Brighton Recreational Area RV & Campground Guide
Michigan
- Home
- State Parks
- Michigan
- Brighton Recreational Area
If you're ready for a relaxing trip to the forests of southeastern Michigan, then Brighton Recreational Area fills the bill. This sprawling park boasts acres of open midwestern scenery to enjoy as you camp, hike, fish, or ride horseback through the ranges of low hills and along sandy lakeshores. Nearby Ann Arbor and Detroit offer big-city attractions and stores that supply the right gear to explore the outdoors further. Located in a rural Michigan region near the small town of Howell, Brighton Recreational Area provides daytime opportunities to refresh the spirit and exercise the body. You can ski cross country, birdwatch, or sunbathe according to the season because the area is open year-round.
Spring 44-26 F
Summer 78-57 F
Fall 60-41 F
Winter 31-17 F
RV Resorts & Campsites in Brighton Recreational Area
You'll enjoy the outdoors more in an RV holding the comfortable amenities of home. In an RV, you can change your view at a moment's notice by driving to a different campsite in Brighton Recreational Area or at a nearby park. Head off the beaten path in the perfect size rental RV from RVshare to reconnect with Mother Nature.
Seven Lakes State Park
Seven Lakes State Park near Holly will delight you with its 1,434 acres of multi-use woodland and lake area. There is plenty of room along the lake to ramble, wade, swim, and explore. There is a pier for onshore fishing where you can catch bluegill, bass, tiger muskie, catfish, and pike. If you desire to go out onto the water, bring your boat or rent from inside the park from mid-May to mid-September. You'll enjoy renting paddle boats, canoes, rowboats, and motorboats. Whether you own or rent your boat, you must keep the speed to a level that does not produce a wake. The campground offers modern bathrooms and showers, paved trails and roads, electricity, and even an area for metal detecting fun. Overnight prices begin at $16, with full hookup sites running from $29 to $33. There are some pull-through sites if you drive longer vehicles.
Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park
If you want a trail-based park running through glorious stretches of woodland and farmland, then Mike Levine Lakelands Trail State Park is for you. The Pinckney area holds this 31-mile long gravel-surfaced linear park, which provides well-maintained trails for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and wheelchair use. Sample coffee or ice cream at the many stops along the way as you meander from Hamburg to Stockbridge. You may enter at various places throughout the 31 miles of this park. Oak forest surrounds you at some points as you view fish splashing in the Huron River that flows alongside the trail. Look closely, and you may spy a bald eagle hunting its dinner. The trail tunnels under Highway M36 to ensure safety. If you visit in the winter, the trail is plowed. The state recreation passport is not required in this park.
What to Do at
Brighton Recreational Area
Inside Brighton Recreational Area
In addition to stellar hiking, biking, boating, and fishing, Brighton offers outstanding horseback riding trails. Try the Brighton Recreation Riding Stable for the perfect mount to ride over well-maintained trails. The stables support all levels of expertise, so you know you're suited to a horse that will provide a unique view of the area's scenery. While you're at the stables, take a riding lesson, go on a hayride, celebrate a birthday, or treat the youngest members of your party to a pony ride. The stables are open every weekend from April 7 to December 8 and open seven days a week from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
Outside Brighton Recreational Area
When you're ready to explore further, try mixing winter sports on Mount Brighton with the cultural activities at Cranbrook. If you enjoy history, then steam into the Durand Union Station for displays, artifacts, and photos of Michigan's rich railroading history. If antiques are your passion, then you'll find the perfect antique in quaint shops along the way.
Restaurants
Ski Hill Grill
You'll work up an appetite at the Mount Brighton ski area in Livingston County, which offers man-made hills up to 230 feet high for thrilling opportunities in skiing and snowboarding. For after-ski activity, dine at the Ski Hill Grill for a quick meal in a food court featuring a wall of windows overlooking 130 acres of man-made snow.
Type: American
Location: 4141 Bauer Road, Brighton MI 48116
Diamonds Steak & Seafood
Diamonds Steak & Seafood invites you to sample their grain-fed beef and a tempting array of seafood. For 37 years, they have provided the choicest food around.
Type: American
Location: 101 W. Grand River Ave., Howell MI 48843
Silver Pig
The Silver Pig offers craft cocktails, peel and eat shrimp, and brick oven pizza for everyone to feast upon. Fresh seafood is trucked in daily.
Type: American
Location: 102 S. Michigan Ave., Howell MI 48843
Tomato Brothers
The Tomato Brothers say that their reputation is all in their name because pizza and other Italian food remains their specialty after years of satisfying customers.
Type: Italian
Location: 3030 W. Grand River Ave., Howell MI 48843
El Patron
El Patron serves up authentic Mexican cuisine that they insist upon offering with naturally fresh ingredients. They also make the best margaritas in town in their daily happy hour from 5 to 8 p.m.
