Favorite Ohio Campground?

[FishlessAgain]

We spend most of our trips at Indian Lake. Thinking of taking the boys to aep for a gill trip for our first outing this year.

[sporty]

I have only camped at an actual campground one time - that was Stroud's Run. My favorite campground is a private area with no public around.

[wader]

I gotta say Kiser Lake. Small, quiet, lots of mature trees around, and as long as you're not raising cain, the rangers leave you alone.

[ShakeDown]

Big fan of Salt Fork...nice lots, clean, and gotta love the campers beach/ramp/docks.

[Fish-N-Fool]

We have some nice state campgrounds in Ohio. I like Alum Creek, Salt Fork & Cowan Lake - all very nice, clean, etc. You can also find nice wooded campsites that give that feeling of privacy. I hate camping on open ground and or concrete.

If you have a boat to use on the 10HP lakes, Cowan is hard to beat with great campsites and a campers beach and boat ramp.

[squid_1]

BlueRock, small quiet, remote feel to it and driving distance to AEP.:)

[iam20fan]

i got to say kiser lake also. get the 2 sites thats a little bit in the woods. awesome.lots of shade. even on holiday weekends its quiet. none of those bigs rv's either.

[RichsFishin]

I like Charles Mill on a non holiday weekend. I'm going there on the 18th of April for the weekend.....................Rich

[Net]

My parents/uncles/aunts started a family tradition of camping at Pymatuning State Park over 50 yrs ago. Been going back ever since. Plenty of lakefront campsites. 10 HP limit. Walleye, Muskie, Crappie, SM & LM.

Correction: The HP limit was raised to 20 since I first made this post.

[Rooster]

AEP gets the nod for fishing, but Cowan Lake is nice for the Family. Very clean and well kept campground.

The lakeside spots at Paint Creek are very nice as well.

Not in Ohio, but Zilpo Campground at Cave Run is a VERY nice campground for family camping.

[JimG]

Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day Findley State Park is where I find so much peace and open areas with little or no public around.
Now the fishing is okay, but it could use some boost up with the Wildlife Division with some stocking and also some slot limits till the brood grows up.

But I'm one who loves being by himself and this park offers that in the mentioned times.

Happy Easter Everyone,

JimG

[fishon]

Kenisee's Grand River Camp
4680 Rt. 307 E.
Geneva, OH 44041
Local Phone: 440-466-2320
Fax: 440-466-6520
Email: keniseerv@hotmail.com, keniseegrc@ncweb.com


Great fishing and Campgorund IMO.....

FRank

[fishingguy]

Mosquito state park. Get one with a boat tie up, tent tucked back in the woods. Watch out for the coons at night.

[Net]

I haven't camped at mosquito state park since before they installed electric (20 yrs ago?) but I'd love to return. Tell me more about these boat tie up's. Are they stakes or docks or do you just mean a place to tie your boat to a tree? You're right about the coons...lol. Thanks.

[fishingguy]

Net, no docks at the campsites, tie to a tree. This is an overview of the campgrounds. Top of pic is the camp boatramp. Get a site as close to the main lake as possible, deeper water. You can figure out which areas have boat tie ups.

[Bigun]

My personal favorites have all been mentionedby others but ill add my votes.
Saltfork, AEP, and the only one I haven't seen mentioned was Zaleski.

[jasonrobinson]

by far all the aep camp sits down here in southeast ohio. even litle old blue rock. but the aep lands are free!!! jason

[freyedknot]

east harbor state park or kelly's island state park ,both have modern facilities and allow dogs.

[madcrappiekids]

East Fork and East Harbor are nice - have not really had a bad time anywhere in the state (about 6 state parks)

[madcrappiekids]

east harbor state park or kelly's island state park ,both have modern facilities and allow dogs.

Hey Freyed -

We are thinking about taking the boat out to Kelly's to camp and fish the shores fro some bass - any idea on cost for the trip across the lake? We have a truck and a 16" ranger

Any advice on camping there?

[freyedknot]

MCK, heres a link for the ferry ....http://www.kelleysislandferry.com/.. and it has all the modern facilities. there are beach sites to beach your boat right behind your tent. very nice ,unless a cold noreaster comes up. good fishing for eyes just north of the beach and good smallies in the beach area. you can launch at crafts or west bay if the wind is heavy out of the north and fish all of the south side shore.there is a covience store and laundry right accross the street at the entrance.

