Lovely campground with nice level sites for the most part. We somehow lucked out and got what I figured was a handicap spot. No complaints here read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Its a pretty nice spot. Located right within the city limits actually. So its not far from good awesome city fun. It was packed when we first arrived. It was labor day weekend, which was to be expected. But the site was pretty big. 2 cars and 2 tents took up only a fraction of our site. But on the next day, everybody left and it was hella quiet. Loved it! The facilities were pretty good. Although i kept hearing from 2 campers in our group that one of the shower rooms didnt have hot water. Mine was fine, but i believe them. They're like family to me. Plus the noise from the main road is hella extra. Specially when obnoxious farmers with the loud aftermarket exhausts. Fire pit was pretty dope, we cooked some of our food on it. Sausages, giant tomahawk steak, and our smore dessert. I had a pretty good time camping here. Aside from the cold shower stall that my fellow campers experiencee. I would totally camp here again. Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope this helps with your decision making experience. Enjoy your awesome yelptastic day!!! read more

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We camped here for 2 nights last June and we love the park and how convenient everything was. Our site is like 2 minutes walk to the beach which across the street. Although many trees are in our site, we had a small trailer so it was not so hard for my husband to back in. The bathroom are newly renovated. They still have the old bathroom at the other side of the campground. Just 5-7 minutes drive to town which so convenient if you need something. Definitely our favorite state park. read more

Traverse City State Park - The beach across the street (2 mins walk from our site) - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

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just nowNEW Drove motorcycles all day. Just want to sleep. Time: 10:46pm. Sites are small. Our site is next to a bathroom so heavy foot traffic. People are in considerate. Sitting around a fire. Won't shut up. Talking loud. U would think after a certain time the park would have a quiet time so ppl can sleep? Hwy is close by... if u like hearing loud traffic like loud trucks and Harleys making noise or ambulance or police sirens, along with jets flying over(not joking), ((airport close by, jet just landed- yes that loud)), this is the place for u. But if u want a quiet place to take in nature. Sleep. Relax. Chill out... this is NOT THE PLACE FOR U. until the next review: Steve-O, out read more

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First time camping hence chose this place to figure stuff . Also this in city and with most facilities like electricity and restrooms. Reached around 3.30 pm and check in was easy process. Picked some wood($5-bundle) for the pit. The Tent setup was fairly easy but it took little while to get the fire but eventually we did it and grilled some food and had a great time. Pros: ------- In city Lake is walkable Electricity points for RV and electrical appliances Clean Restrooms Easy check In/out ( 3pm - 1pm) Downtown is 2 miles Site can accommodate 3 tents and vehicle Drinking water available 1 mile to grocery store / Dollar tree Camp ground host available till 10 pm incase if u need wood / Ice Wineries are 20-25 min Cons: -------- None Good place for first time campers and people who want to explore local spots. read more

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We went to enjoy the beach for an afternoon. Cute spot, and wasn't overly crowded. Only thing is now with the water levels being up there wasn't a ton of sandy beach space - the water comes up pretty high. Water was a little chilly, but you get used to it quickly. Views across the water were very pretty. There were restrooms close by, trash cans and some picnic tables. You need the recreation pass to get it, but we have one for our car- and you can buy one there if you want. There were also a bunch of cute baby ducks that were hanging out! read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Slam packed on each other and no consideration for quiet hour. At midnight we became those people who had to yell at midnight, to tell our neighbors what time of the night it was. Super sandy park and so tightly packed in. Does have access to over road walkway, but not dog friendly on the other side. Can hear road noise. Busy road!!!! read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Do NOT GO HERE. SMOKE hangs in the trees, lake flies, crowded sites too close together, no site water. The worst!!! Truly the worst pick on our vacation to Michigan. We left n went to a Good Sam Park where we had fresh air, friendly neighbors, cable TV n full hook ups. We stayed here July 14th; state of Michigan should be embarrassed with many of their parks. Dismal maintenance, old facilities, read more

