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Highland State Recreation Area features equestrian-friendly camping options with trails designed for horseback riding. The rustic campground accommodates horses with spacious sites and access to 12 miles of dedicated bridle trails. Extensive trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding make this location popular among equestrians. The campsites are extra large, providing ample room for horse trailers and equipment. The recreation area maintains clean facilities with running water, outhouses, and waste disposal areas. Sites remain private and quiet despite the park's popularity, creating a peaceful atmosphere for both riders and their horses.
Located approximately 20 miles from New Hudson, the Highland Recreation Area provides direct trail access from the campground to riding routes through fields of wildflowers and wooded areas. Riders appreciate the variety of terrain available, from open meadows to forest paths. The trail system connects to multiple access points throughout the 5,900-acre park, allowing for rides of varying lengths and difficulties. Horses have access to Haven Hill Lake for water, while riders can enjoy swimming after a day on the trails. The recreation area remains open year-round, though trail conditions vary seasonally. Overnight horse camping requires advance reservations, especially during peak summer months. The natural scenery creates a stunning backdrop for trail rides, with riders regularly spotting wildlife including wild turkeys and deer along the routes.
"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 $32 - $37 / night
Check Availability"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 $20 - $80 / night
Check Availability"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."
from $20 - $186 / night
Check Availability"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"
"Direct connections to the Waterloo Pinckney trail system. Near Hell, Michigan and Chelsea, Michigan. Large pool in season. Priced reasonably."
from $20 - $35 / night
Check Availability"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. "
from $32 - $37 / night
Check Availability"Friendly 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."
"We used our Starlink Mini and it worked well on a nearly cloudless day with unobstructed access to the sky. I would definitely stay here again."
"Lots of trails within reach and a horse riding stable if that is your thing. Heard lots of wolves, saw lots of tracks but no animals. I’d like to go back in the spring and hike around some more!"
"It is usually easy to get multiple sites next to each other with reservations.
There is a decent sandy beach here with a playground and volleyball net."
from $35 - $40 / night
Check Availability"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."
from $20 / night
Check Availability"What can I say, I love the Michigan State Parks. I find they are the best, Sleepy Hollow is not different and it has so many things to do. "
"Quietly tucked into Clinton co Michigan. Sleepy is easily accessible. Its close to Lansing. There are shopping centers nearby. Country party store is closer!! Very large lake....Ovid is her name!"
from $20 - $160 / night
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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.
LegendWhat can I say, I love the Michigan State Parks. I find they are the best, Sleepy Hollow is not different and it has so many things to do. I would advise if you want to camp there on a weekend to make reservations well in advance. We stay here because there are only 2 campgrounds in the Lansing East Lansing Area this being one of them and the other does not have all full hook ups and charges more. When we visit our daughter at Michigan State University this is the place we stay, 20 - 30 minutes into the University depending upon the traffic.
It has large wooded sites only electric but you can fill up the water at the dump station. Each site has a picnic table and Fire ring. Each campsite has a asphalt pad. They sell fire wood at the campground office. Bring what you need or you can go into St. johns to the Kroger or Walmart. they have 2 main camping loops with 2 loops in each of the main loops and a shower restroom in each main loop. The restrooms are very clean and kept up. I love the showers hot water and for me that is hot and great pressure, I could shower all day. Sure beats our shower in the RV.
The State Park is on Ovid Lake and it is a beautiful lake, great for fishing, canoeing, paddle boards, kayak, and swimming. they have a shelter for you if you have a big party.
They also have a group campsite and a picnic area for large groups. d You can also bring your horses go to the Equestrian area and unload and get on the trail.
You can rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and paddle boards. They also have a great play ground for the kids and a fishing pier. Bring Bikes or just hike on the trails and head down to the beach.
Travelerquiet campground during the day, short drive to the beach, biking and equestrian trails available. loud around the restroom at night, cleaning crew came through at 10 pm.
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.
TravelerQuietly tucked into Clinton co Michigan. Sleepy is easily accessible. Its close to Lansing. There are shopping centers nearby. Country party store is closer!! Very large lake....Ovid is her name! Offers many species of fish for catching!! There are fishing docks, ONE IS NOT VERY ACCESSIBLE TO NON AMBULATORY PERSONS !!! THIS ONE'S IN THE CAMP AREA! The path is nicely groomed. The bea h is a long way from the parking lot a d there is no beach access from camp. The park is usually a clean family place...but for really young children or elderly persons it may. Ot be your first choice. I live nearby and have camped there zillions of times. I love it and shower bouses in camp are clean! Friendly staff a d they ate SERIOUS about quiet time! Bug spray required !!
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.
GuideI frequent this park if I am camping or not. decent disc gof course and access to Lake Ovid is great, miles of trails to hike/bike/ride horses. Hosts are very friendly and is always a joy to talk with the rangers
ScoutFun backpacking trails best trails close to state capital
fishing ,boating, disc golf, horse and bike trails,
Geocaching available.
