Marquette, Michigan: Rippling River Resort Campground, Presque Isle Park, Downtown

 October 2020, 4-nights, weekdays - weekend, campsite 24

Carp River at Rippling River Resort in Marquette, Michigan.

Reservations and arrival

We made our reservation on the website, and were able to pick our campsite. The check-in and entrance signs were well marked when we arrived, and the check-in process did not take long.

Campsite 24 at Rippling River Resort.

Campsites

I chose site 24 because online it looked like it had trees on both sides. This is a level and spacious site with some privacy. The site was shady for most of the day. It is a full hookup site, and the cost was $59 a night. I am posting a few campsite photos in this blog. You can find more photos and additional information in the Rippling River Resort album on my Facebook page.

View toward river and tent sites from campsite 24 at Rippling River Resort.

I did not choose a site along the edge by the river because the sites did not look very big in the online photos, although many of them list the max RV length as 55'. The back end of the trailer on site 22 in the photo above, was slightly hanging over the back edge of the hill. They were unable to park their vehicle on that site, and have a fire. They parked in the tent parking lot beside their site when they had a fire. Signs said not to do this; however, I assume this was not enforced, as it was not real busy during the week. Site 22 says it can accommodate an RV up to 35'. We just downsized from a 30' fifth wheel (about 35' overall), which is bigger than the trailer parked on that site. There is no way I would have wanted that site with our previous RV! This is just one example of the size of the sites along the edge. There were some sites closer to the entrance (around #s 5-12) that looked larger, and a couple of those had partial views of the river. 

View toward the west from campsite 24 at Rippling River Resort.

It was very quiet on our site until the last evening. Our last night was a Friday, and the people who arrived on site 28 stayed up very late. Site 28 sits up a bit higher than site 24, and their trailer was a popup tent trailer. I presume both of these things made the sound more noticeable on our site, than if they had been camping in an RV that would have totally blocked the area between us. The noise was not obnoxiously loud; it was just not as quiet as it had been before the weekend.

Outside deck behind the bar at Rippling River Resort.

Food & beverage

There is a small bar at the back of the camp store and registration office.  There are a few bar seats inside, and outside the bar there is a two-level deck with seating, as well as seats at ground level along the river with a fire pit.

Seating along the river near the fire pit at Rippling River Resort.

There were several craft beers and cocktails available, along with a limited food menu. We had the Chicken Bacon Artichoke Pizza one evening, which was very good. This area was comfy, and the service was excellent.

Beautiful fall foliage between the pool and mini-golf.

Recreation: pool, hot tub, mini-golf, hiking, biking, river

We did not use the pool or hot tub during our stay. The evening that we had our pizza, we observed a guest try to use the hot tub; however, it was closed for maintenance that evening. Mini-golf was located next to the pool area.

Tree along the trail and Carp River near the tent sites at Rippling River Resort.

We hiked some of the trails in the resort; along the river near the tent area, and the trail that crosses the river (Gorgeous trail, I believe it is called). The hiking is beautiful, and the skill level is easy to moderate. There are a few steep hills. We passed one person on a mountain bike in the steeper hill area, and I commented that looked like too much work when he went by. He said he has hiked and biked the trails, and it is a workout either way.

Looking down at Carp River from the hiking trail.

You can access Noquemanon South Trails Trailhead from the campground, and connect to Iron Ore Heritage Trail. We originally thought we would bike this paved route to Presque Isle Park from camp; however, we changed our minds and drove there to hike instead, as it was kind of cool and rainy. 

Carp River behind Rippling River Resort.

We were told that Carp River is used for fishing, and that extreme kayakers have gone down it. It did not look like a river I would want to attempt. Rippling river is a fitting name.

Area information, misc., and overall

We loved this campground and this area. The autumn colors were amazing at the beginning of October. Along with the full hookup and tent sites, the resort also has cabins available, and electric only sites. 

Black Rocks at Presque Isle Park.

We would love to spend more time exploring the area than we were able to do this trip. We enjoyed hiking in Presque Isle Park, and we walked along the bay in town on the city multi-use path.

We liked the local brewery we visited in town--Ore Dock. They had inside and outside seating, and the beer was good. We learned about this brewery via HopPassport. HopPassport is offering a special right now; if you pre-order the 2021 passport, they will send you a complimentary 2020 passport right away! You can find the info on my Facebook page.

Let me know if you have any questions or information to add! Feel free to share this post.