Are you planning a tent camping trip to California? We've got you covered. Find the best information on tent campgrounds near California, including sites, reviews, and tips. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Kentucky tent camping excursion.
$15 - $28 / night
Presently only offering tent primitive camping. What is Mimsey's Mayhem? Site with large swings, obstacle course and zip line for KIDS. I know adults like to play but sometimes that get out of control. There are hiking trails and a fishing lake. We are one mile from BIG BONE PARK. This is still a new development. Limting camping until we get this down right. Access to Adaire Wildlife Refuge 800 acres. Kayaking access at Big Bone Landing 2 miles away.
$28 / night
This recreation area is part of Ohio River - Meldahl Pool
Tree Line Retreat is the ideal spot for some well deserved R&R! Nestled on a 40 acre working farmstead, the primitive camp sites are natural grass areas under a tree canopy of large oaks, cherries and other species. You are welcome to hike around and explore the 40 acres, plenty of backroads for beautiful biking, nearby lake with public access for fishing, swimming& picnicking. Located between Cincinnati OH and Lexington KY, the retreat is a short 20 minute drive to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown KY, 45 minutes to Lexington KY, 50 minutes to Cincinnati. An abundance of wildlife roam the area from many species of birds, deer, turkeys along with possible visits from our free range barn cats!
Bartlett Farm proudly raises California, New Zealand & mini Rex rabbits, Embden geese, Muscovy ducks, pasture raised chicken and pasture raised eggs. There are some fenced farm dogs to make noise to keep predators away and some barn cats. All tent sites are brush hogged and the access road is as well. Firewood and water by the gallon available for purchase.
$20 / night
All campsites are primitive, but if you’re interested in dry RV camping (no water or electric hookups), call for help finding a spot.
Traveler
The park overall is nice, just a little small. Perfact if you want to camp alone or with a small party of six. It runs right next to the little Miami. The road is extremely near and you can hear every car driving g by. The fall chill by the fire is nice but it's way to open for my taste. Anyone can pull in and see your entire setup just from the road or parking lot. If you plan to go and you are not a people person, I would definitely suggest going away from holidays. The little town across the way is a fun site to see and quiet. There is only one site to camp at, so you won't have to worry about other campers the park is all yours. The Only concern is the visitors to the park
ScoutThe park is closed and should no longer be listed on the app.
Guide
Autumn is the best time to camp in Ohio. Lots of small bathrooms. Lake access. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to the fact there was no quick reentry. Had to wait for rvs in front of me to register.
Legend
General: Huge state park with over 400 sites. All are pet-friendly and electric. About 20 are FHU. While tent camping is permitted, certain sites are not recommended for it as there would be no place to pitch a tent. One loop is for equestrian camping but when we were there, I only saw one horse trailer, and the rest were occupied by RV campers.
Site Quality: All camper pads are paved and most appeared level or just very slightly sloped. A picnic table and fire ring complete the site. Some sites have more trees to provide privacy while others are closer together with little separation.
Bath/Shower House: Not all loops have their own bath house and the I loop where we stayed was one of them. We used the one in the H Loop. The bathhouses were clean, and the shower had nice hot water, however, it doesn’t seem like there were sufficient facilities for how large the campground was (H Loop had two showers, two toilets, and three sinks). Hooks or shelves would have been appreciated.
Activities/Amenities: Many activities can be enjoyed here including mini golf (small nine-hole course), soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, corn hole, boating, and bicycling. Playgrounds are in several loops (I saw them in C and G). Rentals are available but most are only in season (ended September 30). There is a nature center and several hiking or paved biking/walking trails. There is also a camper beach for boating and swimming.
When we reserved months earlier, we knew that our first night (a Saturday) was 100% full as we got the very last site. What we did not know is that there was a HUGE Halloween celebration complete with 30-40 decorated golf carts parading through the campground. The road was closed until 6:45 pm (we arrived around 7 pm) and cars lined both sides of the approximately two-mile road! If that's your thing, great but it wasn't necessarily ours!
