Kincheloe, Michigan: Kinross Charter Township RV Park in the Upper Peninsula

October 2024, two nights, weekdays

Arrival 

This township has two RV Parks; east and west. We had thought we would stay in the west section near the fairgrounds, as that area is a bit more like a campground; however, the water had already been turned off for the season in that section. We arrived from the west, so continuing 2½ more miles to the east campground was not a problem. A host trailer was on site in the east park near the registration area; however, we did not see the host at any time during our stay. We chose a site, and then registered and paid via envelopes provided at the self-registration kiosk.

Above: sunset from inside camper in East Kinross Township RV Park
Below: map overview of East Kinross Township RV Park

Campsite 12

I did not take any campsite photos, so I am including a marked photo above from google maps to show the campground. We were on the campsite circled in red.

All of the sites in the east campground are full hookup. Our campsite had a level concrete pad. There were not many campers in October, so the fact that the sites are open was not an issue. There is plenty of room between neighbors behind each site.

Free Michigan Camping in Upper Peninsula: St Ignace Casino, Bond Falls, Sturgeon River National Park

May 2023, 9 nights

Kewadin Casino campground in St. Ignace, 2 nights, weekend

We had initially planned to camp at Hog Island State Forest Campground. The weather turned very cold and rainy the two nights we were in this area, so we decided we wanted a camping location with power instead of a primitive site. This camping area next to the casino has power, a dump station, and picnic tables (after it opens May 15th). We were there before the 15th, so no amenities were available except the electric. There was also no charge for our stay! 😊 The cost used to be $10 a night, and now the website says it is $20. We were able get a few tasks completed during this stay: there is a decent laundromat in town with free wifi, and we grocery shopped at Cedarville Foods after visiting Les Cheneaux Distillers. The grocery store had a decent selection with good prices for this rural area. You can find more info about the market and distillery by clicking on the "Cedarville" label at the bottom of this post.

The casino campsites are along the perimeter of the lower parking lot (some might complain that this is parking lot camping). Since we had lousy weather with no opportunity to be outside, and there were only a couple of other campers during our stay, this was not a problem. The wifi signal from the casino is not strong enough to use from the camping area.

Eagle in Brevort Lake National Forest Campground

Hog Island State Forest and Brevet Lake National Forest (neither of these are free)

We checked out these campgrounds after our casino stay on the way to our next destination. Hog Island did not appeal to us, and we were glad we had decided to stay at the casino. The sites are small, not very level or private, and some of them were wet with standing water. We would have stayed in Brevort Lake NF, except it was not open for the season yet. We walked through the park, and observed many spacious sites on the lake. 

Bond Falls campsite from road

Bond Falls west campground in Haight Township, 4 nights, site 20, weekdays and weekend

This was one of my favorite campgrounds during our 6-week trip. It is a primitive campground with only vault toilets and trash receptacles. There is an old hand water pump in the campground, which looked like it has not been working for awhile. Park information does not say that fresh water is available. Sites are all first come, first serve.

Bond Falls campsite

Hessel and Cedarville, Michigan: Kewadin casino campground, Les Cheneaux Distillery, and more

September 2022, 1-night, weekend

Kewadin casino campground in Hessel, Michigan

Kewadin casino campground in Hessel, Michigan

After camping in Mackinaw City with no facilities, we needed a place to recharge our camper and dump our holding tank. Although we are not huge gamblers, this seemed like one of the better options available for just a one night stay. We paid $20 for a campsite with electricity, and I see the rate on the Kewadin website now says $22. We joined the players club after we checked in, and each received $10 in free play.

Kewadin casino campground in Hessel, Michigan

This campground has vault toilets, and a sanitation station on-site. I am not sure why the website says the dump station is off-site. We were on the first campsite against the woods on the right, although I do not recall the campsite number. The only other people in the park the night of our stay were a few campers together in the center lots. Apparently, there are no rules about how to park campers because the campers in the center were not actually parked within their sites, and they had their fire in another fire pit, which was not on the campsite of any of the campers. 

Mackinaw Bay Nature Preserve in Cedarville, Michigan

Eastern Upper Peninsula in Michigan: Cedarville, Sault Ste. Marie, Drummond Island

June 2021, Weekdays - weekend

Following is information about some of the places we visited during our stay at DeTour State Forest Campground.

Displayed at Les Cheneaux Distillers

Cedarville

We had a fabulous visit at Les Cheneaux Distillers just south of M-134. Great beers, spirits, food, atmosphere, gift shop, and service. Everything was impressive! We were lucky to find the place mostly empty when we arrived in the afternoon after lunch time, because it was filling up fast before we left. 

Some of the delicious items we had at Les Cheneaux Distillers:
Bloody Mary, beer sampler, pretzel knots

We learned about this location because they are listed in the HopPassport, and they were happy to honor the discounts (unlike Tahquamenon Brewery in another recent post). 

There is a decent grocery store in Cedarville on the corner M-134 and M-129, which met all our needs for a few items we needed to restock. 

Photo taken from Rotary Island Park in Sault Ste. Marie