At first you arrive you see nothing but beautiful trees, trails, campsites and parks. The campgrounds have their own fire pits and picnic tables. All around nice area but the management and the people working for this beautiful place are nothing but rude and disrespectful people. The supervisor Mr. Perry defiantly oversteps his boundaries with how he treats visitors that’s for sure. Both him and a A lady named Deb should both be evaluated for their jobs.

Its one of the few lakes left in Livingston County open to the public not overrun by private homes. It makes a great retreat for quiet times with nature.

Today was an absolutely beautiful, fall day to walk through the Chilson disc golf course. The wind was blowing through the tall pines making a wild, rushing sound. The picture attached is the fairway on the 17th hole.

Such a nice, well maintained park. The trails were nice too bike or hike and the campground space were roomy. We will definitely be back.

Fun way to spend time outdoors and learning to ride a horse! Kids and I both had a great time. Bring some warm gloves in cooler weather.

We stayed in the Appleton campground for a long weekend in unusually hot weather and were delighted to find that all of the campsites are sandy and sloped - not too much of either - and they are heavily shaded by tall oaks so we could sit and play outside comfortably.The park beach was a short bike ride away, within walking distance, and the water a bit shallow for swimming but excellent for teaching children to swim. The bathrooms at the beach were in good order.We also took a trip over to the Bishop Lake campground - I wouldnt ever stay there. Its open ground, site to site, and seemed to have a lot of crowded sites with drinking and cornhole going on. Lots of RVs. More drinking outside than camping, but the crowd could change (or maybe thats your jam). The bathrooms there were another story - modern, fairly clean, and SHOWERS. I was happy to visit and then head back to the forest.I cant quite give five stars because the vault toilets at Appleton were nearly full, and in this heat it was a thing where Id hold my breath while flies came up at my face as I stood over the hole. Not great. Not a serious problem, but it did take some of the fun out.Id happily visit again.

Great local area. Great for close camping and shake down runs. For your off grid camping has water for canoes;kayaks. But still close enough to run home or store for missing/ forgotten gear.

The walking trails are awesome!! The walking trails and biking trails are not shared, but seperate from each other, which makes it so much more enjoyable for both. Beautiful scenery, regularly maintained, and highly recommend!

Great hiking trails. Bryce Vrooman Eagle Scout Project put in some new benches this year. Very nice and much appreciated. Beautiful and quiet place to hike.

Great for kayaking and riding. 2 trails to choose, yellow is harder than blue, but a little shorter. They are usually in good shape. Recent reroute on blue trail is a little rough, and added 2 more road crossings .Kayaking here is amazing. There is a great place to stop for a swim and lunch half way down the river.

Not too crowded so it was nice to walk around. Very pretty.

Our scout troop has camped in the group camp twice in the last 18 months. Id give 5 stars if they installed a water hose by the bathrooms so we could clean them out. :-)

This is a lovely, sprawling state park with many amenities. Its hard to believe it is nestled in the wilds of Livingston County. A great place to bring families and for a nice afternoon or day trip.

Lots to do, very kid friendly, short and easy trails you can use with smaller children. Large beach with clear water. Even had large inflatables in the water.

This is a wonderful campground! We love taking the family here since there is so much to do. The kids can fish, play on the trails, swim (although I suggest waiting until its warmer...), bike, and more. The staff is friendly and helpful. The location is ideal; its just outside of Brighton, yet you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful park.

Beautiful park. So many trials to bike or walk. Great campground!

Wonderful place to go camping. Good sized campsites with electric only. Walk or ride your bike down a nice trail to the beach. They have kayaks and paddle boards for rent or launch your own boat. Super friendly staff.

Love the trails for hiking or biking. If you wanna take a dip then the waters pretty nice. Lots of room to kayak. Get after it

We were camped on an outer edge of the camping area, vs in the middle and we had electric hookups for our class c. Very nice modern shower and restroom facilities were one site away. Lots of equipment you could rent or borrow for corn hole, ladder ball, geocaching, and kayaking, etc. Quiet end of the lake nearby and a half mile (?) Walk or bike ride along a path to the main beach and day use area. We did not do the water obstacle course but it looked fun. I would only go again if I could be on the outer edge again. Nice clean park!

Fantastic state park with nice water front and beach, hiking and mountain bike trails. They have lots of picnic tables and outdoor grills, a huge change room, gaga ball pit and more.This is truly my favorite state park in the area.

I love the tranquility of this place. Truly majestic.

It group of 9 people went for hiking on the Penosha trail at 7 am. Very few people at that time.Its it of the main roads.. And extremely serene. The trail was amazing with some elevations.

Beautiful hiking trails perfect for social distancing. Well maintained park with a gorgeous lake makes you feel as though you are far from societys troubles. Highly recommend visiting

Absolute love the camp ground. Very clean and friendly. Awesome trails and fishing.

It is a wonderful place! the water is clean.

A great place for hiking and swimming. Trails where pretty easy and kid friendly.

