Best Cabin Camping near Eaton Rapids, MI

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.

IIndian Valley Campground is right on the thorn apple river! great sites, some with electric, they even have a few cabins for rent. Indoor pool and mini golf for the kids. A small onsite store, but not to far of a drive if you need a grocery store or other amenities. They are also very affordable for canoe and kayak rental. Great place to go!

Met the new owners as we were driving by and they gave us a brief description of what they were doing to the grounds to make it more cozy but comfortable as before sites were pretty tight. Adding cabins to their already 8’ish to accommodate additional “glampers” as some of us enjoy a bit more than a tent and or camper OR don’t have a tent/camper. Lake looks big n clean along with activities laid out for the kids outside already can’t wait to see what they put in place next year/ season!

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-

I was very satisfied with this campground. Each site gets its own picnic table and fire pit, and there are also cabins available. The camp is dog-friendly, and has a variety of shade or sun spots, even if most of them are not level. RV's and tent-camping allowed. You can bring in your own firewood - the wood that they have for sale is not good, don't buy it; when we were there, a local family very close to the campground was selling much better wood that was older and burned better. The bathrooms are clean (well-water) and the staff is friendly. There are "host" activities for kids and adults also, the schedules are posted in the showers. The lake is clean enough to swim in, also. The sites are on the small side and grouped together; there are plenty of trees close enough together to hang a hammock but nothing I would call a forest. Good community camping; not for those who like isolation.

Rangers working the area are very friendly. Many options to choose from in terms of camping, from rustic, tent to fully functional cabin lodging. The park is very large, so it is always good to have a vehicle able to drive to the trails and beach. Campsites are decent sized, can fit probably 3 four person tents per site, which includes a concrete firepit and picnic table. In the north campsites there is a lot of tree covering, and there are a lot of walnut trees that were shedding a lot this time of the year. Bathrooms are well spaced between the campsites you, and have showers along with some vending machines outside of them. Spigots are scattered throughout and are very accessible. Be sure to bring at least 100 feet of extension chord if you want electricity, because the power ports are not as accessible from some areas. Overall very pleasant campground.

Nice campground with lots of sites, after the weekend we had half the place to our selfs, nice big clean lake that also offers row boat rental.

Needed a quick weekend getaway, and found this place. Very nice, lots to do in surrounding area. Lake is pretty. Nearby MIS. Hidden Lake Gardens are absolutely beautiful to wander around.

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.

Campground Review:

Bishop Lake is a great campground located in the middle of the Brighton Rec Area. The upper and lower campgrounds are both modern, with every site including electric. There are two rustic campgrounds as well down the road. When we went to go get a campsite (you can reserve online for an $8 fee) they told us that the upper campground would be the better choice, due to the heavy rain that had come through earlier. It was the perfect choice! Our campsite was spacious, with a few pine trees for shade. If you have a hammock, the outer edge of campsites would be perfect. Only downside to our campsite was the distance between the picnic table and the fire pit. The bathrooms and showers are in the lower campground, but it’s a 5 minute walk or 30sec drive to them. They were clean, stocked with toilet paper and the showers were warm. There’s a ton of hiking trails, a boat launch and boat rental, as well as the beach and inflatable water park. Overall a great little nature spot in the middle of the Brighton area.

Gear Review: As a ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes get sent awesome gear that I could use and try for my upcoming trip. This time I got to try the equinox hoodie from Eclipse Sun Products (https://eclipseglove.com/collections/all-eclipse-sun-products/products/equinox-hoodie-beach-cover-up). This hoodie is super super lightweight, and the open sides allow for a nice breeze on hot days. Of course, their main feature is the 50+ UPF fabric used in not just the hoodie, but all of Eclipses sun products. I am a melanoma survivor, so having something lightweight, but protective, is so great. It’s one size fits all, and while it fits me great at 5’5, I have also heard from other taller people that it fits them great as well. It does the job well, and while I live in Michigan and it only got to about 75°, I could feel it keeping the sun off my skin. Totally recommend the equinox hoodie!!

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.

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!

