What a beautiful place to go on the lake you have so many scenic sights on your 2 hour journey…read more This was our annual July 4th trip and this was my 1st time here and I absolutely loved it. It was so peaceful to take in such a beautiful area. I would definitely recommend you doing this if you have the chance you won't be disappointed!!

Everyone at Campbell's is kind and helpful. I highly recommend Campbell's for all skill levels.read more

I spent two days hunting pheasant here and it was one of the best hunts I have ever done. They have…read moreall sorts of hunting packages and the land is incredible. I definitely will be visiting in the future.

Hi, I scheduled an afternoon Pheasant Hunt. I showed up at noon and enjoyed a home cooked lunch --…read moremore like a full dinner. Then was guided on a 5-bird hunt. Bill, my guide, was very pleasant, easy going and helpful. We were accompanied by two bird dogs, and had a great time, in spite of the rain. They also have a lodge and cabins. Looks like a nice and friendly operation. I would definitely recommend it as a hunting destination. They also offer Deer and Turkey packages.

Ha d a great time staying in the trailer house! The oven didn't work but we made it work with the…read moregrill and had a fabulous, relaxing, quiet time. We went canoeing one day and hung out at camp the rest of the time. Was worried it would be noisy with all the buses and people, but it was not loud at all. The owners are great people and just want everyone to have a great time! Highly recommend. Trailer house had a bathroom with no shower, but showers are just a few feet away. It had 2 bedrooms, 1 with a bunk bed, full on bottom, twin on top. The other room had 2 twin bunk beds. Couches were comfy if someone had to sleep on it.

Great shuttle service for the Au Sable River! They rent canoes and tubes, too. And have camping…read moreand cabin options, too. We paddled the Au Sable from McKinley Bridge to the Foote Dam without cell service until we got to Foote to make proper arrangements. Thankfully they were able to accommodate us, shuttling our canoes, gear and tired bodies back to our vehicles. We highly recommend their service. Thanks Jim and Chanda!

Friendly staff that are very knowledgeable. We are always on the twin lakes and go to this marina…read morefor all our needs.

We have stayed at Bear Paw 2 years in a row and will be staying there again in a week. We have…read morenever had a problem and their crew takes us rafting in the Au Sable river and we always have a great time at a reasonable price and never have to wait more than 5 minutes for pick up at the end of the trip down the river. I would recommend staying here rather than other campgrounds in the area. Of course, you should show up if you book because you will pay a penalty if you don't, but you should be aware of that. I booked at another campground 2 years ago and forfeited all the money I had paid ahead of time. Lesson learned.

First off, I've never dealt with such rude people in my life. We had booked 2 nights at this…read morecampground, and because of some unforseen circumstances could not stay. After looking through the website and Facebook page, there is no where where it states if you do not stay you will be charged for the ENTIRE time you would have stayed. I understand being charged a cancellation fee for not being able to come on such short notice, as I explained to the owner that I would gladly pay. But this man had the audacity to say that was not good enough and I needed to give a 2 week notice even though I booked the cabin 2 days in advance(again no where on the website does it say this) and he proceeded to charge my card unauthorized for the full amount. I warn anyone who does business with this man, DO NOT GIVE YOUR CREDIT CARD INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE!! Or you will be dealing with what I'm going through right now.

Wolf Creek trail is a wide, clear, well-marked path following the Au Sable river just below Mio dam…read moreand winding through the scrubby red pine-jack-pine-red oak woods (including some red pine plantation areas) that are typical of this area, with plenty of evidence of past burns. We hiked the longest loop, which took us about 4.5 miles. No steep climbs or descents. Access is easy from the trailhead at the Mio boat launch, where there are toilets and drinking water available. I doubt anyone comes to Oscoda County seeking the hiking experience of a lifetime, but if you're looking for a pleasant place to stretch your legs, this is a fine choice.

This a really nice roadside park that mostly serves as a carry-in launch for kayaks and canoes…read more It's just downstream from Campbell's Canoe Livery, so on a nice summer day, the water traffic is ridiculous. It's mostly a place for rookie kayakers, so it's a mix of extreme annoyance and hilarity. Wallace Park has only ONE kayak launch in somewhat fast moving water. They post signs telling you not to "drop" your kayak off the wall into the water. But, if you don't do that, you'd wait forever to use the launch. Parking can be problematic too, as your only options are parking on side streets. It's a nice little park that serves a good purpose, and it's the only easily accessible access point along this stretch of river.

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.