Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Mio. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. It's easy to find Mio equestrian campgrounds with the Dyrt. These scenic and easy-to-reach Michigan campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
Welcome to Old Orchard Park Campground located in beautiful Oscoda, Michigan! We have camping sites for all types and sizes of campers, tents and pop ups!We also have cabins, yurts and group camping areas. For your convenience, camping sites at Old Orchard Park are available by reservation. Campers are now able to make a reservation online by clicking the “reserve now” button below to check site availability and reserve a site. Join us for a outdoor experience to make memories that will last a lifetime!
We invite you to visit or stay in beautiful Old Orchard Campground, which is one of the largest campgrounds in Northeast Michigan. Located within the Huron-Manistee National Forest, along the River Road Scenic Byway, the park which is nearly four miles long, overlooks Foote Pond, which formed after the construction of Foote Dam in 1916, on the AuSable River. The park is open from March 15 thru November 30 each year, with plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities for all three seasons therein. This public recreation facility is part of a Consumers Energy Hydroelectric Dam Project licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and is operated under the authority of the Township of Oscoda.
South Branch Trail Campground Group Site is ideal for equestrian camping. The group area impresses with its beautiful scenery and convenient access to horseback riding and hiking along the 240-mile Michigan Shore-to-Shore Horseback Riding and Hiking Trail. Priority will be given to campers with horses, however everyone is welcome. The spacious site holds up to 250 campers and features a day-use horse parking area.
Hike or horseback ride on the Michigan Shore-To-Shore Riding and Hiking Trail. The trail begins in the town of Empire near Lake Michigan, on the west side of Michigan and ends near Oscoda, Michigan on the Lake Huron eastern side of the state. The eastern part of the trail follows the historic AuSable River to its end in AuSable, just south of Oscoda.
Campsites are situated in a stand of oak and pine at an elevation of 880 feet. The campground is adjacent to the South Branch River and is also not too far from the AuSable River. The magnificent Lake Huron is only a short drive east of the campground.
$40 - $100 / night
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Michigan Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. The Michigan Recreation Passport does not cover local, county, municipal, or metropolitan parks or recreation areas. Learn more: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/buy-and-apply/rec-pp
Legend
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.
Guide
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.
Legend
A horse campground located directly on trails. Rustic campground with lots of trees. Non horse campers stay in lots 1-8
Legend
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.
GuideIt 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.
GuideMe 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.
LegendWe 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.
Traveler
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.
ScoutThis place is amazing if you just like to get away from everything. Surrounded by Huron and rarely many people there. Tons of privacy and more land to roam than you'll be able to. Highly reccomend for anyone looking to camp without ANY ammentities. Access is 4x4 only winter months.
Guide
Island lake/Huron River Hudson Mills, Sturgeon River, Pine River MI. Also, Hiawasse River, TN
GuideJudy is lovely. River access great. My favorite place to camp and kayak.
TravelerGreat campground. Small in overall size for more peaceful, enjoyable quietness. Sites along the River. Clean and well taken care of by DNR.
TravelerThe 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.
Traveler
At the moment they have 50 or 20 amp power, so you will need a 15 or 50 adapter to use 30 amp service. No water at camp sites, but they have a water fill station. Nice quiet and relaxing right on the lake.a small playground for the kids. Any size rv will fit. Shows require tokens if you wish to use them. The staff are pleasant and helpful. Free Wifi cover is limited, cellphone coverage is ok.
ScoutGot lucky enough to snag a week-long stay on a waterfront site(401) the last week of July and thoroughly enjoyed our stay! We had very nice neighbors and had a great week of relaxing.
Pros:
Website booking process was very easy. Sites are reasonably priced around$25-30/night.
The park is very dog-friendly, which we appreciated.
Nice large, woodsy, level lots. Many are waterfront.
Trash pickup if you leave it by your site marker. Nice and quiet during the week.
Delicious hard ice cream served from the store.
Nice walks down"The Point". Beautiful views.
Cons:
Water and electric are poorly located. Need extra hose/cords.
The large store is mostly empty. No souvenir style items.
Trash everywhere..mini booze bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts.
Bathrooms are clean, but very outdated and run down.
Showers run on tokens/quarters and do not have a temperature control.
ScoutThis 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.
Traveler
Bathroom was clean, site was large surrounded by tall pine trees. Picnic table was HC accessible. Fire pit ring. I'm a motocamper and suited my needs. No trash, so take what you brought in plus some.
Traveler
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.
ScoutSites not paved and entrance roads not paved!!!
GuideLots of things to do in this area! The large campground is crowded in summer months and you have to buy tokens to take a shower, but the views and access to the River are spectacular.
GuideCamped here in early fall. The area around here is beautiful with lots of sights and trails. This park has a wide variety of individuals and many long term residents but the staff were pretty friendly and the lake is beautiful (especially in the early morning).
RangerThe 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.
GuideSmall sites but full hookups. Nice activities and mini golf. Bathrooms soso. Easy access to Otsego state park and Hartwick pines state park
GuideIt’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.
ScoutThe 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.
TravelerStayed. For 6 days. Staff was awesome. Sites were neat. Park was clean. Lots do do for kids. Loved it here. Definitely coming back.
RangerWhile 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.
Horse camping in Michigan offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, making it a perfect getaway for horse lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Mio, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Mio, MI is Oscoda County Park with a 4-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Mio, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 equestrian camping locations near Mio, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
