13 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Ortonville Equestrian Campground within Ortonville Recreation Area features rustic campsites specifically designed for horse owners. The campground includes vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings, with separate areas for camping and staging. While the campground itself is basic, it connects to extensive trail systems that make it popular among equestrians. The campground sits near two great lakes, providing scenic riding opportunities. The rustic nature of the facilities means riders should come prepared with their own water and supplies for their horses. Campers note the campground is quite popular with the equestrian community despite its minimal amenities.
Direct access to world-class mountain bike trails and equestrian paths begins at Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, located near Lake Orion. This recreation area offers wooded campsites with an "up north feel" while remaining accessible to metro Detroit. The East and West campgrounds provide different experiences - East being more open with some cabin options, while West offers more wooded and isolated sites. Horse enthusiasts appreciate the extensive horseback riding trail system that connects directly to the campgrounds. The lake is approximately 1.8 miles from the East loop campground via a woodland trail. Horse trailer parking is available, though riders should note the trail to the lake is not stroller or wagon friendly, suggesting some terrain challenges for horses as well. The recreation area maintains clean facilities and spacious sites that provide privacy between camping neighbors.
"The park has a beautiful 2.5 mile trail around the lake that makes this campground great. We brought our own kayaks but they do rent boats. We saw deer and rabbit."
"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."
"Great hiking and world class mountain bike trails. Nice big lake. Only drawback is you must drive to the lake or hike 1.8 miles through the woods on a trail to get there. No camp store."
"An extensive horse back riding trail system and MTB trails are easily accessible."
from $22 / night
Check Availability"Addison Oaks is a campground that features hiking and mountain biking trails, campground, cabins, disc golf course, and a lake for boating."
"The grounds are huge with bike/hike trails, a lake and a disc golf course. Mountain biking seems to be very popular there are dirt trails off the paved hiking loop."
"There are over 20 sites, about half of which are located lake side (not directly on the lake, but there are little paths that lead you there and you can somewhat see the water from these sites.)"
"Wish there was a few additional water filling points and that the dumpsters were all located near the camp entrance/exit. But really nothing to complain about. "
"This is another great scout ing campground with cabins, rustic camping, tent sites, lakes, horses to ride, this is one HUGE camp ground for scouts to enjoy and learn.."
"The campground here is actually a quite popular equestrian campground. There is a campground and a staging area. Rustic vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings."
"Great time to unplug and just enjoy our surroundings and begin to learn our own creativity!"
"This is one of our family's favorite close to home sites. Extra large camp sites, lots of room for the kids to run around. Extensive trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding."
"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."
"Great family place with paved and dirt biking/hiking trails. Very nice beach with grass and sand. There are 2 areas of inflatables, one of them is for the little kids 48 in. and under."
from $17 - $90 / night
Check Availability"Large play areas, dog run, basketball court, lots of walking trails, and family friendly."
"The location is pretty great, off the beaten path but, within 30 minutes of major stores and conveniences. "
LegendThe campground here is actually a quite popular equestrian campground. There is a campground and a staging area. Rustic vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings. The campground itself isn’t really much to write home about (unless you have horses that is). The lakes and launches are however very nice and there are some great trail systems through the area.
GuideVery nice sites. Wooded and up north feel. Great hiking and world class mountain bike trails. Nice big lake. Only drawback is you must drive to the lake or hike 1.8 miles through the woods on a trail to get there. No camp store. Equestrian trails and I hear they have a remote control airplane field and shooting range.
TravelerFriendly staff, clean park, close to supermarkets and other food locations. RV repair and sales nearby. I got lucky and woke up to a horse and dog competition at no extra cost to me.
ScoutWhat started as a little get away turned into not wanting to leave! A swimming pool and playground with basketball court to keep my kids entertained and clean facilities convinced me I had made the right choice. As an added plus a horse barn (Heavenly Horse Stables) right on property offering riding lessons, trail rides and meet and greets with their houses and other barn animals, my daughter wanted to move here. Other perks to this campground: Openings to Pinckney State trails right on property and all sorts of lakes, parks and small town downtown areas for food and shopping nearby, H.C.R.C. was a hidden gem.
