Hillman, Montmorency County, MI · 27 sites
Ess Lake State Forest Campground is a Michigan state forest campground in Montmorency County, in the Sunrise Coast region, sitting at an elevation of 826 feet. It has vault toilets but no flush toilets, and no electric, water, or sewer hookups. There are no showers or Wi-Fi. Sites can be reserved in advance. The nearest town with a convenience store and hardware store is about four miles away, and the nearest hospital is roughly eleven miles out, making this a fairly rustic, remote setting for tent or basic camping.
Hillman, MI
Phone: 989-785-4388
Official website
Amenities
- Boat launch
- Canoe/kayak access
- Fishing
- Hunting access
- ORV access
- Pet-friendly
- Reservations
- Rustic
- Vault toilets
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Nearby services
Gas stations
- Sunoco · 5.3 mi
- bp · 5.7 mi
- BP · 11 mi
Groceries
- Morrison Iga Foodliner, Inc · 4.9 mi
- Freddie's Family Market · 9.0 mi
- Freddie's Family Market · 11 mi
Convenience stores
- Sweet's 624 & More · 4.0 mi
- A-1 Party Mart · 5.0 mi
- Hilltop Mini Mart · 5.3 mi
Restaurants
- Dairy Queen · 4.9 mi
- Charly O's Pizza · 5.0 mi
- Jacques Family Restaurant · 5.3 mi
Hospitals
- CannaAtlanta · 11 mi
- Omh Montmorency Medical Clinic · 22 mi
- Thunder Bay Community Health Service · 22 mi
Pharmacies
- Hillman Pharmacy · 4.9 mi
- Thunder Bay Community Health Service, Incorporated · 21 mi
- Thunder Bay Community Health Service Pharmacy · 22 mi
Hardware stores
- Hillman Ace Hardware · 4.0 mi
- Hillman Hardware · 5.0 mi
- Hillman Ace Hardware · 5.6 mi
RV services
- Brewbaker's Housing & RV · 21 mi
- Sports Unlimited · 26 mi
- Smith Equipment Rental & Trailer Sales · 35 mi
EV charging
- Hillman EZ Mart · 5.7 mi
- Millersburg Trailhead · 16 mi
- Presque Isle District Library (Posen) · 17 mi
Local events
Fairs — 2 of 7 within 50 miles
- Montmorency County 4-H Fair 11 mi
Late July · Atlanta
- Presque Isle County Fair 16 mi
Late summer · Millersburg
Festivals & Celebrations — 2 of 7 within 50 miles
- Atlanta Area Elk Festival 11 mi
September · Atlanta
- Nautical City Festival 23 mi
Late July · Rogers City
Farmers Markets — 2 of 11 within 50 miles
- Hillman Pop-Up Market 4.9 mi
Jun-Oct · Hillman
- Atlanta Pop-Up Market 11 mi
Jun-Oct · Atlanta
Arts & Music — 2 of 4 within 50 miles
- Alpena Flower Festival 27 mi
Early June · Alpena
- Boataroo Music Festival 30 mi
September · Ossineke
Flea Markets & Swaps — 2 of 3 within 50 miles
- Alpena Indoor Flea Market 27 mi
Year-round · Alpena
- Treasure Hunt Flea Market 44 mi
Seasonal · Cheboygan
Sports & Recreation — 2 of 2 within 50 miles
- Michigan Brown Trout Festival 27 mi
Mid-late July · Alpena
- AuSable River International Canoe Marathon 48 mi
Last full weekend of July · Grayling to Oscoda
Notes & sources
Distances to nearby services and local events are straight-line, not driving distance — the real drive is longer, and around water or on an island there may be no road route at all.
Nearby services checked August 2026. Businesses close without notice; call ahead if it matters.
Recurring annual events and markets near this campground. Timings repeat each year — confirm with the organiser before travelling.
Data: (c) BrightQuery, via Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) · (c) Foursquare Labs, via Overture Maps Foundation (Apache-2.0) · (c) Meta Platforms, via Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) · (c) Microsoft, via Overture Maps Foundation (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) · (c) OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL-1.0) · AllThePlaces (CC0), via Overture Maps Foundation (CC0-1.0) · U.S. Department of Energy / NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center (NREL-DOE-Alliance)