sad we had to leave Early .we received a call of a death in the family.But we will be back in the near future.If our favorite lot is available.5 stars from the Dubays.

Great service with a smile. Dealing with this organization was easy Peezy. Easy and easy out nice…read moresites

These guys were amazing, helped us with everything we needed. But most importantly did everything…read morethey could and saved our trip. If I could give them a 10/5 stars I would

Worst possible service and interaction possible. I called about making a reservation with the…read morecampground and asked to talk to the person that handles that. She said that was her but the woman that answered the phone seemed like she didn't have the time of day for me and also had a really bad attitude. After she treated me this way I would never recommend any family or friends to go there. There is plenty of other campgrounds next to the lake to stay at. The lady that answered the phone needs to learn how to talk and treat potential customers.