Great park right on the East bay. Have to get a state park sticker or have rec pass on plate to get in though. Has playground with picnic tables right there also near beach. So you don't have to go far at all to enjoy everything. Water crystal clear and excellent beach sand for playing in. It is a must to check out. read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Perfect little park to spend a sunny afternoon at. I didn't go camping, just stayed beach side and it was fantastic. The water is clean and warm, they have a beautiful view of the bay, everyone is friendly (even the ducks will come over and say hello!), and did I mention it's CLEAN? My family had a great time splashing in the water and building sand castles in the soft sand. It's shallow pretty far out which is nice since that meant my 3.5 year old cousin could wade out for a while without it getting too scary. Although if you're looking for deeper waters to go swimming or lounging in this might not be the place but for kids and families it's great! Behind the beach they have a playground for the kids, plenty of picnic tables, a little bathroom area with vending machines and such, and some nice greenery as well. Sure the view behind you is US-31 but as long as you're facing out towards the water it doesn't matter. The parking lot is also close which makes this a good "let's just take a quick trip to the beach" sort of place. It's affiliated with the Michigan State Parks so you'll need a "passport" to visit but it's only $10 for the year and it will get you into all the Michigan State Parks which is pretty nice. Worth it to support our lovely nature spaces. I would even pay more than $10 but it's nice they keep it so cheap for families who may not have a lot of money. Not sure what it costs to overnight across the street in the campground but if you're staying at a nearby hotel that doesn't have a beach of it's own it's a great spot to hang out at. Not terribly crowded either! The one thing that we found odd, however, was a lack of trashcans by the beach/parking lot. We had some stuff to pitch and we couldn't find one! Despite all the grills and picnic tables there was nary a trashcan to be found. Perhaps they had moved them to clean (does that happen??) and we just missed them during our visit but be prepared and bring a bag to store your trash just in case! read more

This park was great in all areas except one...the noise! I'm not talking about other campers. They were quiet & very friendly. This park is sandwiched between busy highway 31, the Travers City airport and a US coast guard station! The constant truck noise & planes to shake you awake was not what we wanted on a relaxing camping trip! We also got to experience a USCG helicopter flying very low (tree top level) around the park for nearly 2 hours on 2 of the nights we stayed there! We couldn't even hold a conversation because it was so loud! We won't be staying at this park again. Very disappointing because the beach & campsites were wonderful. read more

I camped at Traverse City State Park for the first time this past weekend with a few friends. First of all, if you're looking for rustic camping, this is definitely not it. I wasn't expecting to be in the wilds of Northern Michigan, but this campground is basically in the city. Also, it's right next to an airport. Some people might be bothered by hearing planes taking of and landing all day and into the evening. (I didn't care, since I can sleep through pretty much anything.) It's also right next to a banquet center where there was a wedding going on with loud music til pretty late on Saturday night. Again, I didn't mind, but some people might be annoyed by that. The campground itself is pretty big, with hookups for electricity, showers, bathrooms, RV washing stations, etc. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit. They sell decently priced firewood and ice at the welcome cabin at the front, but it closes around 9pm, so bring your own if you're coming in later. There is a grocery store right down the road. The bathrooms were clean, but the toilets kept auto-flushing multiple times whenever I tried to use them, which I find to be incredibly annoying! The sensors might need to be recalibrated or something. There is plenty to do around this campground! The beach is literally across the (pretty busy) street (highway), there is a mini-golf / go-kart place down the road, and of course Downtown is a short drive away. I don't know that I would come here again, unless it's for a wedding and I don't want to pay $$$ to stay in a hotel! (2 campsites for 4 couples turned out to about $35 per person for 2 nights, not bad!) read more

Good place to take a family. Clean restrooms but could use some updating m. Not bad quality.

We only stopped here to picnic, but the strip of beach on Grand Traverse Bay here is lovely and clean. Several families were taking advantage of the first beautiful Sunday of summer here. There is a booth at the entrance, but it was unmanned, so I am not sure if they charge you to enter. We just bought a state park yearly pass to enter Tahquamenon Falls, so we were good if there was indeed a charge. The strip of beach is only a quarter of a mile, but it is quiet and relaxing. read more

Review for the beach. We decided to get a taste of the local beach and opted to stop here. You do need a pass to enter, but we purchased one from the entry guard for $16 for the year. Great deal. We got there around 11 and there was ample parking and plenty of picnic tables and beach spots. There was a lot of shade if you don't like the sun, but the beach part was sunny- best of both worlds! It was very family friendly and had a great play structure for the kids, and enough sand before the water started ... the water was clear and clean, as was the sand. We actually really enjoyed it. There is a store right across the street that sold beach toys and the park also had public barbecues we could use as well as bathrooms (although we didn't need to go so I don't know their condition). Overall, great state beach/park and will for sure return! read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Wonderful campground with very clean bathrooms and showers. Enjoyed the access to Tart Trail. We loved it and will definitely be back!!

