TC State Park to Reopen for Fall Camping

By Beth Milligan | Sept. 21, 2026

Construction work on the Keith J. Charters State Park in Traverse City is wrapping up early, according to the Michigan DNR, which will allow the park to reopen for fall camping next month. The park was originally supposed to be closed until next spring. Reservations will open at 8am Thursday for 151 campsites available October 8-November 8.

According to the DNR, improvements at the park - including a redesigned park entrance, a new at-grade pedestrian crossing, a new campground contact station, a relocated park headquarters building and an expanded sanitation station - are nearly complete. The project was paid for by approximately $8.5 million in federal ARPA funds from Governor Whitmer’s Building Michigan Together Plan.

A new traffic signal for the park's redesigned entrance was installed earlier this year and has been fully active since spring. Discussions about the future potential replacement of a pedetrian bridge across US-31 remain ongoing.