I appreciate that this park encourages so much outdoor activity, but it is not very pedestrian-friendly. I walked the road from one end to the other and there was no shoulder and, in many spots, no place to safely step off into the grass. I’m guessing it is assumed you will either have a car or golf cart to get around.
One final note: for a park so close to a large city (Cincinnati), I was surprised the cell service was so lacking (on Verizon). We eked out one and occasionally two bars of 4G.
Guide
Not sure about Mound Ridge. This is the Campground for Caesar Creek State Park. Excellent facilities. Clean bathrooms with showers. New electrical posts.
Guide
Well kept campground with a pond. Bathrooms were well maintained and clean. Lots of stars at night!
Traveler
RV Sites are gravel w electric hookups. close to major highways. staff were friendly.
Traveler
We stayed one night— fine for the quick in and out. Did NOT have sewer hookups as advertised, so plan to dump before you park if you’ve been traveling. Spaces are narrow— though we were able to navigate the area, I wouldn’t necessarily call it “Big Rig Friendly” Road behind is loud but the campground itself was quiet.
ScoutFinal approach/exit to the park is very steep. Beautiful sites but fairly close together. Gravelled roads and pads surrounded by forest with three small streams cutting through. Sites are not particularly level. Bathrooms are clean and the hosts are attentive. The only trash bin is near the office by the out of service pool.
TravelerWhen you check out, Eastfork, you should look at it personally instead of just online. My mistake was I did it online and I ended up with My Family being in the middle of the rich snob class of loop I lol.? We did have a very nice neighbor across from us the last couple days. The bathrooms were clean . Our lot was full of acorns very very dry and very very small lot. They say you’re supposed to camp or park your tent from the electric box over.
Guide
This campground has nice big sites, not the tiny sites that some Ohio state park campgrounds have. Most of them looked relatively level. However, there is no privacy, you are smashed right against your neighbors on both sides, and some parts were essentially just an RV parking lot.
The showerhouse was fine, I wouldn't call it clean as there was hair and scummy stuff everywhere, but I was there on a fully booked weekend so I guess you'll have that. The toilet/sink building nearest to our site reeked of urine, think gas station bathroom that hasn't been cleaned in years- looked clean but smelled terrible. There was also just one pedestal sink in this bathroom, so nowhere to put your things if you want to brush your teeth, even wash your hands.
The big problem was the noise. We were there on "camper appreciation weekend" and they way they "appreciated" us was have an extremely noisy, not-very-talented cover band blare extremely loud 70s and 80s music for three hours on Saturday night. They had big speakers, amps, drum set, the whole bit. You could hear it quite clearly and loudly from every corner of the campground. I go camping for peace and quiet, to hear the crickets and birds and the crackle of our campfire. I do not want to have to endure three hours of men wailing on their guitars and belting out every top forty hit ever written by Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was extremely annoying, disruptive and jarring, and took away from our camping experience of sitting peacefully by our camp fire. If I were to return here, I would call first to make sure they are not "appreciating" the campers and putting on an unsolicited rock concert.
Guide
Expensive for what it has to offer. At 48.00 bucks a night yes they do have WIFI in the RV section. They do have concrete pads. It’s a shame they are worthless they are to small to park the average RV on an are on the wrong side of most rigs unless you pull in 1/2 the sites the electric is on the wrong side. The sites are gravel and not level the rest rooms are new and nice. The horse stalks are very nice. If you have a large horse trailer type camper your screwed the sites are small so that only leaves you with the RV sites that are a few 100 feet away from the stables If you want to walk threw the drainage ditch add about 300 ft if you don’t want to walk threw the muck. It’s a shame when they paved the entry road they didn’t spend a little more. “Grant money “ or tax money an do it properly. The main play ground is extremely nice. About 1/3 Mile walk. They do have a small playground in the rv section. For horses again they have a nice setup for big RVs it Sux they have a dump station. Situated in between the entry road to the Fkatwood rv section and equestrian area The main lake is nice you can rent kayaks canoes. Or use your own boat. The boat ramp is nice the other end of the lake at the flat wood rv section. Is t really a lake it’s a back water shallow mud hole depending on the time of the year. Mosquitoes the size of jet fighters. Will rather eat you alive or carry you off. “Lol sorry could t resist “ it gets bad the park is clean and well maintained Except for the camp sites
TravelerMe and my partner went during Labor Day and left the fourth. We were there for three days and two nights. It was amazing. Our spot was a small walk to the water so we could fish and still keep up with the fire. We were right against the woods. There was a perfect flat spot for the tent. The trees were great cover from the bright sun. We were also able to walk to the restroom and could see the whole building from our site. We were site 009. So the bathroom was across the road. Everyone was very friendly there as well! The only downside was the grill for the fire pit. It’s at an angle so cooking on it was difficult as it was hard not to spill food
Scout
We absolutely love this campground, very friendly staff and well kept and clean!! They are pet friendly and allow portable fences.
