$15 - $70 / night

Camper submitted image from Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area - 1

Camper submitted image from Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area - 3

People

Camper submitted image from Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area - 4

Water

Camper submitted image from Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area - 5

Roads

Established Camping

Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area

18 Reviews

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About

State Park

Pinckney Recreation Area is a paradise for backpackers, mountain bikers, anglers, and other recreation enthusiasts. Pinckney is known for its extensive trail system and chain of excellent fishing lakes. Over forty miles of multi-use trail with remote campsites afford a backcountry experience.

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Location

Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area is located in Michigan

Directions

From US-23: Exit #49 North Territorial Rd. Travel west 11 miles to Dexter Town Hall Rd. Turn right on Dexter Town Hall and travel 1 mile north to the park entrance. Turn left on Silver Hill Rd. The park office is past the booth on the left. Please be aware that Pinckney has over 11,000 acres and it is easy to go to the wrong location.

Address

8556 Silver Hill Rd
Pinckney, MI 48169

Coordinates

42.421841038484644 N
84.04322125237829 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Poor
Verizon
Available
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Features

For Campers

ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Pull-Through Sites

$15 - $70

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Easton D.

Scout

Reviewed May. 20, 2022

Excellent for the Location

Other than a few campsites being muddy, most of them are grassy and very comfortable. Close to the lake is the best spot to be!

Site57

Month of VisitJune

Emily M.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 27, 2021

Nice Area

The beach was a very nice place to spend the day. The lake was very warm and the swimming area had a nice depth gradient to satisfy good and not-so-good swimmers. The water was clean and the texture of the lake floor was comfortable for wading. There are flush toilets at the beach with a concession stand. Picnic tables are scattered across the grassy area overlooking the beach. From the parking lot, there are trails to hike and a beach volleyball court.

The campground was decent. The sites were spaced and wooded for shade and privacy. The only downside was that there were only pit toilets. They were cleaned regularly and were not by any means gross. It just meant a bit of a smell and a line to go.

Month of VisitAugust

Samantha C.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 19, 2021

We love Pickney SRA

We usually stay at Bruin Lake in Pickney SRA but take day trips to silver lake and Pickney state park! The parks are clean and there is tons to do!

Broccoli Boss B.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 16, 2020

Bruin Lake

Beautiful fall 🍁🏕🍂campground. It is between 10 to 20 min to the DTE mountain biking trails. The campground is very clean and I got two bars of Verizon cell phone service. The showers and bathrooms were already closed for the season when I camped there. The campsites have different sizes so pay attention to your boundaries. I enjoyed overlooking the lake and I will definitely be back again.

(5) View All

Jennifer H.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 15, 2020

Bruin Lake

Very clean! Newer restrooms two separate bath houses. Water was clean at the beach but no sand just a grassy area though I saw kids playing in the sand of the volleyball court. There is a new large playground structure and nice but short paved path for kids to bike or scooter around. Start balm mile mown hiking path by the boat dock For hikers or mountain bikers this site is 2 miles from the Waterloo/Pinckney Rec trails and you can get there by the main roads. It's also within 20 min Drive of the new DTE mountain bike trails in Chelsea. For Kayakers and boaters there is a long stretch of tie ups near the lower Lake edge sites. Also a really nice long fishing dock. ADA friendly sites and access to all water spigots and restrooms. We spent the weekend here with some friends for a weekend of running adventures on the trails and had a great time. We plan on coming back with kayaks and getting a lower or outside loop site by the lake on our next trip. The sites can be weird sizes, some are larger some are smaller and slanted. We saw a couple campers with larger rigs getting into arguments over the boundaries of the sites. So pay attention to the yellow boundary markers and check the dimensions when booking. Bryin Lake is 30 min from home for us so a great quick weekend getaway.

(10) View All

Debra B.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 2, 2020

Bruin Lake

Nice campground on Bruin Lake. Connected to several lakes, nice to kayak and motor boat through.

(4) View All

Megan A.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 1, 2020

Bruin Lake Campground

Wonderful place even when it’s packed. Harder to get reservations over the years but always a great place to stay. Awesome bathrooms newly renovated. Nice spots. Mostly paved in the lower sites. Nice swimming area however no beach sand. Just a grassy area. Public boat launch on Bruin lake. Bruin lake connects to a few more lakes creating a nice chain of lakes. Half moon at the end of the chain is a great all sports lake. Awesome fishing. Sites have electric, no water. There is a dump station. Wood and ice available for purchase and a few vending machines. Nice hiking trails. They do have a few hike in yurts and hike in camping sites. Decent parking places for those hike ins.