Great location. Good size campsites. Quiet. Beach across the street is nice. Rude staff though. And the bathroom gets cleaned at 8:00-9:30 in the morning, the busiest hours when you need it. But the kicker is the guy blocks off the woman's restroom, the mens restroom, & all 6 showers as he slowly walks back n forth between them. Then yells at the line to settle down because everyone is complaining. Um.. just a suggestion.. how about block the mens & clean it, then open it & move to the womens, etc, etc. read more

This is a good park/campground with a lot of positives. It's super clean, has a beach and is fairly close to downtown. For the negatives, it's on a busy road and next to an airport. It's also across the street from a hotel which has glaring bright lights in the middle of the night. It's not my favorite place to camp, but is it convenient? Yes. read more

This is a great campground close to everything you could want to do in traverse city. The tart trail is at the back of the campground and I can ride the whole city and more. The back of the campground is the place to be so u don't hear much if any traffic. Only complaints are the terrible electric layout at most sites. BRING AN EXTENSION CORD! Campground host were terrible. No coffee like other campgrounds I have been at and they don't even open the gate to the tart trail at 8am . seems like they host for free camping and neglect the simple things that most campground hosts provide. Third loop has best restrooms/showers.the campground host is the only reason they didn't get the 5 star treatment. Overall I highly recommend. read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Our friends were getting married in Traverse City, and we scored a room at a winery for Sunday and Monday night. However, we didn't think too much about the night of the wedding, and by the time I went to book, we were looking at $300 a night for really terrible hotels. We thought about camping, and we got a spot for here $39 for the night. Can't beat that! My biggest concern was that I had to get ready for a wedding in a campground. The bathrooms aren't super clean, and the one I went to had zero ventilation so I was pretty sweaty considering it was the end of July. They should put a fan in the bathroom to clear out the musty smell and get the air moving. But you can believe me that I was pretty angry with myself when I found a bathroom the next day only a little further away that had huge open windows and was much cooler. Other than that, this seemed to be a nice campground. Insanely close to the beach (there's a little overpass you walk on to get to the beach only minutes away) and our lot was a really nice size. We were only there for one night, so it's not like we got the chance to experience to the fullest, but it was a very easy check in (I was in and out in minutes), we easily found our spot, and the site was clean. Also, online booking is a breeze to use, however it was a little tricky to figure out what spots were available and where they were. It takes a little time to figure it out, but once you do it's super easy to book without talking to a single person. read more

Pros -Close to downtown Traverse City -Beautiful beach -Larged sized campsites Cons -Bathrooms were not very clean or well maintained -Noisy (right next to main road and wasn't very quiet during "quiet hours") -No privacy read more

Great playground and we didn't even use beach ... But, alas, lovely view. read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

Great place to camp always a fun time! A lot of places to walk to or you can even walk over the bridge to the beach!

We really enjoyed TCSP this summer. The lots are several different sizes. I was impressed with the clean bathrooms and showers. I can't wait to return and start a summer tradition. The beach is across the street and we did not visit. I will go next time. It looked gorgeous! read more

We stayed here over the busy 4th of July Holiday and enjoyed it immensely. We were situated in the back of the campground and never had a problem (other than a raccoon raid of our cooler on one night.. HAHA). The park rangers were friendly and helpful, the beach across the street was pleasant, and the scenery was fabulous. We paid $27 per night for a tent site, which is an average price I've found. The park itself is three miles east of town (almost to Acme), but still within a reasonable distance to most everything on the Lakefront that you could possibly want to do. We never had a problem with noise or nosy neighbors or anything while we stayed at the park. Good times! I definitely recommend this park to others. read more

This is a campground with close quarters. But it is also in the heart of the city, so you have access to lots of restaurants, businesses, special events, etc. And it is just across the street from a beautiful beach on lake Michigan. The showers are busy, but they have a lot of them, with wonderful hot water. No Laundry. And it is right next to a wonderful paved bike trail. read more

Traverse City State Park - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

It appears the budget or ? keeps the grass from getting mowed or firepits cleaned out. Used to be more maintained unfortunately.

