Best Glamping near Holly, MI

NOTE: Hollys dump station is still closed. There is a "mini dump" station for portable tanks behind the bathouse. You can dump at KOA for 35$ or at other state parks for free.

This was our second time at Holly. We stayed with 2 other groups sites 65-68. The sites are huge. Some have more shade than others. Power is set up very close to the asphalt pad. Water spigot was 3 sites away. Outhouse was about 5 sites away. Kids enjoyed the playground & dogs enjoyed the trails. Fire pit was huge & clean. Will definitely come again.

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.

Great little campground. I ended up here after not being able to find a site at many other locations and I’m glad I did! I’ve gone back many times and it’s always beautiful and quiet. Also there are many different sites to choose from, on the water views and a yurt for a more romantic cozy experience.

Great place. Most campsites heavily wooded. Group area is away from the main area. Kayak lakes are nice. Excellent hike/bike trails. Park is located just down the road from the Holly Oaks Off road park.

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.

I stayed here with my kids because it was close to home and town. It makes for an easy getaway for a night or two.

It is rustic with just vault toilets. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring.

The lake is not good for swimming as it is very mucky and covered in Lilly pads.

It can fill up quick because it is close to town.

There is a Yurt for rent here as well through the Waterloo Recreation web page.

Holly Rec is huge and there is so much you can do. Camping is pretty secluded. Lots and lots of hiking available , pets allowed which is awesome, disc golfing , lakes for great kayaking and there is a wonderful beach! Something for everyone! you can get away here , and take a much needed break from real life.

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.

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.

Wonderful place even when it’s packed. Harder to get reservations over the years but always a great place to stay. Awesome bathrooms newly renovated. Nice spots. Mostly paved in the lower sites. Nice swimming area however no beach sand. Just a grassy area. Public boat launch on Bruin lake. Bruin lake connects to a few more lakes creating a nice chain of lakes. Half moon at the end of the chain is a great all sports lake. Awesome fishing. Sites have electric, no water. There is a dump station. Wood and ice available for purchase and a few vending machines. Nice hiking trails. They do have a few hike in yurts and hike in camping sites. Decent parking places for those hike ins.

As someone who used to live near the area, I frequently tried to get a site in this campground for an easy camping experience without too much hassle. I've only stayed here once, as every other time I've attempted it's been full. I have frequented the areas trails, and they're great.

Sites here are not reservable. I would recommend getting to camp early if it's a busy time of year. It seems that this campground has increased in popularity as the nearby DTE bike trail gains exposure. Nonetheless, this is a great campground close to a few great small towns that offers peacefulness while also being close enough to a great pizza joint to grab a beer or two. If you plan to visit and you have a mountain bike, you must check on the DTE trail conditions and take the trail for a spin.

There is a pit toilet and water available. There is a yurt on the water available for reservations. Many people fish in Green Lake.

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.

While you technically don’t need a reservation, we made our reservations through the DNR website about a month in advance. The campsite was listed as ‘full’ when we arrived, so I was glad we took the extra step.

The sites are generously sized, with room to stretch out. There isn’t much privacy between sites, with a few exceptions, but this campsite is so quiet and well-behaved that it didn’t end up mattering much. The lack of cover between sites gave everyone a nice view of the lake from our tents on our inland sites, which was beautiful.

We had access to 3 different vault toilets, which was a generous amount for the capacity of the campground. We arrived on a Thursday & they were about as clean & tidy as you can ask a vault to be. Generously sized buildings that seemed regularly checked on. Hand sanitizer pumps were installed and full, and toilet paper was always available.

I took one star off for the dense population of ground bees that were in front of all 3 vault toilets, and along the main path to the yurt and water pump. Bees are part of the natural outdoors, but there were dozens of active entrances dug into walking & driving paths. It seemed like a bad combo for both the bees and the campers, cars were often driving over their nests and leaving them agitated. They don’t travel far from their holes though, so we kept a respectful distance and danced around them when they seemed upset.

Overall, we’d absolutely visit this site again. It was a beautiful place to spend our vacation & we enjoyed ourselves a lot over our 4 day stay.

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.

I hiked the Potawatomi trail this weekend to get to my reservation site #2 on Blind Lake. I started at trailhead #2 instead of #7 because the ranger explained it really fast and I didn’t quite understand the two starting options. I did take the shortcut which gives you a 7mi hike in, though if you start at #7 I think that makes it a little less but by how much I couldn’t say. If you do the full trail loop without the shortcut to #11 you’re adding on at least 2.5mi.

I started a bit late and when you get to the end of the trail at #12 there’s no further directions. There’s even a trail marker that has an arrow pointing the way you just came saying Trail. No other indications of which way to #12. You cross Crescent Rd and then there’s a dirt path road which one end loops back to Cresent Dr and because for whatever reason I thought I had it wrong I didn’t try the other way on the road. For an hour as it’s raining and getting dark I looked and even called the ranger but they were closed. I hiked up Cresent Rd and knocked on the first house I saw but they ignored me after several attempts!!! At this point it was dark as pitch and raining super hard with lightning. So I made camp right next to someone’s boat slip.

Next day I found out the camp was on the path I didn’t take on that dirt road but I kept walking so much and didn’t see anything that it made me feel like it was the wrong way.

So not a great trip, but I did get my rustic experience having only lake water and no toilet - oh yeah I totally went in someone’s backyard. Not relaxing at all though, lol. I give 3 stars because as a newbie I think the trails are well marked but not the ends. If they had one more marker for 12 i would’ve made it. If they had one more marker or arrow for #10 i would’ve found the water pump by the Yurts.

Lesson learned though- often what’s on the map is a lot further than you think so keep walking till you think you’re going the wrong way then walk a bit more. Second, totally start out early so you’re not caught in a rain storm at 9pm trying to pitch a tent next to someone’s boat house.

This was our first time staying here. Great private campground with rustic, elec, water/elec (30 amp), and concrete pad sites. Very clean campground with nice shower house. Owners are very friendly. Direct connections to the Waterloo Pinckney trail system. Near Hell, Michigan and Chelsea, Michigan. Large pool in season. Priced reasonably.

I had no clue what to expect when booking so close to a few major cities in Michigan. I love feeling secluded while camping and was nervous this would feel like parking lot camping. But, it was AMAZING. For a short drive, I got a huge campsite, a lake view, very clean bathrooms, well kept hiking trails, and easy access to kayaking docs. Not to mention I didn’t even have to pull out the bug spray. It was great.

Green Lake is a part of the Waterloo State Recreation Area, a 20,000 acre piece of state land with so much to do! Hiking, swimming, boating, equestrian, a nature center, and that's just scratching the surface!

Green Lake is the rustic campground on the east end of the area. No electricity, 3 privies, a water pump, and a boat launch. No swimming area. Visit the Michigan DNR website for the other campgrounds located in the state park with their specific amenities.

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.