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Dispersed Camping

Manistee River Trail Dispersed Camping

5 Reviews

About

National Forest

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Location

Manistee River Trail Dispersed Camping is located in Michigan

Coordinates

44.36533302760038 N
85.8258124006777 W

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Access

Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.

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WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
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AT&T
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T-Mobile
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Site Types

Dispersed

Features

For Campers

Alcohol
Pets
Fires

Enjoy dispersed camping on government land and leave no trace. Pack in and pack out. No (or limited) services at this camping area. Permit may be required.

PERMIT might be REQUIRED

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Contact

General Info

Alyson M.

Legend

Reviewed Oct. 9, 2022

Great Campsites!

Did a 1 night backpacking trip on the MRT/NCT loop and we loved the spot we had. All spots are very spread out so you get privacy at night. Spots for a fire and very peaceful! We actually had a spot on the NCT side, the spots along the MRT side were much more spacious and were on the water!

Month of VisitOctober

(4) View All

Troy L.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 11, 2021

Good for a 2-day camp.

Great river trail with a decent amount of campsites. We arrived late Friday and most spots were taken. I’d imagine most spots are scoped out earlier in the evening. A lot of people camping/running/hiking. The east side of the river is more hilly but has an abundance of water spots to fill up. The west side of the river doesn’t have any water spots until about the last mile north at a small bridge. Plenty of firewood to salvage on both sides, albeit some of it was wet. We went in late May and it got down to freezing temps the first night. Hammock was not the best option but always made for a good story to tell your friends. Second night was good. We stayed atop the crest of a hill on the west side down a path. There are designated camp sites with markers but we didn’t opt for making it a point to find one. Any place off the beaten path will do. You will see some spots that people have camped.

Siteno specific sites.

Month of VisitJune

(9) View All

Shelagh R.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2020

Beautiful sites and pleasant hiking

Although this is listed as "dispersed" camping, the camping on the Manistee River Trail side of this loop is mostly at designated sites. Most sites seemed to be able to accommodate large groups. The sites along the bluffs tended to be farther from a water source, but never too far. No matter where you end up setting up camp, you're in for a beautiful and gentle hike.

Site4A

Month of VisitOctober

Shelly B.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2020

MI Backpacking at its Finest!

Too much to say about this!

Start at Red Bridge Access, and you can do a 23 mile loop covering miles on the North Country Trail (west side) and the Manistee River Trail (on the east side).

Note; NCT side allows camping anywhere. MRT has specific spots.

My review describes some of the MRT spots.

(20) View All

Josh D.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 22, 2020

Great trail

Great dispersed camping area to getaway! Can sometimes get busy on the weekends, but nothing like a normal campsite. Think it’s just this summer but I did pull 2 ticks off the dogs after this hike.

Make sure to pack bug spray and be sure to check out the mini-waterfall near mile marker 3!

(4) View All