[madcrappiekids]

thanks!!! I think hope we can make it this year sometime.

[Lewzer]

Hi Net,
This is what fishinguy is talking about. We fish Mosquito every May.
This year we will be at the campground for 2 weeks. Best time of the year!

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/medium/22IMG_2364.JPG

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/medium/22IMG_2359.JPG


http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/medium/22IMG_2343.JPG



http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/data/500/medium/22IMG_2375.JPG


I haven't been to an Ohio state park campground that I didn't like. But I don't go to them in peak season. Only spring, fall and winter.
Nimisila campground is the worse I've seen. Dirty and generally unkempt.

[FSHNERIE]

Kellys Island......

[Net]

Hi Net,
This is what fishinguy is talking about. We fish Mosquito every May. Yep, That's how I remember it. It's been so long since I camped there I wasn't sure what might have changed. When I lived in mahoning county I always took the week before memorial day off and camped at either mosquito or pymy.

Those pics are crystal clear. Very nice!

[fishingguy]

Hey Lewzer, looks like we get the same spot!:D I had a few dropoffs and hotspots saved in my gps. I updated the firmware and lost all my waypoints! They should tell people that. I would of copied them first. Oh well, just gonna have to find them again. Those skeeter eyes look mighty tasty for a shore lunch! Good luck.

[iam20fan]

how far is Mosquito from dayton? looks nice

[fishingguy]

Kind of far from Dayton, but probably worth the drive.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/2/parkmaps/mosquitolakeparkmap.pdf

[leckig]

ok guys, I took your advice and booked COWAN for 5/16 and 5/17

All parks that I campen on so far were very nice, it is hard to say which is the best. Each is different. I have been to Findley, Pymatuning, Salt Fork, AEP and some more, all were very well taken care of.

[iam20fan]

got 2 kiser lake campites reserved for memorial day weekend.last memorial day weekend there it rained the whole time i was there. it sucked.

[SAUGER]

tappan lake is one of the best lakes to camp at. great camp grounds with a little general store and basketball and volleyball courts and a baseball field so theres stuff to do there if you have kids. you get a boat dock. great beach. and pretty good fishing in that lake for saugeye and crappie.

[TritonBill]

My vote goes to West Branch!

[2talltim]

we like mohican s.p. because of the pool went there last week going again next week...even though a retired DOT told me thy might do away with the pool because of funding i think this would be a huge mistake because a lot of people that is why they go there...this s.p. is always full att summer and i think its because of the pool, kids like to go tubin too

[FishinFreak26]

Out of the ones we've been to, my favorite private campground is the KOA near the Dayton airport.

As far as State parks go, Lake Loramie is our favorite.

Hocking Hills SP was fun too. They had a nice pool and great scenic hiking trails if you're into that sort of thing. The fishing was weak there though.

[peterson.478]

My vote goes to Delaware SP. Nice quiet campground with lots to do. And I'm not saying that just cause I work there.

[auglaizewader]

Indian Gets my "close to home" vote. Nice lake and campground.

Mohican would be my favorite overall. Great for canoeing, especially if you can get a spot along the river. Been too long since I was there.

We hit East Harbor this past weekend. Seemed a little tight and noisy, but the facilities are really good.

[camotoe]

Have to say Wolf Run in Washington Co. Only 220 acre lake but lots of wildlife. Friendly folks. Decent fishing (10 HP limit)

[iam20fan]

kiser lake. very quiet.

[jeffmo]

paint creek(especially in the fall!) and strouds run(dow lake) are two of my favorites.
i haven't been to aep in a long time but i always enjoyed camping there too.

[stormfront]

pymatuning (for now).

[rrtresp28]

I would say West Branch is my favorite. Its clean, well managed. We camp in a cove and tie the boat off. Makes it nice not to have to keep boat on trailer. The water is super clean. They have plenty to do for the kids.

