As the weather breaks, many of Michigan’s state parks are opening for the summer camping season.
While campers have been able to book sites for the past six months, those who weren’t in a hurry to lock up a spot now can turn their attention to the online reservation system.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, home to 103 state parks, opens its campsite reservations to outdoor enthusiasts at 8 a.m. six months in advance of the start date for your camping trip.
While some state parks are open year-round for reservations, others opened this week and some won’t allow reservations until mid-May.
Campers can book up to 15 days from their start date, so some sites are booked deep into the summer. Popular parks are already fully booked for holiday weekends like Memorial Day.
In addition to the popularity of some state parks, others are closed for some or all of the season in 2026 for various upgrades, adding to the campsite pinch in many areas.
Campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches and even a scenic outlook are among some places in northern Michigan affected by widespread flooding.
If you missed out on a popular campsite, don’t worry, the DNR’s website allows you to sign up for notifications using an email address that notifies you when sites become available.
Here’s what to know about reserving a campsite in Michigan:
How can I reserve a campground site?
Campers can choose campsites and pay online up to six months ahead of time, the Michigan DNR says.
Popular campgrounds will sell out or nearly sell out sites for popular dates as soon as they open for reservations.
You can find campgrounds, fees and other information on the DNR website.
The reservation system works by choosing a campground, dates, type of equipment and number of campers.
You can look for sites at a specific campground or throughout the state. The interactive map is color coded with green showing available sites, orange showing mostly booked and red fully booked.
Once you click on a specific park, you can even see which sites are available.
Once you confirm your details, you can confirm the reservation and pay online. In addition to site fees, there is an $8 charge for making the booking.
You can make multiple reservations at one time.
Do I need a recreation passport to camp at state parks?
A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into all state park and forest campgrounds, the DNR says.
Passports are $15 per vehicle, $7 per motorcycle and $22 per commercial vehicle.
How to visit state parks at a discount
The Michigan Activity Pass provides discounted access to more than 40 state parks across the state. Michiganders who are interested can visit the MAP website or their local library and selected the desired state park.
The pass offers one-day free visit to the participating state parks.
Most popular Michigan state park campsites by occupancy rate in 2025
Some individual campsites at popular parks were rarely open in 2025, including:
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Camping season is underway at Michigan state parks. How to book a spot
Reporting by Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
