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.

300 stairs. From the top of the springs to the Au Sable river below, that is how many stairs it…read moretakes to descend the nearly 200 foot vertical drop at this local North Eastern Michigan outdoor adventure spot. And while it might not seem like much while you are walking DOWN them, in this antigravity paradox just remember, what goes down must also come back up--unless you plan on sleeping down there. Once you've descended the 300 stairs (actually, even on the way down), the views are absolutely spectacular. The setting is tranquil and relaxing, and there are several placards along the way which tell the story of the Springs and describe so many interesting aspects of this Huron National Forest site. Feel free to take your time meandering about in the shade of the canopied forest--for your looming ascent will have you longing for that serene setting. Once you've read all the informational signs and committed the gorgeous views to memory (or at least snapped some memorable phots thereof), its time to climb. Yep, those same 300 stairs that seemed so innocent on your decent now become your nemesis. In the mid summer heat, you also gain a deep appreciation for the perspiration-evoking power of Michigan's humidity. And, for those ultra-tough cross fit types out there that may scoff at those panting, wheezing, sweating souls such as, perhaps, me, maybe you should attack the 300 stairs Rocky Balboa style and enjoy yourself a victory dance at the top (after which, if you are feeling a little humanitarian urge, you could send down a tow rope or some other means of pulling my kind up the 186 stairs I still need to climb).

I guess I'm really only reviewing the 22 mile river road scenic byway. A beautiful late winter day-…read more60 degrees and sunny, left water over ice on all walkways and lookout points. Tennis shoes weren't going to allow that to happen. Turned into a nice drive, nonetheless.

This park is a hidden gem! We stopped in town to grab lunch, and we were looking for a place to…read moreeat and for the kids to get their energy out. The gentleman who checked us out at the register recommended this park, so we drove this way, and we were pleasantly surprised! The park is scenic, has an amazing jungle gym for kids to play, plenty of benches, beautiful walkways, public restrooms, and much more! The kids loved the all wood jungle gym. The park is very clean and well kept. We will definitely be back!

Love this park in downtown West Branch!! They have a little something for everyone. Walking…read moretrails, basketball courts, tennis courts, a covered bridge, a giant playscape, a little stream with ducks, a pavilion, and lots of green grass. Kids and adults can sled on the hill in the winter and ice skate on the court in the winter as well. A definite community gem!

What a stunning beach! Everything about the Oscoda Beach Park was perfect. The sand was super clean…read moreand the water. Cute shops, ice cream, restaurants, and much more within walking distance. Dog friendly.

If you're itching for a day at the beach but can't leave the Mitten, Oscoda Beach will scratch just…read morethat itch for you, and leave you ready to come back another time! On a recent hot weekday, I found myself off of work with no particular plans. I had heard about how beautiful Lake Huron was, especially up by Tawas Bay and further north, and decided that today was the day to check it out. I grabbed my partner in crime, and off we drove! Just a few hours later we were at the short, and kept driving until we reached Oscoda Beach Park. There we were greeted with a clean sandy beach, clear water, and clean restrooms, all in a place that also boasted free parking. We set out our chairs on a quieter stretch of the shoreline, and enjoyed the beautiful day. I closed my eyes and listened to the seagulls calling from above, and the gentle roll of the waves as they hit the shore. Shore, I miss the salty waves of the ocean, but when you can't stand your cabin fever anymore, Oscoda Beach Park is a great place to go for that escape!

For a person who likes to party in a campground, this place is for you! But I personally like my…read morespace in a campground. The sites are packed close together and you can tell they packed in as many stilted as possible. (There are around 300 sites). There is always noise, kids riding their bikes everywhere, and campers packed up like sardines. If you like staying up late with your friends, this place is great, but I personally could've had a better experience.

Best camp ground in Michigan! The water is great and super clear, there's events for the kids…read moreeveryday ran by the awesome park rangers. Highly recommend spending a weekend here.

I absolutely love this park! Amazing views, lots of smooth hiking trails and plenty activities for…read morethe whole family.

My husband and I took our fat tire bikes on a ride during December of 2018 here. Beautiful place…read moreto ride and enjoy nature. We rode on the seasonal road and enjoyed a leisurely ride through the park. You should definitely drive through this gorgeous area when in Rose City. It's well worth it. Looking forward to going back in the spring, summer and fall.

Tawas Point State Park was the destination for our annual friend camping trip this year. We try to…read morepick a different state park or campground each year and our friend had mentioned this spot. We camped in early May and it was pretty chilly - it got down to the upper 40s the first night and was a bit rainy. There was a strong breeze off the water which made it feel colder. But we still had a great time and the campground was at about 1/3 capacity. When we arrived, the employees at the check in station were really friendly and helpful. Like most campgrounds, they had plenty of brochures for the area and campground maps. They also gave us a birding checklist! They told us that it's a great area for bird watching, so we had fun checking birds off. We did not see all 230 birds listed, but quite a few. The campground has electric hookups at most, if not all, sites, and is fairly small compared to some other parks we've visited. The spots were mostly grassy and decently sized. There's not a ton of shade here, so keep that in mind for sunny summer days. One of the bathrooms was closed while we were there, but the one that was open was clean. Shower facilities are available, and there is a camp host that has books and games to borrow, as well as free coffee on weekend mornings. The highlight for our friend's 2 year old were the playgrounds - there is one at the campground and another near the lighthouse. There's a small beach at the campground and a much larger one near the lighthouse. I really liked the yurt and cabins - if we came back to this park I'd try to reserve one of those, specifically one of the two cabins that overlook the lake. There's not a ton in Tawas, but there's fast food, a Walmart, a couple gas stations, and a very small downtown with some shops and restaurants. We typically like more options for afternoons outside of the campgrounds we stay at, but we enjoyed our time at Tawas Point State Park.

