Pinckney Recreation Area - Bruin Lake, Michigan, United States
4.0 (36 reviews) Spent Ranking #4 in Pinckney Parks
Excellent area for walking near Ann Arbor
Pinckney Rec is about 15 miles NW of Ann Arbor but can be quite hard to find without a decent map, as there are few signposts (if you go through Dexter, fork right at the sider stall, turn left at the next signals, then right at the Lakes Plaza). However it’s worth seeking out if you have some spare time in the area and fancy a place to jog, walk or just chill out. Visitors in winter still have to pay an admission fee, and for an out of state rental car with one person for one day this felt quite hefty, especially as the bathrooms were closed for the winter, and the only facility was – ahem – primitive. On the other hand, if you are a state resident and buy an annual pass it’s a superb deal. Mostly it’s rolling deciduous woods with a network of paths – the park office will provide a map – leading down to a lakeshore. On a fine winter’s day it was peaceful, despite there being plenty of cars in the parking lot.
Address
8555 Silver Hill Rd, Pinckney, MI 48169-8901
Mobile
Website
http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx
Current local date and time now
Wednesday, May 15, 2024, 22:03
User Ratings
4.0 based on (36 reviews)
Reviews
-
4Matt S 5:00 PM Aug 11, 2021
Camping weekend
Generally, we have great experiences camping at state parks. We enjoyed our stay at the Bruin Lake campground...although it felt like there were two different camping experiences available here! The "lower" campground, by the lakefront, had a very modern and updated shower/bathroom building, lake views and access, and very much a friendly, open vibe. The downside is that there is very little shade in this area, so if that's important (or if it's very hot), the lower area may not be for you. However, we liked this area the best of the campground. We had a spot on the "upper" campground, near the older shower house/restrooms. There was a much different "vibe" here (although admittedly extremely shaded). The shower house/bathroom itself, while being older, as also always crowded, and the bathroom and shower stalls seemed to be always dirty; they weren't nearly as clean as the lower level, and didn't seem to get the TLC that we see at other parks. The grounds themselves were very good. There were several hiking trails....oh, yeah, and those chains of lakes!! Having access to kayaks on the chain of lakes this park sits around is incredible, providing a lot of opportunity to spend a LOT of time on the water!
-
4Jim 5:00 PM Oct 1, 2016
Crooked Lake, Silver Lake, Potawatomi Trails & Blind Lake Hike-in Campground.
Pickney is a great state park, with a very large swaths of mature hardwoods, and some cedar groves mixed in as well among several lakes and streams. The varied topography gives the hikes some very good hills w/o becoming too arduous. I like to hike the Crooked Lake Trail, listed as 5.1mi, but you can join the Silver Lake Trail near the end and stretch it out closer to 7mi. Alternatively (or in conjunction), you can do an out-and-back leg on the Potawatomi Trail that rolls nicely as it heads out to Waterloo State Rec Area. I have not done the connector (17.5mi), but I did do the loop out to the hike-in Blind Lake campground. I really recommend trying this over-nighter. It's a cold-camp, but in summer that not a problem and the sites are large. We put up 3 tents with no problem. The only thing is the mixed-use gets old fast, especially w/ the few (the exception) mountain bikers who make no provision for meeting someone on the trail on a blind corner when they are going downhill full tilt. If there were separate trails, this would be a 5-star park easy!
