Camper in a nice spot and had a tiny view of the water from our site. I didn't care for how many…read moremosquitoes were here though. If you camp here definitely be aware of that. The spots are decent sized and I did like they were spaced apart. I don't like vault toilets but this spot was a compromise for a camping trip with my boyfriend. I need showers and actual bathrooms but for a day in a tent this place was actually really good. The toilets didn't smell but definitely take a light with you as there isn't one in there and even in daylight it's a little dark.

Nice quiet "rustic" campground located on the Indian River. Wooded campsites and most you can…read morebarely see your neighbor. I would recommend the campsites on the river, good views of the River and your own spot to launch your water craft. I would recommend site 13. The loop around the site is paved so good for pushing a stroller. We stayed a couple nights in September, colors were great and the kayaking was excellent on the Indian, I would recommend putting in closer to Steuben. We did the stretch from McCormick to the access on bass lake road, awesome water and scenery to float, fishing was poor but end of September was too late, I'm sure action would be good in the summer. Maps located at access points on the River. There is a very friendly convenience store just south on 13 where the lady was glad to let me fill up my camper with potable water and has gas, another one just north that looked nice too. Nice overall campground and area, pure Michigan!

This was a very pleasant campground. They had very clean bathrooms and showers. There is a.nice…read morelake that you can swim in or rent kayaks, paddle boats or paddle boards for. There is.a basketball court and other games as well. They have a little store for snacks and souvenirs as well. We stayed at a rustic campsite, which was nice, but far from the bath house. It wasn't an issue for us and we just drove there. Just be aware. They also have a laundry and dishes room.

Not at all the Otter Lake experience we grew up with or grew to love. While understanding running a…read morefunctioning business is stressful, if you work in hospitality priorities shift. We were all so excited to return to Otter Lake, however our last trip was nothing short of disappointing. While family visited, our disabled aunt was treated horribly. Upon explaining several times that she could not walk more than 20 feet without excruciating pain , she was still told she needed to be parked up the hill & on the other side of the campground. There was no accommodations, no empathy, no offer to shuttle her to our family's campsite with the golf cart they spend most of their time riding around & monitoring people instead of engaging / enhancing experiences. The animosity of the environment was intense enough we felt the need to spend time with family elsewhere for most of our stay. While amenities where fine, public areas clean, the space beautiful - the atmosphere was not welcoming. Aside from the experience itself, the current owners were more than content talking poorly of the previous owners to our family. We have been long time friends of the previous owners, so naturally this was upsetting. However the negativity they felt free enough to spread to other campers is not only in bad taste but simply unprofessional. There are plenty of gorgeous & hospitable campgrounds / lodgings in the area. Island Lake, the Buckhorn, Pictured Rocks Family Rentals, etc. Otter Lake unfortunately is no longer one of those. The current owners clearly only care about earning an extra buck, not about enhancing the experience of paying customers. While once before I'd recommend this campground to friends / family visiting before anywhere else, this place has become one I'd emphasize to not waste your money on.

My husband and I had a great experience at Munising Tourist Park Campground. We loved it so much we…read morebought a sticker to put on our truck tent. This campground looks unassuming at first glance, but it really has everything you need. Our site was equipped with outlets and water hookups, a picnic table, and a fire pit. Firewood is available for purchase at the little camp store. The whole campground sits on the edge of the lake which provides great sunsets. It was oddly quiet in the morning (minus a rude couple using drills to tear down their setup at 6AM, but that was not the campground's fault as they do have quiet hours)-- which is unusual for a family campground. The staff were exceptionally nice and helpful. I would definitely stay here again and recommend it to others.

After the first night of my stay, I went to the office to inquire about the campfire policy because…read morea neighboring site's smoke had been blowing through mine for several hours (this was in the daylight, it was warm out, AND the group had left their site and left the fire unattended). The person working laughed at me and essentially told me 'f-you, we don't care about your experience, we aren't going to do anything about it'. Each subsequent night, fires were left burning and unattended while the site occupants slept. On top of the reprehensible customer service and fire safety, the sites are crammed on top of one another with no trees and zero privacy. Also, the water and electric pedestals are shared between 2-4 sites each. On the plus side, it is right on the beach (assuming you can stand being around all the smoke long enough to enjoy it) and close to town. So much for spending time outdoors to enjoy the fresh air.

