Reviews

Joshua Gatiss

This is the best campground in Alger County— the absolute best camping home base for any UP adventure. Centrally located, modern amenities, welcomed by the greatest campground hosts ever, and as parents of little ones, the speed limit and quiet times are so appreciated! I spent many childhood summers here and I love that the new owners continue keeping this place timeless. Can’t wait to continue many camping traditions here!

Florida Guru

The best campground for us yet!! The campground itself is loved and cared for, very clean, and the owners live right on site. For kids it was the absolute best since. There was no speeding cars, a large playground, a basketball court, and plenty of free space around the lake to enjoy. They do offer reasonably priced kayak and canoe rentals to use on the small lake, which is super shallow and clear, with no worry of boats tipping you with waves. The bathrooms were so nice, extremely clean, and the set up for the showers gave ample room to both shower and accommodate your stuff while doing so. Even my daughter who never showers at campgrounds gladly showered here and she’s the biggest critic lol. The campground itself is about a 15 minute drive into munising and even closer to a couple waterfalls and trails. We even caught northern lights and laid down by the lake enjoying! Overall we rented 7 lots and all of our group had an equally amazing experience! Originally we looked at campgrounds right on lake superior or more towards marquette area and I’m so incredibly glad we chose this one instead! We will definitely be back! PS there is laundry on site but bring quarters, and the office has super cute gift shop and maps of the area if needed. Make sure to stop in!

Kendall Kepler

Not at all the Otter Lake experience we grew up with or grew to love. While understanding running a functioning business is stressful, if you work in hospitality priorities shift. We were all so excited to return to Otter Lake, however our last trip was nothing short of disappointing. While family visited, our disabled aunt was treated horribly. Upon explaining several times that she could not walk more than 20 feet without excruciating pain , she was still told she needed to be parked up the hill & on the other side of the campground. There was no accommodations, no empathy, no offer to shuttle her to our family’s campsite with the golf cart they spend most of their time riding around & monitoring people instead of engaging / enhancing experiences. The animosity of the environment was intense enough we felt the need to spend time with family elsewhere for most of our stay. While amenities where fine, public areas clean, the space beautiful - the atmosphere was not welcoming. Aside from the experience itself, the current owners were more than content talking poorly of the previous owners to our family. We have been long time friends of the previous owners, so naturally this was upsetting. However the negativity they felt free enough to spread to other campers is not only in bad taste but simply unprofessional. There are plenty of gorgeous & hospitable campgrounds / lodgings in the area. Island Lake, the Buckhorn, Pictured Rocks Family Rentals, etc. Otter Lake unfortunately is no longer one of those. The current owners clearly only care about earning an extra buck, not about enhancing the experience of paying customers. While once before I’d recommend this campground to friends / family visiting before anywhere else, this place has become one I’d emphasize to not waste your money on.

Maestro John

Nice lake, good swimming, row boats for rent, excellent fishing. My campsite was large and level with lake views. Many sites are small and not the same; be judicious when selecting a site. One dump station with fresh water fill. Proximity to Pictured Rocks, waterfalls, and Lake Superior was excellent. We had a good family camping experience there. Rent a row boat to enjoy good fishing. We bought many northern pike, and I saw a MONSTER!

Stacey Tomes

We had a great experience at Otter Lake Campground last week during our trip to Munising. The owners were very friendly and gave recommendations on local waterfalls and beaches to visit. They also recommended a great restaurant outside of town (The Brownstone in Au Train) for dinner one rainy evening. Our site was nice, large enough for our 30 ft. camper with a fire ring and new picnic table. The campground was very family friendly, I felt comfortable letting our kids go to the playground on their own. The setting on the lake was beautiful and it was handy to have laundry facilities on site. If we take another trip to Munising, we will definitely come back to Otter Lake Campground! Thanks for a wonderful time!

Brad Spaulding

Excellent campground. We have been there four times now and this campground is one of the main reasons we come back to pictured rocks every year. We stay in the rustic side and yes it is a walk to the bathrooms but that is part of what makes the rustic great. It feels secluded and you still have excellent showers (the best showers I've ever had at a campground). The hosts are friendly and a very big part of your experience. They are investing in the grounds which results in a better experience every year.

