Camp Dearborn is a 626-acre public park and campground in Milford, Michigan (Oakland County), owned and operated by the City of Dearborn since 1948. Its prices are set by site type and season: primitive tent sites cost the least, electric and full-hookup RV sites more, and its cabins run from basic rustic cabins up to resort cabins and a large chalet, with a peak season from mid-June to mid-August. Current Camp Dearborn rates are published on its own booking site, and they change by year, so we don’t repeat the numbers here.
What follows is an honest guide to how Camp Dearborn pricing works, what’s included, what there is to do and when its events happen, plus a fair look at Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, a privately owned park about an hour northwest, for families weighing an alternative. GatherGrounds Resorts runs Walnut Hills and has no connection to Camp Dearborn.
How much does it cost to camp at Camp Dearborn?
Camp Dearborn’s booking site lists a nightly “from” rate for each site category. The categories, from least to most expensive, are:
- Primitive tent sites, in the campground and on a peninsula on Lake Six. No electricity, tents only on the Lake Six sites, and no pets.
- Canvas cabin tents, a step up from a bare tent site (no pets).
- 20-amp electric sites for smaller rigs and tents, some of them pet-friendly.
- 50/30/20-amp sites for larger RVs.
- Full-hookup RV sites with sewer; RVs only.
- Cabins, in five tiers: rustic cabins, mini cottages, the green cabins added in 2025, resort cabins overlooking Paddleboat Lake, and a chalet that sleeps a large group and is the only unit with bedding provided.
Two things move the price: season (peak runs June 14 to August 15, and the park has offered Monday-to-Wednesday discounts in September and October) and hookups (sewer and 50-amp power cost more than a 20-amp post). For the exact nightly figure on your dates, check the Camp Dearborn reservation site or call the park office.
What’s included in Camp Dearborn rates, and what costs extra?
A campsite reservation includes vehicle admission to the park, which day visitors otherwise pay at the gate. Beyond the site rate, budget for an optional locked-site fee (to guarantee a specific site number), paddleboat rentals on Lake Six, laundry, canteen snacks, golf at Mystic Creek (a separate operation), tax and booking fees, and a two-night minimum on Halloween weekends.
Pets are welcome but only on certain site types, each name can hold at most two sites for the same dates, and gas generators aren’t permitted on primitive sites. Our guide to campground fees beyond the site rate lists the usual add-ons to ask about anywhere.
Camp Dearborn day pass and annual pass
Day visitors pay a per-vehicle gate fee (higher on special-event days), and an annual per-vehicle pass is available. Milford and Dearborn residents age 60 and over get in free. The gate fee covers the main beach, trails, mini golf and disc golf; rentals and the golf course are separate.
Seasonal camping at Camp Dearborn
Seasonals sign a 12-month contract with site access nine months of the year on 30-amp electric-only sites, apply online, and get free winter storage; the park also runs a beautification awards program. Seasonal pricing isn’t posted publicly, so contact the park office. For how a private-park seasonal site compares, see what seasonal sites cost in Michigan.
Camp Dearborn activities: what is there to do?
For a municipal park, Camp Dearborn has an unusually deep list of things to do, and most of it is included with your stay. Based on the park’s own amenity pages:
- Water: swimming and fishing lakes with about a half-mile of sandy beach, a main beach with a playground, a separate private beach for registered campers, a swimming pool near the canteen (limited days until June 15), paddleboats on Lake Six and a kayak launch next to the main beach for boats you bring yourself.
- Golf: the 27-hole Mystic Creek Golf Club with a driving range and clubhouse, a free miniature golf course, and a free nine-hole disc golf course in Evergreen Field (bring your own discs).
- Trails: the Apache Trail northwest of the golf course, the Milford Extension Trail that connects to the village’s Milford Trail, and the Butterfly Trail for a short walk.
- Courts and fields: tennis, basketball, sand volleyball and pickleball courts, athletic fields, and a recreation field with scheduled daily activities for campers in summer.
- Indoors and extras: an arcade and canteen by the swimming lake, a general store at the park office, playgrounds, designated dog-walking areas, comfort stations with hot showers, and campground Wi-Fi.
That list is the honest case for Camp Dearborn as a campground with activities: a championship golf course, a pool and a beach on one property. What it doesn’t have is a floating water park or a river to float, which is where Walnut Hills comes in below.
Camp Dearborn events and Halloween weekends
Camp Dearborn launches holiday fireworks over Lake Six, hosts daily programmed activities on its recreation field through the summer, and runs Halloween weekends every weekend in October (four in 2025), with a two-night stay required to take part. Its event calendar changes year to year, so check it before booking around a specific weekend. Walnut Hills takes a different approach to the same season: three haunted-trail weekends in late September and early October, and no fireworks at any time.
Is Camp Dearborn actually in Dearborn? Campgrounds near Dearborn, Michigan
No. Despite the name, Camp Dearborn sits in Milford in Oakland County, roughly 40 miles northwest of the city of Dearborn, which has owned it since 1948. Dearborn itself is a built-up suburb with no campgrounds inside the city limits, so anyone searching for Dearborn, Michigan campgrounds is really choosing between parks 40 to 75 minutes out.
