There are lots of lakes nearby for swimming and hiking. Brighton State Rec is not one I would go back to. The beach at Bishop Lake was too small for the amount of people and the water quality wasn't great. The water was shallow, murky, and slimy. The trail around the lake was also crowded and not peaceful. Many people were riding their bikes or walking in between the camp grounds and the beach. Some signs or trail activities were falling apart and in need of repair. If you want to be around a ton of people while enjoying the outdoors, you'd have fun. It wasn't for me. read more

I visited on Saturday, October 4th driving a rental vehicle registered through my insurance company. We purchased a grey rec sticker attached to the windshield. My family purchases rec passes for all of our vehicles. When the booth worker, Connie, asked if I have a rec pass on my vehicle, I replied yes, and she waved me in. She did not stand up to view the sticker. I parked in the Bishop parking lot and soon after noticed a white vehicle speeding through the parking lot. Connie the booth worker blocked the back of my car into the parking space with her personal vehicle and jumped out screaming, so angry she was nearly foaming at the mouth. Connie jumped out of her car, and ran to my driver's side window screaming at me as I sat bewildered in the driver's seat of my car. "What do you mean you have a rec pass, you don't even have a Michigan plate?!! Go back to the booth!!" I asked Connie to remove her personal vehicle from blocking my vehicle and obstructing my movement. I told her I don't feel comfortable with her behavior and that I wanted to leave the park. Connie said, "Good, leave!" I stopped at the booth and asked for Connie's name and the contact information for a park's supervisor. Connie replied- you don't need my name. They know who I am in the park's office. She then walked into her booth and slammed the door. I had Deb with DNR drive to the booth to speak with Connie and address her bizarre and over the top behavior. When I asked Deb whether booth workers are deputized or authorized to pursue and block parks goers with their personal vehicles, she smartly replied, "What do you think?" MI Legislature allows DNR officers to write civil tickets only to visitors without a rec pass. Under no circumstances should a civilian booth worker impersonate an officer, chase, pursue or physically block a person who they believe is not carrying a rec pass. read more

I really love Brighton as a whole city, they have an absolutely lovely downtown, and I love that this recreation area is just a little bit outside of downtown as well. You really can do it all in this area and all within a day as well! Escape into nature for the afternoon after a morning of shopping in downtown Brighton or vice versa, it'll do wonders to the spirit! This recreation area is good, not amazing, but definitely solid. The trails are a bit monotonous, but there are plenty of options, so maybe just the ones I've hiked so far haven't been great. Regardless, there's tons to do here and all the trails are very reasonable in length and skill level. Definitely good for the whole family! read more

Brighton State Recreation Area - Brighton State Recreation Area - Hiking Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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With most activities at a standstill right now, it's nice to know that the great outdoors is still accessible. As such, it's the perfect opportunity to discover some new favorite places and trails. On a recent sunny weekend, my friend and I headed to Brighton to check out the State Recreation Area. We had our heart set in a hike, and decided on a nice 6 miler to get us out into the fresh air. After a quick drive up, we arrived at the park, where the parking lot was already full of cars. We laced up our trail shoes and started off into the woods. Along the way we saw a number of other hikers, some accompanied by their friendly dogs. It was a beautiful day, and the sun dappled the trail and highlighter streams, ponds, and rivers where turtles sunned and frogs sang. Although we chose a 6 mile hike, it hardly felt that long, as it was a very enjoyable one. Some cranes bid us goodbye from their spot near a large lake as we left, and the promise of warmer weather and a spot to take our kayaks means that a return trip is in the cards. All in all, the visit to Brighton State Recreation Area but the spot for a great day in the great outdoors! read more

This review is for a stay in the modern campground during covid summer. We were meeting some friends and had adjoining spaces. There is a check in station for all the campgrounds, located in the modern campground area. The seasonal summer woman did all the work for everyone while the full time DNR emloyees stood around. They have dumpsters, a RV dump station, and sell ice and wood bundles. The sites are dirt with concrete fire rings and electric, and water spigots every half block or so to fill containers. The park was completely full. There is a one bathhouse/restroom building for each half of the campground. Individual shower rooms and large sink, urinal, stall area. The staff wasn't into cleaning them. Our fellow campers, or at least a number of them, were very rude. No masks worn in the restroom area, quiet hours were between 10pm and 8 am. 10pm was when parents released the children to run, scream, and play tag and chase through other people's spaces, and a signal for the men at a lot of sites to start pounding drinks and blasting 80s music or country as the spirit moved them, until midnight/1am. The DNR, after the first night, said they would patrol and control it. They didn't. read more

