Best Camping in and near Charles Mears State Park

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Discover Charles Mears State Park's scenic trails and serene campgrounds.

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View south along the Lake Michigan shore at dusk. 30 steps from campsite.

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Charles Mears Campground

177 sites · RVs, Tents In Charles Mears State Park

Top-rated campgrounds near Charles Mears State Park

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The 40 Acre Wood

5 sites · Lodging40 acres · Shelby, MI

www.facebook.com/the40acrewood Before our forest was "owned," it belonged to the Odawa people. Once white settlers arrived and governments were established, land deeds were written. We traced those deeds back through the Oceana County Register of Deeds and found that larger tracts of land were owned by people from Chicago and California, which were later divided into smaller parcels. Interestingly, one owner lost the property after failing to pay back taxes of $3.50, shortly after World War II. It is likely that he never returned. In the mid-1900s, Ed Dewey was the owner. Today, we have a cabin on the east side of the 40 acres that was built by Ed, entirely constructed with oak. He had three sawmills there, each powered by the engines of old Studebakers. He cut and milled enormous oak trees, using the wood to construct crates for transporting cherries. Today, you can still see old oak crates on various farms, but they are slowly being replaced by plastic. Ed never finished the little cabin, and the story goes that he died there. The next owners were a couple from Inkster, near Detroit. Despite Ed leaving an acre of "yard art" all over, the place was used as a vacation home after a 50-foot long mobile home was placed near the cabin. As they aged, they sold off their property to us. First, we acquired the 20 acres where the Cozy Camper Cabin resides, then the 7 acres near Weaver Road and 44th, and finally, the remaining 13 acres with the cabin. We began purchasing the property in parcels in 1992 for $500 an acre and owned it all by 1998. From 1998 to 2008, we removed the mobile home, cleaned up all the yard art, refurbished the cabin, added a garage, and built a new shed nearby. The Hipcamp shed was originally built in 1999 and has been used for storage until it was converted into a unique little place in the woods in 2021. Over the years, our Forester has carefully managed the property. We have logged three times. The first round was to remove 75 huge oak trees. The second round involved culling mature poplar trees. The last time, we took out 276 mature oaks and beeches. A Woodsman spent a year cutting down the tops of the trees. Clearing these old growth trees revitalized the forest, as planned. Today, there are over two miles of trails running throughout the property. Some were logging roads, while others were carved out over time. The land is flat to the north but hilly to the south, as these are forested sand dunes. There are approximately a million trees on the property, densely forested with many large "mother trees" such as oaks, beeches, maples, and pines. The poplar trees are growing rapidly, as they do. Wild cherry, sassafras, beeches, oaks, and maples are also growing quickly and thickly. To the south, there are fenced-in asparagus fields and cherry orchards. To the north, on the other side of Weaver Road, is the privately owned Silver Lake Airport, which remains quiet most of the time. On the east side of our 40 acres, you'll find our cabin and buildings, and we kindly ask you to avoid wandering onto that side of the property. Signs will alert you when you get close. To the west, there is a 20-acre section occasionally occupied by some "Dunners." The area is famous for Silver Lake State Park and the sand dunes, located about 2.5 miles northwest of us. Our neighbors in that area have dune buggies, and they sometimes drive around their property, creating more noise than we prefer. It's possible that you may encounter this during your visit, so please be aware. Deer are abundant in the area, and in 2021, we spotted a porcupine for the first time, although we have occasionally seen evidence of their presence through bark-stripped maples. Raccoons come and go, while turkeys are frequent visitors at times. You can hear coyotes yipping away at night, and depending on the time of year and migratory season, you'll see lots and lots of birds. We're pleased to report that there is no poison ivy on the property! It is a beautiful place in the woods, not far from many entertaining activities suitable for both the young and old. Come and visit, but please be respectful of the land and our privacy while enjoying yours. Love Mother Earth while you are here and nourish your soul.

