Reviews

Ashley

Amazing campground. Loved being right on lake superior. Pit toilets were clean and sites were spotless. Can't wait to return

Hails Mac

Got in on a Friday at noon end of August, still a few sites First Come First serve. Just a quick 7 minute drive into Munising - a quiet reprieve! Plenty of space in camp and between neighbors. Beach is like *gestures wildly* right there (bring water shoes!) Coming back next year!

Rebecca Lents

A total blessing to find another National Forest campground right on Lake Superior. I absolutely loved this campground, despite its "character-building" entrance road. The road coming in was a minefield of potholes big enough to swallow a small car – quite the adventure! But thankfully, it was short, and any vehicle could make it just fine. There are reservation only campsites and first come first served with a self pay and register station at each loop. At $24 a night for a primitive site (no electricity, but clean pit toilets, a dump station, and potable water), it initially felt a bit steep. Most National Forest primitive spots are much cheaper. However, with my America the Beautiful pass, it was a much more palatable $12, which, for this area, felt like steal. Honestly, for being right next to Lake Superior and having surprisingly few mosquitoes and horse flies (a huge win in the UP!), it might even be worth the full $24. The campsites are mostly level, well-shaded (great for privacy and hot days, but not ideal for solar panels – hence why I snagged the one sunny spot in the first loop, right behind the self-pay station!). Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. I was lucky to even get a spot, as almost every site was taken! Beyond the campground, there's so much to enjoy and the reason it gets 5☆s. It's walking distance to fantastic rock collecting spots along Lake Superior. The historic furnace nearby is both informative and cool, and the water is beautiful (just a heads-up, there are leeches further down the shore, but not right in front of the campground). It's not a great fishing spot, but that's perfectly fine by me, as I don't fish. Cell signal and data were pretty hit-or-miss with Straight Talk, but that seems to be the norm everywhere in the Upper Peninsula. Dumpsters are available, and there's a host on site if you need anything. There's also a day-use area with picnic tables right on Lake Superior, and the lake and trails are within walking distance of most campsites. Although my campsite was perfect for my solar set up, it was unfortunately within smelling distance of the dump station. Thankfully the wind seemed to only blow my direction a few times. After experiencing other camping fees in the area, I've come to realize that $24 isn't horrible for what you get in the UP. But seriously, for that price, they should really fix that road! Friendly host, very well maintained campground and day use area, more rocks and less sand than most places which made it perfect for collecting rocks.

Gerald Evans

A short walk from the parking lot is the remains of a blast furnace used to make pig iron. The rest of the complex is gone, there are remains of a 1200 ft pier. Slag chipped from the pig iron looks like black glass, and is all over the area. It only ran for 10 years, but 148 years later the furnace is still very much in tact (it has been repaired, and timbers replaced). If you enjoy history, you will like this. An explanation of how it worked and pics follow.

Sonofabutcher

Nice NFS campground. No hookups. 1-2 bars Verizon 4g. Several sites are right on the shoreline of Lake Superior. Will accommodate all size rigs, we saw several large class A rigs there. We camped in early June and the mosquitoes were out in force! Gave it 4 stars only mainly because of the condition of the road into the park. It is the roughest stretch of road that we have driven in decades. Fortunately it is only 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile long. I don’t foresee the NFS repairing it anytime soon due to recent budget cuts.

s a m m y

Went camping here for a few days with my Dad and our Bernese mountain dog and it was a lovely way to kick back and relax for a couple days. We were lucky with beautiful weather for October. While being here it seemed all the stresses of life melted away. It’s also a great place to rock hound. You just pick your spot and pay using an envelope near the entrance of the campground. Location wise it’s about 5-10 min from Munising and there is a gas station and small lodge across the street!The hosts were informative & eager to answer all are questions! There is fresh drinking water from water pumps scattered around the campground. And VERY clean pit-toilets by the day-use area. It is roughly $30-40 per night. Spot 9 & 10 are right on Lake Superior, we were lucky to get spot 9. It is reservations through the website during the summer and the last week of September & first week of October are first come first serve. The campground closes by October 7th for the season.

