Looking for camping and picnic in one trip? At Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, Michigan, every one of the 201 RV sites, 18 tent sites and 2 camping cabins comes with its own picnic table and fire pit, and two covered pavilions with water and electric can be rented for group meals. Add a sandy beach beside the camp store, food trucks every weekend from Memorial Day through September, and a riverside walking trail, and you have a campground built for eating outdoors.
Below is what picnic-friendly camping looks like at Walnut Hills: the tables and fire pits at each site, how the pavilions work (and when they’re free), the best spots to spread a blanket, and what to expect at our sister park, The Oaks.
Campgrounds with picnic tables on every site
A picnic table at the site sounds basic, but plenty of campgrounds skip it or only put tables on some loops. At Walnut Hills a table and a fire ring are standard on every RV site, every tent site and both cabins. That means breakfast at the site, lunch out of the cooler and a campfire dinner all happen a few steps from your door, with no gear to haul in.
A few details campers ask about:
- Every site has its own table. It’s part of the site, so there’s one waiting for you the moment you pull in.
- Fire rings, not grills. Cooking happens over the fire ring. Bring a grill grate or a cast-iron pan if you want to cook over the coals, or pack a portable camp stove. Our campgrounds with fire pits guide covers firewood and fire rules.
- Clear the table at night. Food and garbage go inside after dinner, which keeps the raccoons out of camp and your site tidy for breakfast.
- Groups can combine tables. Families booking neighboring sites often pull their tables together into one long dinner table.
Which campgrounds have picnic shelters you can reserve?
Walnut Hills has two pavilions, Pavilion 1 and Pavilion 2, each with water and electric. You can rent one for the day for a reunion lunch, a birthday or a club cookout. Current pavilion terms are on the Walnut Hills rates page; a day rental runs $100, and groups that book 25 or more sites get one pavilion day free.
| Pavilion | Where it sits | What usually happens there |
|---|---|---|
| Pavilion 1 | Near the camp store and beach, at the front of the park | Saturday tie-dye, the 11 a.m. kids’ craft (sun catchers, birdhouses, rock painting), covered picnic lunches near the water |
| Pavilion 2 | The north-end entertainment zone, next to the newer playground, the dog park, the Kangaroo Jumper, the gaga ball pit and the ball field | Evening DJ dance parties, karaoke, trivia, live bands; the natural base for a big group meal with kids running nearby |
Pavilions are covered, so a rain shower doesn’t end the meal. When a pavilion isn’t rented, campers use it as shared shade and a dry place to play cards.
One tradition our team likes: seasonal campers now host pavilion events open to every camper in the park, such as a pop-up karaoke night. When an event is open to everyone, the campground waives the pavilion fee. As one campground employee put it, “we’re all in this together, and everybody that comes to our campgrounds is trying to achieve a pretty similar outcome: relaxation and making memories with their families.”
Where are the best picnic spots at Walnut Hills?
Beyond your own table, these are the places campers spread out a blanket or set up lawn chairs:
- The beach by the store. The sandy beach on the spring-fed swimming lake sits right next to the camp store at the front of the park. Parents set up umbrellas and coolers on the sand or put lawn chairs on the lawn by the dock, where they can watch kids on the Wibit floating water park while lunch comes out of the cooler. The store is steps away for ice, drinks and scooped ice cream.
- The entertainment zone. The lawn around Pavilion 2, the ball field and the playground is where families eat food-truck dinners on Saturdays while a giant kickball game breaks out.
- The riverside trail. A nature trail runs along the Shiawassee River inside the campground, and the sites numbered 27 to 42 sit right on the water. A morning walk with coffee and a muffin is a quiet alternative to the beach crowd.
- The back fence line. Sites along the north and back edge of the park look out over a 30-foot band of old-growth trees to a neighboring farm field where deer graze most mornings. Campers on those sites tell us breakfast at the picnic table is the best part of the day.
Not every site is shaded, which matters for a midday picnic. Sites 1 to 105 and 132 to 193 are mostly wooded; the sites nearest the swim lake (106 to 131) are open and sunny because the sandy soil there doesn’t support big trees. Check the site map when you book if shade is a priority.
Camping and picnic without the cooking: food trucks
From Memorial Day through the end of September there’s a food truck at Walnut Hills every weekend, always on Saturday and often for Friday dinner and Sunday breakfast. The regular is The Filling Station, which also runs the breakfast shift, and the rotation has included Un Poco Loco, Yeller Dogs, Smokin’ J’s BBQ, Triple Threat and a wood-fired pizza truck. Most families grab their order and carry it back to the picnic table or the pavilion lawn. The events calendar lists which truck is coming each weekend.
Themed weekends add their own picnic-style meals: the Father’s Day pig roast with Smokin’ J’s, Christmas in July’s dessert social (bring one to share) and the Labor Day Monday breakfast truck that makes pack-up morning easier.
Picnic areas for large family gatherings
Family reunions are a big part of what Walnut Hills does, and two areas work especially well for a group that wants to eat together:
- The north-end full-hookup block. Sites 186 to 193 back onto sites 171 to 178, near the main bathhouse and directly across from Pavilion 2 and the entertainment zone. Four tent sites sit across the road, so the tent campers in the family stay close.
- The circle by the beach. Sites 118 to 131 form a loop of long, wide water-and-electric sites. Because there are no sewer hookups to avoid, RVs can park sideways at the front of each site, ringing the loop and leaving one big open lawn in the middle. Our team calls it “circling the wagons”: the middle becomes a shared dining and campfire area for the whole group, a short walk from the beach.
Groups book online around the same time to land neighboring sites, or call for a temporary block that holds the sites for three days while each family makes its own reservation. For the full picture of pavilion terms and group blocks, see our group camping guide.
Picnicking at The Oaks Campground
Our sister park, The Oaks Campground in Munith, is the quieter, more wooded option about an hour south. Every short-term RV and tent site there has a picnic table and fire pit too, and The Oaks has its own Pavilion 1 and Pavilion 2 on the same rental terms. The best picnic spot is the lawn on the east side of the swim lake, where families eat sandwiches out of the cooler between turns on the Aquaglide floating water park, using the lounge chairs the campground sets out on the sand beach. The Oaks’ pavilion sits beside the camp store, the Kangaroo Jumper, the basketball court and sand volleyball, so a group lunch there keeps the kids busy.
Frequently asked questions
Do all campsites have picnic tables and fire pits?
Yes. Every RV site, tent site and camping cabin at Walnut Hills has a picnic table and a fire ring, and so does every short-term site at The Oaks.
Can we rent a picnic shelter if we’re not camping?
Pavilion rentals are set up for campers and their groups. Day visitors are welcome at Walnut Hills on weekends and holiday weekends with a day pass bought at the store, and they register there on arrival. Call the park before planning a non-camping event at a pavilion.
Can I bring a charcoal grill?
Campfires belong in the site’s fire ring. A small portable grill or camp stove for cooking is fine; just keep it on the site and never leave it burning unattended.
Are the picnic areas pet-friendly?
Yes, with a leash. At Walnut Hills dogs stay leashed everywhere except inside the fenced quarter-acre dog park, and they can swim in the Shiawassee River by the boat launch (not the swim lake or beach). At The Oaks dogs can be off leash on the back trails and in the dog run and can swim in the fishing lake (not the swim beach); everywhere else they’re leashed. Dogs aren’t allowed in the store or the cabins.
How far is Walnut Hills from Flint and Lansing?
Durand sits between the two, which is why so many of our campers come from Genesee County, Lansing and the north Detroit suburbs. See our pages on campgrounds near Flint and campgrounds near Lansing for directions and drive-time notes.
