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Ortonville Equestrian Campground offers the primary horse-friendly camping option near Rochester Hills, Michigan. The campground, located within Ortonville Recreation Area, provides basic facilities for riders and their horses with toilets, picnic tables, and designated areas for fires. Sites accommodate both tents and RVs, though without electric or water hookups. The equestrian area features separate spaces designed specifically for camping with horses. Trails are well maintained and heavily trafficked by both horse riders and hikers throughout the recreation area. Sites have ample space for horse trailers with parking designated near the camping areas.
The extensive trail system within Ortonville connects directly to the campground, allowing riders immediate access to riding routes without trailering. Water for horses is available at designated points along the trail system. Most equestrian sites require advance reservation, especially during peak summer and fall seasons. The grounds are maintained year-round, making this a viable option for winter trail riding as well. Horse owners should note that the recreation area requires proper manure management and adherence to designated horse trails. Trailhead access includes mounting areas and information kiosks with trail maps showing permitted riding routes. Many riders appreciate the varied terrain that includes wooded sections, open meadows, and some moderate elevation changes that provide both challenging and relaxing ride options.
"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."
"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."
"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. "
"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"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."
"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."
"Nice campgrounds easy to get around and my children loved it"
"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.
Equestrian campgrounds near Rochester Hills, Michigan accommodate riders and horses in facilities with varied amenities. Ortonville Recreation Area's equestrian campground sits among 5,400 acres of natural landscape with rolling terrain ranging from 925 to 1,050 feet in elevation. Horse camping options typically open from April through late October with seasonal restrictions during hunting season and spring thaw conditions.
Horseback riding trails: Ortonville Recreation Area provides extensive trails throughout the 5,400-acre property. Kate K. notes, "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."
Mountain biking: Pontiac Lake Recreation Area offers specialized trails for mountain biking within a 30-minute drive of Rochester Hills. Christie V. describes it as having "world class mountain bike trails" and says the park has "very nice sites, wooded and up north feel."
Kayaking and fishing: Seven Lakes State Park provides multiple water-based activities across its chain of lakes. "Crystal clear, clean water, a good public beach. Our site had 'private' access and our boys just played in the water for three days," writes Andy B.
Private campsites: Many campgrounds in the Rochester Hills area offer secluded camping spots despite proximity to urban areas. Sarah P. from Pontiac Lake Recreation Area says, "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."
Equestrian facilities: Horse owners appreciate the dedicated spaces for trailers and livestock at Ortonville Equestrian Campground. The recreation area includes both camping and staging areas specifically designed for horses and riders.
Wildlife viewing: Highland State Recreation Area offers excellent wildlife observation opportunities. Adrienne C. shares her experience: "We ran up on a group of probably 70 wild turkeys on the trail! There's a quiet lake perfect for unwinding after a long day or to get a nice rinse off."
Campground amenities vary: Most horse campgrounds have basic facilities. Bishop Lake Campground offers more modern amenities with Mike B. reporting, "This is a larger state park with full size sites for RVs. There is electric on each site along with fire rings and picnic tables."
Trail conditions: Trail systems can become muddy after rainfall, particularly in spring and fall. Brett B. from Highland State Recreation Area notes, "This rustic campground is obviously well-tended and has an almost magical feel to it. It's private, quiet, and full of wildlife."
Reservation requirements: Most equestrian sites require advance booking, especially during peak seasons. Many horse-friendly campgrounds fill quickly on weekends from May through September.
Kid-friendly activities: Addison Oaks County Park offers extensive programming for children. Wendy K. reports, "They have kids activities on the weekends, a lake for swimming, great playgrounds and everything is really clean."
Beach access: Multiple parks offer swimming beaches within driving distance of camping areas. Karen C. describes her experience: "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."
Space consideration: Sites at equestrian campgrounds often provide more space than standard camping areas but vary in tree cover. Jennifer H. from Highland State Recreation Area describes "extra large camp sites, lots of room for the kids to run around."
Parking and hookups: Most equestrian campgrounds accommodate RVs but may have limited hookups. Some sites at Covenant Hills Camp provide full amenities with ANDREW H. noting, "Large sites, all full hookup. Plenty of onsight activities on the weekend."
Site leveling: When bringing trailers to horse camps, bring leveling equipment. Ron E. from Addison Oaks County Park mentions, "Nice quick weekend retreat campground. Cement pads, water, and electric. Loop C is spacious with some trees."
Water access: Water points for horses may be limited at certain times of year. Bring additional containers during dry periods or if camping with multiple horses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Rochester Hills, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Rochester Hills, 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 Rochester Hills, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 13 equestrian camping locations near Rochester Hills, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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