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The Bird’s Nest - Riverside Retreat

1 site · Lodging3 acres · Pentwater, MI

Our riverside retreat is a beautiful 3 acre parcel located on the North Branch Pentwater River. It is located in a small neighborhood with houses that are spread out with several acres per house, with forest on the other side of the river. It is quiet, secluded, and a perfect oasis to use as a launchpad for exploring the Pentwater/Mears/Hart/Ludington area.

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DaltonTraders Base Camp-Grand Cabin

3 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents40 acres · Muskegon, MI

40 acre secluded wood lot located: 10 miles from Lake Michigan public beaches. 5 miles from Michigan’s Adventure amusement park. 4 miles from Thunderbird Raceway 2 miles from US 31 expressway. 3 miles from shopping, bars and restaurants. 1 mile from public golf course. 5 miles from downtown Muskegon. 8 miles from Lake Express cross lake ferry terminal.

MJ's Green Acres Cabin

1 site · Lodging28 acres · Hart, MI

Green Acres Cabin, situated in Hart, MI, rests on 28 secluded acres boasting over 1000 feet of designated trout river frontage. Our cabin warmly welcomes guests of all backgrounds, including those from the 420 and LGBTQ communities, as well as furry companions. Surrounded by picturesque trails, the cabin offers an idyllic retreat, secluded from the hustle and bustle of urban life. While the cabin is isolated, it provides easy access to the following destinations: 5 miles to downtown Hart 7 miles to the Silver Lake Dunes 11 miles to downtown Pentwater 17 miles to Double JJ Resort/Electric Forest 25 miles to downtown Ludington 35 miles to Michigan Adventure in Muskegon The cabin features two bedrooms and one bathroom, comfortably accommodating 2-3 guests. The bedrooms include a queen bed and a full-size bed, while the downstairs area offers two recliners and a couch, suitable for additional sleeping arrangements. The downstairs also houses the TV, equipped with Dish Network and a Blu-ray/DVD player with assorted movies. Although internet access is not currently available, it is a planned addition in the near future. While cell service may be spotty, Xfinity Mobile, utilizing Verizon towers, typically provides 2 bars, sufficient for basic online tasks such as checking emails and social media. We provide sheets and towels for your convenience. The cabin boasts a fully equipped kitchen and a clothes washer (no dryer), with a clothesline available for drying. Enjoy outdoor cooking with the gas fire pit and grill on the deck, or gather around the fire pit down by the river for cozy evenings under the stars. Our cabin is our cherished retreat, which we occasionally open up to guests. As it is not operated as a for-profit rental, we kindly ask that you treat our slice of heaven with the same care and respect as we do.

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Oak Meadows

25 sites · RVs, Tents27 acres · Lakewood Club, MI

Park your RV or pitch your tent at Oak Meadows. You will have access to our almost 30 acres of a beautiful meadow, hardwood forest, or secret field. Each camp sight comes with access to a private fire ring. Oak Meadows is minutes away from all of West Michigan's popular destinations: Michigan Adventures (3 min drive), ThunderBird Raceway (2 min drive), bike trails to endless destinations (3 min drive), Duck Lake State Park (12 min drive), Whitelake Pier & Lighthouse (14 min drive), 5 major Motorcross / Snowmobiling trails (13-50 min drive), 1000's of acres of National Forest, and surrounded by many lakes and rivers to fish, canoe, boat, kayak, paddleboard, and ski.

