16 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Pontiac Lake Recreation Area features extensive horseback riding trails across its 3,745 acres of woodland and open fields. The equestrian trail system connects to adjacent natural areas, providing riders with varied terrain and scenery. Horse owners appreciate the dedicated parking areas that accommodate trailers of all sizes. While the campground doesn't offer permanent horse corrals, riders can set up temporary containment systems at their campsites. The park allows horses throughout most trail areas with designated bridle paths clearly marked on park maps. The campground provides electric hookups, drinking water, and modern restrooms with showers for overnight guests. Extensive mountain biking trails and equestrian paths are easily accessible from the camping areas.
Highland State Recreation Area offers riders access to over 12 miles of marked horse trails winding through rolling hills and forest landscapes. The rustic campground accommodates horses with spacious sites suitable for portable corrals or highline setups. Trail connections link directly to the camping areas, making it convenient for morning rides without trailering. Water access points along the trails provide natural drinking spots for horses during summer months. The park maintains trailer-friendly parking areas near the equestrian trailheads for day visitors. Pit toilets and drinking water spigots serve the camping area, though no electrical hookups are available. The extra large campsites give ample room for both camping equipment and horse containment areas. The natural scenery includes fields of wildflowers and wooded sections that create varied riding experiences throughout the seasons.
"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"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 $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."
"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"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."
"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."
"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 $35 - $40 / 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"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 $38 - $43 / night
Check Availability"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."
from $20 / 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.
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.
ScoutThis is a fabulous campground! 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.) There is a boat launch on one end of campground and the amazing beach on the other. The water is clear and warm (perfect lake for swimming) and there is both sand and grassy areas on the fairly large beach. The beach also offers picnic tables and benches. The only negative aspect I can see about this campground is that the sites are right on top of each other, so if you have a loud group or a generator next to you, it is noisy. But most campgrounds have sites set real close together, so you will find this pretty much everywhere. Def camp here! About an hours drive from a Pictured Rocks National Park. There are no showers or running water. Camp hosts were very nice, helpful, & welcoming.
Equestrian camping near Southfield, Michigan offers access to over 3,700 acres of diverse terrain for riders. The area combines flat wetlands with rolling hills, creating varied trail conditions across southeastern Michigan. Most equestrian-friendly campgrounds in the region maintain separate horse trails that connect directly to larger trail systems without crossing major roadways.
Lakeside recreation: At Bishop Lake Campground, visitors can enjoy multiple water activities beyond standard swimming. "The lake is pretty good for swimming. There is Jump Island! $15 for a 45 minute jump session. Follow on Facebook for coupons," notes Beth G. The inflatable water park provides a unique alternative to traditional beach activities.
Trail exploration: The region features extensive multi-use paths for various skill levels. "Nice hike to the lake. Large sites and great biking area," explains Wendy K. about Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. Many trails connect between recreation areas, allowing for longer excursions without needing to transport equipment.
Historical discoveries: Some parks contain unexpected historical elements. "There's 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!" shares Adrienne C. about Highland State Recreation Area.
Privacy between sites: Campers consistently appreciate the natural buffers at certain campgrounds. "The campground was full but quiet. The bathrooms and showers were nice and clean with hot water. Site 71 wasn't the most private but still nice. The spots are all pretty private due to trees and vegetation," reports Sam H. about Pontiac Lake Recreation Area.
Wildlife viewing: The region supports diverse animal populations. "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!" exclaims Adrienne C. about Highland State Recreation Area. Early morning and evening hours offer the best wildlife viewing opportunities.
Quiet atmosphere: Addison Oaks County Park provides a peaceful environment despite being close to urban areas. "Always been a great trip. Good sites I have stayed in both area B and C. Great hiking trails easy access. Friendly staff," states Gary E. The park maintains quiet hours from 10 pm to 8 am, creating a restful environment.
Pest management: Bug protection is essential when camping in this region. "There are tons of mosquitoes and ticks, so make sure you bring bug spray. Also make sure that all food and garbage is secure at night, the raccoons have no fear," warns Kristina J. about Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. The wet areas around lakes and streams are particularly active with insects.
Distance considerations: Some facilities are spread out. "Only drawback is the distance from the lake. The lake is not within walking distance, you would need to drive," notes Renee R. about Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. Many campgrounds require short drives to reach beaches or trailheads.
Site selection: Choose sites carefully based on your equipment and needs. "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," advises Mary H.
Kid-friendly activities: Seven Lakes State Park offers specialized programs for younger campers. "The campground has a private lake that's good for swimming and fishing. Plenty of hiking/biking trails easily accessed from the campground," explains Holly S. The park features shallow swimming areas with gradual entry points suitable for children.
Playground access: Many parks maintain modern play equipment. "They have kids activities on the weekends, a lake for swimming, great playgrounds and everything is really clean," shares Wendy K. about Addison Oaks County Park. Most playgrounds are visible from nearby campsites for easier supervision.
Bike-friendly paths: Paved loops provide safe cycling for children. "The campground loops also link to a one mile trail which will lead you to the beach if you like hiking!" mentions Sarah P. about Pontiac Lake Recreation Area. Bring bikes with lights for evening riding around campground loops.
Site leveling: The terrain at many campgrounds requires preparation. "Sites tend to slope towards Sand Lake so have leveling blocks if that's important to you," advises Edward C. about Seven Lakes State Park. Bring extra leveling equipment for the region's rolling topography.
Hookup locations: Waterloo Recreation Area requires planning for utilities. "Absolutely love this place. Only downfall is no water hookups on site," mentions Martin W. Many campgrounds feature centralized water stations rather than individual site connections.
Seasonal operations: Check availability before planning trips outside summer months. "I arrived for a 2 week stay in the area on 11/12. I discovered this campground was closed for the season," reports Mike M. about Wayne County Fairgrounds RV Park. Most campgrounds in the region operate from April through October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Southfield, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Southfield, MI is Pontiac Lake Recreation Area with a 4.4-star rating from 19 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Southfield, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 equestrian camping locations near Southfield, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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