Best Tent Camping near Detroit, MI

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.

I had fond memories of this place as I would come here as a child. Lots of lakes, beaches, play structures, and more open field space than you can imagine. Most of the campground is run down and in need of improvements. The tennis courts & basketball courts are nearly unusable. The pads are so weathered the lines are gone and vegetation has started growing in all the cracks. Tent camping is difficult as all the sites have large concrete pads in the middle of the site. So a tent has to be pitched next to the road or right on the line of your neighbors site. If you are in a RV this isn’t a problem. For tents, site 191 is the best. On top of a hill which overlooks the campground and lake. It’s an end site so you can spread out a bit into the adjacent field. The bath houses restrooms are in need of renovations or at least a severe cleaning. Very smelly. Showers are nearly pointless, warm water at best. For tent campers this campground is best for day use in my opinion. While the Village of Milford is a bike ride away and has lots to do, there are better places to spend a weekend.

no tent camping

It's always great to spend time at Holly. The only downfall is the public bathroom. Camp sites are pretty big. Tent camping is also A bad place to hang out as nothing is level for tents.

This is another great scout ing campground with cabins, rustic camping, tent sites, lakes, horses to ride, this is one HUGE camp ground for scouts to enjoy and learn..

Spent 2 night in the Aspen Loop tent camping. Minus the silk/inch worms in the trees it was great. Fire pit was large and bathrooms were clean. We did a 6 mile hike and some fishing. Great easy quick weekend away.

Well kept, quiet and fun. Bike rental was easy and did not cost too much. We had a tent site and the yurt site. Water was cold due to it being early June as expected.

Nice little campground, offers both places for tent camping and RV camping. Lots to do, bike trails, walking paths, jet ski rentals, etc. Check-in people at the pavilion were nice and helpful. They also sell firewood at the pavillion. Most campsites have electric hook up and there is a dump station for RV's.

A short trip from home, this was a great weekend getaway! The camp site was spacious but tucked back in a bit (we tent camped on an RV site). The campground was quiet as well.

We did a 7 mile loop hike and then went to Battle Alley Brewing in Holly (10 min away).

No grate on the firepit so be aware of that.

Would definitely come back - it’s like being up north but you’re under an hour from home.

This park and campgrounds are very manicured with tons of RV, trailer and tent sites. The lake has a small shallow swimming area and beach that gets very busy during the day but less traffic right before sunset. There are lots of family activities like mini golf, kids bike courses and playgrounds. It’s a very large open family camping area. The staff are very nice and very busy making sure the grounds are perfectly maintained. I camped in the area F on the outer perimeter just down way of the beach area. I had plenty of room for my tent, awning and to park my SUV. The was electrical and water (non potable) at the site. During the weekdays I only had a few neighbors further down in tents or travel trailers. On Thursday almost all sites filled up with travel trailers. A park employee told me they would be fully booked for the next two weeks. Very nice camping, quiet. Holly Oaks Offroad park is across the street and Holly Recreation area is adjacent. Lots of great towns nearby like Fenton.

This is a typical fairground campground with open grassy areas for campsites surrounded by barns and tracks. The fairgrounds is located just off I-94 which makes for easy entrance and exit to the campground, but, means there is lots of road noise. Close by are plenty of stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. In fact, there is a gap in the fence that runs around the fairgrounds allowing you to walk to a Walmart, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and more. 

We arrived without a reservation and the women in the office was very helpful providing a map with all available sites during our stay and letting us choose which one we wanted. One of the first things you notice is that a number of people are here long-term so we went to the back area hoping it would be quieter and less crowded. A number of the campsites are “buddy” sites meaning your patio opens to your neighbors so be careful which one you pick. This is pretty undesirable when the neighbor is a total stranger so we chose a site where we didn’t have anyone next to us. 

They offer 50 amp full hook-up sites, 50 amp/water, and 30 amp/water sites with pull-thru and back-in options. There is a dump station located in the middle of the park which is easy to get to. The roads are wide and a lack of trees makes this campground accessible for any size RV. The sites are level but some lack grassy making the patio pretty dusty or muddy. Unfortunately, where we were was pretty muddy just after a light rain. This campground works best for RV’s and not tents. For tenters there is a designated section that is set in a corner of the park with large trees for shade but not much privacy between you and others. A water spigot is in the tent area and there was one picnic table. The camp office sells firewood but we only saw two fire pits in the whole park. Be aware that noise from the interstate and nearby train tracks may make for a restless night. Bathrooms are centrally located in the campground and were old and tired but relatively clean. On-site laundry is available.

