Camping season in Michigan runs from May into October. Our Michigan campgrounds, Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand and The Oaks Campground in Munith, open May 1 and close October 20, and most private parks and state park campgrounds keep a similar calendar. Peak season is Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, with the three holiday weekends the hardest dates to get. If you want a specific site on one of those weekends, book months ahead; if you want a deal, aim for the weekends right around the holidays, May before Memorial Day, or October.
Here’s when the season runs, when to book for each holiday weekend, and the reservation habits that get Walnut Hills regulars the sites they want.
When is camping season in Michigan?
Most Michigan campgrounds open between mid-April and early May and close in October, with a few staying open later for fall-color travelers. At Walnut Hills and The Oaks the season is May 1 to October 20 every year. Within that window, the feel changes a lot:
- May: quiet until Memorial Day weekend. Nights are cool, the beach is uncrowded, and rates sit below the base rate on most dates.
- Memorial Day through Labor Day: peak. Themed weekends every week, food trucks every weekend, and most Walnut Hills weekends full.
- September: still busy. Food trucks run through the end of the month and the three Halloween weekends start in mid-September.
- October: quiet, mostly seasonal campers and fall color. Rates drop again before closing on the 20th.
Our guide to the best time to camp in Michigan covers weather month by month.
How far in advance should you book a Michigan campsite?
State parks: Michigan DNR campsites open for reservation six months before your arrival date, at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends, through MIDNRreservations.com or 1-800-447-2757. Popular parks fill their holiday weekends fast once the window opens, so have an account set up, a short list of sites saved and a payment method ready. See our Michigan state park reservations guide for the details.
Private campgrounds set their own windows, and most, like ours, open the whole next season at once. Walnut Hills is already taking 2027 reservations, so there’s no release-day scramble; the limit is simply how early you decide. A rough guide from the Walnut Hills booking desk:
| Dates you want | When to book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day | Winter, as soon as your plans are set | The three holiday weekends sell out first and carry the highest demand premium |
| Halloween weekends (3 at Walnut Hills, late Sept to early Oct) | Spring or early summer | Demand grew so fast that one weekend became three; each still books far ahead |
| Any summer Saturday on a lakefront, riverfront or full-hookup site | 2 to 4 months ahead | The most popular sites, so they go first |
| Weekend after Memorial Day, weekends before and after Labor Day | A few weeks ahead | Historically open, and discounted below the base rate |
| Midweek, May or October | Days ahead, often same week | Lowest demand and lowest prices of the season |
Memorial Day camping in Michigan
Memorial Day weekend is opening weekend for peak season and one of the three busiest weekends of the year. At Walnut Hills the weekend starts Friday with the golf cart decoration kickoff and runs through a kids’ bike parade, a golf cart parade, family trivia and a family movie night sponsored by the seasonal campers, plus the Saturday food truck and a DJ dance party at Pavilion 2. There are no fireworks at any of our parks, on this or any holiday. Book in winter if you want a choice of sites.
The deal: the weekend after Memorial Day. With dynamic pricing, our system applies a premium to the holiday and a discount to the slow weekend that follows it. A campground employee’s advice: “If you want a camping experience where you can enjoy all of the things we offer, the weekend after Memorial Day can be a great option, where you can get a discounted site because of the low demand and still enjoy great weather and all of the activities.” Same Wibit, same food truck, lower rate, more open sites. The whole month of May before the holiday works the same way.
Fourth of July camping
The Fourth is a Thursday-to-Saturday event at Walnut Hills in a typical year: kids’ and adult trivia, bike decorating, the Family Olympics (tug of war, hula hooping, egg race, potato sack), a kids’ bike parade, a golf cart race and the DJ dance party. Because the holiday moves around the week, the “weekend” people want depends on the calendar, and families often take the whole week. If the dates you want are gone, check the midweek nights on either side; the Wibit is free for campers Tuesday through Thursday, so a Wednesday arrival is both cheaper and easier.
Labor Day weekend camping
Labor Day weekend closes out peak season with a DJ dance party and, at Walnut Hills, a breakfast food truck on Monday so you don’t have to cook while you pack up. It books like Memorial Day, so plan it in winter.
The deals: the weekends before and after Labor Day. Both typically price below the base rate, the water is still warm, and the food trucks run through the end of September. If you’re organizing a reunion, these two weekends and the weekend after Memorial Day are the ones to ask about. See our group camping guide.
Campground reservation tips from Walnut Hills
- Book online, any time. Reservations run through the booking system on our site, and your license plate is collected at booking. There’s no office check-in: the gate reads your plate and you drive to your site. Arriving after the store closes? Call ahead to pre-check in and the gate will open for you.
- Come midweek if you can. Our team’s “perfect weekend” starts Wednesday or Thursday and runs through Sunday. Weekday nights are cheaper, the Wibit is free Tuesday through Thursday, and there’s room to spread out.
- Know what you’re choosing. Full-hookup 50-amp sites (Walnut Hills has 80), the lakefront sites and the river-frontage sites 27 to 42 carry a premium and go first. Water-and-electric sites near the beach cost less. The map on our map and rules page shows where everything is.
- Booking as a group? Book together. Have everyone reserve the same day so the system shows your sites next to each other, or call for a temporary block. The block holds your sites for three days while each family calls in, then releases automatically. Groups that book 25 or more sites get one day of free pavilion rental.
- Read the cancellation policy before you commit. At our parks, cancelling more than two weeks out costs $15 or 15%, whichever is greater; inside two weeks there’s no refund or rescheduling. Holiday-weekend plans are worth being sure about. Our cancellation policy guide explains how this compares with state parks.
- Keep checking for cancellations. Sites do come back, especially in the two weeks before a holiday. Check the booking calendar in the morning or call the store and ask.
- Have a second park in mind. If Walnut Hills is full, our sister park The Oaks Campground, about an hour south in Munith, has the biggest sites of either park, water-and-electric hookups (50 amp on short-term sites), a sand beach with the Aquaglide water park and 120 acres of trails, next to Waterloo Recreation Area.
Finding a campsite at the last minute
For a peak-season weekend, the best last-minute options are the weekends around the holidays rather than the holidays themselves, weeknights, and the shoulder months. Call the store directly rather than relying on the calendar alone; staff know what’s about to open up. For state parks, cancellations post back to the reservation system and the less famous parks near the big ones often have space. And if you can wait, October at either of our parks is quiet, discounted and full of fall color, with the Halloween weekends as the exception.
Michigan camping season FAQ
When does camping season start in Michigan?
Most campgrounds open in late April or early May. Walnut Hills and The Oaks open May 1.
When does camping season end in Michigan?
Most parks close in October. Ours close October 20.
What is the busiest camping weekend in Michigan?
Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day are the three peaks. At Walnut Hills, the three Halloween weekends in late September and early October book nearly as far ahead.
Is there a minimum stay on holiday weekends?
Many Michigan campgrounds set minimum stays on holiday weekends. Check the booking system for the dates you want, or call the store.
What is the cheapest time to camp in Michigan?
May before Memorial Day, the weekend after Memorial Day, the weekends before and after Labor Day, October, and weeknights all year. Our campground cost guide explains how dynamic pricing sets the rates.
