Chinook Campground

It’s a decent campground if you want to be by the river and plan on tubing. The food is decent, ice cream is a little pricey. Their website says they have activities and movie nights and unfortunately there was just one small craft and no movie night over the holiday weekend. They did have a foam party, but very disappointed as the guy running it was more interested in smoking his cigar infront of young children…
Their bathrooms are absolutely disgusting. Showers have mold, tiles are missing, cobwebs that have had to been there for years. The arcade room also has the same issue and only has ski ball, air hockey, pool and a couple claw machine games that rip you off.
The bounce houses end up as water slides since they let you go into them wet from the waterslide.

They have so much stuff for the family to do. Play grounds for all ages, an arcade, pool, tubing, kayaking, water bounce houses etc we loved it there showers and bathrooms were great water was hot. Showers were a little smaller than expected but workable. The staff were all very kind and helpful. Prices were a little higher than other places but worth every penny.

Top notch experience from start to end.
Food options and quality, pool size/depth and cleanliness, scenery and atmosphere, site space and set up, customer service and variety of activities… all 5 stars!!

I experienced helpful staff whom seem to enjoy working there, in all areas: check in, reservations, general store, food, grounds.
Night security staff are available, seen and appreciated.

Special shout out to Tuber Uber Tony!
Excellent customer service, informative and courteous with great energy.

Highly recommend taking a trip on the river.
There is a variety of quality equipment, all great options.
I liked that we reserved the equipment but were not locked into an exact time so our weekend escape didn’t feel too structured.

It’s worth it!

our tuber uber tony is the best ever!! he went back to the campground for our cooler tube that had been accidentally missed when loading the trailer. we have had him multiple times and he is always going above and beyond for his guests! we love tubing from here and will definitely come back.

We have enjoyed tubing and camping here for many years, which makes this experience even more disappointing.

This past Saturday, on fourth of July, our group of approximately 75 people arrived for a scheduled tubing trip, checked in, and paid in full. While we were waiting for the shuttle, one member of our group picked up a life jacket from the same area where we as guests have always been able to get them during our previous visits. There were NO signs (and never have been) indicating that only staff were permitted to hand out life jackets.

Without asking what happened or giving anyone an opportunity to explain, the male owner, Nick, began yelling at members of our group, including me, accusing us of theft. He ordered us off the property and announced that he had called the police. The police never arrived.

The female owner, Melissa, appeared slightly embarrassed but perhaps just inconvenienced by the situation and attempted to calm him down, but was unsuccessful. She then processed refunds for our entire group on one of the busiest days of the year, which ultimately hurt their own business as much as it disrupted our plans.

What was most upsetting was not the misunderstanding—it was how it was handled. A simple conversation could have resolved everything in seconds. Instead, we were publicly yelled at, falsely accused, and humiliated in front of our families, friends, other customers, and staff.

A camper who was not affiliated with our group approached us afterward to say he was shocked and disgusted by what he and his small children had to witness. He felt the treatment was so inappropriate.

We are not posting this out of spite. We are posting it because no paying customer deserves to be treated this way, especially loyal customers who have supported this business for years, with receipts to prove it. We sincerely hope the owners, Melissa and Nick, acknowledge what happened, accept responsibility, and issue a genuine apology. Everyone can have a bad day, but business owners should treat customers with respect and professionalism. I am open and ready to have a respectful conversation.

Until that happens, I cannot recommend this business.

UPDATE: Shout out to Wisner Canoes in Newaygo for not only saving the day but delivering top notch customer service! I paid $57 for my family’s tubes at Wisner compared to $75 at Chinook so we actually ended up saving money. BONUS: You get to actually, physically grab and try on life jackets yourself at Wisner with NO false accusations of theft!