Traverse City State Park campground stays closed through 2026 season
The campground at Traverse City State Park will stay shut through the 2026 season, while road and entrance work keeps reshaping access on U.S. 31 and Three Mile Road.
Drivers, campers and beachgoers around Traverse City State Park are still navigating a major construction zone, and the biggest piece of the project remains off-limits: the modern campground will stay closed through the 2026 season. The park’s day-use area remains open, but the full camping experience at the 75-acre site east of Grand Traverse Bay will not return until April 1, 2027.
The access changes already reached a visible milestone in early June, when work finished redesigning the Three Mile Road intersection and widening the roadway. A new traffic signal at the relocated campground entrance on U.S. 31 also went into full service after being installed in March 2026, changing how vehicles enter and leave the park corridor. Those upgrades matter in a stretch that carries heavy seasonal traffic through East Bay Township and into Traverse City, especially when visitors are trying to reach the beach, nearby businesses or the park’s trail connections.
Keith J. Charters Traverse City State Park sits just 2 miles from downtown Traverse City and includes a modern campground, mini cabins and a day-use area on the east arm of Grand Traverse Bay. The day-use area is directly across U.S. 31 and includes a quarter-mile of sandy beach, a small beach house and a picnic area. The park is also bordered by the 10.5-mile TART Trail, with the Leelanau Trail adding another 17 miles of paved trail nearby, which makes changes to parking, crossings and vehicle access especially important for people moving through the area on foot or bike.
The renovation is an $8.5 million project funded with federal relief dollars, and state materials describe it as the first major renovation since the park master plan was approved in 1978. The park itself dates to 1920, when the Michigan State Park Commission established it after land gifts to the state, and it was renamed in 2011 for longtime commissioner Keith J. Charters. Planning documents put the campground at 347 modern campsites, which helps explain why the closure is so significant during the busiest months of July and August.
The work is not limited to the campground loop. MDOT’s U.S. 31 and 3 Mile Road project included sidewalk and traffic-signal improvements, a second westbound left-turn lane and alignment of the beach driveway with the northbound approach of the intersection. The broader park plan also calls for new entrances, an at-grade pedestrian crossing and a two-lane bridge connecting the park with a new headquarters building planned south of Mitchell Creek. For this season, the day-use area remains available, but travelers should expect a park that still looks and functions like a work site while the long-term rebuild continues.
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