Are you planning a trip to Charlevoix with your horse? We've got you covered. Camping with your horse in Charlevoix just got easier. With our help, you'll find the best Michigan equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
Sit back and let your troubles float away with the smoke of the campfire while enjoying all the comforts. This modern campground is situated in the rolling North Country that is Northern Michigan. We have 76 sites that are sure to please, full hook, pull through, group, and rustic. All sites are large enough to accommodate the largest rigs with a picnic table and large fire ring. We are ATV and motorcycle and golf cart friendly!
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Legend
This is so great koa with no road noise. The trees are mature and beautiful. This is a great laid back, family campground. The sites are bigger than other campgrounds in the area.
Legend
You can pick sites on the river or back by the woods. There are vault toilets and a well for water. The Shingle Mill Pathway runs through the campground. Each site comes with fire pit and picnic table. I've seen people tenting and I've seem people with large fifth wheels. Some sites are only big enough for tents but most sites can fit large rvs.
GuideMe and my son picked one of a few spots on the pigeon river. The river ran along the edge of our site. Highly recommend, but the current is strong so beware if you have little ones. I wouldn’t recommend for 6 and under.
LegendWe have a 36 ft Class A with a Cherokee Trailhawk tow and stayed in site 107 for 3 days in mid July. This is a relatively large CG, just under 100 wooded sites, which are reasonably spaced for a private CG. The CG is very clean and well maintained, but rather on the pricy side, even with all of the amenities. The roads and sites are gravel. Our site had a fair bit of slope side to side, which I mentioned to the person that led us to our site. He said they’d look into it. During the week, the CG was only about 1/3 full, but completely filled up on the weekend. AT&T coverage fair, with 2 Bars of service that fluctuated between 5G and LTE, with speeds up to 4.3 MB/s. The CG is pretty heavily wooded, so access to satellite TV and/or Starlink is highly dependent on location. We had marginal views of the southern and northern skies, but we were able to get DISH coverage on all three western satellites at our site and Starlink was able to get speeds up to 6.5 MB/s. Unfortunately, the CG WiFi wasn’t very usable, less than 1 MB/s, even before the CG filled up.
Guide
Island lake/Huron River Hudson Mills, Sturgeon River, Pine River MI. Also, Hiawasse River, TN
GuideJudy is lovely. River access great. My favorite place to camp and kayak.
TravelerGreat campground. Small in overall size for more peaceful, enjoyable quietness. Sites along the River. Clean and well taken care of by DNR.
TravelerThe owners were constantly driving around and correcting people. Rules are okay but they were over the top. They would even stop and just stare at our site while we sat outside.. it was very odd. Also not kept up at all. The playground was old and my 30 lb dog slipped out from under the “dog park” fence because it was so high off the ground where they were allowed to be unleashed, luckily we got her and she’s ok.
Guide
Nice campground. The hosts were very nice. Clean pool. Recommend the on site ATVrental lots of trails to ride
Traveler
I like the location; very secluded in the State Forest but only a half hour from downtown Traverse City. This facility meets the recreation need of a diverse cross section of Michigan residents. It’s a great home base or overnight camp for canoeists and kayakers (my particular interest). The camp is also used by mountain bikers & gravel riders, ATV riders, anglers, and equestrians (separate camp area). Large wooded sites. Primitive means vault toilets, no power and hand pump water. No reservations — FCFS.
Negatives: can be noisy at times with the ATVs and also large camping groups. But for the most part I’ve found ppl to be respectful. A couple of the sites flooded after an unusually heavy rain today, so I would avoid any site that looks low if rain is expected.
Site 16 is good. High and dry after the rain.
ScoutThis KOA was well kept and clean. Great bathrooms and showers, pool, playground. the only thing keeping from 5 stars in my opinion is the lack of grass, but I also love all the trees so it’s a toss up.
ScoutWatch the sunset from your tent on top of a 40 foot over lake MI.
ScoutSites not paved and entrance roads not paved!!!
