NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN FAIRGROUNDS CAMPGROUND, TRAVERSE CITY, MI

Our Opinion: Recommend, if you are looking for a reasonably priced, no-frills campground in this otherwise expensive area.

Date of Stay: July 1 through July 7, 2010.

Weather During Stay:  Mostly sunny, windy and warm, with a few HOT days thrown in.

Site Description:  There is nothing fancy at all about this 133 site campground.  No frills - in fact, the “restrooms” are outhouses, so being self-contained is a big plus.  Don’t try to stay here during the county fair, but the campground is incredibly under-utilized the rest of the time.

Sites are level, gravel on grass.  All sites have 20/30/50 amps.  Picnic tables are available, as are fire rings.

Water spigots are spaced every 6 sites or so throughout the park so you can fill your tank.  Because so few campers use the park, we all had plenty of space.  There are some large trees on the perimeter of the campground, and a few of the sites have a tree, but the majority of the sites are in the open.

Roads are gravel, and a roomy dump station is available on-site.  Leave your trash out by 9 am and the host will pick it up in his golf cart for disposal!  No rules prohibit washing your car.

Rate: $20/night or $125/week - a true bargain in this area.

Phone/radio/TV:  Our Verizon phones and aircard work well here.  No obstacles for our roof-mounted satellite TV, and four stations on the air antenna. No cable TV, no Wi-Fi.  NPR on 91.5.

Elevation/landscape/terrain: This is a flat, grassy, open campground at 600 ft elevation.  Views are of other rigs, distant fairgrounds buildings, and surrounding forest.

Lighting/noise:  No lighting at night (except for lights on other rigs); very quiet as it is well off the road.

Favorite Sites:  No special sites here.  We took an east facing perimeter site, 118.  Sites are technically back-ins but, because so few sites are occupied, you can drive through one site into another.

Hiking/Walking: Plenty of uninspiring walking in the fairgrounds, with good walking, hiking, and bike riding a short drive away.  Traverse City has an extensive trail (walk/bike) system.

Comments:  The best things about this park are the price, the strong voltage, the level sites, the open space and the very friendly, very hardworking, hosts.  Completely no frills, but it worked well for us over the July 4th holiday.  Campgrounds in this area are very overpriced; the fairground was a welcome oasis.  This is NOT a place for families!  Traverse City and Grand Traverse Bay at 8 miles north.  Groceries within 4 miles.