Such an amazing place to visit. Living in Traverse City I frequently take my family to the park. The walk is fantastic and the scenery in any season is excellent. Definitely a regular go to place! If you're in the area come visit. If you live in the area I am sure you will agree it's great! Get outdoors and get some northern Michigan air! read more

Decent campground across the street from the State Park Beach. Fantastic view . Fantastic water to swim in when its warm. Unfortunately the campgrounds are used so much that it is all dirt and no grass. Book in person or on the phone and ask questions about the site you want. We booked online for a site to fit a 30 foot trailer. When we arrived we found that we could not open our awning. Popular place. Super busy weekends and holidays. read more

We set up tents at this campground and these are the PROS and CONS of the campground in our experience. We stayed for 3 nights/4 days. PROS: * Beautiful campground - Lots of trees. * Insects were minimal - No swarms of mosquitoes, etc. * Convenient to Traverse City * Beach access is convenient and close with a walkway over the road. * Beach is lovely, clean, and has shallow water for a ways out. * Good Staff * Modern bathrooms/showers were mostly clean * Direct access to TART trail. * Ice and wood available for purchase in the campground CONS: * Noise..lots and lots of noise! * The highway is right in front of the campground. You will hear road noise no matter where you are in the campground. We were in the the southeastern part of the campground furthest away from the road and we still heard it. Even in the middle of the night you will hear cars passing along on the highway. * Airplanes. The Cherry Capital Airport is very close to the campground. The runway is about 2 miles from the campground, This airport has passenger jets (Delta, AA, etc) landing there. So, even if you go to the back of the campground to avoid the road noise, you will have airport noise back there. However, there are not planes landing all the time. I would say I can remember 2 - 4 landing a day there. But, the planes...shockingly, were relatively quiet compared to: * The Coast Guard Helicopters land at the airport. And my, oh my they are LOUD. That is my biggest gripe with the campground noise was the constant buzzing of the Coast guard helicopters. They land at the airport and it seemed like every 20 minutes a helicopter was buzzing the campground for a good part of the day. The noise is so loud that you have to stop your conversation and wait for them to pass to start talking again. They completely destroy the quiet and peace of the campground. And they start early. If the crows don't wake you up at the crack of dawn, a Coast Guard helicopter will. For the most part, we didn't hear many at night, but that is not saying that we didn't hear any at all - there was the occasional helicopter after it was dark. * Lots of urban noise in general. Like the garbage trucks, dumpsters being picked up and slammed down in the early AM at the nearby hotels and in the front part of the campground. * And last but not least. There are railroad tracks right at the back of the campground. However, only two short trains passed there during our 3 night / 4 day stay. * The so-called "Camp Store" is a liquor store you have to walk a quarter mile to get to...and it's expensive. * The beach is noisy as well for all the reasons stated above. * Our site had a lot of ants...a lot. * A lot of the sites were really, really small. This campground claims to have 343 sites. Seriously...they should combine some of those sites. They would still have over 200+ available. * The showers went cold. I managed to get one hot shower in before the hot water stopped working, then the water would only get lukewarm on my next shower. And because we went after their season, in other words, after labor day, they closed and locked the outside showers...the only ones with working hot water. CONCLUSION I thought this was a beautiful campground. I did enjoy my stay there. However, because of the constant noise issues, I will not be staying there again. It is a nice campground in a really bad location. It's located in between a highway, an airport, and a railroad. Because we stayed in tents, we probably experience the noise a lot more than the people who had travel trailers, RV's and fifth-wheels. So, I say if you need to stay a few days and you own a camper/trailer of sorts and you will not spending most of the day in the campground, then it may be nicer for you. But as a tent camper...no, it's not worth it. Especially at night when you want to sleep. On our way home, we checked out the Interlochen State Park Campground. It is very quiet, on a lake w/beach, has modern amenities, and an in-park camp store. It is only 20 minutes southwest of Traverse City. We will be staying there the next time we head up to the Traverse City area. read more

Traverse City State Park - A general view of the campground - Parks Near Me - Traverse City, Michigan

