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Best Equestrian Camping in Michigan

423 Reviews

When you think about camping in Michigan, it’s the water that draws most to the Great Lakes State. Michigan has 3,288 miles of shoreline, the second longest of any state, including 1,056 miles of island coast. Plus, you’re never more than six miles from a natural water source, or more than 85 miles away from a Great Lake.

There are plenty of opportunities for coastal and island camping in Michigan, but it’s more than just water. Michigan has the largest state park and state forest system of any state, with over 100 state parks, recreation areas, and state forests. There are also several national parks, forests, and lakeshores to pitch a tent or park the adventure rig. Needless to say, you have some options, so stick with The Dyrt to help you narrow it down. Consider these main Michigan attractions when deciding on where to go camping in Michigan.

For most campers, the epicenter of natural beauty and outdoor recreation in Michigan is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Mountainous dunes slope from high peaks and plateaus down to meet with the clear blue waters of Lake Michigan. Hiking, biking, hang gliding, off-roading, kiteboarding, paddle boarding, or just simply sandy beach lounging can all be found in and around Sleeping Bear Dunes. Also, when you take a camping trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes, the nearby quaint towns and rolling inland hills speckled with fruit orchards provide the perfect bonus excursions.

Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state in the country. Michigan waterways have been essential to the growth of the nation, but they’ve also been treacherous for mariners for centuries, and continue to demand respect. When camping in Michigan, touring some of the iconic Michigan lighthouses can be a great way to learn about the history of the region, while also taking in stellar views of natural landscapes and architectural achievement. Check in with The Dyrt for information on camping near some great Michigan lighthouses.

Finally, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is an entire playground of its own for outdoor recreation and exploration. Discover some of the many waterfalls like the impressive Tahquamenon Falls, or kayak on Lake Superior for a memorable view of the famous Pictured Rocks. The power of Lake Superior can be seen across the northern shore with unique rock formations, and remnants of the prominent mining and shipping industry still exist throughout. If you’re thinking about more remote or wild camping options in Michigan, the Upper Peninsula is for you. Whatever your camping style, stay tuned to The Dyrt for inside information on the best camping in Michigan.

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Best Equestrian Sites in Michigan (63)

    1. Rivermouth Modern Campground — Tahquamenon Falls State Park

    50 Reviews
    Paradise, MI
    Website
    +1 (906) 492-3415

    $20 - $23 / night

    "This has and will remain my favorite campground in Michigan."

    "Located just outside of the town of Paradise on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan."

    2. Fort Custer Recreation Area

    44 Reviews
    Augusta, MI
    Website
    +1 (269) 731-4200

    "Several no wake lakes for kayaking, canoeing and fishing. One lake with swimming beach. Lots of trails for hiking,  horses and mountain bikes."

    "The trails are great for hikers, bikers, & equestrians. We’ve had family camp outs there, as well my husband & I alone. It’s all dog friendly too! 🐕🐶"

    3. Sleepy Hollow State Park Campground

    32 Reviews
    Ovid, MI
    Website
    +1 (800) 447-2757

    $25 - $101 / night

    "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!"

    "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. "

    4. Bishop Lake Campground

    28 Reviews
    Brighton, MI
    Website
    +1 (810) 229-6566

    $17 - $90 / night

    "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."

    5. Covert/South Haven KOA Holiday

    17 Reviews
    Covert, MI
    Website
    +1 (269) 764-0818

    "Nice very busy pool and slide, play areas, walking trail, camp store with hot food. Not far from Lake Michigan and places to buy fresh fruit and veggies. Check it out you'll be happy you did."

    "This is a great place to camp with young children, as there are many activities around the camp. It is family owned and operated and you can tell- warm and friendly."

    6. Pontiac Lake Recreation Area

    18 Reviews
    White Lake, MI
    Website
    +1 (248) 666-1020

    $22 / night

    "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."

    7. Waterloo Sugarloaf Modern — Waterloo Recreation Area

    14 Reviews
    Chelsea, MI
    Website
    +1 (734) 475-8307

    "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."

    8. Addison Oaks County Park

    13 Reviews
    Lakeville, MI
    Website
    +1 (248) 858-1400

    "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."

    "Cell phone tower is close by. We especially enjoy the intermediate level mountain bike trails. Showers are hot. Lots of deer to see at dusk."

