Campgrounds with activities are the ones where the campground itself is the destination: a water feature or two, a weekend event calendar, sports zones for the kids and food you don’t have to cook. In Michigan, Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand is built exactly that way. It has a 14-piece Wibit floating water park on a spring-fed swimming lake, canoe, kayak and tube floats on the Shiawassee River, an arcade, a fenced dog park, a Kangaroo Jumper, a food truck every weekend from Memorial Day through September, DJ dance parties at the pavilion and three Halloween weekends. Our team puts it simply: “People come for what is at Walnut Hills, not for area attractions.”
Below is what there is to do at Walnut Hills, what a long weekend looks like, how it compares with our sister park, The Oaks Campground in Munith, and how to pick a fun campground anywhere in Michigan.
What makes a fun campground?
Our team looks for the same five things families do:
- Water. A place to cool off is the single biggest driver of a campground’s popularity. Natural water (a lake or river) plus something to play on (a floating water park) is the ideal pairing.
- A real event schedule. Staff-run crafts, games, music and themed weekends, not just a sign that says “activities.”
- An activity zone. Playground, sports courts, open field and a pavilion close together so parents can watch from one spot.
- Food you don’t have to cook. Food trucks, a camp store with ice cream and essentials.
- Rules that work for families. Quiet hours from 11 PM mean your kids actually sleep, kids and bikes head back to the site at dusk, and a license-plate gate keeps the park to registered guests. Families tell us they choose a well-kept, respectful atmosphere, and that’s what makes the fun work.
Our guide to family friendly campgrounds in Michigan goes deeper on how to compare parks.
Things to do at Walnut Hills Family Campground
Walnut Hills has what our team calls a “natural dual water feature”: a spring-fed lake and the Shiawassee River, both on the property. That’s rare in lower Michigan, and it anchors most of the activity list.
The Wibit floating water park
The Wibit is a 14-piece inflatable obstacle course anchored on the swimming lake. Most campgrounds that have one run one to four pieces; ours includes the Action Tower XXL, two slides, a trampoline, monkey bars, dip bars, balance ladders, a rock climbing wall, a rope climbing hill, high jump-off platforms and a launch piece that bounces you into the air before you splash down.
- Open Tuesday through Sunday. Free for registered campers Tuesday through Thursday; a wristband fee applies Friday through Sunday. The weekend fee only covers the cost of running it, which is what keeps weekdays free.
- Ages 7 and up; guests under 16 need a parent present. Check in at the store for a wristband, sign the waiver and watch a short safety video.
- Life jackets are provided and required. They’re Wibit-designed so they don’t snag on the pieces, so personal jackets can’t be used. A Wibit monitor checks wristbands and jacket fit and keeps play on the course safe and fair; the monitor is not a lifeguard.
Grown-ups go on too, grandparents included. Campers on sites 1 through 15 have started holding up scorecards, 1 to 10, for the dives and belly flops off the big pieces.
The spring-fed swimming lake and beach
The lake is fed by natural springs, so the water is clear and stays cool on hot days; you’ll swim through cold pockets where the spring pushes up from below. The beach was rebuilt with fresh sand that runs out into the water, a planter-box border and a crushed-asphalt parking lot, and a lab-designed treatment program keeps weeds, algae and muck down. Lawn chairs set up by the dock give parents a view of the kids on the Wibit. Our Michigan campgrounds with swimming guide has more on lake swimming.
Camping and floating: Shiawassee River trips
Cheff’s Canoe Rental, an independent livery, runs from the boat launch next to the camp store. You can rent a canoe, kayak or tube and get a bus ride back, with two main trips: a roughly two-hour float and a roughly four-hour float by canoe or kayak, plus a two-hour tube float that uses a special pull-out on a local farm. There’s also a 30-to-45-minute float inside the campground, and you can launch your own boat from the campground’s launch. See how to book a river float trip and our Michigan river tubing campgrounds guide.
The activity zone at Pavilion 2
The north end of the park is where Saturday nights happen. Around Pavilion 2 you’ll find the new playground, the Kangaroo Jumper (a giant bounce pillow, free for campers), the fenced dog park, the gaga ball pit and the ball field, where staff bring out a massive kickball for Super Sized Family Kickball. Elsewhere in the park: a basketball court, sand volleyball, horseshoe pits, the arcade room in the store and hand-scooped ice cream at the counter.
Weekend events and themed weekends
Every weekend from Memorial Day to the end of September has a schedule. The regular pattern:
- Saturday 11 AM kids’ craft at Pavilion 1 (sun catchers, wind chimes, birdhouses, rock painting) and tie-dye almost every Saturday, with shirts sold at the store.
- Afternoon lawn games by the dog park and ball field: kickball, three-legged and potato sack races, tug of war, water balloon wars, cornhole and gaga ball.
- Evening at Pavilion 2: a DJ dance party with DJ Dave, karaoke, trivia (family, kids and adult) or a live band.
- Food trucks: always Saturday, often Friday dinner and often Sunday breakfast so nobody cooks while packing up.
Themed weekends in a typical season include Memorial Day (golf cart parade, kids’ bike parade, family movie night), a Father’s Day pig roast and Country Throw Down, Fourth of July Family Olympics and a golf cart race (no fireworks at any of our parks), Christmas in July with a Santa social and Christmas golf cart parade, a Beach Party weekend with limbo and a cornhole tournament, and a Seasonal Campers vs Short-Term Campers tug of war in August. The current calendar is on the Walnut Hills events page.
