Best Equestrian Camping near Lupton, MI

This campground is not my favorite, although my husband did not mind staying there. One of the reasons it is not my favorite is because the bathrooms were disgusting. I do not think that they were cleaned the entire four days we were there. They were super-hot and dirty. Another reason I did not care for the campground is because while we were there, my cousin’s dog was taken to doggy jail! We went on a kayaking trip down the Au Sable river and were gone a couple of hours. My cousin has a big dog that was tied to the tree. The dog had water, but must have knocked it over. The weather was not hot, it was in the low 70’s. My uncle’s site was right next door and he was watching the dog. My uncle was preparing dinner and went into the camper to grab what he needed to grill hamburgers and hot dogs. While he was making hamburger patties someone must have walked by and saw that the dog’s water was empty (because the dog knocked it over), that person went to the park attendant and they called animal control. My uncle came out of the camper and the dog was gone. My uncle said he was in the camper for about 20 mins making patties and getting food ready to grill outside. Apparently, it is not actually animal control that came to get him, it was a person down the street that takes the animals to his home on the weekend when animal control is not open. My uncle came out of the camper and the dog was gone. My uncle was frantic and walked around the entire campground and then went to the front desk. The lady was so rude to my uncle. My uncle is a very nice and funny man and he was just beside himself! My cousin came back from the kayaking trip and my uncle told him what happened. My cousin went to the man’s house that took the dog and had to pay $80 to get him out! It was quite the ordeal. My uncle felt bad because he wasn’t out there the entire time with the dog, but he wasn’t gone that long and it wasn’t that hot outside. My uncle would have seen that the water was empty and would have refilled it. The sites are HUGE and there are some trees, but I would not camp here again. That situation left a bad taste in my mouth and the bathrooms not being cleaned during our stay put me over the edge.

While 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.

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.

I stayed here a few times in September 2022.  The weather was really rainy but the lake is pretty and Oscoda has a lot of hiking and places to hang up a hammock and relax.  (The campsite is about 10 minutes from town.)

Labor Day weekend was crazy and my neighbors had a really difficult time staying in their designated site - one family next to me really liked to put their trash on a tree within my site.  People just seemed a little unfriendly and territorial - it seemed like they didn’t know what to do with a younger solo woman camper.  Unrelated, a guy was shouting a song about cocaine around 11pm, drinking with his buddies.  Just kind of weird vibes even though there were a million kids.  It didn’t really feel like homey, family vibes.  

The second time I was there I was told I could not car camp.  The lady who was working didn’t seem to care but my last night an older male worker waited at the entrance until I returned and loudly announced my site number and said I wasn’t allowed to car camp (I usually don’t get frustrated with older people when they yell because I assume they may be hard of hearing, but it seemed a little unsafe to announce where I would be sleeping.) I asked if hammock camping was ok and he became gruffer and told me his boss wanted to kick me off the campground - which seemed to imply a possible punishment if I kept asking questions.  Ironically, I was asking these questions because I didn’t have a tent but was still trying to comply.  I just felt uncomfortable after that and left, spending my last night somewhere else.

Showers are ok - they’re coin operated and cleaned every few days.  

The scenery is pretty but it doesn’t work for me if I can’t car camp and if there’s no cell service to work. As mentioned, weird vibes as a solo female camper too.  Adult activities - like a dance party or movies - take place after dark.  I can’t imagine how being in a dark forest with strangers would feel safe, let alone fun, when there is alcohol and it seems likely there are other substances too.  No really where my interests lie.

But if you have an RV you might have a different experience - or if you’re looking for a party during a holiday weekend.  It might also be worth a try if you’re camping as a group.