West Michigan’s lakeshore is home to many amazing campgrounds, like the ones at Grand Haven State Park, Muskegon State Park, Hoffmaster State Park, and Holland State Park. This year, a new campground will open at Ottawa Sands County Park in Ferrysburg, and it could quickly become one of the top destinations in the area thanks to its unique offerings. The Idema Explorers Camp at the park has tent sites, yurts, and treehouses, as well as a kayak launch on the Grand River and access to miles of hiking and biking trails. We recently visited Ottawa Sands to do some hiking and birdwatching, and had a chance to walk through the campground and see all the amazing progress that has taken place there ahead of a May 22nd grand opening ceremony.

Ottawa Sands County Park opened to the public in 2018. It is located on the site of a former sand mining operation and is considered a great spot for birdwatching. While it began with just a few trails, improvements in 2024 saw the trail around the man-made lake paved, habitat improvements made around the lake for fish, waterfowl, and other species, and informational and trail signs added throughout the park. The parking lot was expanded and paved and a new restroom building was constructed. The park improvements even earned a Park Design award from the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association!

While we loved seeing all these improvements to this amazing park, the most exciting addition was the campground at Idema Explorers Camp, which will have tent sites, yurts, and treehouses available for rent. The campground is located next to a sand dune overlooking the Grand River and it should quickly become a favorite place for summer adventures. Today we will take a look at the offerings of each camping option, as well as the prices. All campers have access to the restroom and shower building, which also has laundry and wifi.

There are 10 tent pad sites, each with a picnic table and fire ring. These sites run $30 per night during the week, $40 on weekends, and $60 on holidays. From November to April they are listed at $30 per night for any reservation.

There are five yurts in the campground, offered in three different sizes. Each yurt has electric, heat, and air conditioning. The yurts have bed with mattresses and linens, an indoor seating area, as well as a kitchenette, microwave, and refrigerator. There is an outdoor grill provided for each one, and a shared firepit space as shown above. The two-person yurt pricing is $200 on weeknights, $225 on weekends, and $375 on holidays. A medium four-person yurt runs $225 on weekdays, $275 on weekends, and $425 on holidays. The large six-person yurt is $275 during the week, $325 on weekends, and $525 on holidays. All prices are lower from November through March.

The treehouses offer some of the campground’s best views as they stand at the top of the dune, over looking the river, park, and the rest of the campground. Each one includes electric, heat, and air-conditioning as well as beds/mattresses/linens, a kitchenette, indoor seating, microwave, and refrigerator. The two-person Belted Kingfisher treehouse runs $240 on weekdays, $270 on weekends, and $450 on holidays. The four-person Great Blue Heron treehouse runs $270 on weekdays, $330 on weekends, and $510 on holidays. The largest treehouse is the Bald Eagle treehouse that has sleeping arrangements for six people. This one offers some of the best views in the park and it also has a bathroom. Renting this one will cost $330 on weekdays, $390 on weekends, and $630 on holidays. Like the tent sites and yurts, the off-peak dates for the treehouses are slightly lower than during the summer months.

Reservations for the Idema Explorers Camp are not yet available but you can sign up for email notifications for when they open up. We can’t wait to stay at this incredible new campground and looking forward to learning more after the grand opening celebration this month!