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Forever Moore Farm -

1 site · Lodging16 acres · Scottville, MI

Small, simple, cozy cabin on a 16 acre working hobby farm is ready for you to enjoy! Perfect for someone looking for solitude or doing some soul searching, to couples needing a place to rekindle and reconnect, to a family looking for an adventure and bonding, or a get together with friends! Cabin is located in the back of our country property, near our animal barns and woods, in Scottville, MI. Indoor Space: Sleeping - There is a queen size bed and reclining couch. You are welcome to bring an air mattress. Playpen is available by request. Entertainment - WiFi does not work in the cabin, so unplug and enjoy a DVD, board games, coloring books & crosswords, table foosball, or a game of cards. Amenities - Cabin comes fully stocked with a coffee pot, microwave, toaster oven, mini fridge, crockpot, dishes, towels, cleaning supplies, and extra toiletries in case you forget anything. Mini A/C and fan to keep cool on hot days and mini heater/electric fireplace to stay warm on cold nights. Primo water jug for filtered water (cabin has electricity but no plumbing). Outdoor Space: The area surrounding the cabin will be for your private use. Sit on the deck and watch the sunrise, enjoy a meal at the picnic table, and in the evening, a fire in the firepit under the starry sky. We will do our best to give you privacy during your stay, but please keep in mind that we do live on the property along with a lot of animals, so you may see us from time to time. Other Things to Note: Animals - This is an animal farm, and our family home. We expect our guests to enjoy the space while being respectful to all that call this home. Most of our animals free range (goats, chickens, turkeys, cats, dogs, ducks). You will likely encounter a few while you are here. If they are bothering you, we will do our best to redirect them, just let us know. You are welcome to interact with them, but please do not enter the barns or pasture without arranging to have one of us with you. If you encounter a bear, we would recommend not interacting at all. 😉 We have not seen a bear, but they are in the area, along with coyotes, raccoons, deer, birds, etc, which we see frequently. Proper disposal of food/trash is very important. Town/Shopping/Things to Do - We are 8 mins from downtown Scottville which is a very small town with a couple of cafes, post office, Dollar General and a gas station. However, Ludington is only a 15 min drive and has A LOT to offer from restaurants, shopping, Amish market, antique shops, Lake Michigan, beaches, state forests/hiking, tubing/canoeing down the river, fishing, biking/ORV trails, famous Badger (ferry boat), orchards, petting zoos, and much more. There is a portapotty next to the cabin for your private use while staying with us. A well water pump is available next to the horse barn for washing up/washing dishes. Drinking water is provided in the cabin. For guests staying more than 1 night, we would be happy to provide/scheduled use of our guest shower by request. Play structure, sandbox, and toys in the front yard are available for your use (this is not private space but you are welcome to enjoy it). We will be setting up the pool soon which you can schedule time to use as well. Other items available by request: Use of charcoal grill Use of back deck Use of telescope Extra pillows/blankets, towels, sleeping bags Animal Feeding/Up Close Experience Flashlight More DVD's or Board Games Meals (when available, small fee $, please ask if interested) Tablecloth If there is anything that could make your stay more comfortable/enjoyable, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. We love our farm/home and want to share our piece of country paradise with others!!! Please Note: This is in the country. We have bugs, critters, and wildlife that we share space with. We do our best to keep the cabin clean and the area as safe as possible, but we cannot control nature. Plan to use bug spray, the fly swatter, and the word mosquito, a lot while staying here. There is also a lot of animal poop, everywhere. Again, we do our best to keep it clean, but don't wear your favorite shoes. Roosters cock-a-doo as they please. We can ask them to stop, but they tend to ignore us. You will likely smell manure as we have horses and our neighbors have a cow farm. You will also inhale the freshest air you may have ever inhaled. It's like that here. It's a fun mix of relaxing in nature, endless adventures, animal chaos, and everlasting memories. **We are new hosts and this is a new rental. Please let us know if anything is missing or needs attention so we can have an opportunity to fix it and make this a great stay for all. ***The door is sticky and currently requires a hard slam to close and cannot lock at this time. We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to correct this. Your privacy will be respected while you are staying with us. **Feel free to play music and make noise while you are staying with us, at whatever time you choose, so long as it doesn't disrupt the neighbors (very unlikely). Smoking is allowed outdoors only. We cannot allow pets at this time, as we have too many other animals here already that may not get along with yours. Nearest town: Scottville, 8 min drive Nearest Bigger town: Ludington, 15 min drive Nearest airports/Cities: Manistee (limited airlines) - 30 mins Grand Rapids - 1.5 hrs Chicago - 3 hrs Detroit - 4 hrs Flint - 3 hrs Lansing - 2.5 hrs Ann Arbor - 3.5 hrs Come be our guest!

