Ausable River Camping

Camping at Sawmill camp sites are always great. Only complaint is they need to stop letting campers and motorhomes on rustic sites. Two reasons, they stay to long and cause a booking frenzy (not allowing lower income families camp), its rustic camping!

Quick overnight in one of my favorite places. Lots of poison ivy on the site so keep your eyes open.

Site 17C had lots of poison ivy! No pit toilet. No steel fire ring- just a ring of rocks with layers of dry pine needles everywhere. Building a fire did not seem safe.

The camp site was beautiful!! The downside is that everyone thinks they can pull into your campsite and hang out. We even had people park their vehicles and walk right down the steps. It’s clearly marked as a campsite, people just have no respect. When we first pulled up there was a vehicle there and my husband told them it was our site we paid for. They got back in their vehicles and peeled out aggressively.

This spot was perfect. So perfect we had a group try to take out campsite before we arrived. They quickly packed up and moved on when we arrived, but stowaways are always present. The campsite was clean and had awesome views of the sunset. It was a little hard to moor our kayaks but we managed. I plan on returning to this site next year.

Nice spot to camp for a night or two, if you put in at Loud Dam. Depending on wind is less than an hour to paddle up. Wind more than current is the issue. Pond is very still most times. Campsite is a little up-hill from landing spot, but less so than many other riverside campsites here, so not too bad to unload.

Well shaded throughout midsummer days, keeps cool, but if relying on solar there can be struggles to find spots on shore to put the panels.

Very great and well maintained site. Be sure to secure your food, there is an EXTREMELY friendly raccoon that came to visit us on the first day. Swimming is average, as the pond gets very deep very fast. Trees for at least 3 hammocks, but plenty of space for tents.

I had full cell service (T-Mobile).

The sites on Sawmill Point are on the water and you are able to have your boat right there at your campsite.

We love this island. Our family of 4, two adults, 10 and 13 year old kids, have been there two years in an row. The island is large enough to make a good hike and in a great location for fishing. All 4 of us caught keepers this year, 2 pike, 2 bass, 2 walleye. The lumberman's monument is close too.

Not sure what can be done about it but the ticks were terrible. Had 2 on us within 20 minutes. Ended up using a full can of Raid tick and flea to spray the campsite.