Sarah S.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 21, 2019

Lovely . . . . . Or would have been without the kids ;)

The camp was small, but lovely. I enjoyed the setting and hiking, but swimming did not keep the kids (ages 1.5, 3, 5 &6) entertained for long. It's my ideal location for a quiet solo camp, maybe next time.

Month of VisitAugust

Karen O.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 1, 2019

Crooked Lake Campground

This is a small rustic campground within the Pinckney Recreation Area. On Crooked Lake, it has 25 sites, two of which are right on the water; #7 is full sun, larger, and 20 is sun/shade and tucked away in the back of the campground. Basic boat launch, though I didn't have canoe or anything. Two out houses, hand pump for water and the usual fire ring and picnic table.

Lit's of hiking and biking trails and if you do like being on the water, apparently this lake connects with the river and other lakes in the area.

I had site 2, camped recently, so, I don't know if it gets crowded in warmer months. Ranger station sells wood and civilization is not far away.

Site2

Month of VisitMay

David V.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 25, 2018

Nice

Clean shower,. Spot little close , not alot for kids beside swimming

Maria G.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2018

Perfect campasite to explore surroundings with your Mountain Bike!

We loved the trails for Mountain Bikes that are close to the Campsite! They are super fun!! 🚴🏼‍♀️🤙🏻

Month of VisitOctober

Greg F.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 9, 2018

With multiple camping styles

There are multiple camping opportunities with a variety of camping styles. Yurt rental, to hike-in rustic sites, there's good camping for anyone. A 35 mile hiking trail runs through the entire area with small day trails branching off to points of interest, all with corresponding camp sites. It has good isolation, but not far from creature comforts either.

Craig G.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 30, 2018

Family friendly

Nice clean modern Campground with a few rustic sites. Lake is very clean on a small chain.

SiteH1 and H2 rustic

Month of VisitSeptember

Megan C.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018

Great for a mini backpacking trip!

This is a great trail for beginning backpackers or anyone looking for a quick escape to the woods. We hiked the 7.5 mile loop and stayed one night. The best part is that there are no campgrounds so no loud groups of people/signs of humans everywhere. Just nature! Watch out for the bikers though. They go very fast and some of them are quite salty about having to share the trail with hikers.

Month of VisitAugust

Beth H.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 3, 2018

grass and full sun, or shade and dirt

we stayed In a rented rv w compamy campIng trIp. The facilItIes were not well kept but It Is a large famIly friendly campground wIth plenty of weekend events and actIvItes. The sItes are all near enough to the lake for all to enjoy.

Heidi S.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 16, 2018

Hike-in campsite option

We took advantage of one of the hike in only areas along the waterloo trail. Trails were not very clearly marked and part of the hike was on the road. No facilities at the site. Our hike out we shared the trail with horses which was not ideal as our backpacks often scared the horses so needed to always talk so they knew we were just humans. There is a Horse camp not too far from the hike-in campground which is reported to have running water. The trails were not very easy to follow to locate the horse camp, so we didn't end up making it over there and instead collected water from a nearby pond and filtered it.

(5) View All

DeEtta M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 13, 2018

Bruin Lake Campground

Nice little campground. Bathroom facilities could use some updating. Rangers are great. Nice lake to kayak in.

Rachel K.

Guide

Reviewed May. 9, 2018

Bruin lake

Pretty open grounds, electric hook up, flush toilets, accommodates all kinds of campers, including some hike in sites. Boat dock, swimming area, play ground, activities during the summer. It's a nice grounds but generally bust and open. My dad enjoyed introducing my sister and I to camping at this grounds.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to camp at Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area?

Camping at Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area can cost between $15.00 and $70.00 depending on the site.

What is the max vehicle length at Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area?

Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area allows vehicles up to 50 feet.

Are fires allowed at Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Bruin Lake Campground — Pinckney Recreation Area?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is available, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is unknown.

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About

Location

Directions

Address

Coordinates

The Dyrt Alerts

Access

Stay Connected

Site Types

Features

For Campers

For Vehicles