“also known as Pontiac's Lookout”
It is considered to be one of the oldest lookout points near the city of St. Ignace, and was known as "Pontiac's Lookout" by the Ojibwa Tribe. Clarence Eby opened Castle Rock for tourists in 1929, and it has remained a popular tourist destination ever since. Castle Rock rises an astonishing 195 feet above water level and about 183 feet above I-75. The summit of Castle Rock offers a scenic and inspiring view for up to 20 miles, featuring Mackinac Island, Lake Huron, downtown St. Ignace, and wildlife habitat. The lookout point is equipped with viewing binoculars for a truly spectacular view of the area. This is one attraction that is family friendly, pet safe* and, and not be missed.
Reviews of Castle Rock Lakefront Mackinac Trail Campground
13 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on June 14, 2021AT&T 5G
Confirmed by 3 users | Last reported on August 19, 2023T-Mobile 5G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on May 17, 2023We visited Castle Rock and made the climb - totally worth the effort and the $1 entry. The view from up top was wonderful, with forest and lake Huron sprawling out in front of you, and the Mackinac Bridge visible in the distance. As a bonus, you get to visit Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, they sit at the base of the stairs.
When you come back, they will give you an "I climbed Castle Rock" sticker :) We thought it was pretty cute, and we felt we earned the sticker after all those stairs.
We had a nice site on Lake Heron facing Mackinac Island. The water is a beautiful color and a little Cool. We kayaked right off the beach in front of our site we had a nice view. As we looked back at the campsite you could see Castle Rock in the background. They had clean restrooms and a nice laundry room.
We did have people park in front of our site along the beach blocking our view so we told the guy in the office he made them move. If you want to block your own view that's ok, but be respectful they had 2 trucks & motorcycles. They had dogs and were using our site that was next to them prior to us arriving. There were lots of games set up & dog poop everywhere I stepped in it. They had a lot of family camping with them, very noisy.
There is a fish market there in St. Ignace we got some smoked whitefish spread that was some of the best ever. We went out to Mackinac Island it was so crowded worse than P town or Key West you couldn't walk down the street or walk in a fudge shop they were so crowded. Mackinac Island is pretty I would rent a bike to get around.
I would stay there again it was a nice site.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: 48
Beautiful views of the lake! Overall campground is clean and fairly well maintained. Campsite itself was very small and muddy. We stayed 4 days and the first two were great! There was nobody on either side of us so it was very quiet and relaxing! Then the family from hell parked next to us. Four kids and no idea how to control them. The next two days were loud and the opposite of relaxing! That is more about bad parents then the actual campground. I would stay again and hope for better neighbors! The site had some TV reception and weak cell service.
Nightly Rate: $55.00
Days Stayed: 4
Site Number: 53
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
This park seems like it is well past its heyday. The sites are dirt and squirrely in arrangement. The erosion in the park is pretty massive with old swing sets and water pipes well out into the lake. Our site was very narrow and muddy. The dump area was up in the trees near some very run down full-timer trailers.
Despite the water view, I wouldn't stay again.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 1
Site Number: -
Awesome weekend camping with the family, we booked another trip here in August with a group and are excited to come back. The park is under new management and looks like they are working on making it the place to camp in St Ignace!
Nightly Rate: $53.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: 59
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Stayed 2 nights in mid May. Had the campground to ourselves. Nicely separated sites with lots of privacy and grass. Friendly and helpful staff. Great beach and lake view sites. 3 miles from downtown and Mackinac ferries. There is a little bit of I-75 road noise. Would stay here again in a NY minute!
Nightly Rate: $53.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 68
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 5G
T-Mobile 5G
This is a nice park, we stayed in site 98. If I ever make it back this way I would choose a spot over in the 40 range or the 63 - 70 range. They looked much easier to get into, and they were away from the playground so a little quieter.
Minimal to no cell service in the park. The park Wifi was good, speed test was between 50 - 100Mb every time which was good enough for the wife and I to be on conference calls at the same time without disruption.
It was a great location to visit Mackinac Island. Staff was friendly and helpful.
Nightly Rate: $58.00
Days Stayed: 7
Site Number: 98
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T
We arrived to figure out we didn’t fit in the site I picked. Staff worked magic and found us a great spot for the two weeks. Loved the walk on beach. There a short dog walking trail. People were friendly. Laundry and showers good. Honey pots available to borrow if your site didn’t have full hook up.
Nightly Rate: $80.00
Days Stayed: 14
Site Number: 47
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 5G
Staff/Owners were exceptional. Campground needs some work. We arrived in a torrential rain. Huge puddles everywhere. Over the next couple of days, our site never dried out. Sites need additional gravel. Many mature trees and narrow roads make maneuvering a big rig difficult. I would not recommend this campground for big rigs. No WiFi. No cable.
I took with me a 3yr. Old, 6, and 8 to this attraction by myself. Cost $4 ($1/ea.). It was neat...kiddos had to climb up a steep climb of steps to reach the top which was beautiful! A little nerve racking for momma due to high winds...but very cool and the kids loved it. We didn't get souvenirs as the one lady on staff was a touch rude...but maybe she she was having a bad day. Overall, worth the trip and cost effective for large family.
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Castle Rock Lakefront Mackinac Trail Campground
Hours
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 28
- Last Nightly Rate
- 80.0
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 29.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 30.0
- Max Length
- 60ft
- Pull Through RV Sites Count
- 12
- Season End
- October
- Season Start
- May
- Sites Count
- 95
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Paved Sites
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Fifty Amp
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Full Hookup
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Rec Facilities
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Pull Through
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Tent Sites
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Dump Station
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Big Rigs
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Open Seasonally
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Age Restricted
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Back In RV Sites
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Boondock
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Cabin Sites
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Dispersed Sites
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Firewood
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Fulltime Residents
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Group Tent Sites
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Laundry
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Mobile Homes
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Permit Required
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Propane
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Public Water
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Reservations
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RV Sites
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Sewer Hookup
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Showers
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Sites
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Slide Outs
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Standard Tent Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Water Hookup
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Adult Only
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