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Reviews for Hell Creek Ranch
(click on name for more information)
Ann Arbor, Mi

Overall TRAIL RATING with 8 votes:
Overall CAMP RATING with 8 votes:
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Individual Reviews

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Camp Rating: 

You can no longer picket at the camp site. Horses need to be stabled at the Heavenly Horse Stables adjacent to the campground. It is very conveniently located to the campground and has easy access to your horses. We camped on a site right in front of the stables. You need to contact the stables separately to see if they have room available for you to stable at before you book your camp site. The owners of both the campground and the stables are very nice. The camp ground was very quiet the weekend we went (June), though there were many people camping. We love the Pinckney trails and ride there often, but it was nice to camp right there and ride into the trails several times during our camping stay. Trail access is right near the horse stables/ The trails are very well maintained accessible. Even with all of the rain we have had this spring, the trails were only muddy in a few spots. Definitely recommend this campground and the Pinckney horse trails.
Reviewed by: Joanna Werr on 7/3/2019 3:13:00 PM
More reviews by Joanna Werr 		Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/7/2019 Hometown: Erie, MI

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horses can be high lined near campsite. Bathrooms are really nice. Trails are very well maintained. There are a few challenging hills and rest of trails are easy and hilly. Very nice
Reviewed by: dbelling on 10/16/2015 8:45:36 PM
 Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 10/16/2015 Hometown: jeddo, MI

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This is officially our favorite place to horse camp and ride! The managers are wonderful folks - very kind and accomodating. The campground is immaculately clean, there is a very nice shower house and even a pool. The horse sites have plenty of shade and sturdy trees to picket from. You must bring your own picket line, but if this worries you, look online for the "Savvy Horse Highline Kits" and buy one - the high line kit is GREAT and I promise you, you will be set up in just a few minutes. The trails are very easy and straightforward with gently rolling hills and a few flat sections. The scenery is nice and the footing is wonderful; it is sandy, but the sand is not overly deep. Trails are well marked, and maps can be downloaded online (Pinckney Recreation Area). The trails make many interconnecting loops, and they connect with a very long stretch of all purpose trail called the Lakelands Trail (a "rails to trails" trail). The only drawback about the trails is that there are only about 20 miles total, although the Lakelands Trail adds an additional 26 miles.
Reviewed by: emwhite on 6/7/2015 6:41:06 AM
More reviews by emwhite 		Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 6/2/2015 Hometown: Kirtland, OH

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My husband and I booked our weekend at the ranch over the phone, it was very easy and they answered all of our questions and were extremely accommodating. When we arrived, checking in was fast and easy, they do require coggins tests before you unload so make sure you bring them along. I can't even begin to tell you how helpful Mark and Tina were! They escorted us to our campsite and stayed and chatted with us for a bit, checked to make sure we had everything we needed, they are so friendly! You can tell they take great pride in what they do and they should! Everything was immaculate! There is a ton of work involved in running such a large camp I don't know how they manage to be on top of everything but they do somehow. The bath houses were so nice and clean, when I opened the door to the ladies room I immediately went back outside and took my boots off for fear of dragging mud inside. They are that clean! Water pressure in the showers was great and the water was blazing hot. Which was perfect because the weekends weather was cold, rainy and very windy. We didn't get very far out on the trails because of the weather, but weren't that disappointed because everything else was so great! There are no hitching posts, but we had our portable corral set up. The horses made a mess out of the grass but we tried to lessen the damage by obsessively cleaning up manure and uneaten hay, to help us out, there was a manure pile nearby with a nice new wheelbarrow provided to help with the clean up. We can't wait to go back, I am sad we found this place so late in the year, but it's definitely on our short list of places we love!
Reviewed by: Beth on 10/6/2014 6:36:11 PM
 Experience: Expert Ride Date: 10/3/2014 Hometown: ligonier, in