TravelerLot372 sits in a little into the woods. Makes it cool for camping. Real camping without a camper. lol shade some sun but watch out for the yellow jackets!
Traveler
This is a great place to take the kids. We go here every year. They have an in-ground pool, a small store for camping needs, firewood delivery and propane refills. Cell service here is awful and there is no WiFi. The antenna will pick up several local channels. There is a Dollar General about 10 mins away for grocery needs. They have several pull-through and full hookup options as well. Sites are somewhat level. This park has beautiful landscaping that is always meticulously maintained. They also host events and if you check their event calendar on their website, you can see what’s going on during your stay. We were fortunate enough to see the band Timestamp and loved it! They even had a community bonfire!
LegendWe enjoyed this site a lot. Neighbors weren’t sitting on top of one another. There was a tree for shade and plenty of space and grass to walk our dogs. Shower house was great!
ScoutWe've been to Cowan a few times, first time in this loop and was not disappointed. Bathroom was clean and well stocked through the weekend. Additional vehicles have to pay $3.
Guide
We stopped at the park for 2 nights (Sun, Mon). The park was peaceful and relaxing. We were able to pick up provisions and enjoy dinner in Walton. Site had electric and water. The dump station has 2 stations. One requires circling back through the campground after use.
Scout
I have been living here for almost a year now and I will have to say it is really nice and well taken care of it’s not a big campground but it has the best people there and they have so many summer time events you can join in on if you are camping
RangerGood enough spot to stay for the night in a van/RV. Sites were a bit cramped, but level. Bathrooms and showers available.
Traveler
Stayed here two nights. The first night at campsite #10, which didn't really have level ground, so we moved to #8 for night two. Each spot has a picnic table and fire ring. The main road was nice to drive on, but the others were pretty rough. Had spots for hammocks, and the portopotty was well maintained. The spots were all pretty secluded. Great remote location!
Guide
This is a nice county park that is being upgraded. There is a fairly new playground near the camping areas, a new pit toilet building, and a bridge leading to where a new trail system is being created. There are a mix of Electric and non electric sites. I think 9 non-electric and 7 electric sites.
Fire rings and picnic tables at every site. We were able to fit our Escapod (tear drop) camper in a non-electric site.
I think there is more coming in redevelopment of this county park, so it shoudl keep getting better!
ScoutIt's quiet, and each of the 10 campsites are easy to find. There is no hookup, but each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Most smaller rigs won't have a problem, and we saw several cars on the narrow and rough gravel road. We look forward to exploring the miles of trails on this park.
Guide
This was the first stay of my full time RV life. I’m glad I started here. It’s nice and quiet. People seem to be very friendly. I use Starlink and T-mobile 5G. The T-Mobile seems to be working best here. The cell booster I have made it go from “good” to “excellent”. I was able to get a full hook up site which I wasn’t expecting. My hot water tank went out and I had to use the bath house and it got the job done. It was clean, which I appreciated. There are a lot of seasonal campers here that have permanent spots. There is plenty of hiking close by and either Dayton to the north or Cincinnati to the south for plenty of things to do.
ScoutGreat empty fields with tables and fire pits, as well as free camping
TravelerNice pull through close to the pool and bathrooms. Quiet during the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near California, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near California, KY is Boltz Lake Ramp - DFWR with a 1-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near California, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near California, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
