Ogemaw County Fair

Campground in West Branch, MI • 86 RV Sites

Ogemaw County Fairgrounds in West Branch, Michigan, offers a well-priced campground with genuine community character in the northern lower Michigan landscape of Ogemaw County — a property that serves both the annual fair week crowds and the broader camping community through a season that extends well beyond the county fair's brief summer window. The 70 individual electric and water sites, 20 group sites, and 59 rustic spots provide substantial capacity for the varied camping audiences the fairgrounds serves, from the RV-equipped families arriving for the fair's Antique Village to the tent-camping groups drawn by proximity to the Rifle River's fishing and natural recreation. Individual and group sites with water and electric hookups serve the majority of modern camping needs, while rustic sites give tent campers the basic fire-and-nature infrastructure without the utility infrastructure overhead. Horseshoe pits, a basketball court, and a playground provide the standard campground activity mix, and the Wangler Pavilion handles group event programming that extends the fairgrounds' functional use across the season beyond the fair itself. A game room provides the indoor weather-contingency recreation that Michigan's shoulder-season camping makes a practical amenity rather than a luxury. The competitive pricing across all site types reflects the fairgrounds' community-service orientation rather than a resort-maximization pricing model. The Rifle River, accessible within close driving range of West Branch and running through the Rifle River Recreation Area in Ogemaw County, is one of northern Michigan's premier trout fishing streams — a spring-fed, cold-water river with excellent wild brook and brown trout populations in a state forest corridor that protects the river's natural character and provides canoe and kayak access in addition to the wading fishing that its clear, relatively shallow character accommodates. The Rifle River Recreation Area's four interconnected lakes, hiking trails, and rustic camping expand the recreation scope well beyond the river corridor itself. Houghton Lake, the largest inland lake in Michigan by surface area, sits within easy driving distance of West Branch and provides warm-water fishing for walleye, pike, perch, and largemouth bass in a lake whose size supports a substantial fishing community year-round. The Houghton Lake area's ice fishing tradition is among the most active in northern Michigan, with the Tip-Up Town USA ice fishing festival each January representing one of the state's largest and most distinctively Michigan winter events. The broader northern lower Michigan landscape accessible from West Branch includes the Huron National Forest, the AuSable River corridor east of Houghton Lake, and the Au Gres area's Lake Huron shoreline fishing. Ogemaw County Fairgrounds is open through the Michigan camping season, with fair week in July or August representing the highest-energy period when the Antique Village, carnival, livestock competitions, and full fair programming operate at peak. The shoulder seasons — late spring and early fall — deliver the Rifle River fishing and northern Michigan forest recreation that give the campground its appeal beyond the fair audience. Reserve sites for fair week well in advance; the balance of the season typically offers more flexibility while still rewarding advance planning for the most popular summer holiday weekends.

Campground rules and policies

Check-In Procedures:
- Check-In: 3 PM
- Check-Out: 1 PM
- While each park attempts to accommodate your exact spot request, the on-site manager has the ultimate decision for spot placement.
- Please stop by the caretaker's office to check in before proceeding to your site.
- No unauthorized overnight camping.Children:
- Parents or guardians are responsible for having all minor children at the campsite by 11:30 PM.Pets:
- Dogs are ONLY allowed in the campgrounds.
- All dogs must be registered at the time of camp registration. You must present proof of dog license, the breed, and the coloring of the dog.
- All dogs must be leashed or tied at the campsite and must stay on the assigned lot.
- The dog's owner must clean up all droppings.
- All non-compliers will forfeit next year's campsite, and the dog will be picked up by an on-site dog catcher.
- Dogs causing disturbance to neighbor campers will be required to leave the fairgrounds.
- EXCEPTION: Seeing-eye dogs and dogs in the canine program.
- Canine class dogs will be allowed to be led to and from the judging area at scheduled times only.
- All animals must be caged or on a leash and must remain in their designated areas.Safety:
- NO SMOKING on fairgrounds - only in designated areas: the campgrounds and the parking lot.
- Shirts and shoes are required on the grounds (no bare feet).
- No alcoholic beverages will be allowed on the grounds.
- No unauthorized fires are allowed on the grounds.
- Unlawful weapons are prohibited on the grounds.Traffic:
- No bikes, four-wheelers, go-karts, skateboards, rollerblades, heelies, scooters, or any other off-road vehicles are to be used during the fair week except those authorized by the fair board.
- All vehicles must be parked in the proper parking area provided.
- All motorized off-road vehicles (golf carts, side by sides, etc.) are not permitted to be driven/ridden within the confines of the Ogemaw Agricultural Society property, the Ogemaw County Fairgrounds.
- Ogemaw County Agricultural Society Fair Board members and other persons working on behalf of the Fair Board can operate such vehicles with the written permission of the fair board.
- If your vehicle is licensed to be operated on the highway, you may drive it to the Fair Grounds and must park it until you leave the Fair Grounds by a direct route.
- Anyone disregarding this rule will be removed from the property.Note: Ogemaw County Agricultural Society will not be responsible for injuries and personal property stolen or lost, at or during the Ogemaw County Fair.