Horse camping is the perfect way to enjoy Wellston. If you're an equestrian lover who prefers nature-based adventure, yet still wants comfort, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. With our help, you'll find the best Michigan equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
The Marzinski Horse Trail and Campground were developed for the horse enthusiasts, who enjoy riding through a forested quiet trail system. The Marzinski Horse Camp serves as the primary access location for the 18 miles of horse trail.__
The Marzinski Horse Trail is open to non-motorized use only. They are designed for horse riders but may be used by hikers as well. The trail is accessed by either the Marzinski Trailhead and Campground or the Steinberg Trailhead. Neither trailhead is maintained for horse use in the winter months. The Forest Service and volunteers maintain the trail system, which is marked by oak-routed signs and posts and request that care is taken to keep the trail system clean. ___Pack it in, pack it out.___ Horse riders are asked not to access the Little Manistee River, which may accelerate erosion and to be careful when crossing adjacent county and forest roads.
The Marzinski Horse Trail is open to non-motorized use only. They are designed for horse riders but may be used by hikers as well. The trail is accessed by either the Marzinski Trailhead and Campground or the Steinberg Trailhead. Neither trailhead is maintained for horse use in the winter months. The Forest Service and volunteers maintain the trail system, which is marked by oak-routed signs and posts and request that care is taken to keep the trail system clean. ___Pack it in, pack it out.___ Horse riders are asked not to access the Little Manistee River, which may accelerate erosion and to be careful when crossing adjacent county and forest roads.
The campground is located in a white pine stand and offers quiet and privacy between camp sites. The Marzinski Horse Trail passes through mostly mixed pine with some hardwood vegetation types. Topography is mostly flat forested land with some small openings.
Sand Lake Recreation Area Udell Rollways Day Use and Disc Golf Course Pine Lake Campground
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/0,4570,7-350-79134_79210---,00.html
This rustic trail camp sits along the tranquil shores of Lake Dubonnet in Grand Traverse County, just five miles northwest of Interlochen via M-137, US-31, Gonder Road and Lake Dubonnet Trail.
Great place in the northern Michigan forest. They have activities planned or you can bring your ATV toys and hit the trails. There's a pond for swimming and fishing. Cell reception is very limited but, you can get WiFi at the store.
The Manton Trails RV Park& Campground has 146 sites, nestled on 80 acres and a campground surrounded by State land and close to the State’s Snowmobile/ORV Trail Head of the Manistee National Forest. Our bathhouse is clean, and our showers are hot. We are located 15 minutes north of Cadillac and 30 minutes SE of Traverse City. Manton Trails welcomes families, couples, and groups looking to relax, reconnect with family, and enjoy all the wonders of nature. The property also has event facilities that can be rented for group meetings, weddings, and activities. There are many canoe liveries near Manton Trails which provide an excellent nautical Manistee River experience for your family. If some of your party would prefer to stay within four walls rather than camping, they can reserve a room at the Manton Hotel located on the property.
$25 - $55 / night
$25 / 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
Hungerford Lake Recreation Area The Hungerford Recreation Area is a nonmotorized area consisting of over 6,500 acres of National Forest System lands. The area provides opportunities to hike, snowshoe, cross-country ski, horseback ride, mountain bike and enjoy the National Forests. The horseback riding and mountian biking trails are two seperate trails. The two trails cross each other at several locations, but "You Are Here" maps are located at trail junctions to aid in navigation. The trail is marked with blue diamonds for the mountain bike trail with a bike symbol and blue diamonds with horses for the horse trail. Boat Launch/Lake campsites - The 30-acre lake offers a variety of fishing and boating opportunities. There are two campsites near the lake. Horses are not permitted in this area or in the lake. This site is particularly scenic during the fall. There is mixed federal and private ownership around the lake. Family Campground - The horse trail and mountain bike connector trails located in the campground. The horseback trail connector trail is located near the group site. The trail camp is very popular during the summer with horseback trail riders. The loop campground is nestled in among a variety of leafy green tress. Horseback Riding - There are over 40-miles of premier horse trails in the Hungerford Recreation Area. Mountain Biking - There are two-loops for mountain bikes, creating a 10-mile trail. Scenary and Topgraphy - The trails go through heavily forested areas of oak, maple, aspen, and red and white pine. At times riders will cross or utilize roads. Parts of the trails are suitable for less experienced riders, while other segments offer a more experienced riding opportunity. The topography ranges from hilly to very hilly. Riders will experience a range in scenery as they ride through the heavily forested areas and into open fields and meadows. Brochure with map: This brochure is set to print on 11 x 17 paper, landscape (wide) orientation. To print on 8 1/2 x 11 paper set the print area to "shrink to printable area", this will make the text on the page smaller. Flickr Photo Album
Traveler
Was a quiet. Simple.. Just with nature...Site was clean, across street you can buy firewood ...Was a pleasant 2 night's....From site to the nearest store 15-20 min away..If needed...Had no issues...Be back Thanksgiving 2024..
