Ross Lake State Forest Campground

I arrived on a Monday afternoon, stayed until Thursday morning and had the entire campground to myself the entire time. Surveyed all sites and settled on campsite #4 which was by far the best site there. Flat area for the tent, short walk down to the lake with a concrete wall to sit on and enjoy the amazing view, outhouse was VERY clean surprisingly and didn’t smell at all. No Verizon cell service (which I prefer) but not missed. Loons were calling morning and night which made for peaceful mornings and evenings. Not to mention the two adult bald eagles that put on a show for me each night diving for fish right in front of me. All around perfect stay and I will be back! I was able to haul my kayak down the path to the lake and leave it landed there my entire stay. Fishing was also good!

Ross Lake Campground is off the beaten path, three miles off the main road which travels through the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The only complication to reaching the campground is google maps has Ross Lake Road labeled as Russ Lake Road. The access road is dirt, but very well maintained.

This campground is managed by the Michigan Division of Natural Resources and the $24 fee we paid included the DNR Recreation access fee which was $9 for out of state campers.

We arrived at the campground late in the afternoon on Sept 22 and had the entire campground to ourselves. It is a small campground with only 10 sites. Most sites were relatively flat with a dirt or grass parking area. Most spots are relatively large, but big rigs may have an issue turning around in the small turn around at the end of the campground.

Even though the campground is a bit older and we felt like it had been forgotten, the pit toilets were clean and well stocked. There is a hand pump in a central location with water. No electric.

The sites are not right on the lake like many campgrounds in the UP, but our site and many of the other sites had a path to access the lake below. There is a boat ramp to the lake about a quarter mile from the campground. The lake was completely empty when we were there except for four swans floating about.

The campground was quiet, but we could occasionally hear a car go by on the dirt road alongside the campground.

The only negative for us, which some campers may consider a plus, was the lack of cell service. We were able to make Verizon calls, but only had very intermittent 3g signal.