Michigan Campgrounds with Cabins: Walnut Hills’ Camping Cabins

Michigan campgrounds with cabins come in two main flavors: rustic or camper cabins in the state parks, and camping cabins at private campgrounds that put a roof, beds and air conditioning next to a lake, a water park and a weekend events calendar. Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, in mid-Michigan, is the second kind. It has two camping cabins (sites 43 and 46) that sleep four, with A/C, a fridge, a microwave and a coffee maker, on a spring-fed swimming lake with a floating water park and the Shiawassee River next door.

This guide explains what the different cabin types actually include, what the Walnut Hills cabins are like inside and out, what a cabin night costs, and when to book. Still deciding between a cabin and a tent? See our cabin vs tent camping guide.

What types of cabins do Michigan campgrounds offer?

“Cabin” covers a lot of ground, and knowing which type you’re booking makes arrival day a lot smoother. Here is how the names are usually used in Michigan.

Michigan’s state parks follow the same pattern at the public end: rustic cabins with no electricity or running water, camper cabins and mini cabins with electricity and bunks (the mini cabins add a microwave and small fridge), and lodges with full kitchens and private baths. You bring your own bedding, dishes and cookware, and lodging can be reserved six months ahead.

Walnut Hills has camping cabins only: no kitchen cabins, glamping units or log cabins, and no cabins at our sister park, The Oaks Campground in Munith. A real bed and air conditioning at a campground with a water park, river floats and events every weekend is the slot these two cabins fill. For glamping in Michigan, see our glamping guide.

The camping cabins at Walnut Hills Family Campground

A campground employee describes them this way: “The cabins at Walnut Hills are what are commonly referred to in the area as a camping cabin. That means a one-room cabin that does not have plumbing.” Here is what’s inside and outside.

• Sleeping: one double bed, usually for the parents, and a twin-over-twin bunk bed. Each cabin sleeps four.
• Comfort: lights, air conditioning, a table and chairs.
• Food: a refrigerator, a microwave and a coffee maker. There’s no sink or stove, so meals happen over the fire, at the weekend food trucks or at the camp store.
• Outside: a small covered front porch, a fire ring with a grill, and a picnic table.
• Look and feel: red-painted wood outside, tongue-and-groove wood inside.
• Bedding: not provided. Bring your own sheets, blankets or sleeping bags and pillows.
• Pets: not allowed in the cabins. Dogs are welcome at RV and tent sites, and the park has a fenced dog park.
• Extra family: larger families can pitch a small pup tent beside the cabin for the overflow. The extra-tent and extra-person fees are listed on the rates page.

Both cabins are an easy walk to the renovated main bathhouse, with its new showers, private toilet stalls and quality sink bays. Cabin 46 is the closer of the two, with a set of privies closer still. Cabin 43 is a slightly longer but comfortable walk.

To see photos, click Book Now on our website, then click either cabin on the interactive map. A pop-up shows a scrollable set of interior and exterior pictures.

How much does a camping cabin cost in Michigan?

Camping cabins generally sit between a tent site and a hotel room. At Walnut Hills, cabin rates start around $70 on weeknights and around $120 on weekend nights, and they move with the date, so check the Walnut Hills rates page for your dates. The rate covers two adults and two children; extra adults are $13 a night and children 3 to 17 are $9. A $75 cleaning deposit is collected at check-in and refunded at departure if you leave the cabin clean. Holiday weekends cost more, and May, October and the weekends just after Memorial Day and around Labor Day cost less. Our campground cabin prices guide goes deeper on what drives cabin rates around the state.

Cabin camping on a lake and a river in mid-Michigan

People searching for mid-Michigan cabins or cabins near a lake want a place to sleep with water to play in. Walnut Hills has two natural water features, which is rare for a campground in the Lower Peninsula.

• The spring-fed swimming lake. The water is naturally clear and stays cool on hot days; swim across it and you’ll feel cold pockets where the spring pushes up. The sandy beach sits at the front of the park next to the store.
• The Wibit floating water park. Fourteen pieces, including an action tower, two slides, a trampoline and a rock-climbing wall, anchored on the lake. It’s open Tuesday through Sunday and free for registered campers Tuesday through Thursday, with a wristband fee Friday through Sunday. Ages 7 and up, campground-provided life jackets required, guests under 16 with a parent present, and a Wibit monitor on duty (not a lifeguard). Campers on the row of sites nearest the lake have been known to hold up 1-to-10 scorecards for belly flops.
• The Shiawassee River. Cheff’s Canoe Rental, an independent business that operates from the campground’s launch, runs canoe, kayak and tube floats of roughly two or four hours. You can also bring your own tube or kayak and float the shorter in-park stretch. Dogs can swim in the river at the boat launch (they stay leashed around the park, with off-leash time in the fenced dog park). Details in our river tubing guide.
• Fishing. Guests fish the river and the north end of the swimming lake (away from the beach and the Wibit); the campground lake and ponds are catch-and-release, and the store sells bait and tackle. If you want a fishing cabin in Michigan, this is a camping cabin with fishing a short walk away rather than a cabin on a remote trout stream.