GuideThis was our last stop on a trip where we camped in 6 different Michigan State Parks. This may be an older camp or the DNR was trying to save money when it was built. Most electrical posts are designed to accommodate at least 2 adjoining lots, and as many as 4. This in itself is not a concern until you realize the posts are way too far away to reach without an extension. We tried several lots and couldn’t reach any of the outlets. We finally met a couple who saId they had extensions at the office. So, we finally got set up with an extension cord from the camp office and decided to walk to the beach. Our site was adjacent to the path leading to the beach so we figured we could use a little walk. The path led to another path that led to a parking lot for the beach. After crossing the parking lot we still had to cross a large yard/park that finally opened onto the beach on this small lake. It was all very scenic, but we weren’t expecting a major hike to get to the beach. Showers are nice. They also have a neat ice cream vending machine that I had to check out for scientific purposes only. For a Michigan state park we were quite disappointed.
Highland Recreation Area offers equestrian-focused camping within 20 miles of New Hudson. Located in Oakland County's White Lake Township, the park spans 5,900 acres of mixed woodlands and open fields at approximately 1,000 feet elevation. The park remains open year-round with rustic camping options that require advance reservations, especially for the equestrian sites during peak summer months when temperatures average 75-85°F.
Trail riding through diverse terrain: The park features 12 miles of dedicated bridle trails through both wooded areas and open meadows. At Highland State Recreation Area, riders appreciate the natural surroundings. "The natural scenery is STUNNING with fields of flowers and trees. We ran up on a group of probably 70 wild turkeys on the trail!" notes Adrienne C.
Swimming after rides: Take horses to water access points at Haven Hill Lake, then cool off yourself. Brett B. comments that Highland Recreation Area has a "quiet lake perfect for unwinding after a long day or to get a nice rinse off."
Historical exploration: Visit the remains of the Ford family's 1930s summer estate. "There's also Haven Hill deep in the woods on a trail. It was the Ford family summer getaway spot back in the 1930's and was shockingly burned down by a fire! There's still many of the walls and a beautiful fireplace remains," writes Adrienne C.
Extra-large campsite dimensions: Equestrian sites at Highland are significantly larger than standard sites to accommodate trailers. Jennifer H. from Pontiac Lake Recreation Area notes, "Our site #118 was very spacious and offered picnic table, fire ring, paved pad, and electrical hook up."
Privacy between sites: The campground layout maintains good separation despite popularity. Christie V. describes nearby campsites as having a "Wooded and up north feel. Great hiking and world class mountain bike trails."
Well-maintained facilities: The recreation area keeps basic facilities clean and functional. Brett B. observes Highland has a campground that is "obviously well-tended and has an almost magical feel to it. It's private, quiet, and full of wildlife."
Rustic amenities only: Highland offers basic camping with limited facilities. According to reviews, "There are two paved sites for handicapped accessibility, running water, a dumpster, and two outhouses."
Weather considerations: Summer brings heat and insects to the area. At Sleepy Hollow State Park, about 50 miles northwest, Amy D. notes, "We stayed during very hot weather at the beginning of July 2020... we didn't get any shade from the nearby trees we had to run the ac."
Reservation requirements: Book well in advance for horse camping, especially on weekends and holidays. The park requires recreation passports for all vehicles.
Unplugging necessity: Cell coverage can be spotty in some areas. Tammy P. mentions, "No cell/internet service but that was perfect!! Great time to unplug and just enjoy our surroundings."
Pack mosquito protection: Insect activity can be significant, especially in summer months. At Brighton Recreation Area nearby, Rebecca M. advises, "The site was large and had a picnic table and fire pit. There are TONS of mosquitos."
Bring bikes for loops: Many equestrian campgrounds have good internal roads for cycling. Melissa M. notes that Brighton Recreation has "a lot of trails for biking and hiking."
Plan for multiple water activities: Lakes in the area provide opportunities beyond horseback riding. Brianna S. reports that Brighton has "large campsite with trees, lit path to the bathroom, and easy access to hiking trails and raft/boat launch."
Book specialized activities ahead: Regional parks offer unique recreation options that require planning. Beth G. from Hell Creek Ranch Campground mentions, "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."
Extended cords for hookups: Electric connections may be positioned inconveniently at some sites. At Addison Oaks County Park north of New Hudson, campers advise "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."
Level site selection: Many local campgrounds have sites on uneven terrain. Ryan F. reports, "Our site wasn't level, so we were rolling around a bit. If I went there again I'd try to find a spot towards the end of the loop by the exit."
Larger rigs should verify access: Not all horse campgrounds accommodate bigger RVs. Some parks have more modern facilities while others remain primitive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near New Hudson, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near New Hudson, MI is Bishop Lake Campground — Brighton Recreation Area with a 4.3-star rating from 30 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near New Hudson, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 equestrian camping locations near New Hudson, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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