I have six daughters, ages 15 to 6. My girls and I are so busy through the school year with school activities, academics, after school sport and jobs. By the time summer hits we are so ready for some relaxing, bonding and overall fun in the sun!!! We spend as many weekends as we are able to out camping. We have been all over Michigan, both the Mitten and the UP. We always camp in MI State Park. Last summer we to try staying close to home and camping in the Traverse City State Park for a week straight. It ended up being one of our favorite summer memories! The Park is right across the road from the beach and there is a bridge that crosses over right from the park. So everyday we were easily able to grab our beach gear and head to the sand. We spent a few hours every afternoon relaxing in the sun, chatting...girl talk that we never seem to have time for in all our busy!!.....cooking off in the water and just generally kicking back! The bath houses at the park are kept clean which is nice for 7 girls!! In the evenings we enjoyed relaxing around the fire or bike rides through the campground. The park staff was friendly and helpful. My younger girls spend sometime every afternoon at the camp host site making crafts!! We will definitely be booking another week at the TC State Park this summer! read more

The campground is great. The bathrooms are big and clean, each shower has its own room with a door you can lock, the rangers are super nice and the grounds are all well kept. The location is also nice and within walking distance of the State beach. The only recommendation I would give, is be cautious of the spots along the main road. The map didn't show the road and so we were surprised when our camping spot literally backed up to the road. This not only took away the sense of truly camping, but it we had the hotel across the streets lights shining the whole night and the sound from traffic made it almost impossible to hear each other talking around the fire. If you go just one row over, you cant see or hear the traffic. Definitely recommend this campground. We will be back next year (in a different spot of course) read more

Urban Camping. If you like camping out in woods with lots of green space, this is not the campground for you. It is a fun place to go, with tons to do in a urban setting for Michigan. Right on the TART bike trial system, close to the beach, good place to eat, go cart and mini golf and other activities. Not far from wineries, malls and other shopping. It is right off a 4 lane highway, an airport and a seldom used rail road (4 days, never heard a train. read more

Decent state park, but don't come here to enjoy "wilderness." At the back of our lot is a major road. You have to take a walkway over the road to get to the beach too. Other than that I have enjoyed my time here. read more

we really enjoyed this campground. Lots of trees gave it a park like setting, yet close to town of traverse city. Modern bathrooms and showers. Bridge over highway leads to very pretty beach--great swimming in traverse bay. Paved bike trail (Tart trail) goes right behind campground--a path connects it to camping area. This goes for 12 miles including right into traverse city. Bring your bikes! People of all ages constantly riding by. One side of the campground is along a busy highway, so we picked a site on the other end by bike trail. There were lots of folks around (the place was packed for cherry festival) but it was nice and quiet for sleeping. We give this park two thumbs up! On top of camping fee you need to buy a michigan state park pass for 8 bucks a night or 29 (?) or so for the season. we got a season pass and enjoyed other michigan parks on our trip. read more

This campground was far from our favorites, from the dirty and old bathrooms, to the power being shut down from 9am until whenever. Which was a good thing so you couldn't see how dirty they were. Showers included, you would think they would clean them more often during the day.Then the check out, for this big of campground to have a little dump station. Campers lined up for ever, even if you have a tent and not going to the dump station you can't get out. The only plus is that it is close to things to do and the walkway to the beach for children. Will not come back here. read more

This is a really great park. I've stayed here with my family three times and each time it has been a great experience. Nearly all the lots to camp on are shaded with just enough light to warm up on those cool mornings. We have never had trouble with noise or other campers being too rowdy. What's really great about the park is the access to the downtown city beach via a pedestrian walkway that takes you safely over the main road. The park is also surprisingly quiet and sheltered from road noise even though it is literally right downtown Traverse City. The location makes it nice if you want to bike to a local coffee shop. Or spend one of your evenings strolling around downtown T.C., getting an ice cream cone or playing some put-put golf. Of course, they have firewood and ice like you would expect. Restrooms and shower facilities are very modern and well maintained. This is a great campsite. The Borer's will definitely be back. read more

This review is for the campground. We actually really like it here, aside from the fact that there is a lot of vehicle traffic and its densely populated. That can be expected though as this is a major tourist area, and I personally didn't mind too much. Our neighbors were pretty courteous and quiet hours were actually quiet. Given the density of campers, I was actually quite impressed. Campsites were adequately sized, although the entire rear perimeter was laced with poison ivy. There is no camp store here and the nearest decent grocery area is about 20 minutes away. Fresh water is available everywhere nearby but I could find no place to dump grey water except for the bathrooms. The best part of the place was the fact that the beach was right across the road and easily accessible by catwalk. read more