GuideSmall sites but full hookups. Nice activities and mini golf. Bathrooms soso. Easy access to Otsego state park and Hartwick pines state park
ScoutThe shingle mill pathway in Pigeon River State Forest was a nice, quiet trail. Went on a Thursday in June and saw 1 other person over 2 days. If you hike about 6 miles the first day, you’ll find a nice dispersed campsite on the west side of grass lake. The only problem with this hike was the insane amount of ticks.
TravelerStayed. For 6 days. Staff was awesome. Sites were neat. Park was clean. Lots do do for kids. Loved it here. Definitely coming back.
RangerWhile it was pricey at $65 night, we had a very spacious full hookup site within easy walking distance of pool. Shower house was very nice and modern, with 4 shower stalls. Full coin laundry was helpful too! They had kids activities over the 4thof July weekend, and our kid loved it. The KOA is about a 5 min drive to Otsego Lake and the state park, where there's a nice beach and easy lake access. There's also a newly paved bike trail right by the lake for you to log some miles on. Nearby towns of Gaylord and Boyne provided us with plenty to do, and only a couple hours to get to Sleeping Bear sand dunes. We thought this place was worth the expense- big, flat, level sites with fire pit and full hook up. Nice pine trees and plenty of space for kids to play. Did not like the additional fee for kid to get wrist band for jump pillow and mini gold, but did it anyways.
TravelerWe’ve camped here for two years in a row and we LOVE it! Everyone is so friendly. Camp sites are nicely spread out and our 4 kids have a ball. They just updated their playground area as well!
LegendI love this area so much! So much to explore and not heavily trafficked at all. NCT runs through the state forest, so dispersed camping all around. There are a few rustic campgrounds, but we usually just stay at one of the dispersed sites because most of them have a sweet set up. Lots of awesome sink holes to swim in, and even elk sightings. If you can manage to find this place, you will love it!
GuideVery quiet campground and sites are well spaced.
TravelerRustic campground with access to the Boardman river and many miles of trails in the state forest. Bring cash, no state park workers onsite, honor pay system. Lots of shade and when we were there not busy at all.
TravelerThere are 2 sections of Schecks Place. One is a campground with picnic tables and site numbers.
The other is the trail camp. You drop your money in the box pick a spot of as much space as you want (there is hardly ever a lot of people).
The last 2 times we went there was maybe one or two people with their horses or just passing thru.
There are bathrooms and a well for water. No showers No electric.
The river runs by and is awesome to go tubing down.
There are trails that go through so if you are an equestrian this spot is perfect.
TravelerLarge sites, amazing hosts, does charge for a band for kids to do activities like jumping pad etc. this includes a bike rental and golf but was an added charge. Area is beautiful but campground doesn’t have fishing - limited hiking paths good for families with kids
GuideI love coming to Pigeon River not only because it is secluded and peaceful, but because there are so many things to do in the area. The Shingle Mill Pathway (a roughly 10 mile loop trail) runs right through the camgrounds which is ideal for hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking. The river is also great for fly fishing and floating down If you decide to bring a tube. The best place to camp is right on the river which is lovely to fall asleep to at night. Beware of the bugs! Also, there is no cell service.
TravelerWe stayed at the trail camp it is quiet with no hookups. You can take as much space as you need and there is access to the river. We will be going back again next month.
ScoutThe sites are all great! Camp along the river if you can. Make sure you have all of your supplies before you arrive as the nearest town is 20+ minutes away. Bring a map/gps because there is not cell service.
RangerThis campground is in some lower ground, with a beautiful river running though it. It's fairly wide open, with trees around, but this was great as it made stargazing easy. We were here for a night as we were traveling on the Michigan Shore to Shore Trail, the overall experience was excellent!
Horse camping in Michigan offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian enjoyment, with several well-reviewed campgrounds catering to horse enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Charlevoix, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Charlevoix, MI is Gaylord KOA with a 3.9-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Charlevoix, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Charlevoix, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
