Pentoga Park opens for summer camping in Iron County

Pentoga Park opened as Iron County’s main public camping option because it bundles the basics travelers want most: 135 campsites with water and 30-amp electrical hookups, a dump station, and a site on Chicagon Lake that is already built out for summer use. The county’s only county-owned campground sits at 1630 County Road 424 in Crystal Falls, and it opened the Friday before Memorial Day, putting it at the front edge of the season for families, seasonal campers and short-stay visitors.

The draw is not just the number of sites. Pentoga includes two shower and bathroom facilities, a changing house near the beach, playground equipment, waterfront cook stoves and a pavilion that can be reserved for events. The pavilion sits next to the swimming area and looks out over Chicagon Lake, which makes the park useful for more than tent camping alone. It works as a day-use gathering spot, a beach stop and a base for people who want to stay near water and trails without giving up basic amenities.

The price structure shows the county is actively managing the park for a range of users. Current booking pages list seasonal sites at $2,060, monthly sites at $750 and daily sites at $45. The county also says camping fees increased for the 2026 season, and credit-card transactions carry a 3% convenience fee. That matters for anyone budgeting a summer stay, especially because seasonal sites are limited and the park remains one of the county’s clearest public recreation assets.

Pentoga’s value reaches beyond the campground gate. Iron County, established in 1885 and stretched along the Wisconsin border in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, relies heavily on outdoor recreation and summer travel. The county’s 2022-2026 Recreation Plan identifies Pentoga as the county’s only county-owned campground and places day-to-day operation and maintenance with the park manager. That same planning framework includes campground improvements and a shelter project, signaling continued investment in a site that helps anchor local tourism spending.

The park also carries a history that shapes how it is used and understood. County records say the land was purchased in 1924 to preserve Ojibwe burial grounds, and a historical marker identifies the burial ground as Jiibegamigoon. When the land was bought, only five original wooden huts remained. At Pentoga’s centennial commemoration in 2022, Lac Vieux Desert Band tribal historic preservation officer Alina Shively said the burial ground should not be described as “abandoned.” That history gives Pentoga a second identity: it is both a heavily used campground and a place where public recreation, tribal memory and county stewardship meet.