Great rec area, we had a great adventure race, first timer, meet some great people and organizers of the race, even with social distance.

Always a great time, here. Lots to do. Lots to see. Camping rustic is the best experience. Closer to stores in case you forgot something!

The water is a no wake lake. It is calm enough to take out the kayaks and enjoy the sunset. It is warm and shallow enough for my kids to swim and play.

We chose the rustic campground Murray Lake...very secluded and peaceful...you feel like you traveled up north.

Great time camping out under the stars in tents. Fishing and swimming at the beach. Bonfires and smores. A nice getaway less a little more than an hour away

Fun clean respectful been going for 40+ years Nieman Family annual camping

Been coming here for years. Nice spot. I suggest getting a pass before you come out.

Its truly rustic .they have outhouses usually taking care of daily by staff.The beach is in walking distancefor 17 a night no complaints..stayed at Appleton lake

Great state park with a pretty lake! We love it here:)

Horseback riding is amazing here!

Beautiful little place to spend the day. Pic do no justice..Kids had a blast here. Jump Island you have to pay for! Lots of kids on Islands, but plenty of room for them. Check in was easy, Make a reservation, especially with Groupon. Calling is easier than online. (Paid 68$ for 6 kids for 3 sessions on Groupon) The lifeguard got kids ready, made sure lifejackets were all secured properly then give instructions then heads out with kids. Parents do not need to go out with kids. Everything is monitored pretty well. Lifeguard made sure there was no diving or head first on slide and not too many kids on one island at a time.. Lifejackets provided but can bring your own. Small play area in water for under 48. All sessions are 45 min. and start at top of the hour. I express getting there 1/2 hour before session starts for wristbands if you want your full 45 minutes..line gets long quick! Beach is small but nice, plenty of picnic tables and place s to out down blankets. Charcoal Bbq grill for dogs and burgers. Short walk from parking. Playground, volleyball, ga-ga ball, swimming, kayaking available without Jump Island. Must have recreation passport on license plate or 16$ to get in, but pass is good until renew plates. Concessions are available, we bring cooler.

Very good walking and bike riding destination.

Yurt Review! - We camp at Brighton Rec Area a few times a year because we love it so much. With it getting chilly we decided to rent the Hilltop Hurt for a weekend. It was awesome! It was extremely clean, well-maintained and there was a ton of room inside. The heater was very hot to the touch, so be careful around that, but it kept us super toasty all weekend. Vault toilet was very clean and well-maintained. The surrounding woods were perfect for my 6 year old (frankly all of us) to explore. I think we spent all of Saturday outside in the woods. The yurt is in walking distance to two hiking trails - one thats 2 miles long, the other is 5 miles. We trekked the 2 mile trail and it was beautiful! We were unable to get wood from the check-in station so we gathered fallen trees and brush from around us to burn in the fire pit outside; it worked out wonderfully. One quirky thing that happened all weekend was we would get random people driving up to the hill to check the yurt out. We met a lot of nice people though, so as long as you dont mind the occasional visitor to see the yurt, its seriously perfect for off season camping! Its on our list for places to come back to! Try the yurt, youll love it!

Nice campground, beautiful area around. Sites are closer than Id l like but not terrible.

Love it! A gem in the area! The hiking and biking trails are separated.

Quiet trails on a rainy day.

Park is clean and well maintenanced. Beach wasnt crowded and the water was clean, no weird foam. Weather was great.

Yummy but it was so hott my sprinkles were melting off

Beautiful place to be. To be human. Go here, take your shoes off & get grounded. Beautiful beach. Beautiful trails. Excellent Woods. Have fun people.Stay good.

The rustic campsites are absolutely perfect. The only (very minor) complaint I have is that there is only one outhouse in the entire Murray campground.

Lots of nice trails. Beautiful campground on the lake.

Just stopped by. Didnt even know it existed. Really beautiful area. Ill probably be coming back when it warms up.

Great area for hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, and camping. Campground was clean. Sites near us were spacious. Showers were clean, but water was not very hot, and it came out too hard Our only complaints about the campground -- fire pits are too big (didnt have a cooking grate that fit all the way across) and non-stop barking dogs. All in all, a very nice area for recreation!

Great conditions for disc golf

Great place to have some good old-fashioned fun!!! My family & I love making memories at Bishop Lake:)

Overall good place to hike, camp, swim, and fish. Their Halloween Weekends are really good!

Nice little lake with interconnection between other lakes. Boating, swimming, beach restroom and picnic areas as well as camping.

The DNR and staff do a poor job at this state park. There was campers checking in with no face masks and the staff did not make them put on masks. No one was wearing masks in any facility including DNR staff. I asked several staff members why arent they leading by example and making people wear masks. They said its posted. This state park should be shut down. Quite time is supposed to be at 10pm. There was screaming kids, bike riders and people partying into the night at least until 2am and this was on the weekday.

Loved it, wish people knew how to distance themselves but other then that love it always

My family has been coming here for years. My children now love it as well.

