Portage Lake Campground Guide: State Park Sites and The Oaks

There are two good ways to camp at Portage Lake in Michigan’s Waterloo Recreation Area, about 20 minutes north of Jackson. The state-run Portage Lake Modern Campground sits right on the lake with 136 sites. Nine minutes down the road, The Oaks Campground in Munith is the private, family-focused option: a 155-acre campground with its own spring-fed swim lake and beach, a fishing lake, about 120 acres of trails and a full weekend events schedule, with the Portage Lake public boat launch a short drive away.

This guide covers both, so you can pick the one that fits your trip. For Waterloo’s other campgrounds, see our Waterloo Recreation Area camping guide.

Which Portage Lake? The one in Waterloo Recreation Area

Michigan has several Portage Lakes, including one near Pinckney, one on Lake Michigan at Onekama and one in the Upper Peninsula at Houghton. This article is about Big Portage Lake in Waterloo Recreation Area, in Jackson County between Jackson, Chelsea and Ann Arbor. Locals and campers usually just call it Portage Lake, and searches for “Portage Lake campground Jackson MI” or “Waterloo Portage Lake campground” mean this one.

Portage Lake Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area (state park)

The Michigan DNR runs the Portage Lake Modern Campground inside Waterloo, which at more than 20,000 acres is the largest state park in the Lower Peninsula. What to expect:

• 136 modern sites in three loops with 30- or 50-amp electric, plus one camper cabin that sleeps six.
• Day-use area on the lake with a designated swim area reached by a paved path from the campground, a beach house with restrooms and a concession, paddlesport rentals from mid-May to early October, a playground, two reservable pavilions, picnic areas and an 18-hole disc golf course.
• Public boat launch on Big Portage Lake and a fishing pier.
• Group-use area with five rustic sites for groups up to 150.
• A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry, and sites are reserved through the Michigan DNR reservation system.

It’s a well-run state campground and the closest place to sleep next to the water. Like most public campgrounds, it is built around the lake and the trails, with fewer on-site amenities, so bring your own fun. For the booking process and fees, see our guides to Michigan state park reservations and state park campground rates.

Portage Lake campground map and photos

The DNR’s Waterloo page has the official Portage Lake campground map with all three loops, the day-use area and the boat launch, along with photos of the sites and beach. For The Oaks, the Oaks campground map shows every site, the swim lake, the fishing lake and the trailhead, and the Book Now system opens a photo gallery when you click on a site.

The Oaks Campground: RV camping 9 minutes from Portage Lake

The Oaks is a private, amenity-rich campground a few minutes from Waterloo. GatherGrounds Resorts took it over at the end of 2025 and spent 2026 adding a rebuilt sand beach, an Aquaglide floating water park and a Kangaroo Jumper bounce pillow. Here’s what RV campers get:

• Big sites. Every site is larger than the industry standard of about 33 by 60 feet. The smallest are 35 by 65 feet and the largest, in the row from sites 46 to 61, run up to 55 by 120 feet with no neighbors behind you. Big rigs over 40 feet fit easily.
• Power, water and a gray-water drain on RV sites, with dump stations and a honey-wagon service for black tanks. The Oaks does not have full-hookup (sewer) sites; short-term sites have 50 amp, and seasonal sites are 30 amp. If you need those, our sister park Walnut Hills in Durand has 80 full-hookup 50-amp sites, about an hour north.
• Waterfront sites on the campground’s own swim lake, a short walk from the beach, with a front-row view of the Aquaglide. Lakefront neighbors have been known to hold up score cards for the kids’ belly flops.
• Two site personalities. The newer north section is close to the store, beach and playground, which suits families. Sites 22 to 109 in the older section sit under old-growth oaks and are the quiet choice.
• Tent sites T1 to T18 plus 178 and 179. T1 to T12 and 178/179 have electric; T13 to T18 are primitive, with no electric or water, for campers who want it simple. See our tent camping guide.
• On site: a sand beach on a spring-fed lake, the Aquaglide (wristband fee), the free Kangaroo Jumper, a fishing lake with a dock, playgrounds, basketball and sand volleyball, a gaga ball pit, a dog run and back trails where dogs can go off leash, two pavilions, bathhouses with laundry, and a renovated camp store with firewood, ice, bait, forgotten essentials and hand-scooped ice cream.
• Golf cart rentals at the store, and about 120 acres of trails for carts, bikes, hikers and horses.