Easiest camp site. Great location. Clean trash areas, public areas and bathrooms. The mid tier…read morespots have a beautiful view of the islands

Nice little private campsite. Our site was clean and the owners were super friendly. Would use this…read morecamp again.

We stayed at this campgrounds for 2 nights. The location was absolutely lovely. Despite being in…read moreclose proximity to a main road, the campground was super quiet. We heard another camper (with another group) played the sax one evening and it was very soothing with the sound of the lake lapping the shoreline. The camp host kept plenty of air fresheners in all the vault toilets. They were super clean and very pleasant smelling for vault toilets. The campground overall was super well kept.

Bay Furnace Camp and Picnic Grounds is a terrific place to stay for the simple traveler who…read moreappreciates sleeping outdoors in the heart of nature. I discovered Bay Furnace through the app on my phone called Campendium. Campendium was very helpful in assisting me finding worthwhile campsites along my 2021 summer road trip. Although Bay Furnace Campground is technically located in the town of Munising, Michigan, it's actually situated in the charming town of Christmas, MI. Though when I was here visiting back in the month of May...there wasn't anything Christmas(y) about the town, lol. Still, the main purpose for me being in Munising....was to explore the scenic coastal landscape along the shores of Lake Superior. Overall this campground is set just outside Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and a host of beautiful waterfalls. After spending a good portion of my day driving along Pictured Rocks NL...I couldn't find any affordable accommodations in Munising. The next best thing for myself was camping. I had a tent with me and showed up here to Bay Furnace Campground. It was early evening when I pulled up to the entrance area. The instructions stated that Bay Furnace accepts about half reservations at recreation.gov and half on a first come, first served basis. I was a little nervous about not finding a campsite when I started driving throughout the grounds. It was late in the day on a Thursday just at the start of the summer vacation travel season, yet I spotted an unoccupied site right near the entrance and backed my car into the site. Yah, I was good for the evening! As per normal policy...when you arrive, you pick a campsite and then fill out a slip with your payment and drop it into a safety box. Then the campsite is yours and you can start constructing your tent and getting settled in. It was $22 per night. They accept cash and checks, though no credit cards. Checks must be made out to RRM, Inc. and need to include your Drivers License and License Plate Numbers. There are about 50 non-electric campsites on the grounds each with a fire-pit and picnic table. Check-In time is 2pm and Check-Out time is 11am. Honestly, I really lucked out probably grabbing the 50th and last site. Because in general, throughout this UP section of Michigan I had trouble discovering on a whim available campgrounds that weren't full. I was grateful to be here. Unfortunately there weren't any showers to use, but still...I had cell phone reception and each campsite was really spacious. I felt like I had plenty of privacy being in the woods without anyone around. Two extra notes I'd like to mention... I didn't have plans for the night and across the street from Bay Furnace was the Kewadin Christmas Casino. So...after setting up my tent and washing up...I took a short 15 minute walk outside the campground and went inside the casino and played some blackjack for an hour. It was sort of a pleasant change of pace from driving and picture taking all around the UP, to all of a sudden sitting down and playing blackjack at a random casino. Returning back to my campsite, there was a terrific little overlook vista point section just to the side of the entrance where I sat down on the shore of Lake Superior and admired the colorful sunset. It was a pleasant way to end my day. This panoramic coastline beach shore can't be missed when you're walking towards the facilities area. I highly recommend hanging out here when the sun begins to fade. Although I am a big outdoorsy type of person who loves being among nature...I just really wanted this opportunity to highlight Bay Furnace Camp and Picnic Grounds. Munising, Michigan is well known for its scenic waterfalls combined with picturesque vantage points of Lake Superior that makes this section of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan quite popular. But for those tourists who don't mind setting up camp among quiet surroundings with basic amenities, then I believe you will appreciate choosing to stay at Bay Furnace Campground in the heart of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

I have never seen so many mosquitos in my life. You open the door to your car and are immediately…read moreswarmed by 100s despite wearing deet. The beach is beautiful, but I would not recommend simply because of the mosquitos alone as you can't leave your tent or RV. Nowhere to check in which was confusing as well and no cell service.

