Michigan campground cabin prices run from about $60 to $80 a night for a state park mini-cabin, around $100 for a rustic cabin, $120 for a camper cabin and $160 for a deluxe camper cabin with its own bathroom, based on the DNR’s posted rates in fall 2026. Private campground camping cabins land in a similar range, usually starting around $70 on a weeknight and around $120 on a weekend night for a one-room cabin that sleeps four with beds, air conditioning and a fridge. At Walnut Hills Family Campground in Durand, our two camping cabins start around $70 on weeknights and around $120 on weekends, and the rate includes the beach, the floating water park on weekdays and the weekend events.
Below is a breakdown by cabin type, what moves the price, exactly what you get in a Walnut Hills cabin, and how to pay less.
What does a campground cabin cost in Michigan?
| Cabin type | Typical nightly rate | What you usually get |
|---|---|---|
| State park mini-cabin | $60 to $80 | One room, bunks, electricity; no plumbing; shared campground restrooms |
| State park rustic cabin | About $100 | Often more remote, with beds, a table and a wood or propane heater; no modern restrooms |
| State park camper cabin | About $120 | Larger, with a fridge and microwave; no bathroom |
| State park deluxe camper cabin | About $160 | Bathroom inside |
| State park modern lodge | About $200 and up | A full house or lodge for a large group |
| Private campground camping cabin (Walnut Hills) | From around $70 weeknights, around $120 weekends | Beds for 4, A/C, fridge, microwave, coffee maker, porch, fire ring; shared bathhouse; campground amenities included |
State park lodging also needs a Recreation Passport on your vehicle and a reservation fee, and most state park cabins have minimum stays on summer weekends. Our guide to Michigan state park campground rates covers the campsite side.
Why do cabin prices differ so much?
- Plumbing. The biggest jump is a bathroom inside. A camping cabin or mini-cabin shares the campground bathhouse; a deluxe cabin or lodge has its own, and it roughly doubles the price.
- Weeknight vs. weekend. Private campgrounds price weekends higher because that’s when demand is. At Walnut Hills a weekend night is about $50 more than a weeknight.
- Holidays and themed weekends. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and our three Halloween weekends book far ahead and sit at the top of the range.
- What’s around the cabin. A cabin at a park with a swim lake, a water park, food trucks and a DJ on Saturday night costs more than a cabin at a quiet rustic park, because a private campground pays for those amenities and its staff through the rates. Public parks are funded and priced differently (camping fees, the Recreation Passport and public capital investment) and offer fewer on-site extras.
- Season. Our Michigan parks run May 1 to October 20. May before Memorial Day and October are the lowest-priced months, and the weekends right after Memorial Day and on either side of Labor Day usually price below the base rate.
Walnut Hills camping cabins: what you get for the price
Walnut Hills has two camping cabins, on sites 43 and 46. A campground employee describes them as “what’s commonly referred to in the area as a camping cabin,” meaning one room and no plumbing. Inside each one:
- A double bed and a twin-over-twin bunk bed, so the cabin sleeps four (parents in the double, kids in the bunks).
- Lights and air conditioning.
- A table, a fridge, a microwave and a coffee maker.
- Tongue-and-groove wood walls inside and red painted wood outside, with a small front porch.
Outside there’s a fire ring and a picnic table. Cabin 46 is a short walk from the main bathhouse, which was fully renovated with new showers, quality sink bays and private toilet stalls, and there’s a set of privies even closer. Cabin 43 is a slightly longer but easy walk. You bring your own sheets, blankets and pillows, and you tidy the cabin before you leave; a $75 cleaning deposit is collected at check-in and refunded at departure. Pets are not allowed in the cabins.
The rate covers two adults and two children. Extra adults are $13 a night and children 3 to 17 are $9, and a larger family can pitch a small pup tent beside the cabin for the posted extra-tent fee. To see photos, click Book Now on our site, then click the cabin on the site map; a window opens with a scrollable set of pictures. Current rates are on the Walnut Hills rates page.
What’s included with a Walnut Hills cabin stay
The cabin rate is a site rate, so everything campers get, cabin guests get:
- The spring-fed swimming lake and sand beach, and the 14-piece Wibit floating water park, which is free for registered campers Tuesday through Thursday (wristbands on weekends).
