The Pines Rustic Campground in Waterloo Recreation Area is surrounded by forested terrain with numerous trails for hiking. Temperatures range from lows in the 20s Fahrenheit during winter to highs in the 80s during summer. Nearby, visitors can explore the Waterloo State Recreation Area and the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center.

These campsites are on the Waterloo-Pinckney Hiking Trail. Camping is allowed only in designated areas; Portage Lake, Sugarloaf Lake, Horseman’s Campground, Green Lake, and the Pines campground (no water, no ground fires.)

The Pines Rustic Campground — Waterloo Recreation Area

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Campground review: The Pines

The Pines campground is a backpacker only campground located in the Waterloo section of the Waterloo-Pickney Trail in Chelsea, MI. Starting from Big Portage Lake trail head, it is a 15 mile hike to reach the campground or only a half mile walk if you park at the nearby horse stables. You need to register in advance either online ($20) or at the station the day of ($12). The campground offers five campsites that are not all the same sizes as each other. Each site offers a picnic table and there are no camp fires allows at this site. It has a pit toliet that has seen better days and you have to walk a half mile to the stables for water which is a negative in my book especially after hiking 18 miles that day.

Product Review: La Siesta Hammock

During my hike of the waterloo-pickney trail, I stayed at two campgrounds. One being Birch Lake Rustic campground and the other being The Pines campground. I was using the La Siesta Padded Travel Hammock for my two nights on the trail. The hammock itself packs up to about the size of a small sleeping bag, taking up about a third of my Osprey Atmos 50L pack. It also weighs around 4-5lbs dues to the extra padding and the material it is made of is parachute silk. The La Siesta brand of hammocks come with smart hooks, this provide a very quick and easy setup compared to some other brands of hammocks that require multiple straps. The padded hammock can also be unhooked at the ends and spread out to be used as a beach blanket. The reason I bought the padded travel hammock was because I thought it would help keep me warmer from underdrafts and lessen the need for an underquilt later on in the season when the temps start to drop. I got to test my hypothesis on the first night when our campsite at Birch Lake Rustic was right on the lake edge and the winds were strong. With the wind and the temperature dropping to around 55, I was a bit chilly in my hammock which I was only using a fleece sleeping bag in. The hammock did work better at keeping me warm the second night when there was little to no wind and the temperature that night was hovering close to 50 degrees. So the extra padding does help retain some warmth, it doesn't work as a replacement for an underquilt. The only other negative is that La Siesta doesn't seem to sell a rain fly or bug net for their hammocks though I did use a ENO Guardian SL bug net with the padded travel hammock and it worked fine.

Overall, I would recommend La Siesta hammocks. It is easy to setup especially after a long day of hiking. I personally would swap out the padded travel hammock for a regular one to say on weight unless you envision seeing yourself using it as a beach blanket or are a cold sleeper.

Ranger Review: The Pines Campground and La Siesta Hammock

It’s exactly what you expect of a hike in rustic campsite... picnic table, no fires, water is about 1/2 mile away at the horse stables (although it must have been shut off when we were there, not cool). Bare bones, but a nice place to stop and spend the night before moving on. 

What You’d Expect

Stayed here to test out new gear before a trip to Isle Royale. Severe weather made for a great experience alone as the neighbors packed up once the tornado sirens went off. 

Slightly buggy with lots of tree cover. Bring a filter and/or chemical filtration in case you need water as the pump at the stables seems hit or miss. I filled up at the Baldwin Flood. 

Photos of The Pines Rustic Campground — Waterloo Recreation Area

Real photos from real campers