Great campground. All national park campgrounds at Pictured Rocks are now 100% online reservations…read moreso all the comments here about people stalking for sites are no longer relevant. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov six months in advance. Very poor if any cell service. The west "generator free" loop was mostly all tent campers and apart from wailing children, very quiet. Pit toilets, running (cold) water, and garbage bins (ignore what recreation.gov tells you). Short walk to the beach from every site; many sites are right above the beach.

They need to spend more time maintaining what they have instead of building. It was dirty…read more Earwigs all over the place. Bed was hard.

We stayed with our dog Max at the Presque Isle cabin January 3 thru the 7th. The cabin was…read moreperfect, it met all our needs very cozy. Did some X-country skiing and snowshoeing there was plenty of snow and it was beautiful out. Met the owners Tom and Heather, very down to earth people. Greg and Kathy

This is a very convenient camp ground to see many points of interest. There are full hookups and…read morenice drive thru pads. It is tucked behind a golf course. There are no trees around the trailer spots, but the surrounding area is beautiful forest. There are fire pits and picnic tables. We needed a part and had Amazon ship it to the office, and we were able to pick it up at 9 PM. There are 4 clean showers and a nice bathroom. The only recommendation I would give is to add a chair or seat in each shower. The entire campground is very well maintained.

This is a really high rating but the park was perfect for us…read more It's new and has gravel roads, no trees, but electric and water and sewer campsites. It's spacious and most sites are pull through. There are some tent sites back in the woods and along the river, very rural and pretty out there. There is no pool, playground or fenced in pet walk. What I really liked the most was the proximity to local bicycle trails located just off the park, making it easy to ride to Marquette and even Presque island. The Northern Michigan University public golf club is just outside the park. If conditions are right you have an unobstructed view of the Aurora borealis. I've seen many prettier parks but this was just right for our needs. Even though we had some rain the gravel sites didn't get muddy, big plus when traveling with dogs. Enjoy the amazing area, hike, bike, eat and enjoy nature... this park is a great place to set up and then go do the stuff you came here to do.

It's okay. We've…read morebeen here before, a few years back. Had I known we were returning, I would have made another choice. My wife made this reservation. The good: - It's in town, so it's not far from shopping and sights - Some sites are paved The not so goo: - Expensive IMO - $55 per night for a back-in FHU site - Many sites have trees right at the corner of of the pad at the street, which can make it VERY hard to get into your site Sites under the tree canopy, while shady, bear little grass, so it's mostly sandy dirt and not fun in the rain If I needed to stay in/near Marquette and couldn't find a better camping choice, I would come back.

This is a seasonal (May 15-Oct 15) campground owned by the city of Marquette. Fronting the Dead…read moreRiver, it's a nicely wooded 40-acre park with 20 acres devoted to a 110-site campground. One hundred of the sites have electricity. The remaining ten are tent sites. Prices in 2023 were $25 for a tent site, $40 with electricity, and $50 with full hookups. We had a very good experience as tent campers here. We were walk-ins on a Thursday night in late May, and were able to secure a site. (About half of the tent sites were already reserved). The girls in the office, both students at Northern Michigan University, were very helpful and friendly -- even giving us recommendations of places to visit and restaurants to visit. (Thanks to them, we learned about a unique Marquette food -- cudighi). The tent sites are clustered along the water, and each has a picnic table and fire ring. Parking is close by but not directly at each of the individual sites. The campground has well-maintained hot showers, restrooms with flush toilets, and paved roads. It has a beach, small playground, grills, and hiking/biking trails. The location is great -- about one mile from the Lake Superior Beaches. We also drove a short distance to do the short hike up Sugarloaf Mountain to the observation deck, and drove over to drive the Presque Isle Park Loop. Finally, the campground was relatively far from traffic and quiet, so we were able to get a good night's sleep.

