Remove Ads
4.2
14 votes

Lake Hudson State Recreation Area

5505 Morey Hwy., Clayton, Michigan 49235 USA

  • Independent
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
Add to Trip
Remove Ads

“perfect picnic spot!”

Lake Hudson State Recreation Area is a 2,796-acre state park located near Clayton, Lenawee County, Michigan. It is a recognized dark-sky preserve and one of the least used state parks near Detroit. Lake Hudson is located in an area of open farmland, near the Ohio border. The nearest shopping is located in Hudson, approximately 7 miles west of the park. Users will find a laundry-mat, grocery store, as well as a bowling alley and movie theatre. Eating choices vary from fast food to family dining, as well as a place to get ice cream! Lake Hudson Recreation Area has 2,796 acres of recreational opportunities around Lake Hudson. The park, which lies in southeast Michigan, offers premier muskie fishing and game hunting. The terrain is gently rolling with a mixture of open brush land to mature hardwood forest, with some pockets of open meadows mixed in. An open beach area provides users a place for sunbathing and swimming. If shade is needed, users should bring a beach umbrella or something to provide shade. Dark Sky Preserve: Since 1993, Lake Hudson has been designated a dark sky preserve for observation of the nighttime sky. The goal of creating this designation was to show that preserving night skies for enjoyment is fully compatible with other recreational uses. Amateur astronomers should remember that Lake Hudson is a public park and other legitimate night time recreation users may not share the same sensitivity toward dark skies. The Dark Sky Preserve Brochure explains in more detail what this unique feature is about. Contact the park manager if you'd like to use the park resources after 10 p.m. in any areas outside the campground.

Read More >

Reviews of Lake Hudson State Recreation Area

7 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.3 Access
4.6 Location
4.7 Cleanliness
4.1 Site Quality
4.7 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G/5G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on July 01, 2024

AT&T 4G/5G

Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on July 01, 2024

T-Mobile 4G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on July 31, 2020

Reviews

Add Review
Thanks!
Your Rating
1
2
3
4
5
Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

May 14, 2018
Rated

Beautiful campground. We were fortunate to have reserved one of the best sites (in my opinion) at the campground. It was shaded and we didn’t see any other campers unless they were walking or driving by, the other sites weren’t within view. There are wide open sites, however, if that’s what you’re looking for.

We will definitely be going back there several times.

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $11.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 34

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

August 24, 2018
Rated

We stopped here overnight on our way west. It is a bit of a hike from the highway. We didn’t need a reservation, although a lot of sites were reserved, especially those closest to the lake. All the sites have an electric pole but the pole is a long ways away in some of them. None of the sites are pull-through. Once you find a site you like that doesn’t have a reservation slip on the post, remember the number. You then drive back to the Headquarters building (about a mile plus) and pick up the yellow phone, which connects you to someone at MI State Parks. Then you find out if you can stay in that site and pay. Check-out time is 1 pm.

Was this helpful?

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 49

RV Length: 34 ft

3 Access
3 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
  • 4 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
July 31, 2020
Rated

Sites are mostly very private, some wooded and some open. A very quiet park with only about 25% occupancy midweek. If you do not reserve in advance, you need to drive to the office and call (using their “yellow phone”) after you have selected a site.

Could not give 5 stars because:
1. Electric boxes are ridiculously far away from the campsites. With 50’ of cord we were not able to reach, so we had to back the camper into the path intended for us to walk to the box. Some sites are worse - up to 100 feet. Some sites have the boxes quite close, but these are generally the less desirable ones. 2, 4, 24, 25 are among those that have easily accessible boxes.
2. The only access to water is a very hard to operate hand pump. I had to hang onto it like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and pull down with all my body weight. After getting most of our water, an employee offered to let us fill up with a hose at the office.
3. Sites are not level. Plan on having a good leveling system if you have a trailer.
4. Poison ivy is EVERYWHERE. Use extreme caution!

The pit toilets were relatively clean. There was only one per loop.

The lake water was warm, and there is a small shallow swimming beach which kids would enjoy. No lifeguard.

Our site (23) had a long path to the lake with a ladder going down the small cliff to make it possible to set in a kayak. There is also a boat launch with a couple of places to set in.

