For camping on the Shiawassee River, Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, Michigan sits right on the water, with riverfront campsites, its own canoe and kayak launch, and a river outfitter working from the campground. The Shiawassee is an 88-mile National Water Trail that runs from Holly to Chesaning, and Walnut Hills is one of the few places on it where you can camp, launch and float without moving your car.
Here is the river itself, what river camping at Walnut Hills looks like, how kayaking and tubing from the campground work, and when the water is best.
Where is the Shiawassee River, and what is it like to paddle?
The Shiawassee River starts at Shiawassee Lake in Springfield Township, Oakland County, and flows about 110 miles north through Holly, Fenton, Linden, Byron, past Durand, then Vernon, Corunna, Owosso and Chesaning before joining the Tittabawassee to form the Saginaw River, which empties into Saginaw Bay. The name comes from a Chippewa phrase for a straight, sparkling river.
The paddling section is the Shiawassee River Water Trail: 88 miles from Holly to Chesaning, certified as a National Water Trail by the National Park Service in October 2020 and also designated a Michigan state water trail. The trail has 28 public access sites and is rated for beginner and intermediate paddlers. The headwaters are narrow and winding through fens and woods, the middle stretch (where Walnut Hills is) runs through farm country with wooded banks, and the lower river has a well-regarded smallmouth bass fishery. Bald eagles and beavers are regular sightings.
Campers who know both rivers often compare the Shiawassee with the Rifle River up north, where the river is the whole reason to go. The Shiawassee near Durand tends to run deeper, so you scrape bottom less in a low-water year, and it is much closer to Flint, Lansing and the Detroit suburbs. Walnut Hills also adds a spring-fed swimming lake next to the river, which the river-only campgrounds don’t have.
Camping on the Shiawassee River at Walnut Hills
Walnut Hills is a 42-acre campground with 201 RV sites, 18 tent sites and 2 camping cabins on Lehring Road outside Durand. The river wraps along the south side of the park, and the campground began life in the 1960s as a canoe-float and swimming-hole business, so river access has always been part of the place.
- Riverfront sites 27 to 42 sit right on the water. As one campground employee put it, “if you’re nimble, you could launch a kayak or canoe right from your site.” The bank drops off a bit in low water, so it’s easier in spring and early summer. These are premium sites and cost more.
- River-view sites 1 to 26 sit 10 to 25 feet above the river. You see the water but aren’t on it, and they’re priced as standard sites.
- The canoe launch is next to the camp store at the front of the campground. Campers walk or golf-cart up; day visitors park in the lot beside it for a fee.
- A nature trail runs along the river inside the park, a good short morning walk.
- Dogs can swim in the river. Owners usually take them down to the boat launch area. The river is the dog swimming spot; the swim lake and beach are for people. Everywhere else in the park dogs are on a leash, except inside the fenced dog park, where they can run free.
Rates are dynamic, so a riverfront site on a holiday weekend costs more than a river-view site in May or October. Check the Walnut Hills rates page for your dates and the campground map to see where sites 1 to 42 sit.
Shiawassee River kayaking from the campground
There are three ways to get on the river at Walnut Hills; day visitors can use the first two.
1. Rent from Cheff’s Canoe Rental
Cheff’s is an independent, family-run outfitter working out of the Walnut Hills launch. The Cheff family ran canoe trips on this stretch for decades, and the business restarted several years ago with the campground’s help; it now runs a second bus just for tube floats. Cheff’s rents Old Town canoes, kayaks and tubes (including a cooler tube), provides the life jackets and runs the shuttle. One route starts upriver and floats back down to the campground; the other launches at the campground and gets picked up downstream. A canoe or kayak covers them in roughly two or four hours. Tubes move about half as fast, so Cheff’s uses a separate tube pull-out on a local farm to keep the tube float to about two hours.
2. Bring your own kayak or tube
You can launch your own boat from the Walnut Hills launch and float to the pull-out points without using Cheff’s; two of the drop-off and pull-out points are public access sites, so you can stage a second vehicle downstream. If you’d rather not shuttle yourself, Cheff’s will give you a ride for a fee, though it can’t haul private boats. Michigan law requires a wearable life jacket for every person in a canoe or kayak, and children under 6 must wear one while underway.
3. The in-park float
For small kids or anyone who wants a short, easy first trip, put in at one end of the campground and float to the other in 30 to 45 minutes. It’s an easy first float that ends a short walk from the store and the beach.
