National Park Service · Michigan
East Chickenbone Campground
National Park Service · Michigan, United States · in Isle Royale National Park
- Sites
- 4
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- No
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- No
- Dump station
- No
- Laundry
- No
- Elevation
- 751 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Lake
- Isle Royale National Park
- Nearest town
- Houghton
- Address
- 800 E. Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, MI, 49931
- Phone
- (906) 482-0984
About
An inland campground located on the east end of Chickenbone Lake, off of the East Chickenbone Trail. No boater access. Canoe/kayak access using 1.2 mile portage from McCargoe Cove or 0.2 mile portage from Lake Livermore. Be aware that the campground is not on the shoreline - West Chickenbone Campground is more accessible for watercraft.
Stay Limit: 2 nights from June 1 – Labor Day annually.
Access: Foot/canoe/kayak
Fees
Small-party Camping (6 people or less): free. No fee for small-party camping. A free overnight permit is required.
Group Tent Site: $25. 1 Group Site by advanced reservation only. All parties of 7 or more must submit group permit requests through the park's online request system. The fee is a per permit cost for each party within a group of 7 or more.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 15° | -7° | 37° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 25° | 13° | -5° | 40° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 33° | 24° | 5° | 40° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 36° | 32° | 17° | 43° | 9 of 11 |
| May | 42° | 37° | 32° | 51° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 49° | 43° | 36° | 60° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 57° | 49° | 38° | 67° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 64° | 60° | 49° | 71° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 61° | 57° | 49° | 70° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 50° | 45° | 32° | 59° | 1 of 10 |
| November | 39° | 33° | 12° | 51° | 7 of 10 |
| December | 29° | 22° | 2° | 46° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- McCargoe Cove Campground · National Park Service · 1 mi · 12 sites
- West Chickenbone Campground · National Park Service · 2 mi · 9 sites
- Lake Richie Canoe Campground · National Park Service · 2 mi · 3 sites
- Lake Richie Campground · National Park Service · 2 mi · 6 sites
- Moskey Basin Campground · National Park Service · 2 mi · 10 sites
All public campgrounds in Michigan · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-02-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.