Three Halloween weekends
Walnut Hills runs three Haunted Trail weekends in late September and early October, added one at a time because the first one kept selling out. Each has a site decorating contest, pumpkin painting, a candy search in the hay pile, costume judging, trick-or-treating on closed roads, the Haunted Trail (mild while it’s light for young kids, truly scary later) and DJ Dave’s Spooktacular dance party with drop-down lighting and smoke machines. Each weekend is different. More in our fall and Halloween camping guide.
Dogs, stargazing and the quiet stuff
The dog park is just over a quarter acre with premium fencing, shade, picnic tables, tunnels, a real fire hydrant and a dog selfie frame, and it’s the one spot where dogs go off leash; elsewhere they’re leashed, and they can swim in the river at the boat launch (not the swim lake or beach). A nature trail follows the Shiawassee inside the park, and seasonal campers know about a public nature area on Reed Road, a golf-cart ride away, that runs through woods to the river. At night, the campground is remote enough that stars and meteor showers are easy to see from any site, and Walnut Hills has a fleet of telescopes and a stargazing event on the calendar. See stargazing campgrounds.
Fun activities in Michigan without leaving the campground: a sample stay
Our team’s advice is to come in Wednesday or Thursday and stay through Sunday, because you can’t do it all in two nights:
- Thursday: wristbands from the store and a free weekday on the Wibit, alternating an hour on the water with time on the beach, the arcade and scooped ice cream. Rent a golf cart for the stay; the park is large and spread out.
- Friday: a Cheff’s float trip. Parents with small kids tend to pick canoes so the kids ride with them; young adults go for tubes and float a cooler in its own tube.
- Saturday: the beach, the Kangaroo Jumper, the 11 AM craft, lawn games, a food truck dinner and the DJ or band at Pavilion 2.
- Sunday: a breakfast food truck, then pack up.
Guests tell us “Walnut Hills never disappoints,” and generations of families now use it for annual reunions. Since 2022 the promise has been something new every year: the renovated bathhouse, the dog park, the new playground, the Kangaroo Jumper and the Wibit trampoline all came that way.
Outdoor activities this weekend near Flint, Lansing and Detroit
Walnut Hills sits in Durand, between Flint and Lansing and an easy drive from the north Detroit suburbs, Owosso, Saginaw and Bay City. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, check the events page for the themed weekend and food truck lineup, then book a site. Day visitors are welcome too: register at the store and pay a day-visit, beach or parking rate. The Wibit weekend wristband is a separate fee. Directions and drive times are on our campgrounds near Flint, campgrounds near Lansing and campgrounds near Detroit pages.
Michigan adventure camping: Walnut Hills vs The Oaks vs a state park
Our two Michigan parks are built around different kinds of fun, and state park campgrounds offer a third option. All three are good; they suit different trips.
| Walnut Hills (Durand) | The Oaks (Munith) | State park campground | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Spring-fed lake, beach, 14-piece Wibit, Shiawassee River floats | Spring-fed swim lake, sand beach, Aquaglide water park (2026), fishing lake with dock | Often a lake or beach; no water park |
| Land | Arcade, new playground, dog park, Kangaroo Jumper, sports courts, river nature trail | About 120 acres of trails for hiking, mountain biking and golf carts; Kangaroo Jumper (free); playground, basketball, sand volleyball, ball field | Trails are usually the main draw |
| Events | Every weekend Memorial Day to September; three Halloween weekends | Holiday weekends, fishing contests, DJ Dave, food trucks; one Halloween weekend | Occasional ranger or volunteer programs |
| Sites | 201 RV sites incl. 80 full-hookup 50-amp; 2 cabins; 18 tent sites | Water/electric sites (50 amp on short-term sites, 30 amp on seasonal), the biggest of either park; 20 tent sites | Modern or rustic; fewer on-site extras |
The Oaks is next to Waterloo Recreation Area and borders Haehnle Sanctuary, so it’s the pick for trail and nature trips; see our Michigan campgrounds with hiking trails guide and The Oaks Campground page. For trips built around rivers, lakes and adventure sports, see outdoor adventure campgrounds in Michigan. Public campgrounds are funded and priced differently (user fees, the Recreation Passport and public capital investment) and offer fewer on-site amenities, while a private park pays for its amenity stack, staff and utilities through the site rate.
Where to stay at Walnut Hills
Walnut Hills has 201 RV sites on 42 acres, including 80 full-hookup 50-amp sites and many sites 70 to 80 feet long for RVs up to 45 feet; 18 tent sites (4 with electric, near the bathhouse); and two air-conditioned camping cabins that sleep four (bring linens; no pets). RV sites start around the high $40s a night and vary by date and site, with the weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends around Labor Day, May and October as the best-value windows. See the rates page for live pricing and the amenities page for the full list.
Campground activities FAQ
Are the activities at Walnut Hills free?
Most are included with your stay: the beach, playground, Kangaroo Jumper, dog park, sports courts, crafts, lawn games and pavilion events. The Wibit is free Tuesday through Thursday and a wristband fee on weekends. Cheff’s float trips and golf cart rentals are paid separately.
What ages are the activities for?
Crafts, games and the Kangaroo Jumper suit young kids; the Wibit is for ages 7 and up with a life jacket, and guests under 16 need a parent present; float trips work for all ages, with canoes the usual pick for small children. Adults join in on most of it, including the Wibit and the dance parties.
Do I need to sign up for events?
No. Crafts, games and pavilion events are open to all campers; just show up. The exception is the Wibit, which needs a wristband, waiver and safety video at the store.
Which Michigan campground has the most activities for kids?
Among our parks, Walnut Hills has the deepest activity list. Our kid friendly campgrounds in Michigan guide covers what to look for.
