My family has been going to paddle brave for years. 8 years was the last time we were there. But they 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 read more

Paddle Brave - Summer Camps Near Me - Roscommon, Michigan

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Paddle brave is my very favorite livery in roscommon! My whole life I've kayaked the ausable out of grayling 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! read more

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This is a cute little campground centrally located in northern Michigan. The owners were very friendly. We stayed in a rented RV that they offer and it was very clean. We canoed the Ausable River, and they offer canoe rental right at the campground. The only reason I didn't give this review 5 stars is because the vans used to transport us up River for our canoe trip did not have seatbelts and I'm a stickler for safety. However, I would definitely recommend this campground if you are in the area. read more

This campsite is exceptionally clean and well run. Bathrooms and showers are cleaner here than any other campsite that I have been to. The campsites are small but clean. The river is really nice and good for all ages. This is NOT a good place to fish unless you fly fish. Canoe and kayak rental are reasonable, the service is friendly and well run. The equipment is well maintained. read more

The campground was easy to find and getting checked in was a breeze! My wife and I stayed in a cabin and were quite pleased. It was in great condition and the mattresses were comfortable. Although it was hot outside the cross breeze inside the cabin was refreshing. The restrooms/showers were clean and BIG. Someone could arrive totally unprepared to camp and canoe/kayak and find everything needed inside of the camp store. Docking in the water at the campground was perfect. The only thing better than the details above are the owners. Friendly. Hospitable. Helpful. We will certainly visit again with a larger group to share the experience with others. read more

We reserved a 4:30 2 hour tube float. Upon arrival they were friendlyand helpful and drove usto the launch. I was told. Y the driver we would be back before 2 hour float. Kids were crying and scared because it was taking more than 2 hours. My 16 year old daughter had to pull over to the shore and talk with a homeowner to ask where the camp was located. She was crying worrying she passed it up also. The guy at the camp was upset saying it should have been 2 hours and was going to charge us for the 4 hour trip. But after a bit he found out his newly hired employee dropped us off at the 4 hour tour, not the 2 hour tour. He aplogized and didnt charge us for the 4 hours. Which is fair. But a tip I highly recommend is to double verify which tour your being dropped off at before heading out. read more

I've been in there three times this year already and it has always been so enjoyable. Cheap and so relaxing. The new owners are awesome and I can't say good things about them. read more

Location: Pro: The campground is easy to get to. It has river access so you don't have to use another livery if you're going canoeing. Sites: Pro: Very nice, large, green sites, very woodsy. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table. Camp store: Pro/Con: Bric-a-brac, candy, pop, merchandise, wood, ice. It's okay. Amenities: Con: If you look at the photo gallery on the camp website, it shows a game room. Those pictures need to be removed. There isn't one. The rec room is there, but it's apparently now just for storage. That was a bummer. Things like that are needed on rainy days. There is a playground for children and a horseshoe pit. Canoeing/Tubing: Pro: They have lots of everything. There are plenty of things for everyone to float on down the river. They will drive you to a drop off spot, too. Bathrooms: Con: If you have visited a lot of campgrounds, and if you have attended a lot of summer camp, then you will be right at home with these bathrooms. They smell just like every camp bathroom I've ever been in. Two stalls, two showers, three sinks. I'm assuming a couple of urinals in the men's. They're old and need updating, but are clean. (pro) The showers are small. (Con) If you're larger, it'll be a tight fit. Port-a-Potties: Pro: There are two port-a-potties, located at either end of the campground. Con: The one that was closest to us was WAY OVERFILLED. So I constantly walked to the main bathroom at all hours of the night because there was no way I could sit on that thing and feel like I wasn't mucking around in someone else's filth. That john was never emptied/replaced the whole time we were there, and it was going into a holiday weekend. Staff: For the most part, staff was fine. The guys that do the canoe hauling and driving and clean the campsites and trash were ALWAYS courteous and friendly. Con: Response to complaints and problems after hours. Trash: Pro: Cans are everywhere and the staff came around often to empty them. Because of this, I didn't see any trash in the camp. Wood: You can't bring your own so the camp sells it at $4/bundle. It's hard wood, and they say it burns for 2 hours. It burns nicely once it's lit, but it's got a lot of moisture, and there isn't any kindling to start a fire other than free cardboard they provide. You're not supposed to forage for twigs on the campsite, but we saw plenty of people doing it. Bring a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid to help get the fire going! Our story. Checked in on a Sunday. There were a handful of people in the camp. We were assuming most had left. Everything was fine. At night there were some screaming kids, but another camper yelled at them and that was it. (after hours) The rest of the week was peaceful. And then came Thursday. On Thursday the people that were staying across from us packed up and left. I overheard them telling some other campers they wanted to leave before the crazy weekend holiday people arrived. We were leaving Friday morning so I figured we would still be okay and not run into too much hassle. In the afternoon, some tent campers moved in, and then one trailer (mid 50s couple). They were fine. In the evening the couple's daughter and boyfriend/husband showed up. Talking, music, drinking, but nothing loud. By 10:30 though, these people were already "toasty", having been drinking for several hours. Things were loud. At 10:45 I called the office to notify the owner. He made his way around the park, and told the people to turn down the music. That was all that they turned down. He left, and they continued to blather on. At 12:40am another idiot rolled in with his trailer and Diesel rumbling truck. He was a friend of the drunk party. They yelled a lot and helped him back into a site. Whether it was his site or not, who knows. Somewhere between 1am and 2:30am these people blathered on, their dogs barked and barked, and one drunk fell over - we're pretty sure he fell over at the port-a-potty, and we thought he might have actually knocked it over based on the sound we heard. Finally, around 3am everyone passed out. At 6am we were "up" - not that we'd been asleep - and we packed the heck up as quickly as possible. I tell you, had their not been our tent neighbors, I would have screamed and yelled and made a ton of noise so the drunks could get a little back of what they were giving out so freely. The biggest disappointment was the lack of concern when my husband explained all the problems we experienced. There were no apologies and he felt that the response he got was sort of like "yeah, these things happen." NO. They don't HAPPEN. You ALLOW them to happen. Up until that night, we would have come back here to camp again. Now - no. For families with children, if you are going to stay here, come M-W. Don't come on a weekend, and don't come during the holidays unless you want to expose your kids to a bunch of rude, loudmouthed drunks. read more