Great time clean sites everyone is friendly

We camped for the weekend and really enjoyed our time. Very clean bathrooms. Campsites were great size, although as tent campers, I wish there was more shade, especially for camping in June. Our second day we rented the kayaks all day. We drove 2 hours for the easy kayaking and great views we read about at the campground. And Although it was pretty, the water in the lakes(more like ponds) was not clean. We often found our paddles getting stuck in the weeds that covered the lakes. We wished we could dock our kayaks at any lake edge and swim around. The designated swimming area was very small and a bit of a hike for anyone who may have issues getting around. It was paved, just a long walk. Employees there were all very young, which actually irritated us in the end. The town of Brighton was beautiful and we spent a lot of time there walking around.

Challenging hiking trails, well marked, clean picnic areas. Well be back!

Clean and relaxing. Great lake for paddling. Beach can get crowded on weekends.

Really beautiful walk through the woods. Close to home

Decent as far as these kinda parks go.Nothing special. But average and still worth checking out still

Loved the hiking trails, the have trails for biking and if u have a horse u can bring them to and go on the horse trails . Bishop lake swimming area with an inflated slide out in the water !

Great camping and lake! Im never disappointed with how clean the beach and waters are kept. Fishing is great for those interested in smaller fish or even catching some bigger ones! Its a go-to summer destination.

Always a great get away!

Some of the attractions are overpriced, but that is to be expected at a place like this. Otherwise beautiful park.

Archery, cabins, beach that is not over crowded! The prices for the water jungle is far too pricey.

One of the nicest places to hike in the area!!

Wonderful facility! Not enough guards for the smaller kid park though, so if you have little ones, call ahead. This is definitely a park for the bigger kids.

Nice spots. Lots of different things to do at this park.

Ive been here to walk some of the trails but havent come close to walking them all or visit other areas yet. Ive liked what i have seen so far.

The 4.5 mile loop is great for running. I love it, my dog loves it, so much fun.

Love kayaking and camping here.

Great family place to go

I come here for peace of mind. Nature is beautiful and the DNR have been doing an amazing job with the upkeep and adding new hiking/biking trails. Disc golf course is one of my local favorites!

Very nice bike riding trail

Great hike. Nice to find a hill in Michigan.

Good deer hunting

We hiked penosha trail. Lots of hills. Great hike ️

Very clean park. Beach area is rather small but there are quite a few picnic tables and grills. There are floating climbing things there for children to bounce around on.

This place has it all! Camping, horseback riding, swimming, paddling, mountain biking, hiking... (Nice separation of trails, too). Has that nice up north feel, without the long ride. Looks like good winter sports, too. Lots of room and activity places for big events: reunions, scouting, birthdays, etc. Well groomed. Baseball diamond, bathroom facilities, horseshoe pits and more! A true cornerstone of the Michigan State Park Park system!

Fun place. Our kids enjoy it each year. The attendants could be a bit nicer but there were a couple who were good hospitality.

Great to walk, jog run, bike around the Endor have a picnic and go for a swim.

Great trails for hiking and biking.

Beautiful park, especially like the beginners Disc Golf course for a good introduction to the sport. Can play the 6 holes fast and little chance of losing your disc. Plus the course is almost always empty so for a more challenging experience its fun and easy to switch up what holes you throw to and work on your long game.

This is a really nice spot for a short hike. The trails are nicely maintained. If you want to make a little outing of it, it also has easy access to downtown Howell and downtown Brighton to wander the cute shops.

Very nice, showerhouse and trails to beach

Great drones and 360 vr disc golf in Mixed Reality

It was nice to get out in the forest

Good mountain bike trails. Nice family park overall.

It was great, splash Island for my littles was a blast!

If you live nearby and want a quick get away, this place is perfect! The property is so vast and wild I felt worlds away even though I was 10 minutes from downtown Brighton. Challenging disc golf course and plenty of things to do including a large series of inflatables on Bishop lake, kayaking, canoeing and fantastic mountain bike trails. The park is also kept very clean. Discover new trails and nature at Brighton State Rec. I should note that off shore fishing is not that good, the water is very shallow in most places so plan on bringing some waders or tall waterproof boots.

Nice place by water to kayak, enjoy nature until alot of renters came in with kids up late & barking dogs@!@

Ideal for a weekend hike and picnic!

Great walking trails all seasons, well-kept, and a nice beach in the summer! Been coming here since I was a kid. Also offers bike trails, archery, camping, and more.

The hiking trails here are great! Just be aware that they are not short and some can take you over 2 hours, if you are up for that then you are in for a treat! Getting here can be a little difficult though!

Laid back atmosphere. Clean facilities.

We met our daughter and grandson here for geocaching! This is a beautiful park! The trails are so nice! Oh, and our son and daughter in law and we took a hike here in October, too! Very nice!

Huge quiet spaces. Beautiful hiking trails, accessable swimming beach.

Such a wonderful place to camp with the family!