Apparently, management is having some issues with campers not obeying some of the rules. One of the sad things about this campground is that campers have to be reminded to clean up after their dogs. Apparently, it is such an issue that we got a letter stating that if you don’t pick up your dogs poop you would be asked to leave. How sad is that? There is free WiFi which worked pretty well. Upon checking in, we had to sign a piece of paper stating that we would not download copyrighted material or stream movies or we would be asked to leave. 

My favorite aspect of this campground is that they had a community garden that you were welcome to pick from. We got tomatoes, Swiss chard, peppers, broccoli, and more. Overall, this campground was fine for the few nights we were here and close to the attractions we wanted to visit. We never felt unsafe even though it was close to major cities. We chose this campground because we wanted to go to Ann Arbor and Dearborn and it was a very convenient location.

Pros:

·        Good location if you want to visit Ann Arbor and Dearborn

·        Close to interstate for easy access

·        Long, level sites that will fit any RV

·        Community garden you can pick from vegetables

·        Stores and restaurants are nearby (some within walking distance)

Cons:

·        Lots of road noise from I-94

·        No trees for shade or privacy

·        Would not recommend for tent camping

·        Many campers are long-term

·        “Buddy” campsites with patios facing each other

Stayed here for the DGLO Disc Golf tournament. Had a great time. Clean campground, and activities to do. Everyone was friendly as well. We’re from the metro Detroit area so it was nice to have a quick trip 30 minutes away

We needed a spot quickly after an absolutely terrible experience at the nearby Detroit KOA (don’t go there). Harbortown got us in last minute. They were super friendly and helpful. The sites are level pavement. Decent wifi even though the place packed. All this for the same price as the KOA. Definitely check it out.

Camped here thru the 4th of July weekend. The staff kept noise and other stupidity tamped down. They say quiet time is all the time, and I love that.

Typical MI state park, sites are electric (30a and/or 50a) only.

No real beach, but there is a swimming area. Picked up Detroit TV stations easily, good for the rainy mornings we had.

With T-Mobile, Internet service was practically non-existent. Phone calls & texts worked. The camper across from us said it was the same for Verizon.

One section is mostly paved & ADA sites, the "upper" section is grassy and/or dirt. Both restroom/shower buildings were fine, I just wish they had posted times when they'll be closed for cleaning.

All in all, we'd have no problem returning here.

Holly Recreation area is located in northern Oakland County, just north of Detroit. It is a very nice place to get away from the city without having to drive hours. The campground is divided into a day use side and the campground. There are a few lakes, one very large one that has fishing and electric motor boating. They rent kayaks, canoes, and stand up paddle boards. The beach area also boast a pay area called Jump Island which is a blow up island in the middle which has multiple places to climb, slide, jump and land in the water. The campground its self is around 150 sites that tend to book quickly. The sites are great because they are mostly divided by trees and you don't back up to each other. The terrain is somewhat hilly in parts but the sites are mostly level and paved. There is many sites that are mostly sunny in two of the loops and mainly shady in the other two loops so there is something for all. They have the best Hollyween event in the fall. There are several playgrounds, a basketball court, hiking trails, and the tether ball is always busy.

We thought we'd give Holly Recreation Area a try. Campground is in "loops", each fairly apart from each other. The closest "lake" was mostly lillypads and scum. No swimming there, but the lake with the beach (and overpriced lake inflatables, $20 for 60 minutes use!) was a drive (or looong walk) from my site. (We're in the Oak Loop).

Playground equipment leaves much to be desired. Old swings and slide here, down a ways it's a climbing dome and some other metal thing. I don't know what genius thought putting a basketball court right next to a camping area was a good idea, but the constant "blap blap blap" sound got tedious real quick. Speed limit is 10mph, people seem to add 10 to that, so watch the kiddos. I even saw an official State van zip by my site at at least 15 to 20mph. Not great.

Every site is paved, which is nice, but I've never seen SO many unlevel sites. Some slope back, some forward, or to the side. I mean virtually every site in this loop is unlevel. I'm not exaggerating in the least. Hard to believe they thought this was OK. I drove each loop, noting the level ones, which was only a handful total.

We're close enough that we should get all the Detroit TV stations, yet I can get none. T-Mobile only gets LTE, which is slow.

Vault toilets in the loops, modern restrooms/shower out on the main park road. Unless you like long walks, expect to bike or drive to them. The modern facility near me was ok, showers ok, but there were lots of spiders in the stall I used. What's a lot? I counted 15 on the walls. It IS camping though, so kind of expected.

It is pretty though, very wooded, but sites clear & well spaced. (though, again, mostly all unlevel to some degree.) Road and site pavement is in good condition, and sites clearly marked.

I doubt we'll return here.