RV sites start around the high $40s a night and change with the date and the site, so check The Oaks rates page. Rates cover 2 adults and 2 children; extra guests are $13 per adult and $9 per child (ages 3 to 17) per night. You can also read more about The Oaks.

Portage Lake camping: state campground or The Oaks?

As our team puts it: “It’s of course better to be on the body of water, but if you have everything that The Oaks has, and you’re only 9 minutes to the public boat ramp, that doesn’t hurt either.” Families who want to boat or ski on Portage Lake every day and don’t need much else may prefer the state campground. Families who want a beach and water park without a drive, a weekend of events and room to spread out tend to choose The Oaks and treat Portage Lake as a day trip.

What to do at Portage Lake

• Boating and water sports. Portage Lake is an all-sports lake, so ski boats, jet skis and fishing boats all share it. The public launch is in the state park. Quite a few seasonal campers at The Oaks keep boats, and the campground stores them for free in a boat storage area.
• Fishing. Anglers 17 and older need a Michigan fishing license on Portage Lake; kids under 17 fish free but must follow the rules. Many families with young kids fish the dock on The Oaks’ own lake first, where the store sells bait and the catches have included fish nearly as tall as the child holding them. More in our Portage Lake fishing guide.
• Swimming. The day-use beach on Portage Lake is open to the public with a Recreation Passport. Our swimming near Portage Lake guide compares it with The Oaks beach.
• A meal off the campsite. Portage Lake Parlor, minutes from The Oaks, is a lakeside bar and grill that draws boaters off the water. Our team’s review: one of the biggest barbecue smoker setups they’ve seen, and onion rings “where the batter stays on the onion ring.”
• Waterloo’s trails. The 36-mile Waterloo-Pinckney Trail, the DTE Energy Foundation mountain-bike trail and about 20 miles of equestrian trail all start within a short drive, and the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center in Chelsea covers the area’s geology and habitats.

Campgrounds with lake access in Michigan: what “waterfront” means here

Searches for campgrounds on the water in Michigan turn up a lot of parks that are near a lake rather than on one, so it helps to know the layout. At the Portage Lake state campground, sites are on the lake itself, with the swim area in the day-use section. At The Oaks, the waterfront sites face the campground’s own swim lake, which is fed by an artesian spring; the 2026 beach rebuild brought in hundreds of tons of sand and ran it out into the water so you step onto sand, not mud. Dogs can swim in the fishing lake (downstream of the swim area) but not at the beach.

Family campgrounds near Portage Lake: who The Oaks suits

Most Oaks guests are families from Jackson, Ann Arbor, Lansing and the Detroit area, plus a lot of grandparents on seasonal sites whose grandkids come back weekend after weekend. A typical summer Saturday runs beach and Aquaglide in the morning, scooped ice cream and the Kangaroo Jumper after lunch, a golf cart or bike ride through the trails in the afternoon (deer and sandhill cranes from the neighboring Haehnle Sanctuary are common), a food truck for dinner and a band or family dance party at the pavilion. Quiet hours are 11 PM to 8 AM, kids and bikes are back at the site by dusk, and golf carts park after dark. See also our campgrounds near Jackson page.

Seasonal and monthly RV sites near Portage Lake

The Oaks offers seasonal sites (May 1 to October 20) in the $2,500 to $3,300 range, with power billed by usage, free winter storage for returning campers and that free boat storage for Portage Lake boaters. Discounted monthly stays (25% off the nightly rate, non-beachfront sites, 30-night minimum) are offered at The Oaks only. Details are on the Oaks seasonal sites page.

Portage Lake camping FAQ

Where is Portage Lake public access?

The public boat launch and day-use beach are inside Waterloo Recreation Area’s Portage Lake unit, about 9 minutes from The Oaks. A Recreation Passport covers vehicle entry.

Can I bring my boat to The Oaks?

Yes. Short-term campers can trailer a boat to the Portage Lake launch, and seasonal campers get free boat storage on the property. Guests may also paddle their own kayaks and canoes on The Oaks’ fishing lake.

Does The Oaks have full hookups or 50 amp?

Not full hookups. Short-term sites have 50 amp (seasonal sites are 30 amp), with water and a gray-water drain, and a honey-wagon service handles black tanks. Full hookups are at Walnut Hills.

When is the best time to camp at Portage Lake?

Summer weekends are peak and book early. May before Memorial Day, the weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends around Labor Day and October are the quietest and lowest-priced times at The Oaks, and October brings fall color across the trails. Both campgrounds are open May through October, with the state campground also open limited days in winter.