Best Equestrian Camping near Mackinaw City, MI

I love coming to Pigeon River not only because it is secluded and peaceful, but because there are so many things to do in the area. The Shingle Mill Pathway (a roughly 10 mile loop trail) runs right through the camgrounds which is ideal for hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking. The river is also great for fly fishing and floating down If you decide to bring a tube. The best place to camp is right on the river which is lovely to fall asleep to at night. Beware of the bugs! Also, there is no cell service.

The shingle mill pathway in Pigeon River State Forest was a nice, quiet trail. Went on a Thursday in June and saw 1 other person over 2 days. If you hike about 6 miles the first day, you’ll find a nice dispersed campsite on the west side of grass lake. The only problem with this hike was the insane amount of ticks.

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.

Great campground. Small in overall size for more peaceful, enjoyable quietness. Sites along the River. Clean and well taken care of by DNR.

The sites are all great! Camp along the river if you can. Make sure you have all of your supplies before you arrive as the nearest town is 20+ minutes away. Bring a map/gps because there is not cell service.

I love this area so much! So much to explore and not heavily trafficked at all. NCT runs through the state forest, so dispersed camping all around. There are a few rustic campgrounds, but we usually just stay at one of the dispersed sites because most of them have a sweet set up. Lots of awesome sink holes to swim in, and even elk sightings. If you can manage to find this place, you will love it!

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.

Entire camp is rustic with well pumps throughout, also all restrooms are vault toilets. Sinkhole trails within walking distance, beautiful lake with some nice fish. I believe it is a no wake lake so it doesn’t get too wild.

Peaceful and quiet and close to the sinkhole pathway. Clean bathrooms and large mostly private sites. You can launch your boat and beach it near the campground and your campsite but no direct access that we saw.