4.08105 reviewsPrice
Varies
Booking
Walk-in Only
Sites
35 campsites
Season
Year-round
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Price
Varies
Booking
Walk-in Only
Sites
35 campsites
Season
Year-round
Cell
Unknown
Pets
Check Policy
Maple Bay State Forest Campground
45.4876, -84.7080
Front-site hunters who can roll in Thursday or Friday morning. Sunrise views over Maple Bay, a sandy beach, and a boat launch for fishing Burt Lake's bass, walleye, and muskie make the lack of hookups easy to forgive if you land one of those waterfront spots.
Back sites can be boggy, bug-ridden, and damp even in summer, if you can't arrive early enough to compete for the lakeside spots, the consolation prize is a swampy interior site with vault toilets that reviewers describe as filthy at peak times.
Camper Report Card
Rated higher than 6% of graded campgrounds
Graded on what 48 campers actually wrote - graded on 14 things that make or break a trip. A means campers loved it, not that it beat other campgrounds. No star ratings.
Strengths
Watch-outs
Grades are absolute - from what campers wrote, on a fixed scale. ± shows the 95% confidence range from the sample size.
See how Michigan grades overallOfficial information for Maple Bay State Forest Campground from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
This rustic campground is located on the west side of Burt Lake. The campground offers excellent boat access and a sandy shoreline. There is a large day-use parking lot directly adjacent to the campground, which provides parking for boaters and day visitors. The campsites are wooded and private. There is a large grassy day-use area across from the campground, and a narrow sandy shoreline. There are 35 sites for tent, small trailer and large trailer use. Camping is limited to a 15-day maximum stay. Amenities include vault toilets and potable water from a hand-pump well. The campground is located four miles east of Brutus via East Brutus Road and Maple Bay Road. Sites available on a first-come, first-serve basis. No reservations. View Campground closing and opening dates .
Availability, what to pack, similar spots — ask anything and get an instant answer.
Summer brings the warmest and most reliable conditions. Daytime highs run 70–85°F, with water temps often reaching 65–75°F by mid-summer. Long evenings suit campfires and watching sunsets over the lake. The low elevation and proximity to water mean the campground stays damp, especially after rain. Mosquitoes and black flies are active in warm, wet periods. Bring good repellent. Holiday weekends draw moderate crowds, but weekdays stay quieter.
Warmest, most reliable season; water temps 65–75°F and beach/boating are prime in summer.
Rustic state forest campground with 35 wooded, generally private sites on the west shore of Burt Lake. Amenities include vault toilets and potable water from a hand-pump well; no reservations (first-come, first-serve) and a 15-day maximum stay. On-site boat launch, sandy shoreline and adjacent day-use/ grassy recreation area.
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