We visited this park to see the night sky, but it was cloudy both nights. If we return, it will probably be during a less humid time of the year. We really wanted to see comet Neowise, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Was this helpful?
roadtripper4529481 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 23

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

T-Mobile 4G

  • 3 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
August 01, 2020
Rated

This state park is a great combination of nature and modern amenities. As the previous post said, there is little to no water, and the access to power can be a very far run. On site 42 we were able to use a 50’ extension cord and still have plenty to spare. As previously stated as well, the sites are not very level so we spent a fairly significant amount of time leveling our pop-up camper before setting up. Each site includes a fairly secluded lot surrounded by trees, a fire pit, a picnic table, and 30A 220V / 15A 110V electrical hookup. If you want a nice time away without too much commotion, this is a great option. We did, however have an issue on Friday night with someone exploding sticks of dynamite when felt like very close to our site. This occurred twice and each time shaking our campsite. We had decided if it occurred a 3rd time, we would alert the authorities, but thankfully it didn’t happen again. Overall, we really enjoyed our short stay!

Was this helpful?
roadtripper694231 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 42

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Photo of Campendium

Reviewed by
Campendium

October 25, 2020
Rated

When looking on the map you might think there is water to be had, but I warn you there was not. While there is a single well pump to use it was not working. We spoke with a DNR representative and he was not able to get it working either. We had only a small amount in our tank but thankfully we were camping across from family and they brought more. They had site #9 and honestly #8 was better. We also walked around to check out other sites and while I've read others review that #37 is the best site I wanted to mention that it rained while we were there and a lot of rain flows down through that site into the lake and it looked pretty funky afterwards. Our site was nice and wide and as others have mentioned it's a pretty long throw to the power. We used all the 50' we had to reach it. Oh, and I had 2 bars AT&T LTE, which was enough to stream Netflix from my hotspot.

Was this helpful?
This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $20.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 8

RV Length: 19 ft

RV Type: Travel Trailer

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

Reviewed by
keithkree

  • 8 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
July 03, 2023
Rated

No dump stations or water hookups. Well pump. Electric a distance from lots. Remote with cellular. If you have a trailer or rig larger than 30 ft just a few lots are level or large enough. Ideal for tents and small setups if you enjoy rugged campgrounds. Grass lots. Trails to beach and lake.. Gravel roadway.

Was this helpful?
keithkree would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $30.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 14

3 Access
4 Location
3 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 2 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
July 01, 2024
Rated

My 1st time camping in Michigan so had no expectations. This is small quiet campground with 30amp electric only. You'll need either 25' or 50' extension cord as breaker boxes in weird locations. Only water is hand pump up front. Pit toilets.This campground more suited for tent campers or smaller RVs. I have 17ft TT so no issues. My site #39 was level & shaded with path to lake from site. It is a bit of a drop off to access water from site. Sites located on outside of loop are more private. Inside loop sites are back to back.
Site #37, 38, 39 are best sites in my opinion.
#37 best overall. Wider site with best lake view.

Was this helpful?
roadtripper9087411 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 5

Site Number: 39

4 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 5G

AT&T 5G

Be the first to add a review to the Lake Hudson State Recreation Area.

Lake Hudson State Recreation Area

5505 Morey Hwy.
Clayton, Michigan
49235 USA
Remove Ads

Hours

Hours not available

Problem with this listing? Let us know.

Has RV parking changed? Let us know.

Remove Ads
  • Unavailable
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Unknown
    Credit Cards Accepted
Affiliation
Other public land (TVA, DOD, county parks with campgrounds)
Last Nightly Rate
30.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
34 ft
Lowest Nightly Rate
11.0
Max Length
40 ft
Max Stay
14
Season End
November
Season Start
April
Sites Count
50
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Check
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Check
    Permit Required
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Showers
  • Check
    Sites
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
See More Details (48)

Campground, Restrooms

Remove Ads

Nearby Hotels

Archbold, Ohio
Archbold, Ohio
Hillsdale, Michigan
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Tecumseh, Michigan
Tecumseh, Michigan
FastBook

Click to discover a
great deal!

Remove Ads

Related Trip Guides

Remove Ads
20119567