Kalkaska RV Park & Campground — Hotel in Kalkaska Township

I should have known that things wouldn't go well from other reviews. When campers brought up problems, the owners attacked them instead of addressing the problem.

I booked online and called because there was no Good Sam discount. The rude woman on the phone told me I could not get the discount because I booked online. They had to pay a fee for the booking so you don't get the discount online.

Upon check-in I was told that the speed limit was 6 mph. Ok. Whatever. I smiled and asked, why not 5? Gail proceeded to chastise me when I hadn't driven a car length inside the camp yet. Then the electrical was out on our site. Jeff corrected the problem and it seemed fine. Wood was $6 and they don't deliver.

The kids spent several days riding their bikes on the back trails. It really is a beautiful property. They gathered some deadfall and built a lean-to. They asked for rope to tie up the branches and I said sure. As long as you're not cutting any wood, it should be fine. The kids spent days out there raking pine needles to make a path. We were impressed! If only they were this meticulous at home! They took some tarps of mine for a roof, hoping to stay the night in the lean-to. Their cousins arrived and they showed off their back-40 creation. The plan was to disassemble on Sunday morning.

My brother arrived and I saw him the office. He was being lectured about the speed limit. He joked and asked, 6 mph? You guys got radar to be sure? He was told that there have been problems, it's very serious, and they know if you're speeding. Gail has no sense of humor. I'm a retired cop who has literally written over a thousand tickets and understand the importance of limits. I can also laugh at the absurdity of an arbitrary number that has no means of measurement.

Later the kids returned in a panic. Someone had destroyed everything and taken the tarps and bungie cords. My autistic son was in tears. The neat fort had become a mess in the woods. We thought maybe it was other kids, because surely if the owner had a problem, he would have come to us and we would have had the kids fix it.

I went to the office and asked if they knew anything about the tarps and bungees. The kids had built a lean-to. Jeff was in a rage. "You mean my property that was destroyed?!" I was surprised because I hadn't seen any destruction. I was just glad my kids weren't spending time on their phones! :) Jeff told us they had moved moss. Moss! Moved!? Wow! I tried joking and said yeah, I know. If only they'd sweep that good at home! Gail asked, "you knew about this???" We said yeah, the kids did a nice job. Jeff screamed that they had destroyed his property. When I say screamed, it is not hyperbole. I apologized if any live plants were damaged and asked if I could get back the tarps. Jeff screamed, "yeah, for 50 bucks! That's what it's gonna cost to fix all that!" I told him to keep the tarps. They're worth about $20. Shaking my head, my wife and I walked out with our son who was perplexed about how that was handled.

Should the kids have asked permission to build this? Yep. Sorry. Kids being kids. Was it handled right? Nope. How about coming over to our site and asking? We would have made the kids take it down. No harm, no foul. Instead, by the outrageous reaction, you've ticked off your customers and guaranteed we will never return. There are a lot of campgrounds out there. We're evaluating places for a seasonal. This won't be it. We are so friendly with some owners that we've met their families and been guaranteed spots in the camps anytime we want. Look at the reviews, Jeff and Gail aren't making any friends.

So - beautiful place, horrible owners, the game room games were never on, the bathroom faucets are annoying, and if you go west on 72 you can get the same wood for half price. I'm sure the owners will respond and try to tear me a new one, refute all my claims and accuse me of who knows what. Maybe I stayed up after my bedtime. That seems...

From the moment that I called into the office to see if I could have additional guests on my camping site, I knew that I had made a mistake. I had previously booked online for the 4th of July weekend, and it was too close to the actual trip to change reservations to a different campground. When I called, the woman that answered the phone was very condescending and generally sounded angry. I kind of assumed maybe she was just busy and it was a rough week, I was very wrong. She greeted me with the same condescending/angry tone when I was checking in as well. As a side note, i went back to the office later to pay for 2 more guests, she happened to be on the phone so her husband took care of me, he was much more pleasant to talk to.

As for the campground facilities and accommodations there are a few noteworthy items besides what they list on the website. As another reviewer mentioned, some sites are on a hill, so you will want to bring extra blocks and such to ensure you can still get your camper level. The bathroom sinks are very annoying, you have to hold the water on with one hand because it will immediately shut off if you don’t hold the knob. So it’s practically impossible to properly wash your hands without someone else holding the water on for you.

I think that the target demographic for this campground is either for retirees or young family’s, if you fit in either category then you might have a good time and can use the trails, pool, and other accommodations. Regardless I would HIGHLY recommend you...

Best campground I've ever stayed at. I had a rustic tent site in a shady pine forest. The site was very spacious with a nice picnic table and fire ring. Soft sand was level and smooth, easy on the tent stakes, and drained well in the rain. The bathhouse was incredibly clean and well-maintained, with avocado green shower stalls and vintage chrome Sayco shower knobs that gleamed. Unlike the KOA I stayed in once, everything works like it should. Other comments about push-and-hold sink knobs are obsolete -- the chrome lever-handled lavatory fixtures looked new and sinks were bright white. Floors and mats got cleaned daily, since everyone tracks in sand, and the exhaust fan runs continuously. Paper products never ran out, and even the portapotty at the back of the grounds had extra rolls available. My first evening I had some concerns about a group near me that got rowdy and played loud music, but the proprietor came by and sure enough, at the stroke of 10:30pm quiet hours were instantly enforced. The rest of my week was quiet and peaceful -- the sand and pine needles muffle the occasional sounds of dog walkers and children at play. I did not use the playground, pool, or game room.The shop is cute, the coffee is great, and the owners are conscientious and friendly. I liked this place so much I bought a souvenir cap with their logo. I found this place online by location, and it lived up to its website and photos very well. It was a wonderful...