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Up North Rivers Camping

9 sites · RVs, Tents20 acres · Manistee, MI

We have 20 Acres of rolling hills, mostly forested, nestled on the banks of a flowing creek, we are also a budding flower farm, this summer there will be hundreds of dahlias blooming, along with many other flowers. If you have a special occasion, that calls for fresh flowers, be sure to let us know! Our setting is quiet, private and scenic. We occasionally see the Aurora Borealis right from our house. We are located in beautiful Manistee, Michigan where outdoor adventures abound!! Manistee is a peaceful, quaint Northern Michigan town with shopping, antiquing, fine dining and a River Walk. We are minutes from award winning fishing spots on the Big Manistee, Little Manistee, Bear Creek Trout Streams and the Platte River. There are many opportunities to canoe, kayak and paddle board. We are 10 minutes from the Lake Michigan shore, and many beaches are close by. You have a choice of gorgeous sand beaches with picturesque dunes, and rocky beaches for those looking for fossils, agates and beautiful beach stones. We are within an hour of Sleeping Bear Dunes which has award winning hiking. Traverse City is 40 minutes away with many activities, especially the Cherry Festival. The area is known for live music venues, and lots of weekend art festivals. Manistee is also home to the Little River Casino. We have firepits at each campsite, dry firewood is available to purchase, feel free to pay by cash, Venmo or CashApp, cost is $10.00 a wheelbarrow. Fresh flowers are available to purchase, seasonally. An outhouse is available for use and is supplied with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. There is a garbage can and recycling bin near the outhouse. A scenic small creek runs by many of the campsites. We live on the property and are here to answer your questions. Feel free to text us. We hope you enjoy your stay!! Dean and Jackie

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Maplehill Farm Adventures

1 site · Lodging10 acres · Scottville, MI

Hello We’ve a cute little trailer all set up for two with a large covered deck to enjoy a beverage and listen to the crickets. In the morning take your coffee out on the deck and hear the farm animals begin to wake up. Take a ride into downtown Ludington or a kayak/boat trip down the Pete Marquette or the Manistee rivers. Spend the day at the beach relaxing, eat ice cream from the House of Flavors or visit the White Pine Village for a historic lesson. Come back, grill up some dinner and enjoy a beverage with a campfire or watch the tele.

Booked 1 time

SheriDune

2 sites · Lodging1 acre · Pentwater, MI

Our cottage was originally built by two women who were a couple in 1965. The Burke family bought it in the mid-1970s and added on the Master Bedroom and Living Room. The Sheridan family purchased this magical property in 2013 and have lovingly maintained it since. While we had thoughts of rebuilding like many of our neighbors have, we chose to honor the past owners and improve it. We have doubled the deck size, replaced all windows and doors, and put wood ceilings with ceiling fans in all bedrooms and the bathroom, a significant improvement over the old drop ceilings. Future projects include a bathroom remodel and kitchen remodel.Learn more about this land:Best views of Little Sable Point Lighthouse & lots of hangout space, sleeps 8.First time ever available as a rental!With unparalleled views of Little Point Sable Lighthouse from the expanded deck and from inside the cottage, and right across the street from Golden Sands beach, you simply cannot beat this location. This magical property has amazing beach access right across the street, and the most incredible sunsets you will ever see!SheriDune is surrounded on two sides by Silver Lake State Forest and has a private fire pit area out back for 'Smores roasting and stargazing. With so many different zones to hang out in, your friends and family will have plenty of space to enjoy from the cottage to the huge deck to the fire pit area to the beach.The deck is the place to be from the morning cup of coffee on. It boasts a bar height table for 4 and a picnic table for 6-8, both made from recycled milk jugs! There is another "kids" picnic table for activities and a queen-sized day bed with a sun canopy overhead. There is also a Design Within Reach plastic sofa on the deck and other seating for everything from sunbathing to stargazing!Not to be outdone, the beach is like something you would fly thousands of miles to visit, and most of the time you have this huge public beach all to yourselves.With 3 bedrooms and a bathroom, SheriDune comfortably sleeps 8. There is a Queen in the Master, a Full-size bed in the guest bedroom, and a kids' bunk room that has 4 bunks.Very limited calendar so book fast!!

