RV Parks In Clarkston, Michigan

For state-park camping, McGinnis Lake Campground inside Holly Recreation Area and Pontiac Lake Recreation Area are the two clear leaders, both sit within a 20-minute drive of downtown Clarkston, both have modern loops that handle rigs to 40 feet, and both offer 30 or 50-amp electric hookups with on-site dump stations. If you need full hookups (water, electric, and sewer at the site) you have to step outside Oakland County: Haas Lake Park RV Campground in New Hudson is the closest realistic option about 35 minutes south. Groveland Oaks County Park near Holly is the better pick for families with kids.

Most public campgrounds in this corner of Michigan are electric-only with a central dump station rather than full hookups at the site. McGinnis Lake at Holly has 30 and 50-amp electric on the newer Maple, Hickory, Oak, and Trillium loops with hydrants scattered through each loop, but you still dump at the central station on your way out. Pontiac Lake is the same idea with 20 and 30-amp service. For true full hookup with sewer at your pad, plan on a private resort: Haas Lake Park, Camp Dearborn, or one of the private parks along M-59 toward Howell will be your shortest drive.

Michigan state-park electric sites run roughly 33 to 45 dollars a night at McGinnis Lake and Pontiac Lake, with the higher number for prime 50-amp pull-throughs in peak season. On top of the nightly rate you need a Michigan Recreation Passport, which is 14 dollars for state residents and 19 for non-residents and is good for an entire year of state-park access. Private full-hookup parks like Haas Lake or the resorts along M-59 typically run 55 to 80 dollars a night for a pull-through with water, sewer, and 50-amp. County parks like Groveland Oaks sit in between, usually 35 to 50 nightly.

Michigan opens state-park reservations on a rolling six-month window at midnrreservations.com, and the popular Oakland County campgrounds, Pontiac Lake, McGinnis Lake, Brighton, fill the prime weekends in the first hour after the window opens. If you want a Friday or Saturday at Pontiac Lake in July or August, get online at 8 a.m. on the day exactly six months out. Midweek stays are far easier and you can often book inside a week. Private parks like Haas Lake also need 2 to 3 months for summer weekends; concert weekends at Pine Knob book even tighter.

Late May through early October is the practical camping window. Mid-May is when state-park campgrounds reopen and weather settles into the 70s. June and July are peak family season, busiest, warmest, and most humid. September is the sweet spot if you want a quieter campground without giving up swim weather; September weekdays at Pontiac Lake are nearly empty. Early October delivers the best fall color in southeast Michigan, but most state-park campgrounds shut down between the 15th and the 30th, so check before you tow up.

Yes, on the right loops. McGinnis Lake’s Maple, Hickory, Oak, and Trillium loops handle rigs to about 40 feet, those are the newer loops with the wider pads and 50-amp service. Pontiac Lake also has 40-foot sites on the modern loop, but the equestrian and back-in sites are tighter. Haas Lake Park accepts big-rig pull-throughs without trouble. The older, narrow loops at the state parks (and any of the rustic sites) are not realistic for 35-plus-foot fifth wheels or motorhomes. Filter on rig length when you reserve and don’t trust the photos.

Honest answer: not really. Oakland County is too developed for legal dispersed camping. The nearest national forest land where boondocking is permitted is in the Huron-Manistee National Forests, which is about a 90-minute tow north, past Saginaw and into the Pere Marquette area. A handful of Michigan state forest campgrounds are first-come and almost free, but the closest are also that far north. Within an hour of Clarkston you should plan on a paid campground or a county park. If you need a one-night layover, county parks like Holly’s have walk-in availability midweek.

Pontiac Lake is the better choice if you want a quieter setting with horseback trails, a long swim beach, and the legendary 11-mile mountain bike loop that has been ranked in the country’s top 100. The campground sits across from White Lake Township and feels more remote. Holly Recreation Area’s McGinnis Lake Campground has more loops, slightly newer infrastructure, and a faster connection to the village of Clarkston. Holly fills the family swim and hiking niche better; Pontiac Lake wins for bikers and equestrian campers. Both share the same modern Michigan DNR bath houses and dump stations.

Yes at every public campground in the area. Michigan state parks allow dogs on a six-foot leash everywhere except inside buildings and the designated swim beaches; there are dog-friendly beaches at both Holly and Pontiac Lake, just look for the signed dog swim area. Oakland County parks including Independence Oaks and Groveland Oaks follow the same six-foot leash rule. Private parks like Haas Lake are pet-friendly with a small additional cleaning fee on some sites. Always carry waste bags, rangers ticket here.

