Free camping near Atlanta, MI

30 camps: 2 free, 25 fee, 3 unpriced

Within 25 straight-line miles of Atlanta, MI there are 30 camps: 2 free, 25 fee, 3 unpriced. The closest is Avery Lake State Forest Campground, 5.3 miles south of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Meadow Springs Backcountry Campsites, 24 miles out. Today's season read covers 12 of them: 12 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call.

Who manages them: 25 on Michigan DNR; 5 on the Forest Service.

All 30, closest first.
Camp	Miles	Cost	Water	Nearest town	Season today
Avery Lake State Forest Campground	5.3	Fee	—	5.3 mi to Atlanta	Open
Big Oaks Equestrian State Forest Campground	5.7	Fee	—	5.7 mi to Atlanta	Open
Jackson Lake State Forest Campground	5.8	Fee	—	5.9 mi to Atlanta	Open
Ess Lake State Forest Campground	11	Fee	—	5.2 mi to Hillman	Open
Big Bear Lake State Forest Campground	12	Fee	—	6.0 mi to Lewiston	Open
Little Wolf Lake State Forest Campground	12	Fee	—	1.8 mi to Lewiston	Open
Big Bear Pointe State Forest Campground	12	Fee	—	6.1 mi to Lewiston	Open
Town Corner Lake State Forest Campground	13	Fee	—	13 mi to Atlanta	—
Johnson's Crossing Trail Camp	13	Fee	—	13 mi to Lewiston	—
Tomahawk Creek Flooding State Forest Campground	15	Fee	—	15 mi to Atlanta	Open
Tomahawk Lake State Forest Campground	16	Fee	—	16 mi to Atlanta	Open
Shoepac Lake State Forest Campground	16	Fee	—	16 mi to Atlanta	Open
Round Lake State Forest Campground	17	Fee	—	17 mi to Atlanta	—
Elk Hill Group Equestrian Campground	18	Fee	—	18 mi to Atlanta	—
Muskrat Lake State Forest Campground	18	Fee	—	7.8 mi to Mio	—
Pigeon River State Forest Campground	18	Fee	—	18 mi to Atlanta	—
Elk Hill Equestrian River Trail Campground	18	Fee	—	18 mi to Atlanta	—
Pigeon Bridge State Forest Campground	18	Fee	—	18 mi to Atlanta	—
Walsh Road Equestrian State Forest Campground and Trail Camp	19	Fee	Middle Branch Big Creek (river)	5.5 mi to Lovells	—
Shupac Lake State Forest Campground	20	Fee	—	9.4 mi to Lewiston	—
McCollum Lake State Forest Campground	20	Fee	—	14 mi to Mio	—
Pickerel Lake (Otsego) State Forest Campground	21	Fee	—	18 mi to Indian River	—
Pine Grove State Forest Campground	22	Fee	—	15 mi to Indian River	—
Mio Pond State Forest Campground and Group Camp	24	Fee	—	—	Open
Parmalee Bridge State Forest Campground and Canoe Camp	24	Fee	—	7.3 mi to Mio	Open
Meadow Springs Backcountry Campsites	24	Free	—	3.4 mi to Mio	—
Meadow Springs Campground	24	Unpriced	Cauchy Creek (stream)	2.7 mi to Mio	—
Au Sable Loop Campground	24	Unpriced	Au Sable River (stream)	1.4 mi to Mio	—
River Dune Campground	25	Unpriced	Au Sable River (stream)	1.6 mi to Mio	—
River Dune Backcounty Group Campsite	25	Free	Loud Creek (stream)	1.7 mi to Mio	—

Every distance on this page is a straight line from Atlanta, MI, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.