Worst campground ever visited. Do not go to! Fire pits are 4 feet from neighbors trailer, and 20 feet from your trailer. Not maintained. Very unpleasant! Left early! read more

No one patrols the upper campground, people driving 30 pulling a boat and no one will follow up. I could not even park on my camp site cause everyone else was. Ask the ranger twice and nothing. I love this campground but with all the Covid campers it's turning into a dump. No One is Courteous they walk through your site and could care less to listen to you. There kids were just as bad. read more

Brighton State Recreation Area - This is a pic from my site they walked on my site and had a tournament without asking. Rude and assholes. - Hiking Near Me - Howell, Michigan

This is a really nice campground. The sites are about normal for a state park. Weekends are crowded of course, but clears out during the week. The washrooms are kept fairly clean, the electric is good. Lots of trails for walking and bicycling. It's a great place to go to when you want to feel way out of the city, but you really aren't. read more

Brighton State Recreation Area - Hiking Near Me - Howell, Michigan

Tight campground when trying to back into spots. Weekends are busy. Lake access, nice walking around grounds. Electric 30 amp, no water-sewer hookup. Small shade trees, fire pits and tables provided. Lots to do in city of Brighton. read more

Came here with the intention of staying here for two weeks, thank goodness we only booked one week. The campground is filled with homeless/bums. When we pulled up to check in, we found the office closed. The paper said to use the phone provided, we tried but after 20 minutes (standing in the freezing snow) they could not help us, told us to call back. They were never able to check us in. Bathrooms are dirty, vending machines are empty, and streets not plowed. It is sad too, this would otherwise be a great campground. Hope they find this review helpful. read more

A very solid family focused area/campground. We very much enjoyed our visit. The campground play ground is not the typical swing set/slide setup. Instead, you get a kaga ball bit, human foosball, permanent ladder ball, and corn hole. Bathrooms are clean. Sites seem "tight", but nothing to complain about. What impressed me the most was a very attentive state park ranger. Our electric box had a functional but "shaky" 30amp outlet. I informed the check in station and they sent a ranger to put in a new outlet. I'd expect fast service like that at a fancy private campground, but was pleasantly surprised to see such service at a state area. Great job! read more

My husband and I came here for the first time Saturday and I liked it so much I came back the next day. It is a really neat park with a lot of different amenities. On Saturday we walked the 2 mile loop hiking trail. It was a nice trail, well kept, and fairly easy to finish. I came back the next day and ran the 5 mile loop trail. That trail was also well kept and was a little more challenging, especially if you are running it. The hiking trails were well marked and easy to navigate. There are some parts of the 5 mile loop that wind you around houses and a non-park road, but I thought it added to the charm as this seems to have more of metro park vibe. There is plenty of parking and there is signage everywhere. We also checked out the archery area which was pretty neat. They had a bunch of areas cordoned off with various wooden animals to shoot at. The beach area looked cool but was really small. There are also some nice fishing spots. Restrooms were clean, plenty of benches, and cool things to look at for those looking to get their monies worth out of their state park pass. Overall a neat park and I would recommend. read more

Brighton State Recreation Area - One of the archery targets. Lol poor guy. - Hiking Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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We were looking for a place to take the dogs and kids camping for just one night. We'd never been to any of the campgrounds at this recreation area but it was only an hour from home so we decided to check it out. We camped at Appleton which has rustic sites and we were happy with our stay. The sites were large and the campground was relatively small and quiet. The outhouses were pretty clean and easily accessible. It was also very dog friendly with multiple lakes and hiking trails. Check in was at a neighboring campground which was a little inconvenient but otherwise we had a lovely time. read more

Brighton State Recreation Area - Hiking Near Me - Howell, Michigan

So far, this has been the most family friendly campground we've been to. There are tons of amenities, play areas, beaches, and trails. The inflatable water park is pretty cool, but costs extra. We were able to bring kayaks and easily get them in and out. The staff is friendly and it was easy to check in. The park is also dog friendly. The campsite locations are close. There was nothing separating our tent from the neighbor's RV. Because of this, you feel very open and vulnerable and are at the mercy of fellow campers to keep noise levels down. I ended up leaving in the middle of the night with my baby because the people next door were SO loud, he wasn't sleeping, which was waking others up. I came back in the morning, met up with my party, and resumed the fun. If you've got kids and nice weather, the campground here is fantastic, one of the best. If you're looking for more secluded camping in the area, look elsewhere. read more