Spring vs summer flows: when to paddle the Shiawassee
| Time of year | What the river is doing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| April to May | Faster, higher water from snowmelt and spring rain | Canoes and kayaks; more experienced paddlers |
| June to early August | Settled, moderate flow and warm water | Tubing, family canoe trips, launching from riverfront sites |
| Mid-August to October | Depends on summer rainfall; low in a dry year | Kayaks (they draft less); check levels first |
A campground employee summed it up this way: “The water runs faster in the spring, and that’s better suited for canoes and kayaks. Once you get into June, July and early August, it becomes ideal for tubing. In a dry year the river runs low from early or mid-August on, so kayaks do better than tubes then, but with decent rainfall it stays in good shape all the way to the end of the season.” In low water, expect a two-hour float to take longer.
Before you go, check the USGS gauge Shiawassee River at Owosso (station 04144500), the live reading closest to Durand, and the watershed water-level links on the Friends of the Shiawassee River website. There’s also a 360-degree virtual tour of the river, photographed from a boat in 2019 the way a street-view car maps roads and linked from the Walnut Hills home page. It’s a good way to see what the float looks like before you book.
Friends of the Shiawassee River and the water trail
Friends of the Shiawassee River is a nonprofit based in Corunna with a simple mission: care for the river, share knowledge of it, and increase recreational access and responsible use. Its programs include stream monitoring, an annual river cleanup, education, and the Paddling Posse, a community group that organizes group paddles on the water trail so newer paddlers can build confidence and explore new stretches. The site also has a form for reporting downed trees so they can be cleared.
The water trail itself is run by the Shiawassee River Water Trail Coalition, the river towns and townships from Holly to Chesaning (including Byron, Vernon, Corunna and Owosso) plus groups like Headwaters Trails in Holly. The coalition added launches, mile markers and signage and produced the virtual tour. Conservation easements along parts of the river keep development off the banks, which is why so much of the float from Walnut Hills is trees, farm fields and wildlife rather than houses.
Owosso river trips: paddling the lower Shiawassee
Owosso is about 20 miles downstream of Walnut Hills, and the stretch of river through Corunna and Owosso is one of the most-used parts of the water trail. Corunna has a launch platform, and the Paddling Posse has run group trips from McCurdy Park in Corunna to Curwood Castle in Owosso and from the Vernon Boat Launch to Lytle Road Park. The USGS gauge is in Owosso too, so river-level reports for this area are literally measured there.
Walnut Hills works well as a base for an Owosso river trip. Many families already camp here while playing in youth baseball and softball tournaments in Owosso, then spend the rest of the weekend on the river and the lake.
Other places to camp along the Shiawassee River
Camping directly on the Shiawassee is limited. At the downstream end of the water trail, Chesaning’s Showboat Park has a municipal campground with about 70 electric sites, restrooms, showers and a boat launch on the river, a good option for paddling the lower trail. The water trail’s own inventory lists only two paddle-up campgrounds along its 88 miles, which is what makes a riverfront site at Walnut Hills unusual: you can wake up on the water, float, and come back to a beach, a floating water park, food trucks and weekend events without driving anywhere.
Is there a “Camp Shiawassee”?
If you searched for Camp Shiawassee, you may be looking for the Shiawassee County 4-H summer camp, a youth program run through Michigan State University Extension rather than a public campground. For family camping on the Shiawassee River itself, Walnut Hills in Durand is the campground on the water, open May 1 through October 20.
Shiawassee River camping FAQ
Can I launch my own kayak at Walnut Hills?
Yes. Campers launch from the canoe launch next to the store, and some riverfront campers launch right from their sites. Day visitors can use the launch too; register at the store and pay to park in the lot beside it.
Do I have to use Cheff’s to float the river?
No. Cheff’s is the easy option if you don’t have gear or a second vehicle, but you can bring your own boat or tube and use the public access points for your pull-out.
How far is Walnut Hills from Flint, Lansing and Detroit?
Cheff’s lists the launch as about 27 minutes from Flint or Lansing and about 51 minutes from the Detroit metro area. The Walnut Hills campground page links to directions from each city.
Can I fish the river from the campground?
Yes, with a Michigan fishing license. The Shiawassee is known for smallmouth bass. No license is needed on the campground’s own private lake and ponds, which are catch-and-release, and fishing in the swimming lake is limited to the north end, away from the beach and the Wibit.
When does Cheff’s Canoe Rental operate at Walnut Hills?
April through October, from the canoe launch next to the camp store. Book online on Cheff’s website or by phone; spring is best for canoes and kayaks, and June through early August is prime tubing season.
Which Walnut Hills campsites are right on the Shiawassee?
Sites 27 to 42 are river frontage, right on the water. Sites 1 to 26 are river view, 10 to 25 feet above the river.
Can little kids float the river?
Families with small kids usually choose a canoe so the kids can ride along, and the 30-to-45-minute in-park float is a gentle first trip. Cheff’s provides life jackets.
Is the river float open after Labor Day?
Cheff’s runs into October, but late-season floating depends on rainfall. In a dry year the river can run low from early or mid-August, so check the Friends of the Shiawassee River flow links before you go.
