About Pines Point Campground
Pines Point Campground sits along the White River in the Manistee National Forest, just outside Hesperia in Newaygo County. The campground offers 32 total sites — 27 family sites and 5 group sites — all nonelectric, spread through a shaded stand of pines along the riverbank. Each site includes a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern post. The campground has drinking water and flush toilets, a step up from the more rustic forest-service campgrounds elsewhere in the national forest.
Things to Do
The White River is the main draw here. It's a popular canoeing, kayaking, and tubing river with a gentle current well-suited to families and beginners, and several liveries in the Hesperia area rent equipment and offer shuttle service. The river is also a well-known trout and salmon fishery — steelhead and salmon runs draw anglers in spring and fall. Hiking and forest roads nearby offer additional options for exploring the surrounding national forest land.
Best Time to Visit
Summer weekends are the busiest, especially for river tubing and canoeing traffic. Fall brings salmon runs and cooler, quieter camping. The campground typically operates on a first-come, first-served basis for many sites, so arriving early in the day on weekends improves your odds of getting a spot, particularly for riverside sites.
Reservation Tips
Some sites at Pines Point can be reserved in advance through Recreation.gov, while others are first-come, first-served — check the current listing on Recreation.gov before you go to see which sites are reservable. Unlike Michigan state parks, this is federal land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, so bookings run through Recreation.gov rather than MiDNRReservations.com, and the state's Recreation Passport does not apply here.
Getting There
Pines Point Campground is located off Warner Avenue a few miles northwest of Hesperia. The route in is well-marked from M-20; forest roads are gravel in the final stretch. Hesperia has basic services including gas and groceries, with more amenities available in Fremont and White Cloud.