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The Petoskey State Park sits on Little Traverse Bay, which is not far from the swiftly flowing shores of Lake Michigan, close to two modern campgrounds and trails.
The park, only about 3 miles north of Petoskey and 6 miles south of Harbor Springs by Tannery Creek Campground, is a favorite site for tourists looking for Petoskey stones.
The Old Baldy Trail stays a half-mile loop leading to the top of Old Baldy Dune, a famous site for its spectacular vistas. The Portage trail, a 1-mile out-and-back track through a wooded dune area by the sandy beach, is a longer hike.
If you wish to leave the park, the Little Traverse Wheelway, a 26-mile paved trail alongside the state park entrance, connects Charlevoix and Harbor Springs. The North Western State Trail, which connects Petoskey and Mackinac City, is immediately south of the park.
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Campsites in Petoskey
Petoskey State Park is located on 303 picturesque acres on the north end of Little Traverse Bay and features a magnificent sandy beach on the bay.
There are two modern campgrounds in the Petoskey Stones park. Tannery Creek Campground has 100 campsites, whereas Dunes has 80. Entry into the State Park requires a Recreation Passport.
1. Tiki RV Park & Campground
Tiki RV Park is quiet, pleasant, family-oriented, picturesque, and, most importantly, a paradise filled with recreation areas.
Bring your friends and family to have a good time while you're here for a great time. Use Tiki RV Park as a base for day trips to the gorgeous sights in the vicinity!
Loaded with full amenities, modern campsites should have a fire ring, a spacious picnic area with free wireless internet, a boat launch, RV parks, tent sites, and a wooded area with easy access.
Mackinac Island is only a short ferry ride away by the little traverse wheelway, as is Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Mill Creek, The Soo Locks, and Tahquamenon Falls!
2. Sturgeon Valley Campground
Sturgeon Valley Campground is located in Wolverine, Michigan, on 111 acres. Leave Sturgeon Valley Campground in your canoe, kayak, or tube for some of Northern Michigan's best river floating.
We're also near the Pigeon River by the Jellystone Park. There’s room to hire tubes that will happily transport you upstream to enjoy swimming back to our campground with day-use amenities like 30 amp hookups, toilets, picnic tables, playgrounds, fire pits, mini cabins, laundry facilities, and an on-site store. We hope to see you soon, whether for a short or extended stay!
3. Barnes Park Campground
Antrim County's Barnes Park Campground offers some of the nicest camping in Northern Michigan. It is one of the best campgrounds for a nature lover on a quest for scenic views of Little Traverse Bay.
The park, located on Grand Traverse Bay, features spacious forest campsites. This park's inviting, safe setting suits it for vacations, family reunions, or a tranquil break.
Make Barnes Park Campground your vacation destination whether you wish to explore the beach, visit the carp lake, stroll to the wayside park, take the short trail, sit by the fire, hike the wooded walks, or ride your bike!
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4. Jellystone Park™ Petoskey
During your Northern Michigan vacation, visit Jellystone Park™ Petoskey and look for the famous Petoskey stone. Jellystone Park Petoskey has 30 acres of wood and beautifully maintained grounds that give all you need for a pleasant vacation in Michigan's great outdoors.
Set camp on full hookup and spacious RV sites with concrete pads, or return to basics and tent camp under the stars. Just by the Magnus Park Campground in Mackinaw City, United States, one can visit the city of Petoskey, a great location for outdoor activities.
If you prefer a home away from home, there is also a fantastic selection of cabin rentals. It's also only a short walk from Gabriel Farms & Winery, a popular wine, beer, and cider place by the old Baldy Trail, so make your reservation today!
5. Antrim Meadows Campground
Whether you enjoy mountain biking, boating, swimming, hiking, kayaking, golf, or motorcycle riding, Northern Michigan is the place to be. Antrim Meadows is the ideal base camp for excursions, with full amenities and a natural landscape.
With set interior roads by the end of West Lake Street, an entire family is open to easy access where they can get rental cabins, play on the golf courses, and even use the pop-up camper on the Petoskey bathing beach.
A visit to Petoskey State Park is a must for beach and wildlife lovers, with its mile of shoreline speckled with outrageously stunning dunes and bordered by pristine bay water. Despite its location between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, the park's dune-backed beaches on Little Traverse Bay feel miles away.
Does Camping at Petoskey Resorts Come with Rules?
Yes. Because of the piping plover habitat, pets are not permitted along the lakeside. Pets are allowed in other parts of the park of Harbor Springs downtown Petoskey. They must be kept on a six-foot leash and under the immediate supervision of their owners at all times.
All pet waste must be disposed of appropriately in garbage cans in the dunes campground. Due to significant snow and sand drift/buildup on the shores of Little Traverse Bay, the park's day-use parking lot typically closes in early November into early March main content skip.
It's always a good idea to check the latest closures due to weather-related events, planned maintenance projects, and repairs before visiting a state park, boating site, or trail for family campgrounds.
Activities in Petoskey Campgrounds
The park provides year-round activities such as camping, biking, swimming, hiking, and cross-country skiing. The 304-acre park has picnic spots, camping places, defined trails, kilometers of coastline, a beach shelter, a playground, and summer recreational events for visitors.
This depicts a modern campground in a traverse city. One’s time on the sand dunes of Camp Petosega can make soothing memories in a perfect place with hot showers, mature trees, a stand for ice creams for the kids, bike trails for riders, and a parking area just by the northwestern state trail.
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1. A Camping Trip
There are two distinct campgrounds in the park. Tannery Creek has 98 campsites and two tiny cabins, while Dunes has 80 grounds.
All of the campgrounds feature power hookups as well as modern restroom and shower facilities. Picnic tables, grills, a playground, and a one-mile-long beach for sunbathing are available.
2. Petoskey Rocks
The famous Petoskey Stones can be found here. Walkers on this beach are frequently seen with their heads down, searching for the fossils that can be found here. Boulders tend to gather here because the park is at the mouth of Little Traverse Bay by Mackinac Island.
3. Trails and Park Activities
Petoskey State Park has two trails at the camping sites. The Old Baldy Trail features a ladder that climbs up to Old Baldy, a sturdy dune that is one of the park's highlights over a small overlook area.
The bay view available after climbing the dune is spectacular, making your Petoskey State Park camping trip fabulous. Along a bike path lies the bayfront park, not far from rustic campsites at emmet county.
You’ll need a recreation passport to get to the top of Old Baldy Dune. Here, you can get easy access to site types: the wilderness state park, state forest campgrounds, the Thorne Swift Nature Preserve, and The Bear River Recreation Area.
The primary navigation was at first deeded to Pay-Me-Gwau in July 1855 as part of an Odawa-Indian treaty. Much of the acreage was later used by the W.W. Rice Company.
The City of Petoskey purchased the area in 1934 and renamed the Petoskey Bathing Beach. The beach was later sold to the state of Michigan that was in April 1968. In July 1970, the campground's first campers arrived.
Is Camping at Petoskey Worth it?
Petoskey State Park, located between Petoskey and Harbor Springs, North America, is popular for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. What was previously the Petoskey Bathing Beach, a city park, is now a state park with all the amenities, including a beautiful beach area.
Petoskey is a fantastic Northern Michigan vacation resort built on hills overlooking Little Traverse Bay, with concrete pads at the end of each loop. Petoskey offers many arts, culture, and recreational opportunities, especially in the summer months.
This hidden gem also has the greatest views of Lake Michigan in the Mitten State, heading towards Petoskey KOA by Mackinac Bridge.