Very very good MTB Trail....I rode about 7 miles on the trail and loved it.Its worth the drive if your into MTB and the park seems very good for hiking and cookouts as well read more

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Gorgeous park - Free of tons of geese and ducks so your little ones can play pretty much anywhere. Gorgeous sandy beach and a really large shallow swimming area - perfect for little ones. Bring plenty of cash because there's plenty of places to buy snacks drinks and food but they don't take anything but cash. Dog friendly and has a place for your kids to swing after they're done swimming there's also picnic benches and pavilions that you can rent. This place has it all! read more

Brighton State Recreation Area - bishop lake beach - Hiking Near Me - Howell, Michigan

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Bishop Beach, Brighton Recreation Area, MI Bishop Lake was once a beautiful beach to take children. Today a worker was not picking up after her dog that she brought with her. The same worker had a megaphone and was being loud and rude to the guest. The experience was unpleasant and I will not be returning in the future. I would give zero stars if it were possible. Beaches are supposed to offer a relaxing experience enjoying nature. read more

Surprisingly laid back for SE Michigan state park. We came on a scorching holiday weekend, and the beach parking lot wasn't more than half full. Hiking was on our agenda and we hit the 6-mile Penosha trail. Fairly easy trail with some nice variety. Climbed oak ridges and skirted the edge of marshes, crossed just a few open fields. Mountain bikes have a seperate trail system, so no need to listen for the rumble of wheels coming from behind you, or calls of "On your left!" that come a moment too late. (No offense bike guys...but it happens!) Lived nearby a long time but always went to other parks/rec areas; now this one will join the rotation. read more

Basically OK, but few bathrooms. It was a little bit difficult to take my daughter who is 4 years old to a bathroom. Also, we set the tent, but most of other visitors were using campers. I didn't enjoy the nature... read more

Lots of camping, swimming, biking and trails. They have a rustic campground and a regular campground. They also have rustic cabins for rent. The cabins are pretty and secluded on their own little lots in the back of the park. They have cabins for small families and also cabins for large groups. I have never stayed in them but we take drives back there and they look really nice. The cabin in the very back has a trail that goes back to Bishop lake. The swimming area is large and has trees so there's a lot of shade. They have gazebos, volleyball courts, a swing set, bathrooms, a fishing pier and a concession stand. read more

Stopped by to do some camping and was very impressed. This is a pretty large campground split into two halves but it was surprisingly quiet given the number of people who were here. Large variety of site types from open to more secluded (fewer). Campground hosts provided coffee/hot chocolate and cookies in the morning and there were nature walks and other activities in the afternoon/evening. Overall very impressed! read more

Great for hiking! Appreciate that there are separate trails for hiking and mountain bikes! You'll want to park in the Bishop Lake Complex parking lot, and the trail head is off to the left as you come in. The Penosha Trail is a little under 6mi, but is a good hike with some elevation changes that will keep journeyman interested, but shouldn't scare off casual hikers. I think heading counter-clockwise is best, but either way works. Nice variance in hardwood & cedar woodlands, with a few swampy areas, and a real nice highland meadow. One note, the section between #10 and #11 is just a plain road. It doglegs a little to the side of a house - up a small side access road - but Trail Marker #10 is there. Trail Marker #11 is next to a 2 space parking lot, and leads into the meadow. I like hiking Brighton, and I recommend it highly. read more

It's a family campground where dogs start barking at five in the morning and kids start running around at six. We stayed here twice and plan on going again, because it's close to where we live and has plenty of amenities. It seems like a very safe place, clean, and in working order with electricity, good cell phone reception, hot showers, and within a few miles to the nearest Kroger and gas station. The day-use area and beach were also very clean and welcoming. What kind of irritated me was that the only boat launch to the main lake, Bishop Lake, is only accessible through the campground. So, if you're just going to visit for the day, you might not be able to readily use the boat launch. Bishop Lake (and the connected Caroga Lake) is a beautiful lake and perfect for canoes and kayaks. We fished on the lake for many hours but had no real luck other than seeing fish and turtles below in the clear water. If you want a little bit of extra space, don't pick a campsite on the interior of the campground, as the sites are somewhat small and cramped. read more

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I love this place! I have been coming here for over 40 years and it is a nice place to camp or have a picnic. Always make great memories for my kids here. Good place for swimming, fishing and biking. read more

Nice park with lots of space. The trails are nice to hike and enjoy yourself. The beach is a nice place to relax and have a good time. It's a great place to spend some time. read more