Campgrounds On Rifle River Near Sterling, Michigan

The Rifle River drains an area of approximately 385 square miles of northeastern Michigan, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. In the small town of Sterling and its surrounding area, campgrounds dot the banks of the Rifle River, providing accommodation and recreation for visitors and residents alike.

Campgrounds

River View Camping and Canoe Livery is a riverside campground in Sterling. The campground is one acre and has one mile of riverfront camping. The seasonal campground is open between May and October. Less than 10 miles upriver, Troll Landing Campground has sites with a choice of 20-, 30- or 50-amp electrical hookups. Less than 10 miles downriver from Sterling is the Big Bend Family Campground with over 180 campsites.

Amenities

Amenities at River View Campground include three restroom/shower facilities, laundry room, large dressing rooms with electrical outlets, wireless Internet access and a grocery store. Troll Landing Campground has hot showers and a camp store. At Big Bend Family Campground, take advantage of amenities such as a choice of water/electric or rustic sites, restrooms, showers, a camp store and laundry room.

Activities

Big Bend Family Campground is a good choice for active families, with a heated pool, basketball court, beach volleyball, game room, two playgrounds, a five-acre lake, and planned pot lucks and barbecues. If you want to enjoy the river, Troll Landing offers organized canoe and tube river trips, as well as a playground and fishing. River View Campground also organizes canoe and tube trips. The campground also has two volleyball courts, four horseshoe pits, a basketball court, two playgrounds and three marked hiking trails.

Canoeing

The Rifle River is a popular canoeing river in northeastern Michigan. River View Campground's canoe trips start at two hours, although there is no time limit. River View provides each canoeist with a personal flotation device. Children 12 years and younger must wear these at all times. Troll Landing offers canoe trips from four hours to two days, and tubing trips from one to three hours.

River Rifle State Recreation Area

The Rifle River begins less than 30 miles north of Sterling in the Rifle River State Recreation Area in Lupton, Michigan. Activities at the recreation area include canoeing, fishing, hiking, hunting, metal detecting, mountain biking, swimming and wildlife watching. The Rifle River multi-use trail is 14 miles long, allowing you to walk for as short or as long a time as you want.