Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Gaylord? Camping with your horse in Gaylord just got easier. These scenic and easy-to-reach Michigan campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
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
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/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
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
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.
Guide
Peaceful and quiet and close to the sinkhole pathway. Clean bathrooms and large mostly private sites. You can launch your boat and beach it near the campground and your campsite but no direct access that we saw.
Legend
A horse campground located directly on trails. Rustic campground with lots of trees. Non horse campers stay in lots 1-8
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.
GuideIt was logged off and is essentially destroyed. I think there's 6 "sites" and an open field for equestrian activities.
Very secluded. Nothing of interest in the nearby area.
Looks to be seldom used.
No cell service. Verizon is the dominant service up here. 0 signal.
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.
ScoutThis place is amazing if you just like to get away from everything. Surrounded by Huron and rarely many people there. Tons of privacy and more land to roam than you'll be able to. Highly reccomend for anyone looking to camp without ANY ammentities. Access is 4x4 only winter months.
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
At the moment they have 50 or 20 amp power, so you will need a 15 or 50 adapter to use 30 amp service. No water at camp sites, but they have a water fill station. Nice quiet and relaxing right on the lake.a small playground for the kids. Any size rv will fit. Shows require tokens if you wish to use them. The staff are pleasant and helpful. Free Wifi cover is limited, cellphone coverage is ok.
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.
Traveler
This is one of the worst campgrounds I have ever been to. The bathrooms and showers close at 10pm, and the restrooms themselves are nasty, the showers cost $2 (in quarters) for 6 minutes of lukewarm water, the locals are hostile to unfamiliar faces, and to top it off, the rental ATVs and dirt track to ride them on is o ly separated from the campsites by a board fence, so expect to hear all kinds of small engines zipping by at all hours. The RV trailers for rental are all used trailers circa 1995 and "refurbished", which entails a quick coat of interior paint and laminate flooring screwed to the floors with drywall screws. Guests who have rented the RV trailers are instructed to not use the showers in their trailers. Absolutely not worth the money, would rate 0 stars if I could. If you are looking for a camping experience that puts you in the heart of upper Michigan redneck territory, this is the place for you. If you want a good experience, look elsewhere.
ScoutSites not paved and entrance roads not paved!!!
RangerThe Luzerne Express Campground is literally all you need in one spot. The whole place is incredibly accommodating. Friendly, helpful staff. There is an array of sites available plus RV’s and Cabins for rent so winter camping here is a blast. The area is a trail riders Mecca. From horseback riding to ATV’s. There are horse pens available at the campground for overnight horse camping as well at a very reasonable rate. Walk right off the campground into the Huron National Forest.
GuideSmall sites but full hookups. Nice activities and mini golf. Bathrooms soso. Easy access to Otsego state park and Hartwick pines state park
GuideIt’s never busy here. I don’t have horses but I’ve seen people stay with horse trailers with their tie outs to the poles that are designed for it. There’s trails in the surrounding areas. Also water pump and vault toilets. Picnic tables and fire rings are provided as well.
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.
RangerLove this park, right down the street from our family cabin and you get the best views of the Au Sauble river for miles around. Right in the heart of Mio, and if you're in the area be sure to check out "the bakery" (Amish bakery that is unbelievably delicious)
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Gaylord, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Gaylord, MI is Gaylord KOA with a 3.9-star rating from 10 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Gaylord, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 equestrian camping locations near Gaylord, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
