Keith Charters State Park campground closed for $8 million renovation
Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park’s campground stayed empty during peak summer traffic as crews advanced an $8.5 million rebuild that keeps it closed through 2026.
Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park’s campground sat empty during one of the busiest stretches of the summer as crews pushed ahead on an $8.5 million renovation that will keep the site closed through the 2026 season. The day-use beach remains open.
The modern campground closed July 7, 2025 and is scheduled to reopen April 1, 2027. The renovation is meant to solve a familiar summer bottleneck at the 75-acre park, which sits about 2 miles from downtown Traverse City on the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. The project began in February 2025 and is funded with $8.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan relief money.
Crews are building a redesigned entrance off U.S. 31, a new at-grade pedestrian crossing, a new campground contact station, a relocated park headquarters building and an expanded sanitation station. The work is intended to improve traffic flow, expand access and make the campground more usable for larger RVs and other campers. A new traffic signal at the relocated U.S. 31 campground entrance is scheduled for installation in early March 2026.
The biggest visible change is a roughly 100-foot bridge over Mitchell Creek, built because the wetlands blocked a direct route. That span opens up about 40 acres of land that had not been accessible before and makes room for the new headquarters building, which will include employee space, offices, work areas and a service yard. The redesign should reduce congestion once the campground reopens and make the site easier to navigate for visitors with different mobility needs.
The bridge over U.S. 31 had stood since 1966, but after it was struck by a truck in July 2025, it was removed in September 2025. A future replacement bridge will require land acquisition and additional funding before it can be built. The agency is working with partners to find a location and funding for an ADA-compliant replacement.
Traverse City State Park was established in 1920 and renamed Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park in 2011. The broader state parks funding pool now totals $273 million under the Building Michigan Together Plan.
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