ScoutQuiet, large sites, like new bath house, 7th nite free, rate$35, good location for northwestern Michigan sites Water on all outside sites. interior sites share water hookups
ScoutRun down campground with rude disrespectful owner. We were attacked over something that was so trivial...a few hoof prints by our trailer where we we told to park. Horses did not dig or paw. She drove up to us and complained that they tore up her grass, which wasn't true. There was no grass to begin with, it was moss. Our ponied stood quietly tied to trailer as we saddled up and then when we came back from our rife and unsaddled. We were with them the entire time....it was a short day ride with a friend who was camping there. Woman never asked or told us to picket. Normal function for horseman is to ride from trailer. I Just couldn't believe it. Told woman we understood and would be leaving and wouldn't be back. She kept running her mouth. I told her to drop it and that again, we would leave and would not be back. Kept running her mouth, and Id had enough and told her to shut up.
Scout
We thought this would be a good place for our first trip in our new to us 5th wheel! We have a 28.6ft 5th wheel and had not problem getting in and parked! Management did an awesome job of spreading out guests until they were full! Lots of things for the kids, basketball, volly ball, a beach area, pond with fishing….. so much more. Very clean, very kind and helpful staff!
TravelerSpacious campsites with good visible/verizon service. We did not get service with T-Mobile. It has a pit toilet, fire pits, and picnic tables. Check out our review at Abe and Mel Van Travels.
ScoutFriendly staff, made us feel comfortable being first timers camping. Very helpful!! Can’t wait to come back!
TravelerI only spent a night here while passing through, but it's a very nice campground that's specifically suited to equestrians. This established and well maintained campground is free, and you can stay up to two weeks. There's a well kept pit toilet, 21 established campsites w/ firerings, and even a water pump (meant for horses.) Only a few other campers on a Wednesday night, including some people with horses, and all have been friendly. The campsites are all flat and quite large, being that they are meant to accommodate people with a horse trailer, and there are numerous hitching posts throughout the campground. A great place overall.
GuideSo this place is awesome, big time. There’s picnic tables, fire rings, water available, a well maintained pit toilet, and 21 sites! The pine trees are amazing and the road in was super accessible. 20 min to town to restock with plenty of gas stations on the way.
TravelerNice people. Some sites are electric only, some include water. Not busy and quiet. Did not use bathhouse.
Scout
Off the beaten path but has great rustic campsites with firepits and there are restrooms and fresh water close by in each circle we will be back
Traveler
I like the location; very secluded in the State Forest but only a half hour from downtown Traverse City. This facility meets the recreation need of a diverse cross section of Michigan residents. It’s a great home base or overnight camp for canoeists and kayakers (my particular interest). The camp is also used by mountain bikers & gravel riders, ATV riders, anglers, and equestrians (separate camp area). Large wooded sites. Primitive means vault toilets, no power and hand pump water. No reservations — FCFS.
Negatives: can be noisy at times with the ATVs and also large camping groups. But for the most part I’ve found ppl to be respectful. A couple of the sites flooded after an unusually heavy rain today, so I would avoid any site that looks low if rain is expected.
Site 16 is good. High and dry after the rain.
ScoutWe stayed July 2021 for an RV rally. We had no building of shelter for community gatherings. But, weather cooperated and we had a great time.
