If you want horseback riding trails in Michigan with a campground close by, southern Michigan’s best bet is the Waterloo Recreation Area near Chelsea, which has about 20 miles of horse trails and a 25-site rustic equestrian campground. Right next to it is The Oaks Campground in Munith, a family campground with 155 acres, about 120 of them trails that you can ride on your own horse during the day. The Oaks is not an equestrian campground: there are no stables, no horse rentals and no overnight horse facilities yet. It is a comfortable base for a riding trip, with Waterloo’s long trail mileage a short drive away.
Here’s how horseback riding works at The Oaks, what Waterloo and the other Michigan equestrian campgrounds offer, and how to plan a horse-friendly camping weekend.
Can you ride horses on The Oaks’ trails?
Yes, during the day. The Oaks has about 120 acres of trails in several loops, mostly forest with some grassland, and horses are a permitted trail use alongside hikers, mountain bikes and golf carts. The rules are simple:
- Bring your own horse. There are no stables or rentals on site. Riders bring horses in from the many boarding stables around Waterloo and Chelsea, which is one of the biggest equestrian areas in southern Michigan.
- Day riding only, for now. Horses can’t stay overnight at the campground yet. Pens for guests’ horses during their stay (not boarding) are being considered for the future; they aren’t a current feature.
- Trailer parking at the trailhead. There is plenty of room to park a horse trailer by the trailhead.
- Bag your manure. Manure has to be bagged and taken out, on the trails and in the parking area.
- Shared trails. Horses share the loops with golf carts and bikes, so a horse that’s steady around slow carts and cyclists will enjoy the ride most. If yours is still getting used to traffic, Waterloo’s horse-only trails next door are the better first ride.
The trails themselves are the reason to come. One loop runs toward the wetlands that border Haehnle Sanctuary, where sandhill cranes are common. Other loops cover miles of woods where deer are everywhere; there’s no hunting at the campground, and the deer seem to know it. Our team has visited hundreds of campgrounds and hasn’t seen another one with 120 acres of trails, which is why the trails get so much attention here. See The Oaks map and rules for the trail layout.
Horseback riding trails at Waterloo Recreation Area
Waterloo is the largest state park in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula at more than 20,000 acres, and it borders The Oaks. For riders, it has:
- About 20 miles of horseback riding trails, reached from two staging areas, one off Loveland Road and one off Maute Road.
- The Waterloo Rustic Equestrian Campground on Loveland Road near Chelsea: 25 grassy sites in a hardwood forest, each with a fire pit, picnic table and picket posts. Facilities are vault toilets and a solar well pump, with showers available for a small fee at Sugarloaf Lake Campground from May through October. The day-use staging area has a mounting block and a pavilion. Sites are reservable except on certain event weekends.
- A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry.
In practice, most riders who camp at The Oaks keep their horses at a nearby stable and ride Waterloo’s trails, because that’s where the long mileage is. A campground employee put it this way: “It’s more likely that people camp with us and then take their horses on Waterloo, as opposed to bringing them over to the campground. We do allow that, though, if they want to.” Our Waterloo camping guide covers the park’s campgrounds in more detail.
Where are the equestrian campgrounds in Michigan?
If you want to camp with your horse, the Michigan DNR runs equestrian campgrounds in these state parks and recreation areas:
| Equestrian campground | Region |
|---|---|
| Waterloo Recreation Area | Chelsea, between Jackson and Ann Arbor |
| Brighton Recreation Area | Livingston County |
| Pontiac Lake Recreation Area | Oakland County |
| Highland Recreation Area | Oakland County |
| Ortonville Recreation Area | Oakland and Lapeer counties |
| Fort Custer Recreation Area | Augusta, near Battle Creek and Kalamazoo |
| Yankee Springs Recreation Area | Barry County |
| Ionia Recreation Area | Ionia County |
Some of these take reservations and may need a group permit; others are first come, first served. Check the DNR page for each campground before you haul. Up north, the Shore-to-Shore Trail runs about 220 miles across the state from Empire on Lake Michigan to Oscoda on Lake Huron. It’s open to riders and hikers (not bikes), with public campgrounds along the route, and it’s the classic multi-day ride in Michigan.