- The Kangaroo Jumper, new playground, arcade, dog park, gaga ball pit, basketball court and ball field.
- Food trucks every weekend from Memorial Day through September, and the weekend events at the pavilions: tie-dye and crafts, kickball, DJ dance parties, karaoke and live bands. See the events calendar.
- Canoe, kayak and tube floats on the Shiawassee River through Cheff’s Canoe Rental, an independent outfitter based at our launch (rentals are extra).
- Golf cart rentals from the store, priced per day with discounts for longer rentals.
Our team says the cabins get the most use from grandparents who don’t own an RV and from relatives joining a family reunion who aren’t campers. Two cabins have been enough most of the season; “we don’t have to turn many people away aside from on holiday weekends.” Families who want a kitchen and a bathroom often rent a delivered RV instead: a local delivery service such as Rolling Adventures RV sets a camper up on the site you book before you arrive, and our office lets them in that morning. The amenities page has the full list.
Cheap cabins in Michigan: how to pay less
- Book weeknights. A Sunday-to-Thursday cabin stay at Walnut Hills costs around $50 a night less than a weekend, and the Wibit is free those days.
- Use the shoulder season. May before Memorial Day and October are the cheapest months, and October brings the three Halloween weekends (which sit at the top of the range, so book around them if price is the goal).
- Pick a state park mini-cabin if you only need a roof and bunks. At $60 to $80 it’s the lowest-priced cabin in Michigan, with fewer amenities on site.
- Bring your own bedding and cook outside. Camping cabins don’t include linens, and the fire ring plus the weekend food trucks mean you can skip restaurant meals.
- Split a site rate. The cabin rate already covers two adults and two kids; extra guests add $13 or $9 a night rather than a second cabin.
Comparing a cabin with a motel for the same weekend? Our cabin vs. hotel cost guide runs the numbers.
Mid-Michigan cabins: where Walnut Hills is
Walnut Hills sits on 42 acres of rolling hills and old-growth trees on the Shiawassee River in Durand, a train town a few minutes off I-69 between Flint and Lansing. Most of our cabin guests come from Flint and Genesee County, Lansing, Owosso, Saginaw and Bay City, and from the northern Detroit suburbs, so a mid-Michigan cabin here is a one-hour drive rather than a six-hour haul to the north woods. The campground is the destination: a campground employee put it simply, “people come for what is at Walnut Hills.”
Log cabin resorts vs. campground camping cabins
Searching for a log cabin resort and campground in Michigan turns up three different things, and the price tells you which one you’ve found. Full-service log cabins with kitchens and bathrooms are vacation rentals that happen to sit at a campground, and they’re priced like a house. State park rustic cabins are often log or timber, remote and heated with wood or propane, around $100 a night. Camping cabins like ours are small wood cabins meant for sleeping and cooling off, priced close to a campsite. Walnut Hills’ cabins are the third kind, so you know exactly what to expect before you book.
Which Michigan campgrounds have rental cabins?
Within GatherGrounds, only Walnut Hills has cabins. The Oaks Campground near Waterloo Recreation Area doesn’t have any today; cabins there are a future idea once the current infrastructure work is finished, not a next-season promise. Many Michigan state parks offer mini-cabins or camper cabins, and the DNR’s rate table lists each park’s lodging. For a wider look at Michigan campgrounds with cabins and family cabin rentals, see those guides.
Michigan campground cabin FAQ
Are pets allowed in the Walnut Hills cabins?
No. Dogs are welcome on leash at RV and tent sites, off leash in the fenced dog park, and in the Shiawassee River for a swim, but not in the cabins or the store.
Do I need to bring bedding?
Yes. Bring sheets, blankets and pillows for a double bed and two twin bunks, plus towels for the bathhouse.
Is there a bathroom in the cabin?
No. Both cabins use the renovated main bathhouse, and cabin 46 also has privies a short walk away.
How far ahead should I book a cabin?
With only two cabins, holiday weekends and the three Halloween weekends (the last two weekends of September and the first in October) fill months out. Weeknights and May or October dates are usually open closer in.
Is there a deposit?
A $75 cleaning deposit is taken at check-in and refunded when you leave the cabin clean.