Haley Rudolph

We had a great experience camping at Otter campground. Our kids loved the playground. The view of the lake was beautiful. It was close by to a couple waterfalls we wanted to see and only 20 minutes to some really nice beaches. The showers were nice with hot water and good water pressure. They have a laundry and dish washing room. Everyone seemed to respect 11pm quiet time unlike a lot of other campgrounds making for a good nights sleep (: we will be coming back for sure!

Heather Butler

We rented one of the cabins for 3 nights. It was the perfect location to explore pictured rocks area. My kids loved that they had other kids to play with, the basketball court, and the lake. They even loved the quiet time on a rainy day there. Shower rooms were nice, location is great for the cabins, also nice to have the dish washing area in the laundry room. Firewood and ice available at a good price too. I see other reviews commenting on how many rules they have, but you see all those when you book, and when you check in, we had no issue following them all. Having guidelines/rules help keep it a great place to stay. We will definitely be back and hopefully bring some of our camping friends.

Alex White

Only used the campground as a tent site, so not much is expected for amenities, but was pleasantly surprised with cleanliness of facilities and having both laundry and a clean up area for all my gear was very much appreciated. Wonderful lake front swing and chair to relax and watch the sun rise / set. My only knock against was that the store closes rather early and so you need to get all goods or firewood early on in the day.

Rachel Engel

For anyone seeking a memorable camping experience in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Otter Lake Campground is an exceptional choice!! Best campground in Michigan!! Highlights from our family: The campsites are generously sized, plenty of space & a private camping experience. Tranquil & quiet environment, perfect for relaxation and unwinding away from the hustle and bustle. Top-Notch Amenities! The campground is equipped with clean and well-maintained bathrooms and showers. The camp store is a very convenient resource, offering a wide range of essentials at reasonable prices. Campfire wood (at a great price), last minute cooking essentials, fishing, ice creams, the cutest gift options! Otter Lake features a very picturesque lake, providing a scenic backdrop for all the outdoor activities. They offer boat rentals too which was amazing because the lake is actually HUGE, perfect for fishing or just taking a quiet ride out. The friendly and welcoming ownership (Nick & Ellen were so great!!!) and camp hosts made our stay incredible, we are already planning our return visit.

Tressa Kennard

To say Nick and Ellen are wonderful owners and people would not do justice to the feelings in my heart. I visited on a whim and haven't been to the UP in years. Some things took place on my trip that where complicated and serious. It was very difficult. Both of them went above and beyond to comfort and support me. My safety was their first priority. They were willing to do whatever it took to ensure that and make sure I was OK. On top of that, the place is immaculate. It has everything you need. The showers are huge and clean, with great water presser and temp. The little store is well stocked- besides beer 😉- and as I said, most importantly... these are the people we stand behind. These are the businesses with owners who love what they are doing. People with grace and integrity. If you're staying in this area, go no further.

Kristen Gargol

Overall, this is a nice campground. It's very clean and seems very well maintained. However, just some things I'd like to note. Please PLEASE use the Buckhorn addresses (the one listed by Google) in your GPS. My husband and I used the address listed on their website and it directed us 45 minutes out of the way to a snowmobile trail. When we mentioned it to the owner, she made it out like it was our fault, when all we did was follow the address listed on their website (which was the same address that was at the bottom off the conformation email.) The showers are very small, with no benches or space to dressed after a shower. They also don't have any locks on the shower door. This felt very unsafe to me. The campsites are very small and VERY close to other campsites. There were not many trees/bushes in-between the campsites so we could see into the other sites. I suppose this would be fine for RV campers, but we were in a tent. It seems like they just jammed together as many campsites as they could. The closeness to other sites kind of ruined the camping experience for me. Overall, this is a nice campground, but I wouldn't stay here again.

Brian Baker

Very clean well run campground. Super friendly owners. The amenities were great. We were pleasantly surprised with otter lake campground. We were not there a lot as we used it as home base when visiting pictured rocks national park. It's a short drive to the west end of the park from there. The camp store is reasonably priced and free hot showers. We highly recommend them and we will be back.