South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead
The numbers that decide it
Recreation.gov publishes no site-level detail for this campground, so we cannot say what length of rig it takes. Call the managing office before committing to it in a large vehicle.
Site-level detail from Recreation.gov, checked 2026-08-05. Where a field says “not published”, the agency has not published it — it does not mean zero.
South Branch Trail Campground and Trailhead
The campground is adjacent to the South Branch River, near the Au Sable River Semi-Primitive Nonmotorized Area. If you are traveling west to east, the South Branch Trail Campground and the River Road Trail Campground are the last two campgrounds before reaching Lake Huron. The Shore-to-Shore Trail begins in Empire near Lake Michigan, on the west side of the state and ends at Lake Huron on the eastern side of the state. The trail passes under I-75, north of Grayling, and then continues eastward to follow the historic Au Sable River to its end in Au Sable, just south of Oscoda.
Before you go
Season
May 3 – September 30
Fees
Recreation Enhancement Act Fee - Camping - • Per Night: $15.00
Hours
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week unless otherwise posted. Forest quiet hours apply.
Restrictions
Allowed • Nonmotorized Use • Nonmotorized Snow Use • Saddle and Pack Animals Prohibited • Motorized Vehicles • Motorized Over-snow Vehicles As a visitor to the National Forest, you are asked to follow certain rules designed to protect the Forest, natural resources and to provide for public safety of visitors. These rules are available to you on-line or at any office of the Huron-Manistee National Forests. Please take time to read and understand them. General Topic orders apply across the Forests. Applicable Orders - • Motorized Vehicle Use of Roads, Trails and Off-road Areas; R904-14-02 • Occupancy and Use; R904-14-03
Scenic drives that pass close
Make it a night on a better road
Byway plans the drive in — real stops, real weather, nothing invented.