    9. Ely Lake Campground

    11 Reviews
    Fennville, MI
    Website
    +1 (269) 686-9088

    $18 / night

    "No power motor lake but there is another lake close by that is. We take the canoe with a trolling motor and hit that as well. Pet friendly. They have horse campsites and trails."

    "Lived in Michigan for most of my life and frequently visited and camped here as a youth. This is primarily a primitive campground with porto- pottys. Usually pretty clean."

    10. Jack Pine Lodge and Campground

    9 Reviews
    Hiawatha National Forest, MI
    Website

    $30 / night

    "I have absolutely nothing but positive things to say. I am more one to frequent rustic and secluded campgrounds."

    "This campground is very close to trailhead. Well maintained, decent wifi. Don't expect any Verizon cell coverage here. Sites are nice and large, staff is friendly and the bar has good food"

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Recent Equestrian Camping Photos in Michigan

5 Photos of 63 Michigan Campgrounds

Equestrian Camping Reviews in Michigan

423 Reviews of 63 Michigan Campgrounds

  • J
    Sep. 11, 2020

    Ely Lake Campground

    Beautiful rustic sites with loud parties at night

    Ely Lake Campground is a County campground in Allegan Michigan. All of the sites are rustic. Here are the bullet points:

    • There are no bathrooms, just pit toilets. 
    • There is no electricity. 
    • There is a hand pump for water, although I would recommend bringing your own drinking water because the water from the hand pump is very discolored.
    • Each site has a fire pit and a picnic table.
    • They don't sell firewood, but you can by some in town on your way in.
    • There is a beach.
    • You can make reservations online ahead of time, or show up and find an empty site (but bring cash or check to pay because its a drop box).
    • They have equestrian trails and sites.

    First the positives: It is a beautiful rustic campground. We stayed on the side with sites 49-73 (specifically site 50) which has larger more secluded sites than the other side of the Lake. The Lake is for non-motorized recreational use so it is mostly used for kayaking and canoeing and fishing. There is about a 1 mile trail that you can walk around the exterior of the Lake, however it is ill defined in some places so just keep your eyes peeled for yellow markers on the trees (which are everywhere so you wont get lost).

    This place also attracts a lot of equestrian campers and they have trails specifically for horseback riding. So if you have kids that love horses, you may see some on the weekends. 

    The negatives: It is a wonderful experience until about 10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday night. This place attracts a rowdy crowd and in the evenings (apparently there is no where else for the locals to have a rager). There is loud music , people yelling, fireworks going off and… not very much sleep. And I am not just talking about a few people with their music on -- it was someone blasting their sub-woofer with electronic dance music until 4:45 AM. It was really disappointing because otherwise the experience was positive. Luckily my kids are all deep sleepers so I was the only one who had to sit up all night.

    They clean the bathrooms daily from what I can tell, but otherwise the campground is not maintained. There was trash around our site, and when you walk the trail about the lake you will see cigarette packets and beer bottles occasionally. Also along the trail were two massive hornet nests that really should have been removed by park management - but it's clear they don't ever maintain the trail. 

    If you're willing to overlook some garbage, and if the party people stay away you could have a wonderful camping trip. Allegan County has a beautiful natural resource here, but sadly it seems like it is being squandered, and wont last.

  • Kate K.
    Aug. 24, 2019

    Ortonville Equestrian Campground — Ortonville Recreation Area

    2 Great Lakes & A Horse Camp

    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. 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.

  • Judy B.
    Jul. 15, 2016

    Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp

    Beautiful Campground

    We stayed at this campground while doing the Michigan Shore to Shore Trail by horseback, therefore we were in the "horse" portion of the campground. This campground had easy access to the water, and the restrooms were very clean. The campground seemed to have a lot if unnecessary traffic.

  • evi L.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2021

    Manistee National Forest Marzinski Horse Trail Campground

    Everything you need

    I 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.

