Horse Camping

There are three horse trails on the Huron-Manistee National Forests, with a total of almost 200 miles of trail.  

The Shore-to-Shore trail runs from Empire near Lake Michigan and ends at Lake Huron.  Off the 220 miles of trail, only the 112 miles from I-75 to Lake Huron are located on the National Forests.  The trail follows the Au Sable River for about 50 miles and has four campgrounds located at 25 mile intervals within the National Forests.  Water is available at all of the campgrounds, however at the group sites you will need to bring a 5,000 watt generator.   

Hungerford Recreation Area, located west of Big Rapids consists of a series of loops that provide over 45 miles of horseback riding, hiking and mountain bike trails.  The horse and mountain bike trails are two seperate and distinctive trails.  The area is 6,500 acres and has two campgrounds.  The trail goes through an area heavily forested with oak, maple, aspen and red and white pine as well as crossing through fields and meadows.  At times rider will cross roads, and the topography will range from hilly to very hilly.  The trailhead for the horse trail is located near the group site in the Hungerford Campground.  The mountain bike trailhead is located near the parking lot in the campground.  Water is available at all of the campgrounds, however at the group sites you will need to bring a 5,000 watt generator. 

Marzinksi Trail starts in the campground and is comprised of loops of varying lengths to create a short 16 mile ride through mostly flat terrain in a mixed hardwood/pine forest.  The campground has large campsites, good for horse trailers and larger RV's.  There are no fees for the trailhead or campsites. 

The Least You Need to Know About Camping

• You do not need a permit to camp on the National Forests or in designated campgrounds
• If your campfire will be on National Forest System lands you will not need a wood permit to cut firewood. 
• No RV hook-ups are available for water, sewage or electric at any campground.
• All horse campgrounds have potable water.

Winter Camping is available at: 

• McKinley and River Road Campgrounds on the Shore to Shore Trail

Fee Sites:

* - Reservation needed or recommended. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov. 

Huron Campgrounds

These campgrounds are on the east side of the state/east side of US-127

• Shore to Shore Trail
  • South Branch*
  • River Road*

Manistee Campgrounds

These campgrounds are on the west side of the state/west side of US-127

• Hungerford*