LegendThis is a typical fairground campground with open grassy areas for campsites surrounded by barns and tracks. The fairgrounds is located just off I-94 which makes for easy entrance and exit to the campground, but, means there is lots of road noise. Close by are plenty of stores, restaurants, gas stations, etc. In fact, there is a gap in the fence that runs around the fairgrounds allowing you to walk to a Walmart, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and more.
We arrived without a reservation and the women in the office was very helpful providing a map with all available sites during our stay and letting us choose which one we wanted. One of the first things you notice is that a number of people are here long-term so we went to the back area hoping it would be quieter and less crowded. A number of the campsites are “buddy” sites meaning your patio opens to your neighbors so be careful which one you pick. This is pretty undesirable when the neighbor is a total stranger so we chose a site where we didn’t have anyone next to us.
They offer 50 amp full hook-up sites, 50 amp/water, and 30 amp/water sites with pull-thru and back-in options. There is a dump station located in the middle of the park which is easy to get to. The roads are wide and a lack of trees makes this campground accessible for any size RV. The sites are level but some lack grassy making the patio pretty dusty or muddy. Unfortunately, where we were was pretty muddy just after a light rain. This campground works best for RV’s and not tents. For tenters there is a designated section that is set in a corner of the park with large trees for shade but not much privacy between you and others. A water spigot is in the tent area and there was one picnic table. The camp office sells firewood but we only saw two fire pits in the whole park. Be aware that noise from the interstate and nearby train tracks may make for a restless night. Bathrooms are centrally located in the campground and were old and tired but relatively clean. On-site laundry is available.
Apparently, management is having some issues with campers not obeying some of the rules. One of the sad things about this campground is that campers have to be reminded to clean up after their dogs. Apparently, it is such an issue that we got a letter stating that if you don’t pick up your dogs poop you would be asked to leave. How sad is that? There is free WiFi which worked pretty well. Upon checking in, we had to sign a piece of paper stating that we would not download copyrighted material or stream movies or we would be asked to leave.
My favorite aspect of this campground is that they had a community garden that you were welcome to pick from. We got tomatoes, Swiss chard, peppers, broccoli, and more. Overall, this campground was fine for the few nights we were here and close to the attractions we wanted to visit. We never felt unsafe even though it was close to major cities. We chose this campground because we wanted to go to Ann Arbor and Dearborn and it was a very convenient location.
Pros:
· Good location if you want to visit Ann Arbor and Dearborn
· Close to interstate for easy access
· Long, level sites that will fit any RV
· Community garden you can pick from vegetables
· Stores and restaurants are nearby (some within walking distance)
Cons:
· Lots of road noise from I-94
· No trees for shade or privacy
· Would not recommend for tent camping
· Many campers are long-term
· “Buddy” campsites with patios facing each other
GuideThis is another great scout ing campground with cabins, rustic camping, tent sites, lakes, horses to ride, this is one HUGE camp ground for scouts to enjoy and learn..
ScoutA very quiet campground. The sites are spread out and only 2 vehicles per site are allowed. The East campground is more open and had 3 small cabins that can be rented. The West camping is more wooded and isolated. An extensive horse back riding trail system and MTB trails are easily accessible.
TravelerThis 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.
TravelerThis was our first time camping. The park has a beautiful 2.5 mile trail around the lake that makes this campground great. We brought our own kayaks but they do rent boats. We saw deer and rabbit. Our spot #18 I felt was spacious and not to close to the people next to us and trees behind us. We had privacy and it was quiet. The people we did talk to were all very friendly. We heard the showers were decent but we used our own. I would stay again.
Ortonville Recreation Area offers rustic equestrian camping near Lake Orion, Michigan with vault toilets and spacious staging areas. The park connects to a network of horse trails that wind through forests and past two lakes. The terrain includes grassy meadows and wooded sections with moderate elevation changes, presenting gentle challenges for riders. Trail conditions vary seasonally with spring often bringing muddy patches along creekside paths.
Mountain biking on dedicated trails: Pontiac Lake Recreation Area provides access to world-class mountain biking trails directly from the campground. The trails range from beginner to advanced difficulty levels with interconnected loops. As Kate K. notes, "Extensive mountain biking trails and the lake is open to boating, kayaking, and other water sports."
