Elk Hill Equestrian River Trail Campground

public land records

Agency-confirmed — The managing agency's own record names this as a campsite and puts it at these coordinates. About as good as it gets short of standing here.

MICHIGAN STATE FOREST CAMPGROUND. Michigan DNR, https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds read 2026-08-17: 'If you're looking for a more rustic camping experience, check out our 140-plus state forest campgrounds located throughout Michigan's Upper and northern Lower Peninsulas. Each campground is located on a river or lake... Most state forest campgrounds are first-come, first-served. A select few can be reserved ahead of time at MiDNRReservations.com. Please note, vehicle entry into all state parks, recreation areas and state forest campgrounds require a Recreation Passport.' The same page lists what every one of these campgrounds has -- vault toilets, a hand-pump well, parking for two vehicles per site, a picnic table and a fire pit -- and what none of them has: 'Electric hookups: There are no electrical units in campsites or common electrical sources' and no wi-fi. THIS CAMPGROUND, per the DNR amenity table https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds/amenity-table read 2026-08-17: listed as 'Elk Hill Equestrian River Trail Campground' in Otsego County. Type: equestrian - individual. Nightly fee: $20. Campsites: 11. Managed by: Otsego Lake SP (989-732-5485). Seasonal closure: the table records 'open all year' -- but read that as the DNR not closing the gate, not as a promise the access road is plowed. Reservations: this is one of the few that IS reservable at MiDNRReservations.com. DNR DESCRIPTION (from the agency's own recreation-search record): This peaceful rustic campground is located in the Pigeon River Country State Forest and is intended for those camping with horses. Located in Otsego County, 14 miles east of Vanderbilt. This campground is managed by Otsego Lake State Park . DNR LONGER DESCRIPTION: This peaceful, wooded equestrian campground is located along a bluff overlooking the majestic Pigeon River. It is shaded by hardwoods within the Pigeon River Country State Forest. There are 11 sites, six of which will accommodate a 40-ft vehicle. Sites 4 and 11 are "buddy" sites, allowing two camping units on one of the sites, when both are rented. Only one camping unit is allowed on all other sites. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table and picket posts. Campground amenities include vault toilets, water from a hand-pump well, an accessible mounting block and manure bunkers. The campground is located 14 miles east of Vanderbilt via East Sturgeon Valley Road, Witness Tree Road and Twin Lakes Road. All 11 sites can be reserved through the Central Reservation System (on-line or by phone). Reservations must be made at least 72 hours in advance. Elk Hill Equestrian River Campground is inten NEAREST TOWN: Vanderbilt, about 14.0 miles, per the DNR description quoted above. STAY LIMIT AND HOUSE RULES, Michigan DNR FAQ 'Camping in a state forest', https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/faqs/state-parks-and-camping/camping-in-a-state-forest read 2026-08-17: 'There is one camping unit and six people allowed per site. A responsible adult (18 years or older) must register and sleep at the campsite each night. Campsites are for overnight stays. If a campsite is left empty for more than 24 hours, it's considered abandoned. To give everyone a chance to enjoy state forest campgrounds during peak season (May 15-Sept. 15), the maximum stay is 15 nights. Once you hit that limit, you'll need to take a 5-night break before returning to the same park.' Check-in is 3 p.m., checkout 1 p.m. 'Camping fees and registration procedures are posted at the information kiosk at each campground.' Quiet hours 10 p.m.-8 a.m., and fuel-powered generators are not allowed during them. 'Paying and holding' a site before you arrive is prohibited. COORDINATE PROVENANCE: Michigan DNR's own ArcGIS feature service https://services3.arcgis.com/Jdnp1TjADvSDxMAX/ArcGIS/rest/services/State_Forest_Campground_Recreation_Search_Points/FeatureServer/0 (layer RecSearchPts_Join_SFCG, 143 points), pulled 2026-08-17. This is an agency coordinate, not OpenStreetMap and not a field visit. Attributes (fee, season, manager, campsite count) come from the DNR amenity table https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/things-to-do/camping-and-lodging/state-forest-campgrounds/amenity-table read the same day. The two datasets were joined on county + name + campsite count; see the header of _mi_f920_insert.py for the method and its failure modes. NOT CHECKED: I did not verify any site-specific fire restriction or burn ban for this campground. Michigan issues burn permits and restrictions seasonally through a separate DNR system (Michigan.gov 'Permission to burn'); check it before publishing any fire-related claim about this site. | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.

US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.

On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.