This place was awesome! My husband, granddaughter, her friend and myself went with another couple for a birthday getaway. My grandaughter, her friend and myself had never been canoeing and we had a blast. We did what they called the loop as we were also camping and would end up back at the campsite so could take as long as we wanted for the 2nd part of the trip. We went mid-week which they have some awesome specials on rates during the week! The campsite was very clean and there were modern bathrooms available 24/7 as well as a dish washing station. Am considering letting my 11 yr. old grandaughter who lives with me have a birthday party out there. This is how much we both enjoyed it! The people working were very friendly and very accomadating to our needs. read more

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This place is in an chanting glimpse of what older Michigan really was all about with the canoe and kayak access Ability to have your group taken upstream for your desired length of time and willingness to work with both individuals and larger groups to make sure that they are all happily accommodated -camping acces straight on to the au -sable river rustic campsites and a very lively and welcoming staff I endorse and support Paddle Brave 100% read more

Do not come unless you have a family and enjoy a 10pm curfew. We were threatened while playing charades with no radio. Waste of money and vacation time. read more

Horrible experience. The staff and proprietors are completely unprofessional and unfriendly towards their customers. The staff lacks the basic principles of customer service and I highly doubt they have been trained in safety. Do yourselves a favor and find somewhere else or just stay home. read more

The canoe trip was great. Had I more knowledge of the area and more time, I would have camped elsewhere and drove over to use their canoe services. Other "campers" were drunk, loud, and helped themselves to the sparse wood growing on the site. When we called the owners to let them know that the campers were taking down trees for fire wood (which is against their own policy) they shrugged it off. From reading another reviewer, this is the complacency that makes this campground so trashy and commercialized. When we got our spot, we were disappointed that it was just steps from the noisy highway. (Luckily, our small children are not apt to wander off.)The owners did try to switch our camp to another within their grounds but they were full. Overall, I was disappointed. read more

We had a great time here last year with like 30 friends. Can't wait to go back in a month. We reserved a cabin because we are beyond camping as in I need a bed to sleep in. Looking forward to it. The owners are awesome. read more

Very friendly staff. Take the time to get you in the right boat for the trip. Plenty of advice on the river, fishing, eats in town, etc. Campground store is pretty small, so bring all you need with you. They do have worms and firewood. read more

great place to kayak, tube and canoe from. tom the owner keeps the bathrooms clean and trash under control. prices are good and staff is well trained and polite. locals come here for a reason. read more

great place to canoe, kayak or tube. owners are very friendly, kind and accomodating. best scenery , very calm and quiet water .. just right for canoeing. loved it.. read more