Millersburg, Michigan: Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground, the Falls and Hiking

May 2023, weekdays, 3-nights

Ocqueoc River

We drove through this state forest campground when we visited Ocqueoc Falls in June 2017 from P. H. Hoeft State Park. This time, we stayed in the state forest campground across the street from the falls. We had planned to arrive a few days earlier than we did; however, shortly beforehand, we discovered this campground does not open until May 1st. We arrived May 1st, and were the only campers all three nights of our stay.

View from campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground

Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground is a primitive campground with vault toilets and a hand pump for fresh water. The water we pumped out was brown, and we did not use it. I am not sure if it is always like that, or if this was because we were apparently the first ones using the pump since the previous fall.

View from campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: from back camper window

Campsites

We stayed on campsite 3, which is an amazing site. Campsites 1 and 2 are also on the river; the view is just not as open as on site 3. Campsite 3 is the most open riverfront campsite. It is a bit tricky to back into, as the road in front of it has a slight incline.

Above: View in front of campsite 3 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: Another view from campsite 3

Campsite 3 is not level, and we had to place blocks under tires on one side of the camper. It is just a few steps down a slight slope to the river.

Above: campsite 7 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground
Below: campsite 8 in Ocqueoc Falls State Forest Campground

Although we liked campsite 3, I would probably choose campsite 7 or 8 at the top of the hill, if we stay here again. The campsites at the top of the hill are level, and they have river views. It is just a few steps more to the river, as these sites are not at river level.

Ocqueoc Falls in May 2023

Recreation

It is an easy walk to view the falls across the street from camp. The river was quite high during our visit, and we did not walk in the water this time.  Many people do walk through the water at Ocqueoc Falls, and we had done this in 2017.

Trail map and wet trail

We hiked all of the trails across the street from the campground. The trails are all quite wide. The hike is pretty easy, other than the wet portions at this time of year.

Above: Steps down to Ocqueoc River from hiking trail
Below: Flooded areas downriver from the falls

Point #7 on the map above has steps down to the river, and there is a bench at this point, as well. There are a few offshoots from the main trail just downriver of the falls, which were flooded over in May. There is also a short path from the campground, which runs along the river to a rest stop on M-68.

Overall, and misc.

This is a nice quiet place to camp during the off-season. The cost was $20 a night. A few vehicles drove through the campground in the afternoons, but that was the extent of the activity.

Let me know if you have any questions or information to share! I came across one more photo of campsite 3 from a different angle that I have uploaded below, which shows the slight angle of the site and road.