Farquar-Metsa Park & Campground

Our RV Garmin brought us in on Little Lake Road--DO NOT GO THAT ROUTE! Then there were detours in the town, and they weren't marked very well. This office is not manned very well, so if you call, you leave your number if they don't answer. The sites are spacious enough, you cannot park your vehicle by your RV but across the small road where there is space. Gwinn is a small town but not far from Marquette and other areas of interest. We couldn't get reservations closer to Marquette and decided to just do driving to see the sites. And we drove to a lot of areas. Marquette is a great city that we returned to often and enjoyed. We stayed here longer than usual to stay in place over the Labor Day weekend and not try to get other reservations as they're usually full. TV reception and Wifi were good. We only made reservations for east and then west for the UP and should've relocated to the Calumet area but since it was Labor Day weekend, we didn't. In order to see all there is in the Calumet/Copper Harbor area, we left the campground and stayed in a motel in Hamilton to cover that area. If we'd done our research better, we would've camped in that area. This was a good stay. We don't use the facilities. With FHU, we could use our W/D and do our laundry. It was quiet and peaceful.

We stayed here for two weeks while sightseeing. An asphalt road brings you into the campground: stay straight to proceed to the office, at which point the asphalt gives way to gravel. The campground has two loops: the main loop at the front of the campground and an offshoot loop.

All of the full hook-up sites are on the main loop and are all back-to-back back-in sites, with gravel pads and grass lawns. Each FHU site has a picnic table and a fire ring which is located either near the front of the back of the site (they alternate). Trash cans are located between sites such that two site share a can, and trash is picked up every morning. There are some trees behind and between sites but few of them are tall enough to provide much shade to the RVs. The spacing between sites and back-to-back is pretty good. All of the hookups are next to the back 3rd of the pad.

The offshoot loop has two electric-only sites and the remaining sites are primitive campsites. They also have gravel pads, grass lawns, picnic tables and fire rings, but they are in a wooded area that provides a fair amount of shade.

Our site in the main loop (site 6) had no shade trees but was level. Following the rule to keep our RV tires on the pad, the pad was long enough to fit our 37-foot fifth wheel with several feet to spare, but we ended up parking our truck across the street from the front of our RV (both sides of the loop provide a wide grass or gravel shoulder on the other side of the campground road specifically for that purpose).

This is a campground run by the county, not a private campground, so there are few amenities. There are bathrooms with showers attached to the office building. On the outside of the office is a plastic cabinet with brochures about the local area and a trading library, though I never saw it unlocked, and they sell bundles of firewood. There is a simple dump station next to the campground that non-campers can use for $5. Downhill from the office is an asphalt day-use parking area with a single adjustable basketball hoop. Next to that parking area is a shed with a covered porched next to the shoreline of the river (swimming is allowed but done so at your own risk), a small wooden platform for viewing the river or fishing, and the trailhead for the Flat Rock hiking trail, which has some nice views along the river but is unfortunately overgrown in spots. There is no dog park here, but there are two dog stations with poop bag dispensers and trash receptacles.

In terms of cell service, the best speed I got on my Verizon Jetpack with MIMO antenna was 60 Mbps down and 12 up, and we had no trouble streaming video at all times during the day.  The best speed test I ran on my 5G AT&T smartphone showed 80 Mbps down and 6 up. The campground provides 3 distinct WiFi hotspots, and while testing the strength of those hotspots I got a whopping 422 down and 38 up, the highest download bandwidth I've ever seen at a campground.

The campground is not really close to the biggest tourist attractions in the area - Marquette is 30 minutes away and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a hour away - but the biggest negative of camping here at this time of year is the mosquitos. Bug spray is highly recommended if you're going to be outside in the park when it's warm, especially on the river side of the campground.

This sleepy little campground had sunny and shady sites. Fire pits and square picnic tables were at each site. The staff was friendly. The shower house and bathrooms were well maintained and clean. Playgrounds were within walking distance, a small beach/swim area was onsite (down the hill), and a hiking trail was right there. It was plenty for my kids to explore. Most of the restaurants in town close by 9pm but if you get a late night hunger pain Marquette is 30 minutes up the highway with lots of options. We will definitely return.

Wonderful Township RV Park With W/E20/30/50/S/i. Gravel Pads With Grassy Sites On Paved Interior Roads. Room for big rigs on many sites, consult reservation system for specific site details. Free WiFi internet speeds 225/40. Strong Verizon 4G and Strong T-Mobile 5G. Great municipal water.

Did not use the shower house.

The park is situated along a river, and there is what one might generously call a small waterfall feeding the swimming area.

Camp hosts maintain a sharing book library and DVDs, together with plenty of local information and attraction brochures on the side of the registration building. Nice touch.

We would not hesitate to stay here again.

Thanks to Forsyth Township!

We averaged $30 / night for W/E50/S/I. They do accept Passport America but since we were staying on a weekend, could not use it. This is a township owned, no frills, no amenities 20 spot RV park. Since we don't use campground amenities, it meets our needs perfectly. Our full sun, back-in, dirt site was spacious, though it sloped 4 to 6 inches between our wheels. The internet service was fantastic and the best we've ever had at a campground. The 5 star rating reflects that not only is this a very nice, no frills campground, the value is tremendous! A full hook-up site with fantastic internet for $15 / night with Passport America during the week can't be beat!!!!

Marquette is about 35 minutes away. Climb Sugarloaf Mountain for an incredible 360 degree view. Take in a sunset at Sunset Point on Presque Isle. Visit the Michigan Iron Industry Museum to learn about the history of iron and how it contributed to the steel industry.

Check in went smoothly and staff shared local restaurants and places to visit. Because they have limited hours and we were gone most of the day we never saw staff again but the restrooms were clean and the womens had lots of paper products but the mens room was without toilet paper and paper towels. There was wood to purchase and even a wheelbarrow to take it to the campsite. It was not busy when we were there and although there is not much privacy if it is full, everyone was respectful of quiet time and we would stay there again. Lots of sand so bring a mat and brush so it doesn't track into the camper. Internet worked well and we were thankful for that. Great little campground, well maintained, near town.

Camp host is friendly. Told me about passport America to save some money. Offers a packet about local businesses. Wifi Works great as used it for work. Strong cell signal as well for Verizon. Town comes by daily to clean restrooms and trash cans. Walk to the small downtown. Shannon’s diner serves great breakfast. Half mile walk. Only dislike is next door firepit right out side of camper windows. Kind of a stupid placement.

My husband and I were searching for a campground convenient to Marquette and all the attractions in and around that area. This was the perfect "home base" for us. A bit of a distance to travel to the center of Marquette, but the drive was a very pleasant one. There's so much to do and see in the surrounding Marquette area. The campground host was kind and courteous. The campground is very clean and is located on the Escanaba River. The campground has a nice little loop hike and picnic area near the lake! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and wish we could have stayed longer. Accepts Passport America - paid $13
Big thumbs up!!