Disc golf course exploration: Addison Oaks County Park features a well-maintained disc golf course that winds through wooded areas. The 18-hole course offers technical challenges with both open and forested holes. Joe S. shares, "I enjoyed the trails, disc golf and overall wonderful Park staff! Extremely clean and well-kept."
Swimming and water recreation: Seven Lakes State Park Campground offers multiple lake access points for swimming and fishing. The water quality is notably clear compared to other area lakes. Holly S. observes, "The campground has a private lake that's good for swimming and fishing. The sites are decently sized with most being easily gotten into with an RV."
Privacy between campsites: Pontiac Lake Recreation Area offers sites with natural buffers that create seclusion. The East and West camping areas provide different privacy levels. Sarah P. mentions, "This campground is my FAVORITE in Oakland County. The sites aren't super far away from each other but there are trees between sites so from most of the sites you can't really see your neighbors."
Clean facilities: Highland State Recreation Area maintains well-kept rustic facilities despite minimal amenities. The outhouses are regularly serviced and water stations kept functional. Brett B. reports, "This rustic campground is obviously well-tended and has an almost magical feel to it. It's private, quiet, and full of wildlife."
Seasonal activities: Seven Lakes State Park Campground hosts varied events throughout the camping season. Winter access allows for cold-weather activities when many other parks limit services. Maggie M. shares, "Seven Lakes has a great hike that takes you all around the lake, as well as smaller loops. You can find challenging hikes or an easy path."
Lake distance considerations: Some campgrounds require driving or hiking to reach water access points. At Pontiac Lake, campers should plan for transportation to beach areas. Mary H. advises, "Beach is a 1.8 mile hike from the East loop in the campground but is well worth the walk. (Trail is not stroller/wagon friendly)."
Horse-specific amenities: Ortonville Equestrian Campground provides basic facilities designed specifically for horse owners. The area includes separate camping and staging zones with vault toilets. Kate K. explains, "The campground here is actually a quite popular equestrian campground. There is a campground and a staging area. Rustic vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings."
Bug protection needed: Insect activity varies by season but can be significant in wooded areas, particularly near water. Ticks are present in tall grass sections of trails. Kristina J. cautions, "There are tons of mosquitoes and ticks, so make sure you bring bug spray. Also make sure that all food and garbage is secure at night, the raccoons have no fear."
Kid-friendly activities: Bishop Lake Campground offers structured recreation options for children including beach access and playgrounds. Some water features require additional fees. Kayla Q. shares, "From beaches to boats...from camping to cabin-ing, theres endless enjoyment to be had!"
Playground proximity: When booking sites near children's play areas, expect increased daytime noise levels but convenient access for families. David B. notes about Covenant Hills Camp, "Good, quiet campground (unless your on a site around the playground) lots to keep the kids busy, bonus ice cream store."
Wildlife viewing opportunities: Highland Recreation Area provides chances to observe native wildlife along marked trails. The diverse habitats support various animal species active at different times of day. Adrienne C. recounts, "We ran up on a group of probably 70 wild turkeys on the trail!"
Leveling requirements: Highland State Recreation Area has sites with varying degrees of level terrain. Some waterfront sites slope toward the lake, requiring additional equipment. Edward C. advises about Seven Lakes, "Sites tend to slope towards Sand Lake so have leveling blocks if that's important to you."
Electric hookup distance: At several area campgrounds, electrical connections may be positioned far from designated parking pads. Extension cords of 25-50 feet are often necessary. Mary H. notes, "If you are hoping to hook up to electrical, bring extension cords; some hook ups are exceptionally far away from the designated RV parking pad."
Site surface variations: Campgrounds in the Lake Orion region feature different pad materials from paved to gravel to grass. Ron E. points out that Addison Oaks County Park has "Cement pads, water, and electric. Loop C is spacious with some trees."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Lake Orion, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Lake Orion, MI is Addison Oaks County Park with a 4.5-star rating from 13 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Lake Orion, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 13 equestrian camping locations near Lake Orion, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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