The Oaks fits a different need. The state equestrian campgrounds are rustic by design. The Oaks has bathhouses with showers and laundry, a camp store, a beach, events and a full RV campground, with Waterloo’s horse trails a short drive away. If one person in the family rides and the rest don’t, that combination works well.
What is equestrian camping?
Equestrian camping means camping where your horse stays with you overnight, usually at a campground with picket posts, corrals or tie stalls, trailer parking and direct access to horse trails. An equestrian campsite is a site built for that: room for a trailer, a place to tie or pen the horse, water nearby and a fire ring and table for the people. Most equestrian campgrounds in Michigan are rustic, with vault toilets rather than showers.
By that definition, The Oaks is not an equestrian campground today. It’s a horse-friendly campground: you can ride the trails during the day, park a trailer at the trailhead and camp in comfort, with your horse boarded nearby. If pens for guests’ horses are added, the campground will say so on its pages.
Planning a horseback riding camping trip in Michigan
- Season. The Oaks is open May 1 to October 20. Spring trails can be soft and wet after rain; late summer and fall give the best footing and, in October, fall color across the whole trail system. Thousands of sandhill cranes gather at Haehnle Sanctuary next door in late October and early November.
- Health papers. Carry your horse’s current paperwork, including a recent negative Coggins test. Stables and organized rides commonly ask for it.
- Trailer and truck. At The Oaks, park the trailer by the trailhead, not at your campsite. Campsites allow one vehicle; extra vehicles go in the lot and are registered at the store.
- Trail manners. Expect golf carts and bikes on the same loops. Golf carts are the only motorized vehicles allowed on The Oaks’ trails; there are no ATVs or side-by-sides. Carts don’t drive after dark.
- Quiet hours. 11 PM to 8 AM at both GatherGrounds parks in Michigan.
What the rest of the family does while you ride
This is where The Oaks earns its place on a riding trip. While one or two people are out on the trails, everyone else has a full campground: a sand beach on the spring-fed swim lake with the Aquaglide floating water park (paid wristbands from the store), a free Kangaroo Jumper by the pavilion, a stocked fishing lake with a dock where kids catch fish almost every time, a playground, basketball and sand volleyball, and a camp store with hand-scooped ice cream. On event weekends there’s a food truck and a band or DJ at the pavilion. Non-riders can also see the same trails by bike or rented golf cart; see our guides to campgrounds with hiking trails and campgrounds with mountain bike trails.
Sites are the biggest in either of our Michigan parks, from 35 by 65 feet up to 55 by 120 feet, with water, a gray-water drain and 30- or 50-amp power (50 amp on short-term sites; no sewer). Tent sites T1 to T12 and 178/179 have electric; T13 to T18 are primitive, with no electric or water. All of them sit under old-growth trees. Rates vary by date and site; see The Oaks rates page and the amenities page.
Horseback riding camping FAQ
Does The Oaks rent horses or offer trail rides?
No. There are no horse rentals, lessons or guided rides at The Oaks. Riders bring their own horses, and the stables around Waterloo and Chelsea are the place to ask about lessons or rides.
Can my horse stay overnight at The Oaks?
Not yet. Horses are welcome on the trails during the day. Pens for guests’ horses during their stay are being considered for the future, so riders could one day keep their own horse with them, bringing their own feed and handling the care.
How far is The Oaks from Waterloo’s horse trails?
The Oaks borders Waterloo Recreation Area. The equestrian staging areas are a short drive, so most riders trailer over in the morning and are back at camp by the afternoon.
Are there horse riding camps in Michigan for kids?
Riding camps and lessons are run by private stables, not by The Oaks. Several operate in the Waterloo and Chelsea area; a family can camp at The Oaks while a child attends one nearby.
Which Michigan campgrounds allow horses?
The DNR equestrian campgrounds listed above allow horses overnight. The Oaks allows horses on its trails during the day. Our Chelsea camping page has directions and nearby options.
