Traverse City State Park Campground

This park was nice. The only bad thing I can say is it gets packed on the weekend and you feel like you're packed in like sardines. The other bad was how they placed the firepits. The sight behind us their firepit was right at the back of our rv ( you can see in one of the photos I posted) so the smoke was coming in the rv everytime we opened the door! It made us feel like they were hanging out in our camp site because they were so close. It's also by the main road so lots of road noise. On a good note during the week it was not as many people so it was enjoyable.

My family and I stayed at the Traverse City State Park Campground Memorial Weekend. We felt the website map is very misleading. It shows Lake Michigan and then the Campground with a bridge to get either side. It does not let you know that it is because of a freeway between the lake and campground that you need the walkway/bridge and it is VERY noisy, not to mention the airplanes taking off and landing low overhead. There is also a long hotel that blocks the view of the lake. This was not the camping experience we were hoping for. The Campground was nice. I only went to the newer bathroom/shower house but it was nice and clean.

Please look at the map before getting a site. The 400's are by a busy street traffic all night. No one in office on a Saturday for firewood. Site 467 is cement only good thing about it. People cut in line to dump. Need a better park ranger to make changes.

Pros: Easy check-in, wonderful campground host, water & restroom facilities close by site, hot showers. It is close to national parks, Chain-of-Lakes, Mission Point, Fish town. Cons: Too many sites, equaling neighbors too close. There is no privacy and it is noisy (campers, dogs, busy highway, nearby airport sending off big planes). Every campsite has a fire pit, so campfire smoke blankets the campground. Smoke wafts into tents, tarps, and shelters. There is a long line of campers waiting their turn at the dump station, which happens to be too close to camp sites. Driving away from the campsite is difficult since the campers waiting their turn block the one-way exit.

Lovely campground on the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. Peaceful, tranquil with beautiful views and a great overall experience. Been to many campgrounds in my day and this one is top-notch!