Type: Mexican
Location: 2010 E. Grand River Ave., Howell MI 48843
Shopping
Livingston Antique Outlet
Shopping for antiques in Howell means that you select from the whole of Livingston County's treasures from the past. Howell is the largest city and county seat, so make sure to visit Livingston Antique Outlet for a bargain that nobody else will own.
Location: 1825 N. Burkhart Rd., Howell MI 48855
The Touch of Country Mall
The Touch of Country Mall wants to make your visit special by offering over 50 craftspersons and artisans who fill their stalls with jewelry, one of a kind items, and like-new merchandise that has been gently used.
Location: 5640 E. Highland Road, Howell MI 48843
Susan's Hallmark Store
Any Susan's Hallmark Store provides personalized service in helping you to select just the right card or gift for your recipient. Since 2003, this small chain promises that nobody needs to shop until they drop because their experts solve all gift-giving predicaments.
Location: 10051 E. Highland Rd., Ste. 45, Howell MI 48843
Country Lane Flowers
Think about dressing up your RV with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Country Lane Flowers of Howell earns its reputation as the #1 flower shop in Livingston County through extensive inventory and quick delivery.
Location: 729 S. Michigan Ave., Howell MI 48843
Carriage House Designs
Carriage House Designs jumbles an eclectic inventory of clothing accessories, whimsical items, and toiletries into a purposeful selection for any gift-giving occasion. If you want the best souvenir from Howell and Brighton Recreational Area, this is the place to shop.
Location: 119 N. Michigan Ave., Howell 48843
Sightseeing
Cranbrook
Travel to Bloomfield Hills where the Cranbrook tradition continues as it has since 1904. Cranbrook combines education, science, and the arts in a center containing a natural history museum and contemporary art museum. The Cranbrook House & Gardens estate covers 40 acres with formal and informal gardens, a lake, sculptures, a planetarium, and a nature center.
Location: 39221 Woodward Ave., Bloomfield Hills MI 48303
Mount Brighton
Five chairlifts and seven surface transports take you up to the heights at Mount Brighton for winter sports. Artificial snow guarantees good conditions whenever you visit, whether there has been snowfall or not. There are 25 trails that range from beginner to advanced to expert levels of ability.
Location: 4141 Bauer Rd., Brighton MI 48116
Durand Union Station & Michigan Railroad History Museum
Durand Union Station & Michigan Railroad History Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday 1-5 p.m. This restored train station with its displays of our country's railroading past will take you back to the late 1850s when the town began and still is in use today by Amtrak.
Location: 200 Railroad Street, Durand MI 48429
Diehl's Orchard & Cider Mill
If you are a cider drinker, then look no further than Diehl's Orchard & Cider Mill. Savor the fall spirit with samples of cider, hayrides, and orchard tours.
Location: 1479 Ranch Road, Holly MI 48442
Drayton Plains Nature Center
Celebrate the natural surroundings of Michigan by visiting Drayton Plains Nature Center that contains a fish hatchery, interpretive nature center, hiking trails, and a picnic pavilion.
Location: 2125 Denby Street, Waterford MI 48329
How to Get to
Brighton Recreational Area
Exit Number 140 from I-96 leads to Latson Road. Drive onto Latson Road and head south to Chilson Road. Continue south on Chilson Road to Bishop Lake Road.
Entering Brighton Recreational Area
This recreation area requires a Michigan Recreation Passport to enter.
Brighton Recreational Area Per vehicle (1-4 adults) : $17.0
$17-35.
You'll make memories that last a lifetime when you take an RV adventure to Brighton Recreational Area. If you don't have an RV of your own, rent one with RVshare! If you share your trip photos on social media, be sure to tag us, or send them to [email protected] for a chance to be featured on our blog.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brighton Recreational Area
Winter is the best time to visit the area. There are plenty of outdoor winter activities to enjoy, including cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The waters are very chilly, so carry your winter coat and boots.
The climate is often windy and partially cloudy throughout the year, with warm summers and long, very cold winters. The temperature normally ranges from 36 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year.
Brighton Recreational Area has a plentiful wildlife population, and hunting is allowed during the legal hunting seasons, which is between September and the end of March. Area wildlife game includes turkey, deer, and rabbit.
There are many camping spots in Brighton Recreational Area. You can camp at Bishop Lake Campground, which has 144 campsites, ample space, and clean water. Other campgrounds include Horseman’s Campground, Murray Lake Campground, and Appleton Lake Campground.
Brighton Recreational Area is pet friendly, but dogs must be on a six-foot leash and under an owner's immediate control at all times. Owners must also clean after their dogs.