Empire Township Campground
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#2 of 3 Specialty lodging in Empire
Location
4.3
Cleanliness
4.1
Service
4.6
Value
4.3
We are a 60 site rustic campground that offers generous size campsites, nine of which are electrical-sites and 2 group-sites. The Campground is located within minutes from the historical town of Empire, Michigan and minutes from The Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes! Empire Beach located on beautiful Lake Michigan has much to offer for a whole day of fun for all!
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Property amenities
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
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Location
7264 W Osborn Rd, Empire, MI 49630-9426
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- Michelle CBelmont, Michigan131 contributionsLovely campgroundNice quiet campground - we stayed Sun-Wed recently. Not far from Empire, Glen Arbor (groceries) and all the beauty of M-22. Great communication from Yolanda (we booked by phone/text). Would return in the future!Date of stay: August 2020Written August 21, 2020
- mishmashtravelerCarol Stream, Illinois83 contributionsLOVE LOVE LOVE this hidden gem!all the campground in the sleeping bear dunes were booked & I didn't see this campground in any of the websites i was searching. I did see one person's review of this campground & in spite of the fact i couldn't find a website for this plae I called because we needed a place to stay & Robin showed me how to find their website. www.empirechamber.com and we booked a site with electric for our pop camper. this place was awesome! huge sites, awesome showers, near empire beach & the dunes, secluded, etc. blows the DH DAy campground out of the water.Date of stay: July 2011Traveled with familyWritten July 10, 2011
- ohioans2015Marion, Ohio2 contributionsWonderful campground, friendly staff, great sites!My fiance and I stayed in the hardwoods section (in one of the secluded sites) and absolutely loved it! We spent 5 days and 4 nights there to tent camp in mid July 2015. Our site was secluded with lots of trees around our site, so many so that we could hardly see our neighbors; it was just a short walk to flush toilet, showers, potable and non-potable water; we didn't have any issues with lots of bugs, spiders, or mosquitoes (neither of us needed bug spray); Yolanda and everyone we ran into was very kind and helpful; the showers were always hot, had plenty of room in them, and were clean for a campground shower house; and there is firewood and ice there for purchase (nifty when you're in a pinch). We fell in love with Empire and the Sleeping Bear Dunes area and will definitely be coming back (and to this campground)! Fantastic location with tons to do just a short drive (maybe 10 min from Sleeping Bear Dunes)! We aren't ones to write reviews online, but we just HAD to write this one!Date of stay: July 2015Traveled as a coupleWritten July 25, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Nice quiet campground - we stayed Sun-Wed recently. Not far from Empire, Glen Arbor (groceries) and all the beauty of M-22. Great communication from Yolanda (we booked by phone/text). Would return in the future!
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Date of stay: August 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
Go in knowing it’s camping and not the comforts of home. Be aware that there is (1) one flush toilet for 60 sites at the main entrance and (4) four pit toilets (2 men and 2 women) further into the campground. That’s it so have expectations in check. The pit toilets were very well maintained and seemed redone. There are three large-sized showers that are coin operated. You get 3 minutes for $.50 cents. Plenty of time unless you have long hair and you plan to shave then $1 is sufficient. Kids were in and out with $.50 cents. We stayed Mon-Fri the last week of July. We never waited for the shower and twice for the flush toilet in the morning. I can not speak to experiences over a weekend. Our site #7 was very well shaded and nicely maintained. A bit packed in but it worked fine and people really respected the quiet hours. Note that the campground is right next to a runway for small planes and helicopters. …
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Date of stay: July 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
+1
We were nervous when we booked our reservation here since we don't typically choose campgrounds without electricity and outhouses. But we shouldn't have worried. Without electricity offered, it keeps the big rigs away and therefore there are less cleared out spaces and camp sights. There are trees a plenty at this campground and I love that! Our sight was so shaded that our picnic table didn't even get wet when it lightly rained. There were enough trees to hang our dogs tie out line, 2 clothes lines, and we should have brought our 2 hammocks because we could have hung those too. We have a very large tent for our family and we could have put it in at least 5 different places. We didn't have any neighbors on site 25 either, it was lovely. The outhouse near our site was very nice compared to any I have used before. It never smelled, there was not a bug or spider web inside, it was well stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. We didn't mind using it. We did bring a lantern though to set on the floor at night as it was rather dark inside. The showers were very spacious and light, much better than any of the state park showers we have used. I forgot to count, but there were probably 4 or 5 showers total. Our family members were each able to shower with $1 in quarters, 6 minutes, and the water was always nice and hot. Our only complaint was that one night there were two men who were very loud all night. They didn't seem close to our site and I'm guessing they could be heard anywhere in the campground. It's unfortunate when others don't follow the rules and make it difficult for others. So I don't think that the quiet hours are enforced.…
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Date of stay: July 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Site 25 was large with many trees and no neighbors
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
1st of all I wanna thank timberline campground for lying to me as why they were full SHAMELESS ! Empire campground will be my go to campground every sept when visiting from SC. Yolanda was awesome!C'mon-heRe! Its camping folks Gwezz! Brush your teeth at your site ! No sink at the flush toilet ! Bring your handsoap & wash them at the hose just outside the flush toilet! Its camping!u wanna sink & flush toilet camp with a prevost or stay home Nothing but a positive experience at Empire campground :)
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Date of stay: September 2018Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
Couldn't have picked a better place to go camping for the first time. Campground is mostly for tent campers, with one line of sitees with RV hookups. We were late arrivals but were assigned a primo site in the hardwoods section, which I definitely recommend for tent campers. It felt about as luxurious as "primitive" camping gets. Could drive right up to the site. Very spacious and clean site with either a (thin) line of trees or a road separating us from every other site. Fire pit and picnic table are part of the site, firewood readily available. Host friendly and full of advice. Running water readily available, and even a flush toilet (just one) and coin shower available just in case you need them. It felt like easy living! The area is gorgeous and conveniently located for visiting Sleeping Bear. Maybe we just had good luck, but noticed almost no insects/mosquitoes during our two nights there. Seems to be mostly frequented by locals, but as tourists to the area we were very satisfied. Warning that it's a short walk to the water spigots and (pit) toilets, and a longer walk to the showers and such, but I wasn't really expecting any luxuries here; it's camping.…
