Ausable River Camping

This campground and Foote Pond are my favorite camping places in the Huron national forest. The natural beauty of Michigan along the Ausable River, and the sounds/sights of wildlife along with the solitude and the escape from the city and smog are the reasons I come here. And I’m OFF THE GRID!
However the camp host ruined my solitude and experience by running his generator the WHOLE TIME. He was not seen either! Just heard! Used to be greeted and welcomed. Not this time! No other campers use/used generators, never have heard them in the Huron national forest before. Please stop this! Make it a law! The whole reason to rustic and primitive camp is to get away from this! Big question…..will I ever return to Sawmill? Right now the answer is no.

Excellent trip

Site 44 and 45 I think should be one site. They are both very nice but they’re right next to each other. All the other sites are separated by a buffer of trees and other fauna making it seem that you are the only one camping there. A week after I left lot 44 I came back to lot 45. Saturday afternoon I went for a boat ride. When I returned lot 44 had been over run. There was 3 tents a 24 foot trailer and at least a dozen people along with the 4 cars and trucks they came in. Not so peaceful now!!

I just wanted to take the time for future campers as we were let down by the campsite we were given due to the website labeling the sites in incorrect locations. We stayed at 30C, of the four sites on this stretch (28,29,30,31), 30 is absolutely the worst. Super steep hill, if you are not in good shape you will struggle getting up and down to the site without getting hurt. The site itself is completely shady, which we didn't mind, but I'm sure others might.

I will now try to explain all the sites and there locations so somebody does not get put in a spot they do not want to be... On the online map site 29 is actually site 28 in person, site 30 is actually site 29 and is on the point just right of where it is labeled, site 30 is around the following bend to the north side of the river, and site 31 is at the next point after that.

Site ranking:

Site 29 is the best site on the river it is has a access with a hill but once you get on top there is tons of space. You are on a point, so there is shade and sun and always a nice breeze. It is the best view on this stretch. There is a rope swing. (Sidebar this is the site I expected to get when I book site 30 based on there map)

Site 31 is super easy access and has abundant space. Really nice clean area. Low to river so has more mosquitos and shade. No hill to climb whatsoever.

Site 28 has all the same traits as site 31 except the boat access forces you to go through really thick weed beds all the way to the bank, which also negates the desire to want to swim in river.

Site 30 has a goat path hill climb to endure before you get to the site, its shady and there really isn't much space if you have more than a handful of people. Couldn't see the stars because of the thick canopy. I really don't know why this location was chosen as a site. The pros were that the bugs were minimal and there was a nice breeze most of the night.

We still had a great time on the river. Just wanted to clarify and help future campers.

The road in was horribly unmaintained, which is an issue considering the boat launch at the end. So bad we had to make a makeshift bridge over the potholes my friend could not maneuver around in his Honda Accord. I drove my truck, and even with 8” of ground clearance and moving at 3mph, my air dam was rubbing against the gravel going through the potholes. DNR/Federal needs to do a better job at maintaining these roads.

The bathroom down by the launch also needs to be pumped more frequently, i believe they only pump it in the fall or spring, it was so bad you could smell it from the campsite 500ft away if the wind changed. So bad that if you went in it, you would have to change your clothes after because the smell sticks to your clothes for hours. I used to work in areas with unmaintained portajohns in 100 degree heat, those were nothing compared to the nose burning stench of the boat ramp pit toilet at Sawmill point.

I got this site due to a cancellation, starting to think they cancelled because they didn’t want to get wafting sh*t in their tent all through the night.

That said, the site layouts themselves are beautiful, the river access is unmatched, if the road and those pit toilets were fixed it would be a 5/5 star stay.

Bring a trash bag to pack out anything you bring. There are raccoons in the area so make sure to put your trash away at night

The site is great but overgrown with poison ivy. The river bank had weeds/poison ivy waist high and hadn't been cut back at all. The site is secluded and beautiful but if you are allergic like me beware. I am covered in poison ivy from the overgrowth at the site.

Great Site. Very large and perfect for big families. Very secluded with a bunch of random trails leading down to the water for fishing. Not a good swimming site. GPS will take you to the end of Cook Dam Rd. To access the site, go past road ends sign past the two stone pillars with consumers sign. Road is on your left right after the consumers sign you will see a small brown tent sign to ensure you’re on the right road.

There's property across the river, very loud at all hours of night. One sight visible nearby, excellent space and view, river access excellent for rock hunting, fishing and kayaking. We parked at the half circle, day use area just past the more populated parking site and yaked supplies around the bend rather than hiking it in just cause we had a big load of supplies. If you're looking for total seclusion, this isn't that, but still a great reprieve. There's plenty of hiking spots and fishing opportunities nearby. There's Largo Springs, highly recommend for fossil hunters and a nice workout (hella stairs), then there's Five Channels Dam, Loud Dam, Cooke Dam and Foot Dam. First time visiting and certainly plan on returning.

Campsite was clean and spaced apart very well. The area was very heavily patrolled by the local sheriff and the forest rangers. All in all a good vacation.