Best Equestrian Camping near Kalkaska, MI

Looking for a rustic and comfortable horse camping experience near Kalkaska? It's easy to find Kalkaska equestrian campgrounds with the Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect site for your Michigan horse camping excursion.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Kalkaska, MI (12)

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Showing results 1-10 of 12 campgrounds

Recent Equestrian Reviews in Kalkaska

54 Reviews of 12 Kalkaska Campgrounds


  • L
    Camper-submitted photo from Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds
    Jul. 29, 2024

    Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds

    close to travese city and interlockin

    Quiet, large sites, like new bath house, 7th nite free, rate$35, good location for northwestern Michigan sites Water on all outside sites. interior sites share water hookups

  • Lydia T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Gaylord KOA
    Jul. 1, 2024

    Gaylord KOA

    KOA Campground right outside Gaylord

    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.

  • Lydia T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Pigeon River State Forest Campground
    May. 9, 2024

    Pigeon River State Forest Campground

    I love staying at this rustic campground.

    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.

  • Dj W.
    Camper-submitted photo from Walsh Road Equestrian State Forest Campground and Trail Camp
    Aug. 30, 2023

    Walsh Road Equestrian State Forest Campground and Trail Camp

    Small, clearcut all but destroyed, but very secluded

    It 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.

  • Paul C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Pigeon River State Forest Campground
    Aug. 1, 2023

    Pigeon River State Forest Campground

    Quiet and secluded

    Me 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.

  • Ray & Terri F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Gaylord KOA
    Jul. 14, 2023

    Gaylord KOA

    Nice, quiet, well maintained, friendly, wooded CG with a walking trail

    We 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.

  • v
    Camper-submitted photo from Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground
    Jun. 24, 2023

    Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground

    First time in our camper

    We thought this would be a good place for our first trip in our new to us 5th wheel! We have a 28.6ft 5th wheel and had not problem getting in and parked! Management did an awesome job of spreading out guests until they were full! Lots of things for the kids, basketball, volly ball, a beach area, pond with fishing….. so much more. Very clean, very kind and helpful staff!

  • S
    Camper-submitted photo from Gaylord KOA
    Sep. 5, 2021

    Gaylord KOA

    Horrible

    The 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.

  • K
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp
    Jul. 29, 2021

    Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp

    Awesomesauce

    Off the beaten path but has great rustic campsites with firepits and there are restrooms and fresh water close by in each circle we will be back

  • J
    Camper-submitted photo from Scheck's Place State Forest Campground
    Jul. 25, 2021

    Scheck's Place State Forest Campground

    Primitive State Forest CG right on the Boardman River

    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.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds
    Jul. 18, 2021

    Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds

    Good for RV Rally

    We stayed July 2021 for an RV rally. We had no building of shelter for community gatherings. But, weather cooperated and we had a great time.

    Power 50/30 were fine. Water is a shared spigot on most sites, but some sites have water. There is a good dump station. Sites are level. No landscaping.

    Lots of restaurants and attractions in Traverse City.

    We would stay again.

  • Sarah S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground
    Jul. 9, 2021

    Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground

    Secluded Camping with Fun Events!

    Great campground, larger sites, pull thru sites available. Low rates even on holidays. Our first time there was 4th of July weekend, they have a large building for events....over the weekend they a concert! Live band and food truck....free to all campers and their friends! It was a great time and the owners and manager are very friendly. We will definitely be back there soon.

  • Christine D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Gaylord KOA
    Jul. 7, 2021

    Gaylord KOA

    Quiet and Clean!

    This 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.

  • Geo D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Luzerne Express Campground & RV
    Jun. 19, 2021

    Luzerne Express Campground & RV

    Do not go to this campground if you are expecting a good time.

    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.

  • N
    Camper-submitted photo from Gaylord KOA
    Jun. 11, 2021

    Gaylord KOA

    Close to expressing yet quiet at nite

    Sites not paved and entrance roads not paved!!!

  • Allison H.
    Camper-submitted photo from Turtle Lake Campground
    Mar. 1, 2021

    Turtle Lake Campground

    not the best, not the worst

    This campground is a good sized campground, but doesn't have much to do there.  There is a small lake that is fun for short kayak/canoe rides and fishing.  It's called Turtle Lake for obvious reasons- when my kids went fishing, they pulled up large snapping turtles both times. A bit of a surprise to see their size! There are a lot of seasonal campers at this campground, so if that's your thing, this is definitely your place.

  • Manton  T.
    Camper-submitted photo from Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground
    Feb. 17, 2021

    Manton Trails RV Park, Hotel & Campground

    Great Location-Friendly Staff

    Awesome Campground! Not a parking lot, lots of trees! We had a family, socially distant reunion with 6 sites. We rented a extra site, so nobody could rent near us, sooo nice! Very close to Manistee River and canoe/raft liveries, very fun family togetherness activity.

    Very clean bath houses and campground is maintained well.

    Internet worked well using our hotspots, but, like all campgrounds, if you like being “in the woods;” internet is always a challenge. Most of our group had AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, the best service seemed to be Verizon in the morning and Sprint at night.

    We will be going back

  • Ann D.
    Camper-submitted photo from Turtle Lake Campground
    Dec. 30, 2020

    Turtle Lake Campground

    Nice and grassy

    What I liked best about this park was that my children were not caked in dirt. While I understand that comes with the territory of camping, this campground provides a bit more of a grassy setting and offers a nice playground. The bathrooms were redone and are very nice! The thing I didn’t particularly like is how close you are to other sites. You are practically on top of each other. There are trails and a beach area as well as equine camping.

  • Judy  B.
    Camper-submitted photo from Luzerne Express Campground & RV
    Nov. 17, 2020

    Luzerne Express Campground & RV

    All you need in one spot

    The 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.

  • dThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Gaylord KOA
    Sep. 7, 2020

    Gaylord KOA

    OK

    Small sites but full hookups. Nice activities and mini golf. Bathrooms soso. Easy access to Otsego state park and Hartwick pines state park

  • Lexi G.
    Camper-submitted photo from 4-Mile Trail Camp DNR
    Jul. 30, 2020

    4-Mile Trail Camp DNR

    Cheap horse camp

    It’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.



Guide to Kalkaska

Horse camping in Michigan offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, making it a great choice for horse lovers looking to explore the state's beautiful landscapes.

Campers appreciate these amenities for horses

Equestrian campgrounds include essential facilities

  • Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp provides picnic tables and fire pits, along with vault toilets and fresh water, ensuring a comfortable stay for horse campers.
  • 4-Mile Trail Camp DNR features a water pump and picnic tables, making it a practical choice for those traveling with horses.
  • At Chandler Hill Campground, campers can find electric hookups and a clean environment, enhancing the overall experience for equestrian visitors.

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like trails

  • Turtle Lake Campground offers access to trails and a small lake, making it a fun spot for both horses and riders.
  • Northwestern Michigan Fairgrounds is big-rig friendly and provides a good location for exploring the surrounding areas with your horse.
  • Gaylord KOA features a wooded setting with ample space for horse camping, along with various amenities to ensure a pleasant stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Kalkaska, MI?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Kalkaska, MI is Scheck's Place State Forest Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 5 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Kalkaska, MI?

    TheDyrt.com has all 12 equestrian camping locations near Kalkaska, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.