Dalamin Aubis

The bathrooms are very well taken care of for what they are, and have motion sensing lights for nighttime visits. A wide mix of camp sites for big RV's, medium or small groups. The way to the beach and the furnace ruins are just off of the main drive in, before you reach the campsites, and the lawn before the beach has plenty of picnic tables and a few grills set up. The place seems a little busier than a few of the other campgrounds I've seen in the area, but the space between each site is enough to give a good sense of privacy.

Stephanie Rickels

We stayed here for a week as a homebase for our exploration of the area. We were in the loop furthest from lake which only meant a 2 minute walk to lake. We had an open pull through site perfect for our 30 foot fifth wheel with solar panels. Water spigots are scattered through the campground and you can fill RVs at the dump station. This campground is one of the most well maintained campgrounds we have ever been to. The camp hosts are meticulous in their care of the grounds and pit toilets. There is no electricity in this campground but there are generator hours. No shower house. The majority of the sites are wooded. There are a couple that sit on the lake but you are never far from lake and a beach. Most of the sites are big and offer privacy. There is a big picnic area perfect for watching sunsets. This campground was perfect for dogs because you could take them on short walks in areas other than the campground loops. It was quiet and everyone was very respectful. Half the sites are reservable and others are first come first serve. The campground was full every night but sites opened each day. We came in at 2 pm on a Tuesday and had no trouble getting a first come first serve. You can park your camper in a big parking area before reaching the campground if you want to scout things before pulling in. Bugs were a non issue in our wide open site but may have had more of a presence in the heavily wooded sites. We would come back to this campground in a heartbeat.

terumi to

We had our tent on lot 22 for 2 nights. It was perfect for us. Near restrooms & hiding area. Quiet. If you are looking for sunshine in the morning, this lot is not for you. Bathroom was clean & no smells (as long as all campers follow the rules which is to close the lid after using it!) For firewood, we bought it from a store right access the entrance of this site. $6 (plus tax) per one batch. That was great!

Dolce Vita!

Very nice sites for different size set ups. I wouldn't recommend large class A or large 5th wheels due to size. There are 2 sites on the lake, but there is beach access not far from the sites. It is a nicely wooded area for most sites. It has a dump station with drinking water to fill with. There is no electric or water hook ups at sites. You can use a generator from 6 am to 10 pm. if needed. There is a small historic area at the beach area to the right that is neat. We really enjoyed our stay twice here.

Tom Dekker

Camped here many times in the 70s with good friends. One passed 5 years ago and we placed his ashes in the creek down by the old furnace. A beautiful spot to spend eternity.

Tom Meerschaert

Nice spot on the bay. Clean restrooms and and friendly hosts.

Kim Hough

This place was soo cool. If your near, stop and check it out

Sarah Taylor

We had a great stay at Bay Furnace! The beach is nice for collecting rocks and taking a walk. We grabbed a first come first serve site - I’m thankful they have them! It felt a bit competitive getting one….we sort of had to stalk people who were leaving. The campsites feel very private and secluded. The bathrooms were regularly cleaned and pretty good for what is basically an outhouse. However, it seemed that a lot of people might just pee right at their campsite as we could definitely smell urine at ours. All sites are non-electric which unfortunately means that a surprising number of people run loud generators. Overall we had a great time and recommend the site.

Sami Walker

Campground is really nice. The manager and host are friendly and helpful. Dump station and potable water is available. Bathrooms are clean, and all sites are dirt and some grass and provide a lot of shade. Be aware the sites are not level so you'll need leveling blocks. Sites have a fire ring and picnic tables. Fire wood is available to purchase from the camp manager. There are several sites marked R and are reservable online.. If no tag on the R sites you can stay for one night.. All reservations should be done online, the others are FF.