For a family cabin rental in Michigan that puts you inside a campground instead of off on your own, Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand has two camping cabins that sleep four, with air conditioning, a fridge, a microwave and a coffee maker, and a spring-fed swimming lake, floating water park and river floats a short walk away. They are camping cabins, not vacation homes: one room, no bathroom or kitchen, and you bring your own bedding. For families who want the campground weekend without owning a tent or an RV, that trade is the point.
Here is what the cabins are actually like, who they suit, what a cabin weekend at the campground looks like, what they cost, and the alternatives if your family needs more room or a bathroom of its own.
What the family cabins at Walnut Hills are like
| Feature | Walnut Hills camping cabins (sites 43 and 46) |
|---|---|
| Sleeps | 4: one double bed and a twin-over-twin bunk bed |
| Inside | Lights, air conditioning, table, fridge, microwave, coffee maker; tongue-and-groove wood interior |
| Outside | Small front porch, fire ring and picnic table; red-painted wood exterior |
| Bathroom | None in the cabin. Cabin 46 is a short walk to the main bathhouse, with privies even closer; cabin 43 is a longer but easy walk |
| Bedding | Bring your own sheets, blankets and pillows |
| Pets | Not allowed in the cabins |
| Extra people | A small pup tent beside the cabin is allowed for larger families; see the rates page for fees |
The main bathhouse was fully renovated after GatherGrounds took over the park in 2022, with new showers, quality sink bays and private toilet stalls. One of our team members puts it this way: “We wanted it nicer than most people’s bathrooms at home,” which matters when the bathroom is a short walk from your cabin. Photos of the cabins are in the reservation system: click Book Now on the Walnut Hills page, then click a cabin on the map for a scrollable gallery.
Camping cabins vs. full cabin rentals: which does your family need?
A lot of “family cabin” searches picture a lake house with a kitchen and two bathrooms. That is a different product from a campground cabin, and it is worth being clear about which one you want:
- A camping cabin gives you a hard roof, real beds, A/C and a fridge, with the bathhouse nearby and your meals cooked over the fire ring, on a camp stove or at the weekend food trucks. It costs a fraction of a rental house and sits in the middle of the campground’s amenities and events.
- A full cabin rental gives you a kitchen and a private bath, usually at a higher nightly rate, often with a minimum stay, and without a campground’s beach, events and neighbors right outside the door.
If you need the kitchen and bathroom but still want the campground, there is a middle option many of our guests use: rent a delivered RV. Local RV rental services such as Rolling Adventures RV bring a camper to the site you book, set it up before you arrive, and pick it up when you leave. Our office staff know the local companies and let them in that morning. It works well for grandparents and for relatives who aren’t campers but want to join a family reunion. For cabin options across the state, see our guide to Michigan campgrounds with cabins.
Campground cabin rentals in Michigan: why the campground matters more than the cabin
With a camping cabin, the cabin is where you sleep; the campground is the vacation. At Walnut Hills that means:
- The swimming lake and the Wibit. A spring-fed lake with a sand beach and a 14-piece floating water park that is free for campers Tuesday through Thursday. Riders must be 7 or older and wear the park’s life jackets, with a monitor on duty.
- The Shiawassee River. A 30-to-45-minute in-park float, or canoe, kayak and tube trips through Cheff’s Canoe Rental from the launch next to the store. See our river tubing guide.
- Weekend events. Kids’ crafts and tie-dye at Pavilion 1 on Saturdays, lawn games by the ball field, and a DJ, karaoke or live band at Pavilion 2 in the evening. Food trucks come every weekend from Memorial Day through September. The events calendar on the Walnut Hills page has the lineup.
- Kid energy burners. The Kangaroo Jumper bounce pillow, a playground, gaga ball pit, basketball court, arcade room and scooped ice cream in the store.
- Three Halloween weekends in late September and early October, with trick-or-treating on closed roads, a haunted trail and a site-decorating contest. They book far ahead.
Our team says the typical cabin family doesn’t own an RV yet and wants to find out whether the kids like camping before buying one. Most of them have their answer by Saturday afternoon.
Family cabin camping: what a weekend looks like
Arrive Thursday if you can. Check-in is 2 p.m., there is no office stop (the gate reads your license plate), and Thursday is a free Wibit day. Drop your bedding and cooler in the cabin, pick up wristbands and a rented golf cart at the store, and spend the afternoon rotating between the water park, the beach and the arcade. Friday, float the river: the in-park float for younger kids, or a two-hour tube trip with Cheff’s for older ones. Saturday, let the campground run the schedule: the 11 a.m. craft at Pavilion 1, lunch from the food truck, the lake, kickball by the ball field, dinner from the food truck, then the dance party at Pavilion 2. Sunday, there is often a breakfast truck so you can pack up without cooking. Check-out is 11 a.m.
Cabins for family reunions and grandparents
Generations of families come back to Walnut Hills for reunions, and the two cabins usually go to the grandparents or to the relatives without camping gear while everyone else books RV or tent sites nearby. Groups that book 25 or more sites get one day of free pavilion rental, and the office can hold a temporary block of sites for three days while each family calls in to reserve. Mixed-budget groups often take a few beach-front sites plus the cheaper circle of sites across the road. Our group camping guide explains how group blocks and the pavilion perk work.
How much do the cabins cost, and how do you book?
Cabin rates are dynamic, like the rest of the park: weeknights cost less than weekends, and holiday weekends cost the most. Expect weeknight rates well below a hotel room and weekend rates roughly on par with a budget hotel, with the campground included. The rate covers two adults and two children; extra adults are $13 a night and children ages 3 to 17 are $9. A $75 cleaning deposit is collected at check-in and refunded at departure if the cabin is left clean. Current pricing is on the Walnut Hills rates page, and our campground cabin prices guide explains what moves the number.
With only two cabins, they sell out first on holiday weekends and the Halloween weekends. Midweek and the shoulder weekends (the weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends around Labor Day, and May and October) are easier to get and cheaper. Book online through the reservation system or call the store.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Walnut Hills cabins pet-friendly?
No. Dogs are welcome at RV and tent sites, leashed except inside the fenced quarter-acre dog park, and they can swim in the river (not the swim lake or beach). They aren’t allowed in the cabins or the store. See our guide to pet-friendly cabins in Michigan for options.
Do the cabins have a bathroom or kitchen?
No. They have a fridge, microwave and coffee maker, and a fire ring and picnic table outside. The renovated bathhouse is a short walk away.
Are there cabins at The Oaks Campground?
Not yet. Our Munith park has RV and tent sites only. Cabins there are a future idea, not a 2027 plan.
Is it glamping?
Not in the canvas-tent sense. These are camping cabins, though the comfort is glamping-style: air conditioning, real beds, a fridge and a renovated bathhouse a short walk away. For canvas tents, kitchen cabins and the like, see our Michigan glamping guide.
What should we bring?
Sheets or sleeping bags, pillows, towels, a cooler, a camp stove or grill supplies, and flashlights for the walk to the bathhouse. The store carries firewood, ice and most forgotten essentials.
