Best Glamping near Lake Orion, MI

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.

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.

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.

I have stayed at this park in the past, but feel my review could have been a little deeper. I have to start out by saying, I love this campground. I love that it is near the water and that it has paved pads in the south part of the campground. I love that it is near a town that has pretty much everything you need (restaurants, groceries, bars, lighthouses, etc). I can honestly say that this park is my top ten of campgrounds in the State of Michigan campgrounds that I have been to.

Here is the deeper review. There are two sections to this campground. The northern section seems to be the louder section and the southern section seems to be the more laid back quiet section. We have only ever stayed in the south section, but we always ride our bikes to the north second. The south section has more of a woodsy outdoor feel while the north section has more of an open space, smaller lots, crowded feel. It depends on what type of camper you are as to where you will want to camp. I have to say that if I were with a group of friends or family, I would probably book the northern part as it does have more of an upbeat party feel, but for the most part, there are just two of us that camp. Both sections have access to the beach, but the northern section is closer to the beach. The Northern section also has a camp store, which I have never seen at a state of Michigan campground. The store has absolutely everything! They have milk, eggs, bread, buns, bug spray, postcards, toys, and ice cream. I made several trips to the store and the ladies working were very friendly!

The first day that we rode our bikes to the store, there was a little tiff between a couple campers and one of the men came into the store and asked for the park ranger to come to their site. It appears that the man who was camped behind the man’s lot had several kids on their site and those kids kept cutting through the campsite to walk to the beach and the store. I did not stick around to see what happened, but when we rode our bikes back a few days later, they were still there.

I have to say that the northern side has TONS of children. If you have kids or do not mind kids running around everywhere, this is the side for you! If you want peace and quiet, stay in the south section!

Let’s talk about the dump station. This is one of the weirdest dump stations I have seen at a state park. When you pull into the park, the south campground is to the right, just beyond the check in building, but the north section is about half mile or so north, on the right. The dump station is at the north campground and to get to it, you have to enter the north campground and drive all the way through it, come back out, and then go to the dump station! It is the weirdest set up ever. I guess you could skip going through the north campground and just head to the dump station, but that means you would be cutting in line! There are two bays, but I feel like this is the only park that I have had to wait at! I am not sure if it is because the park is always full or if people here are just slow at dumping their tanks! LOL. If you are considering staying in the North Section, you may not want to stay in 83-110 as those are on the path that all the RV’s take to the dump station.

The bathhouse in the northern park is the typical State of MI campground, however the bathhouse in the southern campground is the older style.

This state park is right on Lake Huron and if you are interested in watching freighters, bring a chair and binoculars, and sit on the beach! This beach is mostly rocks and I have to say that I have found the most Petoskey stones (State of Michigan Stone) and pudding stones (a conglomerate of rocks with jasper sticking onto the rock).

If you like exploring, you can visit Port Huron and drove over to Canada on the Blue Water Bridge or just sit on the boardwalk in PH and watch the freighters drove by. I would definitely stay at this campground again, but I wanted to point out how different the north and south sections feel. Peace and quiet awaits in the south section while loud and cramped camping is at the northern section.

Side note, this campground is ALWAYS busy! When we were there last weekend, we asked at the front bldg. why the website said the campground was full, but there were several openings in the south section. The workers said that they have to upgrade the electrical system this fall on the southern side and they have closed some campsites in the south in order to help with the electricity issue. Apparently, some sites were losing power because there wasn’t enough energy to support all of the lots in the southern side. The northern side was already done.

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!!

Ranger Review: INNO INH120 Tire Hold Bike Rack at Blind Lake Campground, MI

Campground Review:

Blind Lake rustic campground is located off of the very popular Potawatomi Trail, making this campground accessible only by hiking or biking in.  Blind Lake campground is part of the Pinckney Recreation area which is located just about 30 minutes outside of Ann Arbor, MI.

Most hikers and bikers start their trek at the Silver Lake day use area where the main hiking and biking trailhead is located.  From this trailhead the Blind Lake campground is about 7 miles in on the 17.5 mile Potawatomi Trail. A vehicle permit ($6) or annual Michigan State Parks permit ($10) is required to enter. The Area Headquarters (734-426-4913) is located at the Silver Lake day use area where campers must purchase their campsite before heading out on the trail ($17).  The headquarters is also where you can purchase a vehicle permit or annual Michigan State Parks permit. The park is open all year, making the Blind Lake campground a popular stop for hikers in the winter.