Such a lovely state park that my friends and I camped at last weekend! It's definitely a super…read morepopular one, given it's wonderful location and proximity to so many awesome cities and things to do, so you'll find that throughout the summer months, it'll always be busy and full for the most part. For us, we booked a campsite at the far end of the campground, which was PERFECT for us! It was right by the path that leads to the Tawas Point Lighthouse, so it was just mostly foot traffic and a lot of people taking their dogs to the nearby dog beach down that same path a little bit, so we got to do plenty of people and dog-watching, which was a dream to us giant group of dog people! I love this campground as well for its wonderful beaches, both dog and human alike, the easy access to the lighthouse, and its proximity to Lake Huron! There were a ton of kite surfers on the big lake and a ton of beach to walk and relax on there. The weekend we were there was pretty windy, so Lake Huron was gorgeous, but the waves were pretty choppy and not conducive to swimming/laying out and enjoying the beach. Thankfully, Tawas Point SP also has a the entire Tawas Bay area lining the other side of the park, so you have your pick of beaches! The water on the bay side was way more calm and ideal for perfect beach days, so we got the best of both worlds here truly! A+ all around to everything this state park had to offer - water, trails, beaches, campsites, amenities - it was lovely! The town of East Tawas and Tawas itself was also wonderful and such a quick trip over with some cute restaurants and bars to take advantage of! I can't emphasize enough how wonderful this state park is. It's a new favorite of ours and we'll definitely be coming back to camp here soon! We had a lovely time with perfect weather conditions as well, so it was truly a perfect weekend!

Beautiful scenic picnic area... Beach, play area, picnic tables, pavilion, boat launch, fishing…read morepier...

I came here to camp (car camping/tents) for the first camp of the summer and what a great kickoff…read moreto camping season it was for me and my group! Everything here was top notch and well maintained, probably above average from the many state park campgrounds that I have camped at through the years! What that tells me is that this is probably one of the more highly trafficked campgrounds, so there is a lot of maintenance done on it! This campground had the most "modern" bathrooms. Everything was automatic, the toilets, the sinks, the hand dryers. This is by main indicator that the bathrooms are the latest and greatest update! We also loved our campsite. We had a few of Higgins Lake peeking out from around other campsites from ours and were able to enjoy the lake breeze and sunset view from our campsite alone. It was also an easy walk to the lake, where there was a little playground/swing set AND a dog-friendly beach just right off of that playground area as well! Super dog-friendly, which was great because I brought my dog along! Lots of trailers/RVs at all the neighboring campsites, which is to be expected, especially of a more popular campground! This campground also had the most campsites that I've seen as of late (minus Ludington, I'd say)! South Higgins Lake State Park also had some great hiking trails that we took advantage of! Marl Lake Trail is a trail that is very customizable for any of your time/energy level needs - 1, 3, or 5 mile loops can be done on this trail! Other than the hiking and the camping (spent 3 days and 2 nights here), we didn't do much else at the state park, opting instead to rent a boat (from the South Higgins Lake State Park Store - see my review there for details on boat rentals and our experience!) to spend a whole day on the actual lake, so I can't attest to the other amenities this state park has to offer. But for our purposes on this wonderful weekend, it was darn near perfect and we really enjoyed our time!! Hope to be back soon! :)

Park store charges $5 for a skimpy scoop of ice cream. Old owners gave you much more for your…read moremoney. Got a bad case of swimmers itch yesterday. Would be helpful if the park had nice feet washers and showers to wash the parasites off but instead that have a dribbling high in the air "washer" where the ground is covers with piles of sand and essentially of no use. The grass is long which makes it a haven for bugs. The beach area is so small and crowded. Need to clear more edging for beach use. Overrun with boats and have to wade through them all to get to a deep enough area to swim in. Lucky if you get in the park at all on the weekends.

When ever I'm in Gaylord, I like to stop into the Elk Park. Throughout the year, you can see the…read moreanimals at different stages. It's especially nice to see newborn animals and watch them grow throughout the year.

Spend hours driving the backroads looking for elk? Following the herd with the DNR? Yet you still…read morecan't find them! Well just roll up to the elk park and stop wasting gas! Nestled between the municipal building, commercial shopping and condo apartment areas is the Gaylord Elk Park! Large herd, food area right near parking and some benches if you want to hang out! My son loved seeing the elk! Snapped a few shots- hard to get good ones through the fence and it was freezing outside.