U.S. Forest Service · Huron-Manistee National Forests · Michigan

South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead

The campground is adjacent to the South Branch River, near the Au Sable River Semi-Primitive Nonmotorized Area. If you are traveling west to east, the South Branch Trail Campground and the River Road Trail Campground are the last two campgrounds before reaching Lake Huron. The Shore-to-Shore Trail begins in Empire near Lake Michigan, on the west side of the state and ends at Lake Huron on the eastern side of the state. The trail passes under I-75, north of Grayling, and then continues eastward to follow the historic Au Sable River to its end in Au Sable, just south of Oscoda.

Closed for the seasonBooking not publishedFrom $15 per nightTents only

More like this: first-come in Michigan · tent only in Michigan

South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead
Photo from the area. Kurt Schwoppe (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons
1fire
active
Welcome Lake South Rx (prescribed burn) · 8 mi away · 35 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-26
Incident details ↓

Amenities & rules

EquipmentTents
FeesRecreation Enhancement Act Fee - Camping - Per Night: $15.00

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Season & status

StatusClosed for the season. Forest Service sites close for the season; check the official page for the reopening date.
SeasonMay 3 to September 30
ForestHuron-Manistee National Forests
FeesRecreation Enhancement Act Fee - Camping - Per Night: $15.00
RulesAllowed Nonmotorized Use. Nonmotorized Snow Use. Saddle and Pack Animals. Prohibited Motorized Vehicles. Motorized Over-snow Vehicles. As a visitor to the National Forest, you are asked to follow certain rules designed to protect the Forest, natural resources and to provide for public safety of visitors.

Huron-Manistee National Forests recreation page ↗

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.81 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.52 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.97 inches of precipitationApril: 3.08 inches of precipitationMay: 3.33 inches of precipitationJune: 3.51 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.69 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.32 inches of precipitationSeptember: 2.86 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.17 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.53 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.92 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 19.2°F averageFebruary: 19.9°F averageMarch: 29.5°F averageApril: 41.7°F averageMay: 54.0°F averageJune: 64.2°F averageJuly: 68.8°F averageAugust: 67.4°F averageSeptember: 59.9°F averageOctober: 47.6°F averageNovember: 35.9°F averageDecember: 25.8°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Hale Loud Dam, 4 miles from the campground at 728 feet, station USC00203529 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 33 inches a year. The shaded span is the published season, May 3 to September 30.

Getting there

Coordinates44.4847° N, 83.7954° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

  • Prescribed
    Welcome Lake South Rx

    8 mi from the campground · 35 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Dump stationDump station ↗12.2 mi
RV sales & serviceRose City RV Center ↗16.8 mi
Outdoor gearLincoln Outdoors ↗23.3 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Worth a stop

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →
  • 1.4 mi
    Hale Road Spur
    0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, e-bike
  • 2 mi
    Huron ORV, Rollways Spur
    0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, e-bike
  • 2 mi
    Iosco Smt Rollways Spur DNR
    0.5 mi trail · snowmobile, snowshoe, ski
  • 2.3 mi
    Towerline Spur
    0.5 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, e-bike
  • 2.4 mi
    Towerline to H9
    0.05 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, e-bike
  • 3.9 mi
    Huron ORV, Smt/Huron ORV Trail ↗
    33.2 mi trail · hiking, horse, bike, e-bike

Trailheads within three miles

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

This campground sits inside Huron-Manistee National Forest.

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Guidebooks for Michigan

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Best Tent Camping: Michigan
    Matt Forster, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Camping Michigan
    Kevin Revolinski, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-trails Michigan & Wisconsin
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to camp at South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead?

Recreation Enhancement Act Fee - Camping - Per Night: $15.00

Source: Forest Service

Is South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead open right now?

Closed for the season as of Oct 26, 2026. Season May 3 to September 30.

Source: Forest Service status

Can I bring an RV to South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead?

South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead is listed for tents only.

Source: Forest Service

What if South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are South Branch Trail Camp Group Site (0.2 mi), Rollways Campground (2.1 mi), and Horseshoe Lake Campground and Boat Launch (8.2 mi, first-come).

Source: Campgrounds nearby