Miners Falls is another great, relatively easy hike that can be done by all skill levels and I…read morewould highly recommend it as well during your Pictured Rocks trip, either before or after you make a stop at Miners Castle as well. Clocking it at 1.2 miles, it takes about half an hour to complete out and back. Miners Falls is way bigger and grander than Munising Falls, so it's definitely impressive and worth the hike out. You aren't able to get as close to it as you do to Munising Falls, you view it from 2 different viewing platforms across a wide river, but it's still impressive just the same. The hike is more intensive. It's mostly shallow, sometimes steeper in areas decline through forest on the way there, but that just means that you know the way back is going to be a constant uphill, which is a bit killer. Total elevation gain here is about 150 feet. Great part about this hike is that the trail is so WIDE, tons of space to walk and be distant from other people, not that this trail was even all that heavily trafficked by any means. When you get to the falls, the first viewpoint you get to really doesn't give you a good view. For both viewpoints, you are already looking down at the falls, and the first viewpoint, which is much higher up, is blocked by trees and at too high of an angle for you to appreciate much of anything. So it's imperative that you head to viewpoint #2, which is down one final series of steep stairs. From this viewing platform, you get a great, impressive view of the falls, get a moment to take pictures, catch your breath, before you embark on the not-so-long-but-sort-of-feels-long-because-it's-all-uphill journey back up to the parking lot. I was definitely breathing hard by the time I got to the parking lot, but it was a great, short hike to do! It really didn't hurt either that there was gorgeous fall foliage all along the road leading into the Miners Falls parking lot and spots of color along the entire hike as well. Can't be anything but happy when looking at fall rolling in! :)

Okay so here is another decent/worthwhile waterfall to visit within Pictured Rocks National…read moreLakeshore. This is Miners Falls. And...it's really easy to find and hike to. From the trailhead it's a 0.6 mile walk along a gravel path. And the 0.6-mile stroll to Miners Falls takes you throughout an incredibly pleasant and tranquil forest setting. Even before I arrived at the falls, I was grabbing pictures on the walk being immersed in lush green trees and vegetations of the woodsy outdoors. Miners Falls is about a 50-foot waterfall that's one of the more majestic flowing falls you'll find in the small town of Munising, Michigan...and Munising is sort of the host town of Pictured Rocks NL. In Munising, you'll discover a bunch of other scenic waterfalls like Alger Falls, Chapel Falls, Munising Falls, Mosquito Falls and Horseshoe Falls to name a few. You can plug all these waterfalls into Google Maps on your phone to specifically locate them. Cell phone reception in Munising works just fine. Now, one of my issues with this Miners Falls and I know I'm nitpicking...is that once walk the 0.6 mile...you can only view the falls from an observation deck. And...this overlook platform had guardrails installed as high up as your waste. So...when trying to take optimal photos of Miners Falls for yourself and or family...you're sort of held hostage to these guardrails. It's sort of like you're being photobombed by a stranger but instead it's really the tiny platform and guardrails that taint the experience. Most visitors here at the overlook were taking selfie pics, which for myself...isn't worth the time. So, I gladly took a picture or two of Miners Falls before returning back towards the trailhead. I guess just in the end I'm a narcissistic person and I want myself in every picture to officially claim that I've "been there, done that", lol. Oh well, this miniscule platform vista point and the guardrails were out of my control. Here was another frustrating aspect... I was visiting back at the end of May 2021 and the parking lot and hike to the falls were pretty busy. In fact, it was congested enough to the point that there was a crowded line of people just waiting to step onto the observation area. And because the platform barely allowed tourists to step foot on it together at one time, the wait was about 10 minutes to get that photographic memory. Wow I thought to myself...this is a popular part to the Pictured Rocks NL area. And just a side note...when I was here this past summer, it was free to explore and hike to all the waterfalls. But for the 2022 travel season, starting on March 1, there'll be a $10 fee for visitors which will eventually over time get raised to $25. So, yes...people are coming. National parks, monuments, lakeshores, state parks, hikes and trails are all getting busier each year. Be prepared for maybe eventually losing that true essence for being outside in the heart of nature. Tourists are coming in droves and it's not stopping anytime soon. Anyways...finally, I got my time at the overlook deck for a quick couple of photos before yielding to the people behind me. Miners Falls was pretty impressive when looking down upon it. I just wished that the hiking path continued down towards the base of the falls because in my opinion...there's nothing like looking up at a scenic waterfall as the prime attraction within a scenic backdrop. Welp...lol, sorry for all my venting. From here at Miners Falls, I continued onto Munising Falls, about a 9-mile drive away. And yeah...once again, Munising Falls was simply a 0.5 mile walk each way to and from an observation deck, but at least the platform there allowed more space to accommodate tourists. Lastly, although I never found true fulfillment from the viewing platform looking down at Miners Falls, I still enjoyed the hike through the forest and simply getting a chance to witness another waterfall here at Pictured Rocks Lakeshore in the UP - Upper Peninsula of Michigan.