Campgrounds Near I-94 in Michigan: Why Travelers Stop at The Oaks

If you’re looking for campgrounds near I-94 in Michigan, The Oaks Campground in Munith is a short drive north of the interstate between Jackson and Ann Arbor, roughly halfway between Detroit and Battle Creek. It’s a 155-acre family campground next to Waterloo Recreation Area, with the biggest sites in our two Michigan parks, water-and-electric hookups (50 amp on short-term sites), a beach and floating water park, laundry, a camp store and about 120 acres of trails. It’s a destination campground rather than a travel stop, which is exactly what makes it a good overnight on the way through.

Here’s where it sits, what an I-94 traveler gets, what to know before you pull in with a big rig, and how it compares with the other kinds of campgrounds along the corridor.

Where is The Oaks relative to I-94?

The Oaks is at 7800 Cutler Road in Munith, in the countryside north of the Grass Lake and Jackson exits. Plan on about 15 minutes from the interstate to the gate. The last stretch is two-lane country road through farmland and woods, and the campground sits just below Waterloo Recreation Area, the largest state park in the Lower Peninsula. The drive itself is part of the appeal. “While it is not a far drive from the highway, it feels like you’ve driven into the middle of nowhere,” a campground employee says. “You really don’t see many homes on the way in.”

From The Oaks, Jackson is about 15 minutes, Ann Arbor and Lansing are each under an hour, and Detroit’s west side is a bit over an hour. If you’re routing through on I-94 between Chicago and Detroit, it breaks the trip near the middle of the Michigan leg.

What does an I-94 traveler get at The Oaks?

• Room to park. Every site is bigger than the industry norm of about 33 by 60 feet. Oaks sites run from 35 by 65 feet up to 55 by 120, so slide-outs, awnings and a tow vehicle all fit. Sites 46 to 61 are the largest, with nothing behind them but trees.
• Water and electric. Sites have water, power (50 amp on short-term sites, 30 amp on seasonal) and a gray-water drain, with a dump station and honey-wagon service for black tanks. There are no full-hookup sites today (adding some is on the long-term list); short-term sites have 50 amp and seasonal sites are 30 amp. Big rigs that need 50 amp and sewer should look at our sister park, Walnut Hills in Durand, which has 80 full-hookup 50-amp sites about an hour north.
• Back-in sites only. The Oaks has no pull-throughs. Sites are long and wide, so backing in is straightforward, but a one-night traveler should know that going in.
• No check-in line. There’s no office stop at any GatherGrounds park. Book online, and if you’ll arrive after the store closes, call ahead to pre-check in; your license plate is activated and you drive to your site. The plate-reader gate at The Oaks is live for the 2027 season.
• A real camp store. Renovated and stocked for people who forgot something: ice, firewood, RV supplies, snacks, bait, apparel and hand-scooped ice cream. Firewood has to come from the store; outside firewood isn’t allowed in Michigan.
• Laundry and showers. More than one bathhouse, with laundry in several of them, which matters more on a cross-country trip than on a weekend one.

Rates are dynamic, set by site and date; RV sites start around the high $40s a night and go up for holidays and lakefront sites. See The Oaks rates page. The season runs May 1 to October 20.

What sets The Oaks apart from other I-94 camping options?

There are three kinds of places to camp along I-94 in southern Michigan, and each does something well.

Public parks are funded and priced differently (camping fees, the Recreation Passport and public capital investment) and offer fewer on-site amenities, while a private park like The Oaks pays for its amenity stack, staff and utilities through the site rate. The Oaks is built for people who stay the weekend, and a traveler gets the same campground for one night. In a campground employee’s words: “People choose a private campground like The Oaks because they want a well-run park with plenty of reasons to stay right here at the campground.” That means quiet hours from 11 PM to 8 AM so everyone actually sleeps, kids and bikes back at the site by dusk, golf carts parked after dark, and night security on weekends. For a family or an older couple pulling in at dinnertime, that matters as much as the hookups.

Which is why our team’s advice to anyone stopping on the way through is to stay more than one night. “The great thing about The Oaks is that every weekend can look different, because you can’t do everything at the campground in one weekend, and you definitely can’t do everything at the campground and in the surrounding area in one weekend.”

What is there to do if you stay a second night?

• The beach and Aquaglide. A rebuilt sand beach on a spring-fed swim lake, with lounge chairs set out by the campground, and the Aquaglide floating water park (wristbands at the store; ages 7 and up, under 16 with a parent present, life jacket required, monitor on duty).
• The trails. About 120 acres of forest and grassland loops for hiking, mountain biking and golf carts, with deer and sandhill cranes that wander over from the neighboring Haehnle Sanctuary. Golf cart rentals are at the store and are cheaper per day the longer you keep one.
• Fishing. A stocked lake with a dock. Kids do best on the dock; the store sells bait and gear.
• The entertainment zone. A free Kangaroo Jumper, playground, basketball, sand volleyball and ball field next to the pavilion, where there’s a food truck and often a DJ or band on summer weekends.
• Waterloo and Portage Lake. The Eddy Discovery Center, more than 50 miles of state park trails and the public boat ramp on Big Portage Lake, an all-sports lake, about 9 minutes away. See our guide to things to do near Jackson.

Camping near I-94 for a longer stay

If the trip is less a pass-through and more a month in Michigan, The Oaks is the one GatherGrounds park that offers a monthly discount: 25 percent off the nightly rate on non-beachfront sites with a 30-night minimum. Traveling nurses, remote workers and retirees waiting out a move use it. Details are in our monthly campsite guide. There’s no Wi-Fi at the campground, so bring your own hotspot if you need to work.

Tips for arriving at The Oaks from I-94

• Book online before you leave the interstate. Cell coverage is fine, but having the reservation and plate on file means no stop at the gate.
• Arriving after the store closes? Call the store earlier in the day to pre-check in. The gate opens for your plate and your site number is on your confirmation.
• Check-in is 2:00 PM and check-out 11:00 AM; early or late can be arranged for a flat fee if the site is open.
• Ask for sites 46 to 61 if you want the most room and no rear neighbor, or a lakefront site if you want to walk to the beach. The newer north section is closest to the store and amenities, and sites 22 to 109 are the quiet old-growth section.
• Pets are welcome. Dogs may be off leash on the back trails and in the dog run and can swim in the fishing lake (not the swim lake or beach); elsewhere in the park they’re on a leash.

For the full amenity list see The Oaks amenities, and for nearby-city detail see campgrounds near Ann Arbor and campgrounds near Jackson.

Frequently asked questions

Is The Oaks right off I-94?

No. It’s about 15 minutes north of the interstate on country roads, which is what keeps it quiet. Travel-stop parks at the exits are closer to the pavement; The Oaks trades a few minutes for 155 acres of woods.

Does The Oaks have pull-through or 50-amp sites?

Short-term sites have 50 amp (seasonal sites are 30 amp), but there are no pull-throughs: all sites are back-in with water and a gray-water drain. For pull-throughs and 50-amp full hookups, Walnut Hills in Durand has both.

Can I arrive late at night?

Yes. Call the store before it closes to pre-check in, and the gate will open for your license plate. Quiet hours start at 11 PM, so a quick, quiet setup after that keeps your neighbors sleeping.

Is The Oaks open in winter?

No. The season is May 1 to October 20. October is quiet and discounted, with fall color on the trails.