Camp Dearborn is the closest big one. Walnut Hills in Durand is a little over an hour from Dearborn and about an hour from Milford, in range for the same Detroit-area families; see campgrounds near Detroit and campgrounds near Pontiac for the drive.
Camp Dearborn alternatives: how Walnut Hills compares
Camp Dearborn is a large municipal park with a campground inside it; Walnut Hills is a 42-acre private family campground where the campground itself is the destination. The fair side-by-side:
| Camp Dearborn (Milford) | Walnut Hills (Durand) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | City of Dearborn Parks & Recreation | GatherGrounds Resorts (private) |
| Size | 626 acres, campground plus golf course and day-use park | 42 acres, 201 RV sites, 18 tent sites, 2 camping cabins |
| Water | Swimming and fishing lakes, half-mile beach, pool, paddleboats | Spring-fed swimming lake with beach and a 14-piece Wibit floating water park; Shiawassee River with canoe, kayak and tube floats |
| RV hookups | 20-amp, 50/30/20-amp and full-hookup sites | 80 full-hookup 50-amp sites; sites up to 70 to 80 ft long for RVs to 45 ft |
| Cabins | Five tiers, from rustic cabins to a chalet | Two one-room camping cabins with A/C (bring linens; no pets) |
| Golf | 27-hole course, mini golf, disc golf | None |
| Fall events | Halloween weekends every October weekend; holiday fireworks | Three Halloween weekends with a haunted trail, roads closed for trick-or-treating; no fireworks |
| Wi-Fi and laundry | Yes (laundry extra) | No Wi-Fi, no laundry |
| Dogs | Allowed on designated site types; dog-walking areas | Pet-friendly sites, a fenced quarter-acre dog park, river swimming for dogs; not in cabins |
| Season | May 1 to about November 1 | May 1 to October 20 |
Camp Dearborn is the better fit if you want golf on the property, a pool, Wi-Fi, cabins with more room, or a campground that’s a short hop from Oakland County. Walnut Hills is the better fit if the kids will live on the water, you want full-hookup 50-amp service for a big rig, or you’re coming from the Flint, Lansing, Owosso or Saginaw side where Durand is the closer drive.
What a weekend at Walnut Hills looks like
Walnut Hills has what our team calls a natural dual water feature: a spring-fed, clear swimming lake and the Shiawassee River along the edge of the park. The 14-piece Wibit on the lake (Action Tower XXL, two slides, a trampoline, a climbing wall) is free for registered campers Tuesday through Thursday; the weekend wristband fees cover what it costs to keep it on the lake.
That’s why a campground employee recommends a three-night stay: “There’s simply so much to do that you can’t experience it all by coming in on Friday and leaving on Sunday.”
On the river, Cheff’s Canoe Rental, an independent business based at the Walnut Hills launch, runs two- and four-hour canoe and kayak trips, a two-hour tube float and a 30- to 45-minute float inside the park. Food trucks come every weekend from Memorial Day through September, and Saturday nights bring a DJ, karaoke or a band to Pavilion 2, next to the new playground, dog park, Kangaroo Jumper and the ball field where staff roll out a giant kickball. See the Walnut Hills amenities page and events calendar.
What camping costs at Walnut Hills
Walnut Hills uses dynamic pricing: each site has a base rate, and the system adds a premium on high-demand dates (holiday weekends; full-hookup, lakefront and riverfront sites) or a discount on slow ones. As a guide, RV sites start around the high $40s a night and tent sites in the low $40s, with the two camping cabins priced higher on weekends than weeknights.
Rates cover two adults and two children; extra people are $13 per adult and $9 per child (ages 3 to 17) per night, and bringing your own electric golf cart is $25 a night with proof of insurance. The best-value windows are May before Memorial Day, the weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends around Labor Day, and October. Exact rates for your dates are on the Walnut Hills rates page.
Why does a private park cost more per night than a public one? A city or state park is funded and priced differently (gate and camping fees, the Recreation Passport and public capital investment) and offers fewer on-site extras, while a private campground pays for its water park, events, renovated bathhouse, staff and utilities through the site rate.
Families tell us they choose it for the things to do on site, quiet hours that mean the kids actually sleep, and a well-kept, respectful, family atmosphere; our private vs public campground guide goes deeper.
Camp Dearborn FAQ
Who owns Camp Dearborn?
The City of Dearborn. Its Department of Parks & Recreation operates the park, even though it’s located in Milford, about 40 miles from the city.
When is Camp Dearborn open?
The 2026 season is listed as May 1 to November 1; amenities may be limited before Memorial Day and after Labor Day, and the pool, mini golf and arcade run on limited days until June 15.
Does Camp Dearborn allow dogs?
Yes, on designated site types. Pets aren’t allowed on the primitive sites, the Lake Six tent sites or the canvas cabin tents, so check the pet designation when you book.
What do Camp Dearborn reviews say?
Verified guests on its booking platform rate it about 4.4 out of 5. As with any Michigan campground, weather is part of the experience, so read the cancellation policy before booking. If a floating water park, river floats and a full-hookup 50-amp site about an hour away sound better, price out the alternative on the Walnut Hills page.