McGinnis Lake at Holly Recreation Area and the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area both have on-site dump stations included with your campsite or available for a day-use fee with a Michigan Recreation Passport. Groveland Oaks County Park also has a dump station for registered campers. If you are not staying in a state or county park, Independence Township and Waterford do not maintain a public RV dump, so plan on hitting one of the rec areas or routing through the closest open commercial campground. See our companion guide to RV dump stations in Clarkston for the full list and current pricing.

Independence Oaks County Park is the standout day-trip: 1,200 acres on Crooked Lake with easy hiking, a nature center, and fishing dock access just a few miles from the village. Depot Park sits in downtown Clarkston with summer concerts and an easy walk to the historic main street’s restaurants and boutiques. Pine Knob Music Theatre runs a full outdoor concert season May through October. Deer Lake Beach gives the kids a swim spot. For a longer day, drive 30 minutes east to Stony Creek Metropark or take I-75 north to Frankenmuth.

The public options around Clarkston, Holly, Pontiac Lake, Groveland Oaks, give you bigger lots, more natural setting, beaches, and trails for the lowest nightly rate, but you give up site sewer hookups, faster Wi-Fi, and weekend availability. The private parks down M-59 like Haas Lake offer full hookups, paved pads, real pool decks, and easier last-minute bookings, but you trade scenery for parking-lot density and rates roughly double. We tell first-time visitors to do a public state park midweek, then a private full-hookup park for the weekend dump-and-laundry stop.

Pine Knob Music Theatre sits right off I-75 at Sashabaw Road, the same exit you would use for McGinnis Lake or downtown Clarkston, and a sold-out summer show pushes traffic onto Sashabaw for two to three hours before the doors open. If you have a campsite check-in on a concert evening, aim to be at the gate before 4 p.m. or after 8 p.m., the worst of it clears once the show starts. Departing the morning after is fine. Check the Pine Knob calendar before you book a Friday or Saturday in June, July, or August.

For state-park camping, McGinnis Lake Campground inside Holly Recreation Area and Pontiac Lake Recreation Area are the two clear leaders, both sit within a 20-minute drive of downtown Clarkston, both have modern loops that handle rigs to 40 feet, and both offer 30 or 50-amp electric hookups with on-site dump stations. If you need full hookups (water, electric, and sewer at the site) you have to step outside Oakland County: Haas Lake Park RV Campground in New Hudson is the closest realistic option about 35 minutes south. Groveland Oaks County Park near Holly is the better pick for families with kids.

Most public campgrounds in this corner of Michigan are electric-only with a central dump station rather than full hookups at the site. McGinnis Lake at Holly has 30 and 50-amp electric on the newer Maple, Hickory, Oak, and Trillium loops with hydrants scattered through each loop, but you still dump at the central station on your way out. Pontiac Lake is the same idea with 20 and 30-amp service. For true full hookup with sewer at your pad, plan on a private resort: Haas Lake Park, Camp Dearborn, or one of the private parks along M-59 toward Howell will be your shortest drive.

Michigan state-park electric sites run roughly 33 to 45 dollars a night at McGinnis Lake and Pontiac Lake, with the higher number for prime 50-amp pull-throughs in peak season. On top of the nightly rate you need a Michigan Recreation Passport, which is 14 dollars for state residents and 19 for non-residents and is good for an entire year of state-park access. Private full-hookup parks like Haas Lake or the resorts along M-59 typically run 55 to 80 dollars a night for a pull-through with water, sewer, and 50-amp. County parks like Groveland Oaks sit in between, usually 35 to 50 nightly.

Michigan opens state-park reservations on a rolling six-month window at midnrreservations.com, and the popular Oakland County campgrounds, Pontiac Lake, McGinnis Lake, Brighton, fill the prime weekends in the first hour after the window opens. If you want a Friday or Saturday at Pontiac Lake in July or August, get online at 8 a.m. on the day exactly six months out. Midweek stays are far easier and you can often book inside a week. Private parks like Haas Lake also need 2 to 3 months for summer weekends; concert weekends at Pine Knob book even tighter.