[ao203]

east harbor or hocking hills

[luckylure69]

kelleys island and east harbor by far....smallie fishing on kelleys during mid may to late june is unbeatable...i can remember one night fishin just off the state park pier and in 2 hours me and the girlfriend caught 30 rock bass and 15 smallies (decent size). East harbor also brings great fishing especially in the spring before the harbor gets too weed choked. also both places are lake access right there around decent fishin my recommendation goes to these two campgrounds. Awesome places!! heres a couple pics from a few hours fishin at east harbor last year:


http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/luckylure69/EastHarbor28.jpg

crappie, bullhead, bluegill, rock bass, yellow perch, and largemouth(not showed and released)


http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/luckylure69/EastHarbor30.jpg


crappie and rock bass

http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q248/luckylure69/EastHarbor39.jpg


and a picture of the gf and a baby skunk lol

[Diver Down]

Mill Creek state park berlin reservoir

[Drum_magnet]

East harbor or maumee bay.

[bjs11]

I've had great experiences at morgans campground on the LMR. Campsites are bigger and much more private than any state park I've seen

[ncraft150]

Kenisee's Grand River Camp
4680 Rt. 307 E.
Geneva, OH 44041
Local Phone: 440-466-2320
Fax: 440-466-6520
Email: keniseerv@hotmail.com, keniseegrc@ncweb.com


Great fishing and Campgorund IMO.....

FRank

I have to agree. The ponds are stocked with monsters to. They fish in Erie and bring big smallies back for their ponds. I caught two 4#ers on a fly rod here.

[JV1]

My pick is East Harbor, and not for walleye or bass, for another reason


its nice for everyone, and everyone gets a trophy
http://ohfishing.com/NEWS/?p=232

[sam kegg]

cant wait for normal weather. its nice then its crappy i think i may check into skeeter this year

[cmiller]

mmmm.... Kinda difficult. Any Place that is wooded and has a lake front!

[Jess&Dave]

Hi Net,
This is what fishinguy is talking about. We fish Mosquito every May.
This year we will be at the campground for 2 weeks. Best time of the year!
[IMG]

I haven't been to an Ohio state park campground that I didn't like. But I don't go to them in peak season. Only spring, fall and winter.
Nimisila campground is the worse I've seen. Dirty and generally unkempt.

Wonderful pics. We love mosquito state park & every state park we have visited. We have not tried the Nimisila campground due to the bad reviews.

I am sooo ready to get camping again.

[sam kegg]

Harrison hills.... near leasville lake

[Steelhead Fever]

Has anyone ever mentioned INDIAN CREEK??? its so much fun for the whole fam. theres pond s to fish and you have geneva harbor 5 min. away and ashtabula 20 min. away it s the best of both world!!!! try it!!!!!!!!:D

[Bdrape]

I like all of the campgrounds mentioned, but you all need to try Lock 30 resort in Lisbon. Great campground, great staff and the little beaver creek and it's great smallmouth fishing run all the way around the campground.

Bdrape

[General]

I like aep the most. Camp grounds D K and C are the only ones I've been in but I thought they were very nice. Can't beat driving gravel roads for hours on end then pull off and fish. Early spring the camps all get crowded and to my suprise about 80% of the people i talked to were "mushroom hunting" not turkey hunting or fishing

[GoneBassin]

This question really depends on what we are wanting to do when we go camping.

If we are looking to just get outdoors and enjoy mother nature we like to go to Old Mans Cave in the Hocking Hills region. Great trails and plenty of attractions for the family to enjoy.

If I am wanting to actually do some fishing then I go to Pymatuming or Charles Mill. I admit that charles mill isn't exactly a haven for fishermen, but the fact that it isn't really all that crowded is really nice.

[wildman]

Wayne National Forest Trail head Long ridge and Monday creak! They are free and has a craper. In the middle of nowhere with Miles of trails!

[TIGHTLINER]

Did anybody go to Black Bull campground in Atwater, OH in the late 80s early 90s?

[tkbiker]

I would have to say Tappan Lake...first

Old mans cave ..Very close second.

[MassillonBuckeye]

My parents/uncles/aunts started a family tradition of camping at Pymatuning State Park over 50 yrs ago. Been going back ever since. Plenty of lakefront campsites. 10 HP limit. Walleye, Muskie, Crappie, SM & LM.