Power 50/30 were fine. Water is a shared spigot on most sites, but some sites have water. There is a good dump station. Sites are level. No landscaping.
Lots of restaurants and attractions in Traverse City.
We would stay again.
ScoutGreat campground, larger sites, pull thru sites available. Low rates even on holidays. Our first time there was 4th of July weekend, they have a large building for events....over the weekend they a concert! Live band and food truck....free to all campers and their friends! It was a great time and the owners and manager are very friendly. We will definitely be back there soon.
TravelerWe stayed here in our van and it was just what we needed. I wish we had a place to dump our grey water, but otherwise it was an easy drive in and had fresh water.
GuideGeneral store ,fuel on site small lake, park has a hilly layout. New showers in camping area, meeting area at club house host are excellent.
Guide
This campground is a good sized campground, but doesn't have much to do there. There is a small lake that is fun for short kayak/canoe rides and fishing. It's called Turtle Lake for obvious reasons- when my kids went fishing, they pulled up large snapping turtles both times. A bit of a surprise to see their size! There are a lot of seasonal campers at this campground, so if that's your thing, this is definitely your place.
TravelerAwesome Campground! Not a parking lot, lots of trees! We had a family, socially distant reunion with 6 sites. We rented a extra site, so nobody could rent near us, sooo nice! Very close to Manistee River and canoe/raft liveries, very fun family togetherness activity.
Very clean bath houses and campground is maintained well.
Internet worked well using our hotspots, but, like all campgrounds, if you like being “in the woods;” internet is always a challenge. Most of our group had AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, the best service seemed to be Verizon in the morning and Sprint at night.
We will be going back
GuideWhat I liked best about this park was that my children were not caked in dirt. While I understand that comes with the territory of camping, this campground provides a bit more of a grassy setting and offers a nice playground. The bathrooms were redone and are very nice! The thing I didn’t particularly like is how close you are to other sites. You are practically on top of each other. There are trails and a beach area as well as equine camping.
ScoutGreat place
Guide
Dispersed camping and camp sites available. There are horse staging areas and hiking trails. The lake is nice, small enough for a kayak/ no motor boat, nice.
ScoutI haven’t been camping in years and was very apprehensive about this. This place was absolutely the best place and probably has ruined me for camping life. The shower stalls were individual and clean, the area was filled with campers and RV’s and everyone was SO friendly and the place was full of dog lovers. I would highly recommend this place to check out and know I’ll be back again!
GuideTurtle Lake is a perfect mix of campers! Very family friendly, but spaced out well enough for privacy. They have a nice beach area and areas to fish. All sites provide a good amount of shade. We will definitely be staying here again! They also have a separate equestrian camping area that have water and electric hookup sites.
TravelerThis is one our favorite campgrounds that isn’t a state park. Clean, well kept, lots of trees. The lake is great for kayaking or small fishing boats. Office staff super nice. Small, but nice beach. We took my mom & nieces two years ago. Last year tried somewhere different and they asked to go back to Turtle Lake.
TravelerGreat place to stay! Pit toilets and pump water stations. Beautiful lake with cool islands! Campsites are large and fairly separated! Can’t wait to go back!
TravelerI absolutely love this campground. I’ve camped there twice this summer and each time I enjoy it. Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp has the basic rustic camping necessities. Outhouses near each circle, spickit with really good water, hiking trails, boat launch and even a nearby island you can kayak to and let the dogs roam free! (Mine sure loves it) The campsites themselves have lots of space, privacy and a fire pit. This place is the bees knees. I’ll be back. :)
LegendQuiet, not populated, and beautiful views. I’ve solo camped here a few times and it’s great for early morning paddles and peaceful relaxation. There is a boat launch right near by, but most of the sites have their own path right down to the water. Rustic style camping which includes a picnic table and fire pit and there are a few vault toilets throughout the area. Self registration for $15 per night.
ScoutFirst come first serve sites, but it’s a super awesome place to go when everything else is booked.
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 Wellston, MI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Wellston, MI is Manistee National Forest Marzinski Horse Trail Campground with a 4.8-star rating from 5 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Wellston, MI?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 equestrian camping locations near Wellston, MI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