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Date of stay: August 2018Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
There are no sinks. There is one flush toilet and pit toilets. Not a big deal. Pay showers; also not a big deal. But nowhere to wash your hands or face or brush your teeth. No one from the campground makes a trip around to be sure everyone is being quiet or check on things or deliver common-courtesy service; the office doesn’t open until after 9am and closes at 5:00. There is an airport next door; only heard one small plane in the two days we were there. HOWEVER, there was a revving engine that ran from 8pm Friday night until we left at 9am the next morning. At first we thought it was an airplane being worked on. Then we thought perhaps a field truck or irrigation. Neighboring campers thought it was a generator. 2 of the 6 of us slept in our mini-van; the others with noise-cancelling headphones. What a beautiful time in the great outdoors with noise-cancelling headphones!?!? When I brought this up to the manager, she said “yes that’s unusual and bothersome.” No apologies, just a “yes that noise really bothered me from inside my house with the air conditioning going.” No mention to how we paying customers in tents might feel? Generally, if I could sleep, it’s fine to me for camping. But we might as well have gotten in the car and drove to our next destination. If we could’ve tore down tents in the dark, we would’ve. …
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Date of stay: July 2018Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
I will start with the only real negative, the price. Not that it is insane but $30 per night with 30 service only is higher than we have paid anywhere for pit toilets, dirt pad (not level) and 30 amp service. Now that that is off my chest this is a nice little (60 sites) campground close to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park (10 minutes). The sites are very large (impromptu ball game anyone) and heavily wooded. If you camp in an RV that is bigger than 35 or so feet long and taller than 11 feet, they have one, well maybe two sites you can get to. The rest of the sites are not accessible by big rigs due to lack of tree trimming. If you camp in a tent, popup, small trailer or tear drop this place is meant for you. Many sites are so large and well treed you can not even see your neighbor. The staff is polite, maintenance was good. Most areas are covered by pit toilets (the fancy ones). There are a few pay showers near the entrance. Bring your quarters. There is a small office with firewood and ice at the same location. The dump station is on the main entrance road and is designed to dump as you leave. Park close because you could easily block the entrance when dumping. The real upsides are the quiet, the proximity to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes and the beautiful forest setting. If you have a smaller rig or tent camping and geared for primitive camping at a premium price this is you spot. For us with a full size class A it was OK.…
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Date of stay: June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We have been coming to the Empire Township Campground for the past 15 years. We have stayed in the Pines, the Hardwoods and even the electric sites. Never a bad spot. Sites are roomy, staff and the manager are helpful and friendly, the campground bathrooms and showers are well maintained. Close to shopping, hiking, biking, swimming and all of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park system. Relaxing and serene. We have reserved a spot for Spring/Summer 2018. Looking forward to our next trip.
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
I stayed in the hardwoods section per recommendations from a TripAdvisor review, they were 100 % accurate. Quiet, roomy, easy in easy out, and friendly office person. The hardwoods have to be 50 plus feet high and when the wind is blowing they lull you to sleep. The 2 days I stayed I didn't even get dew on the tent. I'm not sure if the trees did that or just a lucky weather break. I was prepared for bugs but never even had to apply repellent. The location is easily accessible to Empire or the Dunes. Highly recommended.
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Helpful
+1
I was looking for a place that accepted reservations in June and managed to find availability at the Empire Township Campground. I read many of the reviews on here, google, and yelp and found that mixed reviews, but after our stay, I don't see how anyone could rate this less than average! We stayed a Friday through Sunday. Check-in at 1:00 pm and checked-out at prior to 11:00 am. We booked two tent sites (6 & 7) and an RV site (57). The sites are huge! The RV site was large enough to toss a Frisbee back and forth, with plenty of space between your neighbors. The tent sites were also very spacious with multiple flat locations to pitch a tent. All sites seemed to be heavily shaded as well, in the pine trees. As for the camping facilities - the office offers firewood for $5.00 and also has ice available. The people are also super friendly! There is one flush toilet located near the office and all other toilets are pit toilets. Every one I visited was VERY clean and the ones near our tent sites were supposedly new. Hand sanitizer is located outside of every toilet, but there are no sinks. Showers are $0.50 per 3 minutes. There are places to hang items in the shower room and a small bench in most. Quarters may be obtained from the office if needed. The only downside was that it seemed that you had to walk a little ways to the toilets showers, but it is a small inconvenience. The campground does back up to a local runway (small planes). We thought it was neat to be able to watch a few planes come and go while we were there. Over the weekend we saw about 2. Campground location is great! A few minutes from the Platte River and Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Overall, would recommend!…
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Traveled with friends
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: RV site 57 is super wide! Large space between neighbors.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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LOCATION
United StatesMichiganLeelanau CountyEmpire
NUMBER OF ROOMS
60
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Frequently Asked Questions about Empire Township Campground
Which popular attractions are close to Empire Township Campground?
Nearby attractions include Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (3.0 miles), Empire Bluff Trail (3.4 miles), and Lake Michigan Beach Park (3.6 miles).
What are some restaurants close to Empire Township Campground?
Conveniently located restaurants include Shipwreck Cafe, Joe's Friendly Tavern, and Grocer's Daughter Chocolate.
Are pets allowed at Empire Township Campground?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.