Correction: The HP limit was raised to 20 since I first made this post.

Are you my brother? lol. Same story. Haven't been up there in a while. One of my uncles converted the cottage to his home. Pretty nice up there.

[BingeAndPurge]

I like Lake Hope for the quiet and scenery. Have a lot of good memories there. Shame the old lodge burned down.

I'm still trying to find something here comparable to some of the places I went to in Colorado, though.

[DMinn Angler]

For Fishing, I like the smaller campgrounds that have ponds.

If you want to know a great campground for the family, Clays park has something for everyone. Used to do our family reunions there till it was moved to WV

[rustyfish]

We have had a camp lot on the ohio river every year most of my life and I love it, but we have hit a few lakes too. We used to go to saltfork as a kid and I really liked it. Paint creek is not to bad.

If you have kids Longs Retreat is nice. Small water park, gocarts, rock wall and stuff like that. The camping there is ok and the fishing in the small lake is nothing special but catching gills off of paddleboats or canoes is always fun. Its a good place to take your children or grandkids.

[ThunderHawk7]

Piedmont Lake in the Spring and Fall!!! I also like the AEP grounds!

[fishinjim]

Had a blast at the jellystone campground off the mammoth cave exit in kentucky.
For Halloween weekends we like winton woods down near cinci.

We'll be checking out east harbor this July.


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[mallorian]

Aep and maumee bay top my list. Haven't actually camped at dillon since i was little but i always liked it back then.

[Bass-Chad]

I have always loved going down to Salt Fork and camping in lot D? I think it is. I use the same spot every time but, for the life of my I cannot remember the lot letter or number.

[fishinaway]

we enjoy east harbor state park, but we dont launch our boat there the bay gets so weed choked and we go down the road and launch boat right into good fishing i just cant remember the name of the public boat ramp. hillview acres campground is a private place just outside of saltfork sp great campgrounds and they have a couple catch and release pond that are fun for kids. oh yea and wolf run in noble county. but nothing in my opinion beats the free camping at aep.

[carpslayer]

Im going to mosquito for memorial day for three nights... wanna do some catfishin, carpc gills for the kids.... if anyone has some spots they would share that would be much appreciated. Love to teach my son about the great outdoors!!

[Rivergetter]

Carpslayer sent you a pm


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[carpslayer]

thanks Rivergetter!!

[billonthehill]

camper is there now, not sure where to go.
all new to me.

[RebelWithACause122]

When I was a kid, my family frequented a campground in Ashland County. When we first started going, it was called Sloan's Hickory Lakes Campground... at some point it changed to Smith's Hickory Lakes Campground... then when it changed ownership again, it was just called Hickory Lakes Campground (but the last time I was there was 10 years ago). The campground has 4 ponds, 3 of which are for fishing and 1 is designated for swimming (they maintain a sandy beach and control the weeds). It's located a little ways east of Fin Feather & Fur Outfitters... although back then, "the Fin" was a small fishing & hunting store in a little block building, not the giant that they are now (but they still crammed a LOT of selection into that tiny building they were in).

The campground is great for people who don't have boats. There is a LOT of shore access to the 3 fishing ponds, and one of the ponds is quite large... hard to guess from old memories, but probably somewhere around 5 acres maybe? All 3 ponds had great fishing... at least I thought so. When I was like 13, 14 years old, my dad was self-employed, and we would stay at the campground for 10 days at a time since he could work from there. I was the only one in my family that liked to fish. I got up in the morning and went out fishing... my parents only saw me at meal times when I came back to get something to eat. I worked the shorelines of all 3 ponds and caught many bass... some 2 to 3 pounds, which was quite large to me at the time.

This is much more of a trip down memory lane for me than a campground review, lol. I would love to go back and check that place out again. I remember there being a lot of permanent campers, I also remember shaded sites being fairly limited, which stuck us out in the sun on a few occasions that we arrived on a busy weekend. But most of all, I remember the bass fishing. Those were the ponds where I cut my teeth on several important bass lures: the purple worm, the bubble-gum slug-go, and the black Jitterbug. What could be more exciting to a 14 year-old than watching bass explode on that jitterbug in the evening just as it gets too dark to see? Those were the days... and that was the place.