Plan Your Adventure with Michigan Camping
Michigan is home to some of the most spectacular and beautiful camping venues you’ll ever experience. True lovers of the outdoors can go camping in Michigan with more choices for activities than ever before. Wherever you go in the Great Lakes State, you won’t be far from having easy access to hiking, swimming, canoeing, tubing, bicycling, beach time, bird watching, golfing, etc. There is also a variety of family-friendly activities that can be found at many of our campgrounds, including hayrides, group craft-making, ice cream socials, tug-of-war contests, matchbox racing, etc., with many sites being pet-friendly as well.
Hiking
Michigan Hiking Offers Diversity, Beauty, and Unforgettable Experiences
With four distinct seasons, Michigan hiking runs that gamut of beauty and splendor with trails that offer diverse terrain through inland lakes and waterfalls to forested woods and Great Lakes sand dunes.
Top-Rated Hiking Trails in Michigan
Michigan’s Iron Belle Trail—Detroit
Upon completion, the Iron Belle will rank as the longest designated state trail in the United States—stretching 1,250 miles on foot and 770 miles by bicycle. (The trail has two different routes—a more rustic path for hikers, and a shorter, paved route for bikes.) The trail stretches from Detroit’s Belle Isle Park and goes all the way to Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula.
Pyramid Point Trail—Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Over 100 miles of hiking trails crisscross the Sleeping Bear Dunes, ranging from simple nature walks to the popular but challenging Dunes Hiking Trail. Perhaps the most beautiful of Sleeping Bear’s trails is Pyramid Point, where hikers can enjoy the quiet beauty of Lake Michigan even during the height of summer. The three-mile trail passes through meadows, forests and sand dunes, with a short spur leads out to a spectacular Lake Michigan overlook.
Great Warren Dune Trail—Warren Dunes State Park
Popular with folks looking for a little relief from the summer heat, the Warren Dunes might be at their prettiest in the fall, when the park’s oak and hickory forest is alive with the fiery colors of autumn. This four-mile trek winds through hardwood forests and over towering dunes before opening onto an incredible expanse of beach on Lake Michigan.
Au Sable River Foot Trail—Hartwick Pines State Park
Nestled in the heart of Northern Michigan, the Hartwick Pines are highlighted by virgin white pines. The Au Sable River Foot Trail offers close-up looks at old trees and passes over the gorgeous Au Sable River two different times. A mile-long walk along Hartwick Pines’ Old Growth Forest Trail takes hikers to a reconstructed logging camp and the Loggin museum.
Other things to do while camping
While camping in Michigan you have more choices for activities than we can possibly name. Many of our member campgrounds offer themed weekends, including pancake breakfasts, pet parades, 4th of July celebrations, Halloween and Harvest Festival costume contests and trick-or-treating. These fun-filled weekends provide you and the kids plenty of activities and ways to meet some new camping friends. Many Michigan campers have made life-long friends while camping and look forward each year to catching up. Popular activities for campers include:
