Cliffs, climbing, and views, oh my! Kona Hills Campground in Marquette
“This is our way to guarantee that the things we like about Marquette stick around,” said Jeremy Johnson, co-owner of Kona Hills Campground in Marquette, Michigan. “Instead of an out-of-town developer putting expensive houses on top of the hill because they have a nice view, we built Kona Hills to be a space that’s accessible and economically sustainable for the community.”
Kona Hills is a rustic campground that provides a back-to-basics camping experience with 40 campsites across 80 acres of raw land and fills a local market gap for tent and car camping in the U.P.’s most populous county.
Jeremy, along with co-owners Sara Johnson and Devin Mahoney, sought to create economic opportunity locally, curate intentional outdoor space where people feel comfortable, and preserve natural spaces while doing their part to prevent sprawl-style development.
Building Kona Hills was the answer.
“Despite driving by the iconic piece of land daily, the site of Kona Hills was both located in the center of Marquette County, and totally inaccessible to the community,” said Sara Johnson. “We set out to change that.”
As a rustic campground “designed for people who actually want to camp,” the experience is intentionally simple and getting back to nature is a guarantee. Vehicles on-site must be 24’ or smaller to safely maneuver the rough terrain and intimate sites, and there are no water, electric, or sewer hookups at sites. Nature does the wowing, rather than resort-like amenities found in many other campgrounds.
Beyond the campground label—Kona Hills doubles as a foundation for multiple outdoor recreation opportunities. Up next? The Upper Peninsula’s first ice park project: Kona Hills Ice Park, built right into the primary rock outcropping, which measures approximately 200ft tall by 200ft wide and naturally offers a wide range of climbing opportunities.
Growing popularity and interest in ice climbing (see Michigan Ice Fest) and a foundational climbing culture (see Huron Mountain Club and Northern Michigan University) only aid to the appeal of adding climbing to the outdoor recreation possibilities at Kona Hills.
As with everything at Kona Hills, careful planning and a thoughtful dedication to the land guide its evolution. The ice park is in the planning and development stages, with partner Vaughn Rodriguez at the helm installing critical infrastructure during the 2025-26 winter season and guiding vision and planning alike. Eventual climbing activities are likely to include ice climbing, mixed climbing, dry-tooling, and via ferrata.
A diverse team of talent is behind Kona Hills, including owners born and raised Marquette County (Jeremy and Devin), transplanted to the area and built a life here (Sara), and recognized nationally for climbing skills and business acumen (Vaughn). Together, their deep love of nature, climbing, sustainable growth, hospitality, and a knack for partnerships mean the cliffs aren’t the limit for Kona Hills – they’re the launching point.
