SFC Arbutus Lake
October 2026
About
NEW – Some State Forest Campgrounds will pilot same day registrations in the reservation system. This offers more payment options, real-time registration, and campsite availability view from anywhere. You must be at the park and prepared to set up camp before registering.
Your registration will automatically check you in.
Recreation Passports are required. To purchase on-site, complete a self-registration envelope, tear off the tab for your records, insert money and deposit in designated fee drop box/pipe.
For questions on how to use the reservation system, contact the reservation call center at 1-800-447-2757 for assistance.
Arbutus Lake State Forest Campground offers a peaceful escape for outdoor enthusiasts. This campground is a perfect blend of convenience and natural beauty. Just 20 minutes from downtown Traverse City and among a hilly hardwood forest of beech and maple, this rustic campground sits along the northwest shore of Arbutus Lake.
The campground features a swimming beach, making it an ideal spot for families and individuals looking to cool off during the summer months. While some sites are closely spaced, there are walk-in options that provide more privacy and stunning views of Arbutus Lake. These secluded sites may require a short walk from your car, but the tranquility and scenery are well worth the effort.
The lake is a string of five small lakes, connected and identified by a number. There is an accessible boat launch. Anglers can expect to catch a variety of fish, including black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, Northern pike, rock bass, small mouth bass, sunfish and yellow perch.
Open year round when it is accessible. We do not plow in the winter.
Phone: 231-922-5270
Is SFC Arbutus Lake fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches SFC Arbutus Lake in Traverse City, MI for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification, with a link straight to the booking page.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching SFC Arbutus Lake for cancellations is the paid part.