Good Sam Park. Some sites have sewers higher than rig. Some side to side hookups. Open
year round with lots of summer and winter activities in area with Higgins Lake nearby. Family operated and well maintained with friendly staff. Lots of
trees We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
It appears that this park is going through a update. They have just paved some of the roads and have cleaned the place up. It still has just dirt/ sand for the site. The electric needs to be looked at, we only had about 107 volts and their electric boxes got very hot. We would stay again if needed. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Shady, pleasant, very nice folks, lots for the kids to do. Clean restrooms, small laundry, pull-throughs, big rig accessable, some sites not very level, lots of room between sites. Not at the lake--but centrally located to kayaking, canoeing, birding, hiking, historical sites, shopping. We stayed for a week and we will stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Loved this park. Had site 119. Nice walk to the beach through a trail. The lake was beautiful and clean. My only complaint was the bathroom was not new like and up-dated like most state parks. However, it was clean and the shower pressure was great. Lots of off road trails in the area. We drove through the South side campground and liked this one much better. It was quit and not as crowded feeling. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We were disappointed to learn when checking in that we needed to pay an additional $24-$32 for 'vehicle fees' to stay two nights at this campground, on top of the $62 we'd already paid. Apparently a Michigan state policy. Do they expect campers to arrive with a tent on their backs? Anyway, we ended up buying a non-resident 'annual pass' for our motorhome for $29 because we had already pre-paid for another two night campground stay at a Michigan state park for the upcoming week, plus we paid a $6 toad charge. We'll need to buy another toad permit at our next Michigan state campground but saved $3 with the annual pass - which is only good through December 31. When we finally pulled up to our site we were greeted by a mound of dirty aluminum foil in the fire ring, and a good amount of smaller litter on the ground. Not very pleasant. On the plus side of the roster, we did enjoy hiking the nearby Higgins park trails, and thought the fitness stations along the beginning of the 6.5 mile loop were a terrific idea. We also liked the fact that on the lake the park lets you walk with your dogs as long as you stay on the inland side of a nice path that runs parallel to the water. There are plenty of shaded benches that offer nice water views. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Bathhouse was old and in need of repairs. On shores of Higgins Lake, however, had a long walk to get to the lake area only to find out that dogs were not allowed in the lake area. Hiking trails were nice. Large sites, however, ours was close to the road and there was lots of traffic noise. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We've stayed here at least every other year for the past 15 years in tents and now our motorhome. Great campground. Many bike trails / hiking trils across the road. The lake is fantastic but can be crowded on the beach on the weekends. There is a marina just down the road to rent pontoons also. Water is very clear and for some a bit on the cool side. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The owners were wonderful. There is a canoe livery on site and the owner was very knowledgeable and helpful. The sites are rustic and very "woodsy". We had a great weekend and canoe trip. There is a nice camp store too. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
This campground has turned into a party campground. If you stay in the area near the boat launch, be aware that the people camping near you will be rude and crude. The lake front was taken over by boats big and small and it was loud with the boat engines and the radios from the boats. If you are planning to come here for a family get away you may want to think again, or go to the North Campground. Restrooms were only as clean as the people who used them. It was disappointing to see beer bottles, used condoms and other crap that people wouldn't throw in the provided trash cans. This once beautiful park is now party central. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 10 / 10 ]
June 2008
$27
LOVE IT! I've been coming here since I was a kid with my parents and now I'm camping with my children. Love it!!! The water is absolutely beautiful and clean! This is my favorite place in the entire world and my family feels the same way! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We actually quite liked this campground. Granted, it IS quite crowded, but then Michigan has a large population and this campground is easy to get to from the Detroit Metro area as well as Saginaw area. We did have some rather loud 20-something campers whom we had to ask to turn down their music, but for the most part, they did. They were late sleepers, as well (imagine that!). We camped in Mini-Cabin which was small and standard (nothing fancy at all!) but did include a microwave, fridge and full-length mirror. (Wall heater, too, but it was in the 80s and 90s when we were there). Swimming wasn't a problem at all. No swimmer's itch. There are a lot of jet-skiers and boaters with rather loud engines and stinky exhaust fumes. So if you want a quiet place to go, stay away. But for a family of four, it was quite nice. The ice cream at Park Store is awesome, HUGE and CHEAP!!! Order single-scoop only! We camped here in a Campground Cabin.
I am so sad. We have camped with a large family group at Higgins Lake for over 25 years. In the last 7 years we switched to Old Orchard Park in Oscoda for our annual trip due to the increasing difficulty getting sites and a rumor of swimmer's itch. We missed Higgins so we recently went with a small family group to camp there over the 4th of July. After two days we packed up and went to Oscoda to finish our camping. Our family was ABSOLUTELY COVERED in swimmer's itch marks ! DO NOT SWIM IN THE SHALLOW WATER IF YOU CAMP HERE! Each mark from swimmer's itch is where a little larvae bores into your skin and dies. It itches terribly. Even taking Benedryl and using anti-itch lotion our kids were miserable for the rest of the trip. My small children were only in the water for an hour and had some marks the next day. We will never take the chance and camp here again. We are very sad. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Beautiful location was one of nicest parks in Mi. Campground has gone downhill; restrooms and showers not cleaned as often as should be. Encountered many rude campers riding dirt bikes down roads, playing electric guitars after quiet time, and partying all night long. No rangers to be found. This park used to be my one of my favorite destinations but after this trip I will not return for some time. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
My favorite campground. Beautiful lake good fishing. I would try to avoid camping on weekends though lots of rowdy weekend warriors. Also I try to keep coolers under lock and key on weekends. The beautiful beach seems to attract a lot of riffraff. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Very nice state park, we've been staying here for years and always have a great time. Sites are good size and most are nicely shaded. Newer bath houses. Love being so close to the lake and the camp store has yummy ice cream too! We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Beautiful campground, divided into an East (162 sites) and West (292 sites) segment. Lots to do including boating, fishing, swimming, etc. , in clear, spring fed lake. Lots of state forest land around for hiking, wildlife viewing. Make reservations early (over phone or on website at michigan. gov/dnr), as campground is very popular in the summer. There is also a North Higgins Lake campground on the opposite side of the lake, which I am not as familiar with, but is also nice. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.