This was our last stop on a trip where we camped in 6 different Michigan State Parks. This may be an older camp or the DNR was trying to save money when it was built. Most electrical posts are designed to accommodate at least 2 adjoining lots, and as many as 4. This in itself is not a concern until you realize the posts are way too far away to reach without an extension. We tried several lots and couldn’t reach any of the outlets. We finally met a couple who saId they had extensions at the office. So, we finally got set up with an extension cord from the camp office and decided to walk to the beach. Our site was adjacent to the path leading to the beach so we figured we could use a little walk. The path led to another path that led to a parking lot for the beach. After crossing the parking lot we still had to cross a large yard/park that finally opened onto the beach on this small lake. It was all very scenic, but we weren’t expecting a major hike to get to the beach. Showers are nice. They also have a neat ice cream vending machine that I had to check out for scientific purposes only. For a Michigan state park we were quite disappointed.

What can I say, I love the Michigan State Parks.  I find they are the best, Sleepy Hollow is not different and it has so many things to do.  I would advise if you want to camp there on a weekend to make reservations well in advance.  We stay here because there are only 2 campgrounds in the Lansing East Lansing Area this being one of them and the other does not have all full hook ups and charges more.  When we visit our daughter at Michigan State University this is the place we stay,  20 - 30 minutes into the University depending upon the traffic.

It has large wooded sites only electric but you can fill up the water at the dump station.  Each site has a picnic table and Fire ring.  Each campsite has a asphalt pad. They sell fire wood at the campground office. Bring what you need or you can go into St. johns to the Kroger or Walmart.  they have 2 main camping loops with 2 loops in each of the main loops and a shower restroom in each main loop.  The restrooms are very clean and kept up.  I love the showers  hot water and for me that is hot and great pressure, I could shower all day.  Sure beats our shower in the RV.

The State Park is on Ovid Lake and it is a beautiful lake, great for fishing, canoeing, paddle boards, kayak, and swimming. they have a shelter for you if you have a big party.

They also have a group campsite and a picnic area for large groups. d You can also bring your horses go to the Equestrian area and unload and get on the trail.  

You can rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and paddle boards.  They also have a great play ground for the kids and a fishing pier. Bring Bikes or just hike on the trails and head down to the beach.

Quietly tucked into Clinton co Michigan. Sleepy is easily accessible. Its close to Lansing. There are shopping centers nearby. Country party store is closer!! Very large lake....Ovid is her name! Offers many species of fish for catching!! There are fishing docks, ONE IS NOT VERY ACCESSIBLE TO NON AMBULATORY PERSONS !!! THIS ONE'S IN THE CAMP AREA! The path is nicely groomed. The bea h is a long way from the parking lot a d there is no beach access from camp. The park is usually a clean family place...but for really young children or elderly persons it may. Ot be your first choice. I live nearby and have camped there zillions of times. I love it and shower bouses in camp are clean! Friendly staff a d they ate SERIOUS about quiet time! Bug spray required !!

We stayed during very hot weather at the beginning of July 2020. I wanted to visit Potter Park Zoo so we choose to stay at Sleepy Hollow for a few days. Our site backed up to trees and I can't recall seeing our neighbors to the left or right. Because we didn't get any shade from the nearby trees we had to run the ac which is unusual for us in Michigan. We were in the midst of a heat-wave though and it was much appreciated. The park needs to upgrade the electrical system as this was putting a strain on their electrical equipment. We did go for a short paddle on (C) Ovid Lake, but again, no shade and HOT. I can't recall why we didn't go swimming?? Overall the campground was nice and I would stay again.

We purchased our new rPod 193 late in the fall and have been dying to give it a test camp and Michigan Winter Weather gave us a great opportunity the week after Christmas (2021). First word of caution, when you are putting in directions put in Portage Lake NOT Waterloo Recreation Area. We made that mistake and were directed down a dirt road! Yuck!

The best part of this campsite was the fact that it was paved! It was so easy setting up and tearing down. No mud, muck, or dirt. There were fire pits, picnic tables, and electric. The restrooms were closed for the season but they had a large port-a-potty.

It was quiet, due in large part to being nearly vacant this time of year. We did have one neighbor for one of our 4 nights and were surprised at how close the spots were. You don’t realize it until someone parks along side you.

We had a large snowfall the second night and it was gorgeous. With 40° temps it mostly melted the next day, but when it was coming down it was so beautiful watching it come down from inside our warm cozy trailer.

With it being off-season we didn’t get to experience any amenities to speak of, but noticed during peak season you came rent boats, shelters, and they have a concession stand.

There was some wildlife - we were greeted by a deer crossing our path. Cranes, Swans, Geese, and even a Bald Eagle soared by. I also noticed some coyote tracks in the snow as well.

We had a great view of Portage Lake from our rPod window. And we captured a sunset, some snowfall, and saw more start than we’ve seen in a long time.