Blind Lake campground has a total of 10 sites, all very close to the water.  There is one vault toilet and a trash bin. There is a hand pump well in the campground for clean drinking water.  Each site has a large picnic table and a modern fire ring. Firewood can be scarce as the nearby woods have been picked pretty clean and carrying firewood into the campground is a lot of extra weight!

All of the sites at Blind Lake campground have lots of shade and are large enough for a couple of tents on each site.  During the nice summer days there will be lots of hiking and biking traffic through the campground as the Potawatomi Trail runs directly through it.  Many stop to take a break at the campground and have a look at the beautiful lake.

Serious hikers can connect the Potawatomi Trail to the Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking trail to bring their total trip to over 35 miles of back country hiking.  The Potawatomi Trail features numerous loops for any skill level. The shortest loop is the Silver Lake Trail at 1.9 miles. Next, the Crooked Lake Trail at 5.1 miles.  Or the full Potawatomi Trail at 17.5 miles.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay here at Blind Lake campground and I would return.  I was only one of two campers there and it was quiet at night. During the day you do hear the hikers and bikers going by on the trail so it isn’t completely isolated from the “real world”.  The Dyrt campground review is available on YouTube at the following LINK.

Click HERE for a printable trail map of the area.  For further details check out the following link HERE, which includes amenities, trail guides, hours & fees, directions and more.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for the Dyrt, I sometimes get to test and evaluate new products.  At Blind Lake campground I tested the INNO INH120 Tire Hold Bike Rack.  This bike rack holds up to two bikes and plugs into your vehicle’s receiver hitch.

The INNO INH120 is a tray style bike rack, making it ideal for expensive carbon bikes.  The rack uses arms to hold down the wheels and not the frame of the bike, keeping your paint from getting scratched up.  The bike rack works with either a 1-¼” or 2” receiver. My truck is a heavy-duty and comes with the 2-½: receiver. I used an adapter and the bike rack worked just fine.

The INH120 bike rack can hold two bikes with a maximum total weight of 120 lbs.  The bike rack fits bikes with wheel bases from 34” to 48”, so it works with kids and adult sized bikes.  The bike needs to have a minimum of 20” wheels to a maximum of 29” wheels to be held down properly. Tires sizes from 18c to 3” wide fit in the trays.  This covers almost all bikes and makes it very handy to use with the family.

The rack comes neatly packed and requires some assembly.  The assembly is straightforward and only took about 30 minutes, even while trying to film the process for a video.  Spare parts are available from INNO if something were to break. The rack felt very sturdy and well built and felt comparable to other racks I’ve used from Thule and Yakima.

Once put together I tested out the INH120 bike rack with my fatbike that is running 29+ sized tires.  The 29” wheels are 3” wide and fit nicely into the tray of the rack. I did remove the plastic adjustable wheel clamps on the arm of the rack.  This allowed me to have the arms more vertical and provided a better hold on my large tires. These plastic wheel clamps are what you move inside the arms to adjust for different size bike wheels.  It only takes a second to unclip the clamps are adjust for different bikes.

What is also nice is the bike rack has 4 different positions it can tilt, allowing easy access into the back of your vehicle.  One of the positions is vertical so you can keep it on the vehicle while not in use, but not have it hanging off the back and making your vehicle longer.

The INH120 bike rack also included a cable to lock the rack to your vehicle.  This cable can be used to loop through the frame of your bike to lock it to the rack as well.  I require this feature on a bike rack because all too often bikes are stolen when you make a quick stop for food or to run into a store.

An unboxing and assembly video for the INH120 bike rack is available to view HERE.  

A quick video demonstrating how easy it is to load and unload your bikes from the INH120 bike rack is available to view HERE.

Addison Oaks is a campground that features hiking and mountain biking trails, campground, cabins, disc golf course, and a lake for boating. The campground is RV and tent friendly and offers fire pits/ picnic tables. The trails are well maintained and heavily trafficked.

Tons of trails for hiking and biking. They have kids activities on the weekends, a lake for swimming, great playgrounds and everything is really clean.

Always a great local retreat away from our hectic daily life. Don’t have to travel far to find some nature. Most sites generously sized, hookups available, clean restrooms. Nice updated playgrounds for the kids, trails to bike, planned activities on weekends. Only wish there was a swimming lake, but alas, only for fishing and canoeing.