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Lynx Run Wilderness Retreat

8 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents100 acres · Stanwood, MI

My property (Lynx Run) has an amazing geological and historical background. During the last ice age, glacial waters carved out the ravine in which the Betts Creek flows. Sometimes, the creek drops over 60 feet below the surrounding terrain as it meanders back and forth in oxbows as it flows toward the Muskegon River. It was once the hunting, foraging and camping grounds of the Potawatami Indians. In the late 1800's it was at the center of the Michigan Timber Industry. Running along the edge of my property is the old railroad bed where timber was once hauled away. Only two miles from my home, the logs were sent down the side of the hill and into the Muskegon River on log chutes and then floated to where the Muskegon empties into Lake Michigan. Piles of field stones indicate that after the timber industry moved on, farmers moved in and attempted to tame the land. But, fortunately for me, the land was abandoned by the farmers and has returned to a much more natural and pristine state. My land is now a part of the Manistee National Forest and I am surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful land (both public and private). I am the only person who lives back here in this part of the forest, so seclusion and privacy are wonderful and the wildlife and beauty is abundant.

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Dragon Adventures Base Camp

9 sites · RVs, Tents23 acres · White Cloud, MI

Dragon Adventures Base Camp is 23 acres of adventurous fun in the heart of a great adventure area! Mountain biking and hiking on the 43 mile Dragon Trail, paddling on Hardy Pond or the Muskegon River, boating, and the most popular beach are all just minutes away. At the Base Camp you’ll find a cabin for rent, campsites, an amazing beer garden with firepits, yard games, and tons of woods and trails to explore year round! Mark and Amy love hosting folks for their adventures! Come as strangers but leave as friends!

Red Barn Camp

1 site · RV, Tent60 acres · Custer, MI

We have 60 acres with a mix of grassy fields, rolling terrain, food plots and wooded areas. There is two smaller ponds on site along with remote areas which are perfect for primitive tent camping away from the barn. You will have access to the entire 60 acres so feel free to explore and enjoy the wildlife. We have a century old barn on site, currently the barn is not available for use but we hope to renovate it in the future. Our property is perfect for taking those special family photos and the barn and terrain have been featured in many family backdrops. We are about a mile from the Scenic Pere Marquette River which is home to some fantastic fishing opportunities or spend the day paddling and exploring. There are also numerous lakes and streams within just a few miles and the beautiful Ludington Beach and State Park are within 20 minutes. The North Country Trail is nearby as well as numerous acres of public land with excellent hunting opportunities. We do have a fire pit on site and we are adding to the site all the time. Come stay, play and relax in your own country oasis.

The best camping near Charles Mears State Park guide

Overview

About

Pentwater is the kind of lovable Michigan tourist town that just screams, “Summer vacation!” In a good way, of course. A stay at Charles Mears State Park is an ideal way to take advantage of that charming atmosphere while also enjoying a charming Lake Michigan beach. The approximately 50-acre park offers a one-mile trail along with fishing options, and is a popular place to hang between visits to shops, art galleries and concerts in town. The beach can get packed in summer but the vibe is jovial and carefree—you can run around with your dog, go metal detecting, or strike up conversations with random strangers. A great weekend escape from Chicago, Charles Mears serves up a gleeful break from your 9-to-5 routine.

When to go

The ideal time to visit Charles Mears State Park is during the summer months, from June to August, when the weather is warm and the lake is inviting. However, autumn also offers a spectacular display of fall colors, making it a great time for hiking. Winters can be harsh with heavy snowfall, potentially limiting access to certain park areas.

Know before you go

Ensure you have a Recreation Passport for park entry, as it's required for all visitors.
Check the weather forecast before your visit to pack appropriately for the conditions.
Be mindful of park rules to preserve the natural habitat and wildlife.
Remember to bring water and snacks, as options may be limited within the park.
Trail maps are available for download; consider bringing a physical copy for navigation.