Best Cabin Camping near Ann Arbor, MI

I took a cross country road trip and kept to the southern part of Michigan. Though there is not a ton of camping in southern Michigan there are a few good spots including the Waterloo State Rec Area. I wanted to spend a couple days in Ann Arbor, but didn't want to shell out a bunch of cash for a hotel, and was over sleeping in my car, so I did some quick research and found this campsite. I stayed in theGreen lake rustic site. It was good for a couple nights and had some good hike trails to do on down time. If you are on the road and looking for close camping near Ann Arbor than I highly suggest this site. I unfortunately didn't have a lot of time to do the trails, but walked the Waterloo-Pickney trail for a few miles early my last morning at the site, and found it be very enjoyable. For it's proximity to bigger metropolitan areas this site is great!

We stayed in the Southfork Rustic Cabin at the end of Feb and it was lovely much needed get away. The cabin was semi modern (solar lighting) but only a wood stove for heat. Small kitchen unit with table for eating. You had to hike in about a quarter mile to get there, and it sleeps four people with two bunk beds. There is an outside vault toilet behind the cabin. Lots of trails connecting the cabin to the rest of the park. Cheap too! Only $68 per night.

I absolutely adore Bald Mountain Recreation area! The trails are well maintained and well marked. There is also tons of clean, easy to access lakes within the park too. Perfect for kayaking, paddle boarding, or fishing. Unfortunately there is not a camping area within the recreation area. There is however two rustic cabins that are available for rental year round. They are popular with hunters and scout troops. The cabins sleep about 10-15 people if remember correctly. They are rustic, so they don’t have electricity or heat but there is a large wood burning stove.

LOVED this park.  There is a great amount of greenery between sites, bathrooms were good.  So much to do you don't have to leave the park:  great bike paths / hiking paths, a lodge with restaurant, cabins, golfing, kayak rental, beaches, tennis, basketball.  Really, almost anything you can think of.

SO MANY BIRDS - definitely a bird watchers paradise.  

NOTE:  if you have time, the Toledo Botanical Garden was free and very much worth a trip!

It’s a wide open widely spaced campground. We go there every May for birding. There’s a lodge there, too, and large cabins. Bathrooms are nice.

We went here during the Renaissance Festival and stayed 3 nights in one of the air conditioned cabins. Three kids, two adults and two dogs. Lots of amenities, friendly staff. Not a single problem, and the kids had so much fun.

Addison Oaks is a campground that features hiking and mountain biking trails, campground, cabins, disc golf course, and a lake for boating. The campground is RV and tent friendly and offers fire pits/ picnic tables. The trails are well maintained and heavily trafficked.

A very quiet campground. The sites are spread out and only 2 vehicles per site are allowed. The East campground is more open and had 3 small cabins that can be rented. The West camping is more wooded and isolated. An extensive horse back riding trail system and MTB trails are easily accessible.

We came here two years ago. My husband suggested the place because his family used to come here when he was a kid. There were many activities for everyone to do, especially for the kids. I don’t believe the cabins are pet friendly though. It’s probably the only reason we haven’t been back. We’ll definitely go back when we have a camper.

This is a giant recreation area that features a campground, 3 lakes, tons of trails, and even a splash zone for kids. The campground has it all, electric, cabins, playgrounds, basketball courts, etc... The lakes are nice and there are tone of options of things to do and places to explore. Ideal for families and people who like to camp but aren’t into the “rustic” part.

Just a quick overnight tent camp with my son. Tent sites are relatively well spaced out and clean. Fire rings and picnic tables at each site.

Modern bathrooms and shower rooms are available.

Many playgrounds, horseshoe pits, and a basketball court available.

Firewood and ice available at the front gate.

RV spaces are well spaced out and give a sense of privacy. Electrical hook ups.

Cabins available for rent as well.

This on a bay on the very western side of Lake Erie among a wildlife refuge and wilderness area. I came for the birding and wasn’t disappointed. Parts of this park are very built up as a resort feel but the nature center, shore swimming, and wilderness is still very nice. Unfortunately they allow hunting and trapping, it was disturbing. The campsites are pretty crowded but still ok. There’s a yurt and cabins too.

Had the pleasure of visiting first weekend in February, on the coldest weekend of the year! Nice little cabin set in about 800’ from where you park. It has a table, wood stove, and 4 sets of bunks in a back room. Lots of trails within reach and a horse riding stable if that is your thing. Heard lots of wolves, saw lots of tracks but no animals. I’d like to go back in the spring and hike around some more! Pro tip for cold nights is to block the back room and sleep in the main area-

General: Large state park with 256 campsites, all with electric (20-30-50 amp) hookups. Sites 1-11 and 21-29 have full hookups (water, sewer, electric). Also, there are a lodge and cabins. The park is very well maintained. This park is close to Toledo and within spitting distance of several refineries although you’d never know it! 

Site Quality: All sites are very generous in size and appear to be spaced with a decent amount of space apart with foliage providing varying levels of privacy. Some have beautiful trees that in peak fall color would be stunning. All camper pads are paved and long enough to accommodate large RVs. Some have concrete pads for picnic tables, although the sites in our loop did not. A wooden picnic table and fire ring complete each site. 

Restroom/Shower house: Very clean, however, bathhouses are shared between two loops. Each bathhouse only has two shower stalls, which may necessitate a wait when the campground is full. A hook and a small bench but nowhere to put soap/shampoo in the shower. Good warm water. 

Activities/Amenities: So much to do! Several lakes are good for fishing or boating. Many trails, some grassy and some paved are good for walking, running, and biking. A beautiful and extensive boardwalk constructed by the Ohio Civilian Conservation Corps is available only for foot traffic. Bike rentals are available. A small camp store. Laundry facilities. Donuts and muffins on the weekends. Several playgrounds. Bird houses and feeders are located throughout the park and especially in the spring, you can hear many varieties of birds chirping (however, you will also experience the by-products of so many birds!). Excellent cell service (Verizon). There is also a dump station.

There was a warning that due to the proximity to an urban area campers, bikes, etc. should be locked up but I didn't feel that vibe.

We enjoyed two stays at this campground, once in September and once in May. Even though this large campground was full when we were there on a weekend in September, we did not feel overcrowded. There were many empty campsites when we were there during the week in May (the week before Memorial Day); we very much enjoyed our stay both times!