Late May through early October is the practical camping window. Mid-May is when state-park campgrounds reopen and weather settles into the 70s. June and July are peak family season, busiest, warmest, and most humid. September is the sweet spot if you want a quieter campground without giving up swim weather; September weekdays at Pontiac Lake are nearly empty. Early October delivers the best fall color in southeast Michigan, but most state-park campgrounds shut down between the 15th and the 30th, so check before you tow up.

Yes, on the right loops. McGinnis Lake’s Maple, Hickory, Oak, and Trillium loops handle rigs to about 40 feet, those are the newer loops with the wider pads and 50-amp service. Pontiac Lake also has 40-foot sites on the modern loop, but the equestrian and back-in sites are tighter. Haas Lake Park accepts big-rig pull-throughs without trouble. The older, narrow loops at the state parks (and any of the rustic sites) are not realistic for 35-plus-foot fifth wheels or motorhomes. Filter on rig length when you reserve and don’t trust the photos.

Honest answer: not really. Oakland County is too developed for legal dispersed camping. The nearest national forest land where boondocking is permitted is in the Huron-Manistee National Forests, which is about a 90-minute tow north, past Saginaw and into the Pere Marquette area. A handful of Michigan state forest campgrounds are first-come and almost free, but the closest are also that far north. Within an hour of Clarkston you should plan on a paid campground or a county park. If you need a one-night layover, county parks like Holly’s have walk-in availability midweek.

Pontiac Lake is the better choice if you want a quieter setting with horseback trails, a long swim beach, and the legendary 11-mile mountain bike loop that has been ranked in the country’s top 100. The campground sits across from White Lake Township and feels more remote. Holly Recreation Area’s McGinnis Lake Campground has more loops, slightly newer infrastructure, and a faster connection to the village of Clarkston. Holly fills the family swim and hiking niche better; Pontiac Lake wins for bikers and equestrian campers. Both share the same modern Michigan DNR bath houses and dump stations.

Yes at every public campground in the area. Michigan state parks allow dogs on a six-foot leash everywhere except inside buildings and the designated swim beaches; there are dog-friendly beaches at both Holly and Pontiac Lake, just look for the signed dog swim area. Oakland County parks including Independence Oaks and Groveland Oaks follow the same six-foot leash rule. Private parks like Haas Lake are pet-friendly with a small additional cleaning fee on some sites. Always carry waste bags, rangers ticket here.

McGinnis Lake at Holly Recreation Area and the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area both have on-site dump stations included with your campsite or available for a day-use fee with a Michigan Recreation Passport. Groveland Oaks County Park also has a dump station for registered campers. If you are not staying in a state or county park, Independence Township and Waterford do not maintain a public RV dump, so plan on hitting one of the rec areas or routing through the closest open commercial campground. See our companion guide to RV dump stations in Clarkston for the full list and current pricing.

Independence Oaks County Park is the standout day-trip: 1,200 acres on Crooked Lake with easy hiking, a nature center, and fishing dock access just a few miles from the village. Depot Park sits in downtown Clarkston with summer concerts and an easy walk to the historic main street’s restaurants and boutiques. Pine Knob Music Theatre runs a full outdoor concert season May through October. Deer Lake Beach gives the kids a swim spot. For a longer day, drive 30 minutes east to Stony Creek Metropark or take I-75 north to Frankenmuth.

The public options around Clarkston, Holly, Pontiac Lake, Groveland Oaks, give you bigger lots, more natural setting, beaches, and trails for the lowest nightly rate, but you give up site sewer hookups, faster Wi-Fi, and weekend availability. The private parks down M-59 like Haas Lake offer full hookups, paved pads, real pool decks, and easier last-minute bookings, but you trade scenery for parking-lot density and rates roughly double. We tell first-time visitors to do a public state park midweek, then a private full-hookup park for the weekend dump-and-laundry stop.

Pine Knob Music Theatre sits right off I-75 at Sashabaw Road, the same exit you would use for McGinnis Lake or downtown Clarkston, and a sold-out summer show pushes traffic onto Sashabaw for two to three hours before the doors open. If you have a campsite check-in on a concert evening, aim to be at the gate before 4 p.m. or after 8 p.m., the worst of it clears once the show starts. Departing the morning after is fine. Check the Pine Knob calendar before you book a Friday or Saturday in June, July, or August.

The highest-rated station is A & S RV Center with a rating of 4.3/5 stars.

Yes — there are free RV waste disposal options available near Clarkston.