French Farm Lakes | Wild Camping

May 16th, 2024 by info

Sites were full. one had a fallen tree in it. Road was dry, hard-packed dirt, with many potholes. only one car wide, but there are pullouts. I drove to the end of the road and boat launch. No cars/trucks/trailers, boats or people here. 3:30pm on Thursday. weekend would be busier. I found a level spot at the back of boat launch and stayed one night.

October 29th, 2023 by cruz.briana94

Stayed at site #4 on 10/28/23. A few people at the lake during the day but we were the only people camping. We did have a pair of cops come through around 10:00 pm shining a spotlight- they arrived at our camp and approached us and quickly stated “that’s not them” apologized, and drove off. About 10 mins after that a car came in, parked on the main road and sat there for roughly 45 mins with their headlights off. Kind of sketchy but we felt safe enough to stay the night.

September 19th, 2023 by 2dogs.ontheroad

Great quiet lakeside camping area. Some day time visitors but very private and quiet at night. Might catch some Northern lights if you're there at the right time. Good cell service throughout
Nice Trails through the forest. No mention of any passes required. It's Dept of Natural Resources land and there's a form to collect some visitor info at each site.

September 19th, 2023 by 2dogs.ontheroad

Great free spot near Mackinaw City. Super quiet and nice. Some people come during the day to go to the lake. Trails throughout the forest. Might be able to catch some Northern lights if you go at the right time. Good cell signal throughout.

July 25th, 2023 by donna-vanciotti

Didn’t end up staying because all the campsites were full. Was going to park at the end by where the boats go in but there were too many people in and out, and it looked like someone who had a campsite was trying to get a picture of our van so we left.

May 29th, 2023 by ad1991larson

camping only at numbered sites now. need MI outdoor pass, and free dispursed campsite permit.

May 14th, 2023 by pdfrench19

Met expectations. Road hard packed so easy to drive, with some spring pot holes. Has been dry, so there was no water on the road.

November 7th, 2022 by jamescook62

It‘s a great place and we had a good quit night, no problems.

November 7th, 2022 by jamescook62

It‘s a great place and we had a good quit night and no problems.

October 3rd, 2022 by Serena Dryden

We stayed at site #1 for just one night in our van. There wasn’t much traffic but I do think most sites were taken by the end of the day. Good AT&T service. The site is huge but could be an issue for some people to get flat. We also had the DNR ranger drive through so it felt safe here.

September 19th, 2022 by jrgr226

We pulled into campsite #2 in the early evening, intending to stay the night in our camper van. We noticed a trash bag full of clothes on the site but otherwise everything seemed fine. However, around 11pm we heard someone try to open our back door to get into our van, then they slowly snuck away. We packed up and left immediately, and ended up staying at Walmart in Cheboygan 30 min away. We notified the authorities as well so they can investigate the site.

September 1st, 2022 by jeremypaulbeer

wound up spending 2 nights here in site #1. 25' skoolie and it was fine for us. be aware we were lucky to get a spot, all others were taken. amazing hiking trail and star gazing. on to the next one 🤙🚐

August 30th, 2022 by xtinolsen

We pulled into site 1 and cleaned up a bunch of trash (leave it better than you found it folks!) and discovered a sandy clearing on a path behind the site. It was perfect for stargazing! Darkest skies we’ve seen so far. Peaceful and serene, decent cell signal!

August 28th, 2022 by duncs67

6 dispersed sites. Some stone fire rings available.

July 29th, 2022 by amaranthsander

Got here after dark and all the official spots were taken, so we parked in the unpaved parking lot at the end of the road near the lakes. Quiet night, no one bothered us.

July 6th, 2022 by mmped4

Pretty busy place with lots of cars coming in and out. We stayed at site 3 in our 25ft skoolie and shared with another couple in a sunrader with plenty of room for another vehicle. 6 sites with #3 being the largest, mosquitos were bad but that’s expected this time of year. Road has some potholes but isn’t horrible. Short bike ride away to a public beach too! Would definitely stay here again

October 23rd, 2021 by stovtop

campsite 4.. great site easy access. Came in on the weekend.

