Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga

My family stayed here a few years in a row and had no problems until this past summer. There was a wedding with an open bar at the rec building near the lake with the wedding party camping amongst the general population during our stay. As expected a couple ppl from the wedding had too much to drink and decided to beat up on each other in front of a bunch of families, including mine with toddlers. There was apparently a love triangle between a few ppl and the guy involved decided to beat up on his ex girlfriend loudly in the middle of the campground. Then the ex girlfriend decided to beat up on the new girlfriend loudly in the middle of the campground. All the while there was zero security or management present. It took about 30 mins or so of this before the cops arrived and they ended up leaving the guy at the campground. So after all of that the guy who was beating his ex got to stay and camp next to us. I spoke to management the next day and asked why would you have no security or management present with a wedding on the premises that has an open bar, just seems like a problem waiting to happen. The manager basically played it off like nothing happened and it was our fault for not calling management sooner. This place is poorly managed with zero clue how to manage a campground.

Campground is nice. Be aware there are 2 sections of road construction. They are gravel, not enough crown to provide drainage. Some stretches are set down hard and not too bad but some of the gravel is loose, chattered and very dusty. If you have a nice rig you might want to call the camp and ask about the road conditions. Thanks

Pros: Very much enjoyed our stay here. It was quiet, and it was so nice to be right off a lake for swimming and fishing. Good size lots. Restrooms were well kept. Trash cans and water fountains everywhere and camp staff was coming around to empty them pretty much every day that I saw. They also have a dump station for folks with RVs. The office sells ice which is nice. Folks did an awesome job at watching their kids so no one was randomly wandering through other people's sites. And thankfully, all our fellow campers were honest and there were no issues with theft. Everyone seemed to feel safe to leave their gear out (which is honestly my experience at every campground in MI, but can't say the same for other states). Oh also, there is currently a resident friendly snapping turtle that enjoys hanging out under the fishing dock with people. We names him Rudolph. Fortunately he's just interested in fish people put back or hand him. And it's a safe distance and suspension on the aluminum dock for both him and for people's hands. The cons: no vault toilets throughout like a state park would have, so some lots were far from restrooms, and that meant driving to one around all the one way roads particularly when one was closed for cleaning. This can't exactly be helped, but tons of cockroaches. Most of them were wood cockroaches because of all the trees and they like people's firewood. They don't like to be in people's homes, so not like they want to hitch a ride home, but you will have to check and clean your gear well. I've never experienced so many of them anywhere we've camped. There were American cockroaches too, but we only saw one big one so he was easy to remove from gear before leaving. We're going to hose down our gear when we get home and leave it in the sun to dry before storing so hopefully nothing makes it inside. Just figured I'd mention so folks are aware to check their gear. Later in the season the wood roaches disappear to overwinter, so it might not be a problem for some folks. The last con is that I guess Pickerel Lake has often had swimmers itch reports. So make sure to check with the office if there have been any recent reports during your stay.

The road to get here is banwell rd. It is the most horrible rd you can take a camper on in northern Michigan. With the potholes you can plan on replacing some rims on the way there. Second thing is the geese use the beach and the grounds as there bathroom. Which is fine there animals but it does not make the beach very enjoyable. Third is the swimmers itch after swimming. Not a very appealing place.

We drove three hours to visit this campsite for the first time and we're not disappointed! Our site was HUGE (big enough for two families- though keep in mind you're only allowed two tents so just bring big ones). We were right next to a gazebo that had a cute little free library and maybe a 3 minute walk to the playground and beach area. The restrooms were very nicely maintained as was the beach. When the waves get too high there is a little secret stream you can explore on your kayake. We will definitely be back!

I think this place is run by morons. I'm on a yearly camping/fishing trip with my son. 1st this place is on Pickerel Lake, but has no boat access. 2nd I am not allowed to have my boat at my camp site. Even though I am camping in a tent and there is more than enough room, I'm not allowed. So my boat has to go in a special parking area close to a public road where it can be easily broken into. So now I have to spend 45 minutes every evening removing all rods, tackle, electronics, and anything else that can be stolen. Then 45 minutes in the morning setting everything back up. I also had to buy a special trailer lock so my boat wouldn't get stolen. How stupid is it that I can get a campsite for a big camper and truck and have another car park in my site, but I can't park a boat and 1 vehicle at my site. Too bad for this place. I have a few friends and family that are waiting for my feedback on this place when I get back. They like to camp/fish too. When they hear how screwed up the rules are here I'm sure they will seek accomodations elsewhere, like I will next year.