John Gurney Park Campground

We stayed here for 2 nights in August of 2022. And as someone below mentioned, campgrounds & nice sites aren’t that easy to find along this section of Michigan. We reserved a site online and the city was digging it up with a backhoe when we arrived. Super nice office lady gave us some other options and we grabbed the area overlooking the lake. The sites are not defined and yes, tree roots, stumps, not level and squished together. It took us several times backing up, looking at the ground and re-backing up further other to get level. Both nice office lady & nice groundskeeper guy told us just back in however you want and it will be fine. Groundskeeper guy offered wood to level, but we finally found a spot .
The good: laundry (a big reason I picked this CG), but only 1 machine.
Pretty view (our site) & tiny fenced dog park! Kayak launch / little sandy beach.
Bad: electric posts far away, water spigot far away, tight spots & some of the seasonal & permanent RVs literally inches away from others (saw one where the awning overlapped the neighbor’s awning).
More good: Super nice people here - friendly & made our visit. Also Pleasant Valley Farm & Winery about 5 miles away & worth a visit!

We really had a wonderful time here. Lovely neighbor’s, really friendly and helpful hosts. It’s located in a very nice “up-north” kind of town. Very close to the little sable lighthouse where you are allowed to bring your dogs to the beach! Also the silver lake sand dunes where you can take dune buggy rides etc.... lots and lots to do nearby. Went to mass on Sat evening in nearby Shelby @ “ Our Lady of Fatima” the whole trip was really nice!! We would like to camp seasonally here- but there is a waiting list we will try to get through.

Date of Visit = May 2021, price does not reflect the $3.50 res fee

We had a difficult time finding affordable camping as we made our way north in Michigan, but John Gurney offered more reasonable rates and a few other amenities we wanted. The layout of the campground was very weird and parking was on grass with tree roots, but the hostess was friendly and helpful and allowed us to take up all the room we wanted since no one else was expected by our site during our stay. The hookups were still far behind our rig, but our cord/hose was long enough. I wanted to like this park more than I did because it did have showers, laundry, sport courts, a little nature trail, walking distance into the cute town of Hart, free fast WiFi, a little swim beach, and direct access to the Hart-Montague Bike Trail, which was a very nice trail. Why didn't I like it more? It just felt awkwardly crowded and wasn't pretty in and of itself. If you had business or family nearby, it would be great, but as a destination, it sufficed but didn't shine.

John Gurney Campground fails to include in its amenities any mention of the 22-mile long Hart-Montague Bike Trail. Bob the Dog and I discovered it today and rode out a couple of miles. It begins a few easy blocks east and west of downtown Hart and runs all the way to my next destination in Montague. The bike trail alone is worth five stars, but it is not fair to over-rate this campground just because in providing a hot shower and a place to park my rig it enables me access to such a wonderful ride. The campground does a disservice to itself and cyclists not to properly hype this fantastic recreational activity. Instead, pickelball courts and swimming headline the show.

Good story at the historical marker to the entrance regarding the beginnings of this early auto tourist camp. A small campground with every amenity. Great AT&T cell service. Nice hiking trail along the wooded edge of the large man-made lake. Campsites are relatively tight with neighbors too close. Several permanent sites which is a negative for me due to the awful yard decorations these sorts use. But the campground was close to town and actually had water hookups which most (maybe all) Michigan state parks don't have. My site was not level. The dirt around my site was a bit littered in addition to being a dumping ground for pigs who drip and pour their grill grease and charcoal waste everywhere surrounding the vicinity of the picnic table. Pretty drive getting here, but the park is not my cup of tea.

It was a last minute decision to stay here and we are so happy we did. VERY CLEAN park. With electric and water and WIFI included. A very strong signal allowed us to stream effortlessly. Bathrooms were near and very nice, clean. Four Pickleball courts kept us exercised and happy. The lake view was fantastic and we could not have asked for a more peaceful environment to enjoy our visit with friends in Hart, MI.

When I looked it up, I said to my husband that I hoped it would be as nice as the pictures. IT IS!!!