Campgrounds and RV parks near Chums Corner, MI

The Grand Traverse Bay shoreline, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and the Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas are the main regional draws. Sleeping Bear Dunes lies roughly 25 miles west of Traverse City with hiking trails and Lake Michigan beaches, while Old Mission Peninsula extends north of town with vineyards and bay views. Closer to camp, the paved 10.5-mile TART Trail connects Acme Township and Traverse City and links to the Leelanau Trail, offering another 17 miles of paved trail to Suttons Bay, useful for family bike rides from a campsite. The Interlochen Center for the Arts sits just across the northern boundary of Interlochen State Park and offers a year-round calendar of concerts and events. Bass, pike and bluegill can be found in Green and Duck lakes during the summer months, rounding out on-park activity.

The Traverse City area runs a strong four-season pattern. Summers are warm and partly cloudy and the winters are freezing, snowy, windy, and mostly cloudy, with lake-effect snow common through the cold months. Traverse City receives significant snowfall, averaging about 108 inches per year, so winter RV camping is limited to a handful of year-round private parks. Most state park loops and private resorts operate roughly mid-April through mid-October, with peak demand from the National Cherry Festival in early July through Labor Day. Spring can be wet and cool, with lake temperatures still cold into May. Summer is the reliable window: daytime highs typically sit in the 70s and low 80s Fahrenheit, nights cool into the 50s, and lake water warms enough for comfortable swimming by mid-summer. Fall brings color through late September and October, and October is the month with the most precipitation, averaging about 4 inches. Note ongoing construction impacts: the Traverse City State Park modern campground is closed through the 2026 season, with a scheduled reopening date of April 1, 2027, while the day-use area remains open and accessible.

Sites vary by property. The Traverse City State Park modern campground is divided into three loops, including the west, central and east loop, with wooded sites and lots of tree cover, and the central and east loops have 20- and 30-amp service while the west loop has 20-, 30- and 50-amp service, though the campground remains closed for renovation. Interlochen State Park lists 490 campsites, 59 of them rustic with the remainder modern, some with 50-amp service. The rustic loops have no electrical service, and potable water is available at two hand pumps in each loop, with Green Lake swimming access, fire rings and picnic tables. Traverse City KOA Holiday runs a family-resort format with full-hookup pull-throughs, cabins and standard amenities. Holiday Park Campground and the Northwestern Michigan Fair Assoc Campground round out the private options closest to the corner. Expect cell coverage to weaken on rustic loops, and mosquitoes near lakes in early summer.