South Higgins Lake Campground

The Great Outdoors

A highlight of camping at the South Higgins Lake Campground is its access to the recreational pursuits of the South Higgins Lake State Park. It covers around 1,000 acres and completely surrounds Marl Lake, with numerous hiking trails for visitors to explore. Keep your eyes peeled for migratory loons, kingfishers, and nesting bald eagles as you traverse the mixed pine, oak, and maple forest or embark on a boating excursion along one of the lakes.A short drive north of the South Higgins Lake Campground is the Hartwick Pines State Park, which extends across almost 10,000 acres near Grayling. It encompasses an old-growth forest of white and red pines, reflecting what much of Northern Michigan would have looked like before the logging era. Explore the 49-acre Hartwick Pines and its associated Logging Museum, which was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, with recreated rooms and artifacts dating from the lumber boom years on display. In the outdoor yard are old logging equipment and an enclosed steam-powered sawmill that’s put into operation during special events.To the southwest of the campsites at South Higgins Lake Campground sprawl the Huron-Manistee National Forests, which were created as separate forests in 1909 and 1938, respectively. Together they encompass almost one million acres of lakes and rivers, including the Pere Marquette and Au Sable rivers that can be explored by canoe. More than 300 miles of hiking trails also wind through the wetlands and jack pine forests, with many transforming into cross-country skiing and snowmobiling trails during the winter months. If you’re a keen birdwatcher, keep your eyes peeled for Kirtland’s warblers, which are known to nest in the forests.

Exploring the City

The South Higgins Lake Campground is on the doorstep of a pizzeria and ice cream store where you can grab a bite to eat, and there’s a small grocery store selling essentials. Alternatively, you can make the 15-minute drive into Roscommon, where you’ll find a more extensive choice of shops, supermarkets, and services, as well as gas stations, if you need to fill up your Roscommon RV rental.While you’re in Roscommon, don’t miss a visit to the Roscommon Historic Model Train Club, which occupies a bright red building adjacent to the railroad tracks. Admire the intricately designed model railways, which were established by a group of locals over a decade ago, with HO-scale, G-scale, and O-scale layouts. The Roscommon Historic Model Trail Club also operates a 7.5-gauge Ride-on-Railroad located at the Ausable River Center that’s accessible to kids and adults alike.Directly east of the South Higgins Lake Campground is the Ogemaw Nature Park, which is renowned for its resident white-tailed deer. It was established in the 1920s as a sanctuary for wild deer and offers up-close encounters with these native species, including hand feeding. There are picnic facilities and grills where you can relax over lunch, as well as impressive peacocks strutting around the grounds.Roscommon campers are just over an hour’s drive from the heart of Traverse City, which lies on the shores of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay. It’s a cultural hub, with several excellent museums that include the Dennos Museum Center, where works by Michigan-based artists are displayed. Enjoy a night out at the Victorian City Opera House where plays and musicals are regularly presented or coincide your visit with the National Cherry Festival to feast on these locally-grown fruits. Sports fans can take in a baseball home game of the Traverse City Pit Spitters while nature enthusiasts should hit the hiking trails of Traverse City State Park.Whether you want to explore the old-growth forests and lakes of central Michigan or discover the cultural museums of Traverse City, book an RV in Roscommon County and start planning your next vacation.