Free camping near Manistique, MI
Within 25 straight-line miles of Manistique, MI there are 43 camps: 13 free, 29 fee, 1 unpriced. The closest is Merwin Creek State Forest Campground, 8.1 miles north-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Indian River Steuben Camping Area, 10 miles out.
Who manages them: 39 on the Forest Service; 4 on Michigan DNR.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merwin Creek State Forest Campground | 8.1 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Manistique | — |
| Indian River Steuben Camping Area | 10 | Free | Jack Lake (water) | 1.1 mi to Hiawatha | — |
| Bear Lake Camping Area | 14 | Fee | — | 14 mi to Manistique | — |
| Carr Lake Camping Area | 15 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Manistique | — |
| Indian River Recreation Area | 15 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Manistique | — |
| Lyman Lake Camping Area | 16 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Manistique | — |
| Camp Seven Lake Recreation Area | 16 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Manistique | — |
| Leg Lake Camping Area | 16 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Manistique | — |
| Gooseneck Lake Camping Area | 16 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Manistique | — |
| Indian River Cedar Point Camping Area | 16 | Free | Indian River (river) | 2.4 mi to Steuben | — |
| Camp Cook Camping Area | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Manistique | — |
| Jackpine Lake Camping Area | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Manistique | — |
| Minerva Lake Camping Area | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Manistique | — |
| East Lake Camping Area | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Manistique | — |
| Little Bass Lake Camping Area | 17 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Manistique | — |
| Indian River Delias Camping Area | 18 | Free | Delias Run (stream) | 0.9 mi to Steuben | — |
| Bass Lake Camping Area | 18 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Manistique | — |
| Chicago Lake Camping Area | 18 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Manistique | — |
| Steuben Lake Camping Area | 18 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Manistique | — |
| Triangle Lake Camping Area | 19 | Fee | — | 19 mi to Manistique | — |
| Crooked Lake Camping Area | 20 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Munising | — |
| Mead Creek State Forest Campground | 20 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Colwell Lake Recreation Area | 20 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Munising | — |
| Mowe Lake Camping Area | 20 | Fee | — | — | — |
| Lake Nineteen Camping Area | 20 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Munising | — |
| Ironjaw Lake Camping Area | 20 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Munising | — |
| Indian River Little Indian Camping Area | 20 | Free | — | — | — |
| Portage Bay State Forest Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 3.1 mi to Garden | — |
| Swan Lake Camping Area | 21 | Fee | — | 18 mi to Munising | — |
| Clear Lake Camping Area | 21 | Free | Clear Lake (water) | 4.4 mi to Steuben | — |
| Indian River Deer Creek Camping Area | 22 | Free | Deer Creek (stream) | 4.5 mi to Steuben | — |
| Corner Lake Campground | 22 | Unpriced | Hugoboom Lake (water) | 7.7 mi to Steuben | — |
| Flowing Well Recreation Area | 22 | Fee | — | 13 mi to Rapid River | — |
| Cookson Lake Camping Area | 22 | Fee | — | 17 mi to Munising | — |
| Indian River Boulder Point | 22 | Free | — | — | — |
| Indian River Pine Peak Camping Area | 22 | Free | Blue Joe Lake (water) | 5.8 mi to Steuben | — |
| Sand Lake Campsite | 23 | Free | Sand Lake (water) | 5.2 mi to Steuben | — |
| Blue Joe Lake Camping Area | 23 | Free | Blue Joe Lake (water) | 5.3 mi to Kentucky | — |
| Skeels Lake Camping Area | 23 | Free | Skeels Lake (water) | 7.3 mi to Kentucky | — |
| Milakokia Lake State Forest Campground | 24 | Fee | — | 16 mi to Naubinway | — |
| Ewing Point Camping Area | 24 | Fee | — | 15 mi to Munising | — |
| Indian River Four Pond Camping Area | 24 | Free | Indian River (river) | 4.4 mi to Kentucky | — |
| Ramsey Lake Camping Area | 25 | Free | Ramsey Lake (water) | 6.4 mi to Saint Jacques | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Manistique, 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.