Elk Hill Group Equestrian 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 Group Equestrian Campground' in Otsego County. Type: equestrian - group. Nightly fee: *. Campsites: G. 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: not reservable -- first-come, first-served. The '*' in the DNR's fee column means group rates apply at this site. 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 group 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 group campground has a maximum capacity for 100 individuals and can accommodate up to 5 different equestrian groups at one time. This campground is intended for those group camping with horses. The group rate is $6 per person with a minimum of 10 people. Amenities include vault toilets, firepits, a water pump that requires a 5000 watt generator, picket posts and manure bunkers. There is also a large group fire circle and picnic shelter available. The campground is located 14 miles east of Vanderbilt via East Sturgeon Valley Road, Witness Tree Road and Twin Lakes Road. Options for those camping with horses are limited in the Pigeon River Country State Forest so equestrians heavily rely on this campground for use. If you are not camping with horses, please consider staying in another state forest campground. Shore-to-Shore Trail The state forest campground is a stop a 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.

The public land listing's own fields for this site (site type, whether tents or trailers fit, capacity, toilet, water, campfires, reservations). Printed as the record states them, unchecked by us, and never used to make a cost claim -- the cost verdict above is decided separately and audited before every deploy.

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.