What else is there to do at a cabin campground?

Our team’s view is that the campground itself is the destination. The two cabins sit inside the same 42 acres as 201 RV sites and 18 tent sites, so cabin guests use everything the RV families do:

• Food trucks every weekend from Memorial Day through September: always Saturday, often Friday dinner and Sunday breakfast.
• Saturday-night events at Pavilion 2 (DJ dance parties, karaoke, live bands, trivia), next to the new playground, the Kangaroo Jumper bounce pillow, the gaga ball pit and a ball field where staff bring out a giant kickball.
• Kids’ crafts and tie-dye at Pavilion 1 most Saturdays, and themed weekends from Christmas in July to three Halloween weekends with a haunted trail.
• An arcade room and hand-scooped ice cream at the camp store, which also sells firewood (outside firewood isn’t allowed in Michigan) and forgotten essentials.
• Golf cart rentals, a nature trail along the river, and dark skies: the park is rural enough that stars are easy to see from your porch, and the campground keeps a fleet of telescopes for its stargazing event.

The full list is on the amenities page, and each season’s calendar is on the events page.

Who are camping cabins best for?

Three groups book the Walnut Hills cabins most.

• Grandparents and relatives at family reunions. As one employee put it, “Having our two camping cabins is certainly a benefit to grandparents who do not have their own RVs, or other family members who are not typically campers but want to join in on the family reunion.” The RV crowd books a block of sites and the non-campers take a cabin a short walk away. Our group camping guide covers how group blocks and the pavilion terms work (one free pavilion day with 25 or more sites).
• First-time campers. A cabin removes the tent learning curve. You still cook over a fire and walk to the bathhouse, but you sleep in a bed with the A/C running.
• Families who want a cabin weekend close to home. Durand is about 20 miles from Flint, about 40 from Lansing and roughly 80 from Detroit, so a Friday-after-work arrival is realistic.

If you need a kitchen and a private bathroom, the popular alternative is a delivered rental RV. You book the site with us, a local service such as Rolling Adventures RV parks and sets up the camper on it before you arrive, and our staff lets them in that morning.

When should you book a Michigan camping cabin?

Early, if your dates are fixed. With only two cabins, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and the three Halloween weekends in late September and early October go first. Our team says two cabins are otherwise enough, which is why more have not been added: “we do not have to turn many people away aside from on holiday weekends.” Outside the holidays, a few timing tips help:

• Come midweek. Weeknight cabin rates are lower and the Wibit is free Tuesday through Thursday. Staff recommend arriving Wednesday or Thursday and staying through Sunday to fit in a float, a beach day and the Saturday events.
• Use the shoulder weekends. The weekend after Memorial Day and the weekends around Labor Day have the same weather and activities at a lower rate.
• Try October. The season runs May 1 to October 20. October is quiet, and the Halloween weekends are the busiest events of the year.

If plans change more than two weeks out, the cancellation fee is $15 or 15 percent, whichever is greater; inside two weeks, bookings are non-refundable and can’t be rescheduled, so it pays to settle dates early. Full details are on the map and rules page.

Campgrounds with cabins in Michigan beyond Walnut Hills

If Durand isn’t on your route, Michigan has plenty of cabin options. The state park system offers rustic cabins, camper cabins, mini cabins, lodges and yurts across both peninsulas; its camper and mini cabins sleep up to six and are the closest public equivalent to a private campground’s camping cabin. Many private parks up north and along the lakeshores rent deluxe cabins with bathrooms and kitchens at a higher nightly rate. What a private campground like Walnut Hills adds is everything around the cabin: the water park, the river floats, the weekend schedule and a renovated bathhouse our team is genuinely proud of.

Michigan camping cabin FAQ

Do the Walnut Hills cabins have a bathroom?

No. They are camping cabins with no plumbing. The renovated main bathhouse with showers is a short walk from both, and there are privies even closer to cabin 46.

Are pets allowed in the cabins?

No. Dogs are welcome at RV and tent sites, in the dog park and in the river, but not in the cabins, the store, the beach or the swimming lake. Our pet-friendly cabins guide explains the options.

Can more than four people stay in a cabin?

The cabins sleep four. Larger families can add a small pup tent beside the cabin; extra-tent and extra-person fees are listed on the rates page.

Is Walnut Hills the only GatherGrounds park with cabins?

Yes. The Oaks Campground in Munith offers RV and tent sites only. For a cabin, book Walnut Hills.