holly recreation area

My wife and I have camped at Holly Rec, Trillium Loop on four different occasions during the summer of 2014. We spent a total of about three weeks here in our 28' motorhome and enjoyed this park tremendously. The campsites are large, well wooded, and very private. The park staff are always friendly and helpful as well as keeping the park and restroom/showers in great condition. This is, in my opinion, the best State Park in southeast Michigan in terms of a great "up north" camping experience just 50 miles north of metro Detroit. We have been to other parks but none compare to this gem so we keep coming back.

Even though just a quick drive thru, but certainly a clean campground... Cabins, tents, lakes looked like a winner all around

Stayed in Trillium Loop. Nice, shady sites. New bath house. Lots to do! Some electric boxes are further away than we expected. Have an extension cord, just in case!

We have camped at Holly Rec Area for the past ten years. This has become an extended family tradition for us on July 4th. This park is beautiful, with wooded sites and nice beaches. It truly does feel like you're camping up north when you're here. Because it's so wooded, most of the sites feel very private and secluded. The Park Rangers are knowledgeable, the beaches are clean and the bathrooms are modern and clean. The Rangers hold various activities through the summer, as well as fishing classes. I've wandered to other State Parks for other stays but always find myself back at Holly. There are trails and hills to hike and ride and there is a Disc Golf course. The beach rents canoes at a very minimum price. Overall, a very serene and peaceful park.

I have camped here, stayed in the cabins, visited beach, disc golfed, rent ed kayaks. Beautiful property and my family visits here often. Great for family trips or just friends getting away. Never had an issue with staff. Clean campground, lots of rv visitors, only dislike is walking commute to restroom can be a hike.

We stayed for a week in September 2013. The entire park has been repaved and each site has a paved pad. The sites are large and most very wooded. This is exactly the type of park we like. Washroom facilities extremely clean and showers hot and free. The beach and lake were lovely. The campground was quiet but there was things to do if you chose to do them. The park is close to many larger centres if you wish to shop etc. All the staff were very friendly. We will probably be returning next September. Great Park!

Very well run campground with many new facilities. With rv plate upgrade very easy to make reservation. Many VERY wooded sites and lots to do for kids or nice and quiet for empty nesters like my wife and I. Very close to Holly Hotel, the Reaisance Festival and Clarkston(can you say Mac&cheese?)

Travelled with teen for a mom daughter getaway ~ spur of the moment. Excellent park reservation system, our names could be pulled up quickly, easily....We stayed on a Monday and Tuesday (only nights available) and the campground was desolate, a bit too quiet for my teen and even a bit for me. That having been said the showers were very sufficient for a campground and we could take over the bathroom, no problem;-)I think for someone who truly wanted a break from crowds, noise and cement it would have been ideal. People were rolling in on Wednesday morning so perhaps the camp takes on a bit of a different flavor then.It was really rainy in the evenings for both nights but there was something peaceful about the two of us reading (went to the outlet that afternoon and called it our version of camping to pick up a few things including books;-)...........for some reason I had energy galore and my teen could not get enough sleep.........a total switch from the usual. The mini cabin was fine and better than expected with microwave, mini-fridge, fan, lights and plenty of clothes hooks and clean. As mentioned the bathrooms and showers were up for grabs and a short walk so was part of the experience. We visited the nearby towns ~ Holly has a most beautiful downtown. I live in a community of 2000 in Ontario and it comes nowhere near it in terms of beauty, charm, warmth and vitality. Spent one afternoon in the antique store showing my daughter some of the stuff I remember when younger;-) and loved it. Purchased champagne in the pharmacy ~ how cool is that! Would have loved to know of nearby riding stable. A good map of the the local area of about an hour's radius would be nice. All campground attendants extremely polite and attentive, particularly for end of the season so my hat's off to them. Travelling as a mom and daughter I felt safe which is always a concern even for the more adventurous.Lots of construction machinery near the entrance as they work on paving the entrance ~ the swamps on both sides of the entrance a bit of an eyesore.Heron Lake is more the type of lake for fishing than swimming so disappointing if you it's swimming you prefer, however, there were people swimming. Not crowded at all and beautiful scenery and boats to rent.Glad we went, the only reason we may not return is because there are so many parks yet to explore. Thank you Friends of Holly recreation and the Holly community for your hospitality!Your Canadian Neighbours

The campground was great. Big, secluded campsites, huge fire pits, and great showers!! We were a little disappointed by the beach though. Being a man-made lake, the beach sand is very rough. Its also quite weedy and murky, and they won't let you swim out very far. They have buoys set up way too close to shore. The kids were bored.

Beach is clean and the water is clear and refreshing. The campground was full, children s were plying everywhere. It was a day tour with 2 others friends with family. Nice BBQ facilities, clean everywhere. Park staff and enforcement agents were very helpful.

Heron Beach is very clean and the water is clear and refreshing. The campground has a section of secluded wooded sites, which we love. The disc golf course is top notch and the surrounding nature is well preserved. This is one of my family's favorite areas in Mid Michigan.

We have camped here several times and enjoy ourselves thoroughly each time. There is so much to do! Campground is nice--heavily wooded, large sites. Activities have experienced leaders so they are well done. Hiking trails are beautiful. There are multiple lakes for just about everything. All around, it has everything you could want for a weekend/week long getaway.

every year at Halloween, almost every unit was decorated and the kids could safely trick or treat. great place for the kids to swim and fish.

Not for beginners, these mountain bike trails can getcha if you aren't ready for them. Nice park with good picnic and fishing and lots of hiking too.

We took a group 4 families with young children camping here during the Hollyween festival weekend in October 2011 and had an absolute blast. The campground was in good shape with a lot of large deep heavily wooded sites. The park planned a lot of activities for this weekend including shutting down the campground to traffic for a couple hours while the kids got to go trick-or-treating. We were blown away at how many people went all out with the decorations at their sites. There were so very elaborate decorations throughout the park which was great. They also offered hayrides for $1 pp during the day and night so that you could go around and see all the wonderful decorations. Reservations for this festival weekend fill up fast. You have to book about 6 mos prior but well worth it. We plan on making this an annual trip! Last year the weather was amazing and hoping for the same this year.