October 4th, 2021 by hilaryfbird

Dirt road in is narrow and was a little muddy for me. 4 official camp spots, each with posts. #3 is the only one that could easily fit 1-4 vans. The rest are small and honestly I thought #1 and #4 looked really difficult to maneuver a good parking spot into and kind of uneven ground. I chose #2, big enough for one rig and a little less off the road than 1 or 2. only other spot already taken on a Monday night was #3. There was a sketchy / very beat up looking car at the end of the road/turnaround spot. Didn't give me the best feeling coming in as its a remote area, lots of space between camp sites. but It is quiet and peaceful and you're tucked away in the forest. I have 2-3 bars ATT

September 2nd, 2021 by eric

Had a great overnight stay. All campsites were full so we opted to park our van in the parking area at the end of the road. Better views of the lake than the campsites as well! Met some other campers - everyone was friendly.

August 24th, 2021 by caminogal

Popular place. There are several numberless modules. Site #3 actually is quite large & has ample space for 3 parties. It has 3 fire rings spaced far enough apart to give privacy if people park in directions that accomplish that. I got there about 3pm & parked at one end of the area at the furthest fire ring. This should have ensured me plenty of privacy. Another party parked at the other far end of camp #3. Then, after dark, a van pulled in on top of me & left the entire middle area clear. Please be polite if you pull in after dark. Either leave early, or avoid parking so close when there is plenty of room to avoid it. Or at least be neighborly & ask if it’s ok to stay there. I felt chased out by people who presumed they were welcome in my small corner of the massive campsite. Other than this unfortunate experience, there were a few bugs, zero to 1 bar of T-Mobile service, & a peaceful night’s sleep.

August 22nd, 2021 by joelblondy

Got here on a Sunday night at 9pm and all the official spots were taken. Good att lte service though

August 5th, 2021 by aaryk.neubert

Very nice and popular spot. Great place to tent or park a RV or camper. 6 marked spots and several unmarked. No 4x4 needed.

August 4th, 2021 by kimglatley

Found site 4 open when we pulled in around 7 pm. Road was a little bumpy coming in but our van had no problem. Nice spot with plenty of shade and a big fire ring. Walked around a bit and picked up a lot of trash, but not all the tp someone left behind. Gross.

July 24th, 2021 by kimberlyjoycornett1

This was an amazing free place to camp! The few developed sites were full but by the boat launch area at the lake was large open space where we were able to camp. When we awoke there were others tucked into this area as well. There is a beautiful lake and hiking trail. Quiet for sleeping and the dirt road to get back to the lake and camping area was maintained well. Highly recommended.

June 14th, 2021 by The_Digital.Nomad

Big Features: Verizon Coverage 2-3 bars, camping spots come with fire pit and are Free. first come first serve basis. They do not permit you to camp in unmarked spots. Spent 1 night in an unmarked location next day they asked me to relocate to spit 1. They were very nice about it. Many walking trails, next to lake where people fish and swim.

May 25th, 2021 by drahos

See photo. Large sites. Can accommodate most rigs

May 25th, 2021 by drahos

Great campsites. Free. No problem camping overnight.

November 8th, 2020 by thevankongs

Nice place to camp. The sites are pretty spread out. We stayed at site 2 near the lake. Nice little pull through. Sign at the beginning says to camp in designated sites only. Quiet, easy to get level. Easy for our sprinter, though the road has some potholes.

September 30th, 2020 by leylagth

Campsites are spread out and it was hard to see at night the designations for the other 5. We returned and stay at #1. Very quiet, saw some garbage bag left behind. PLEASE TAKE YOUR TRASH. Full of trees, very peaceful

August 20th, 2020 by daner.van

I found a cool spot I could pull my truck into. Spent about 15 minutes picking up trash, but it wasn’t too terrible. A little traffic/noise at night (I think all sites were full), but not bad.

October 10th, 2019 by passportquest.com

Road is closed April 1st - September 14. Spent two nights in a row here. Very serene and quiet. We parked across a sandy area where it looks like people have been stuck at so be careful. We parked in a turnout that you would hit on the right hand side right after passing the sandy area. A few trucks passed us on the morning that looked like they were going hunting and you can hear shooting but they’re deep in the woods so there’s no danger.

October 28th, 2018 by wanderingmemphis

Nice area with six camping lots. Very quite area.

August 27th, 2018 by jade.theman

There's 6 "official" camping spots down this road and a few unofficial ones, fire rings made up for all the numbered ones. When we arrived at 5pm all but one of the numbered campsites were taken so it's pretty popular. A few bugs, but otherwise really nice and quiet.