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My wife, our son and wife, and our two grandchildren just spent a wonderful week vacation at Hell Creek Campground, Hell, MI, and we have nothing but good things to say about our time there. From the time we arrived, - late 10:30 P.M., the campground manager, Joe Rose, was nothing less than helpful, polite, friendly, and ambitiously hard-working. Because of his hard work and attentive efforts the campground is virtually immaculately clean and beautiful...from the grounds, to the bathhouse, bathrooms, pool, playground. We have never been to a campground so clean and family friendly, especially for our grandchildren, ages 5 and 2. We took our horse along, and I rode the trails each day. The trails are well groomed, yet not so perfectly as to make you feel you are riding through a city park. The footing is sandy and rather soft, so very easy on my horse's feet, I don't think he would have needed to be shod. No rocks on trail. I would encourage anyone who as yet has not visited Hell Creek Campground to do so. The rates are reasonable, especially considering all the amenities of the park. It is a great campground, and we feel much of the credit goes to the very capable and ambitious manager, Joe. I hope the campground owners realize what a hardworking man they have in him, and for sure consider giving him a raise!! Thanks for everything, Joe!!
Reviewed by: Charles Bonow on 8/20/2013 9:31:46 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 8/1/2013 Hometown: Lewiston, MN

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Trails were great. Well maintained but not too neat (in a good way!). Mostly well marked...not perfect, but better than most. Some up and down, along ravines. It looked like people had made very steep inclines to ride down, but these were not on the "official" trails (and too steep for me to ever try!). Lots of trails to explore. Not many ways or loops to go out from the campground, so you'd have to ride out 30 minutes or so (that's at a walk) every time you wanted to explore further on, or just keep going once you started. The campground was fabulous. Water spigots on the site, bathroom close with flush toilets and showers -- clean -- shade, a stable for boarding if you want. A place to buy ice on the property. A swimming pool! Tony, who takes care of the place, was very helpful, as was his wife Nina. I spent two nights, and want to go back to explore more of the Pinckney Rec area. A really nice two nights and days of riding!
Reviewed by: Mary on 7/21/2012 2:33:42 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 7/19/2012 Hometown: Lakeville, IN

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The campground is very nice!Trails are marked well and there are alot of them. You can also take a riding trip to Hell and get a ice cream. The bathrooms are very modern but,they need to be kept clean! The should also give more information out about there breakfast. We did not know about it until the morning of the breakfast. Another good thing is that they check for coggins. I will go back next year!
Reviewed by: Cathy on 9/25/2007 5:41:00 PM
 Experience: Not Specified Ride Date: 9/25/2007 Hometown: Memphis, MI

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This amends my previous, uninformed review. This campground is VERY nice. Well maintained with modern bath facilities and a new in-ground pool. They really bend over backward for camper/trail riders. I hadn't looked around enough the first time I was there and missed the bath facility. This is the nicest place I've been to, yet, including Midwest Trail Ride, and other MI, OH, and IN campgrounds. The trails are REALLY nice.
Reviewed by: Polly on 6/29/2007 12:48:25 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 6/28/2007 Hometown: , MI

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Wonderful, easy-to-ride trails with good footing through a variety of scenery. Well marked trails that also connect to 35 mile modified rail-trail. Camping is great, nice people, plus modern flush toilets/bathhouse facilities. Huge new pool currently being constructed. Rental horses available.
Reviewed by: Anonymous on 5/30/2007 3:52:45 PM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 4/29/2007 Hometown: , Select State

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A wonderful, undiscoverd facility bordering the Pinckney Rec Area which is beautiful. A wide variety of terrain and well maintained trails with actual maps on posts so you won't [easily] get lost. Friendly people, easy to get to, and inexpensive. Oh, and rental horses are available for your friends w/o horses. I only wish it were farther from my home so I could justify staying over night there!
Reviewed by: Polly on 5/29/2007 10:38:00 AM
 Experience: Intermediate Ride Date: 5/29/2007 Hometown: Whitmore Lake, MI