  • L
    Aug. 2, 2018

    Cedar River North State Forest Campground

    Highly recommended

    This place is awesome. It's 8 miles down an old logging trail but it's worth the drive. There is no electricity but they have a fresh water spigot. There are 14 campsites, half of which have horse pens, most of the sites are river front on the Cedar River, and 2 sets a trails,one which is an equestrian trail that doubles as ski trails in winter. There is a kayak launch and the river is a great place for catching bass. Every site has at least one handicap accessible picnic table and a small fire pit. Most of the sites are big enough to fit a camper. There is a set of mudding trails across the river with easy access, the sounds are not too loud. The campground is usually empty or close to it. The mudders do come visit the grounds for the bathrooms, otherwise it's pretty quiet. There is a bunch of wildlife, you can hear birds and squirrels chattering, coyotes call to each other in the early in the morning across the river, and lots of little critters scurrying about. Dogs are welcome. There is a gas station/Mart on the highway before the turnoff that sells fire wood and other items you may need while camping

  • K
    May. 12, 2019

    Sleepy Hollow State Park Campground

    Sleepy, as i call it...

    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! 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 !!

  • Mary T.
    Jun. 26, 2019

    Sleepy Hollow State Park Campground

    I know another great Michigan State Park

    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.  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.

  • Gemma G.
    Apr. 24, 2019

    Scheck's Place State Forest Campground

    Schecks Place-TRAIL CAMP enjoy privacy, the river, horse trails

    There are 2 sections of Schecks Place. One is a campground with picnic tables and site numbers.

    The other is the trail camp. You drop your money in the box pick a spot of as much space as you want (there is hardly ever a lot of people).

    The last 2 times we went there was maybe one or two people with their horses or just passing thru.

    There are bathrooms and a well for water. No showers No electric.

    The river runs by and is awesome to go tubing down.

    There are trails that go through so if you are an equestrian this spot is perfect.

  • N
    Sep. 18, 2019

    Sleepy Hollow State Park Campground

    Disappointing

    This 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.

Guide to Michigan

Horse camping in Michigan offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, making it an ideal choice for horse enthusiasts looking to explore the state's beautiful landscapes.

Equestrian campers like these nearby activities

Most campgrounds have horse-focused amenities like spacious sites

  • Gaylord KOA provides large, well-maintained sites that accommodate horse camping, ensuring comfort for both riders and their horses.
  • Hell Creek Ranch & Campground features spacious sites with easy access to trails, making it a great choice for equestrian campers.
  • Turtle Lake Campground offers grassy areas and a family-friendly atmosphere, perfect for those camping with horses.

Equestrian campgrounds include essential facilities

  • Sleepy Hollow State Park Campground provides essential amenities such as drinking water and sanitary dump stations, catering to the needs of horse campers.
  • Bishop Lake Campground is equipped with electric hookups and picnic tables, ensuring a comfortable stay for equestrian visitors.
  • Covenant Hills Camp features well-maintained facilities and ample space for horse camping, making it a popular choice among families and groups.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are the best equestrian campgrounds in Michigan?

Michigan offers several outstanding equestrian campgrounds. Ortonville Equestrian Campground is quite popular with dedicated horse camping areas, rustic vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings. Manistee National Forest Marzinski Horse Trail Campground offers free camping with 21 established sites, fire rings, and well-maintained pit toilets. Other excellent options include Cedar River North State Forest Campground with riverfront sites and horse pens, Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp which connects to the Shore to Shore Trail, and Scheck's Place State Forest Campground with its spacious trail camp section ideal for horse camping.

What amenities should I look for at Michigan horse camping facilities?

When horse camping in Michigan, look for facilities with dedicated equestrian features. Essential amenities include horse pens or hitching posts, as found at Cedar River North State Forest Campground where half the sites have horse pens. Access to fresh water is crucial—many campgrounds offer spigots or pumps, though bringing your own drinking water is recommended. Consider campgrounds with nearby equestrian trails, like Sleepy Hollow State Park which offers extensive trail systems. Most horse campgrounds provide basic amenities like fire rings and picnic tables. Toilet facilities typically range from vault toilets to rustic pit toilets, with few offering shower facilities.

When is the best season for horse camping in Michigan?

Late spring through early fall (May to October) offers the best conditions for horse camping in Michigan. Summer provides ideal weather, but be prepared for occasional heat and insects. Lake Dubonnet Trail Camp and other northern Michigan campgrounds are particularly pleasant in summer months. Early fall brings spectacular foliage and fewer insects at locations like Ely Lake Campground. Spring offers less crowded trails but can be muddy in some areas. Most equestrian campgrounds close or offer limited services during winter months, so verify seasonal availability when planning trips outside peak season.

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