Independence Dam State Park Campground
Reviewed Jun. 3, 2021

I liked it

I spent one night here with my two dogs on Memorial Day weekend and I was much more impressed with this location than I thought I was going to be.

The park itself is very narrow and long, and stretches down the Maumee River bank.  It's very green with lots of trees and shade cover.  The paved path that goes along the camping sites is very nice and makes for a great walk or bike ride.  

We stayed in campsite 16 which has its pros and cons.  Most of the campsites in this area have one site that is closer to the river and then a site "behind" it, with little roads/walkways on each side.  The pro of 16 is the fact that they don't rent out the space in front of it, at least when I booked it, so there is no one between you and the river.  The down side of 16 is it is situated right next to the toilets, so you get a lot of foot traffic from others using the bathroom and the constant slamming of the toilet door gets a bit annoying.

However, speaking of toilets, these were the cleanest port a potties I have ever used.  I was quite impressed with the bathrooms, for what they were.

There is no direct access to the river in most areas, but there is an opening near the middle of the campsite which allows access, along with access for kayaks, which is pretty cool.  I would have liked more access to the river along different locations, but I understand the steepness of the hill down to the river and it's not really possible.

The one big drawback in my opinion and why I gave this 4 stars and not 5, is the fact that the two lane traffic road is within 50-100 yards of the campsite, so the sound of vehicle traffic is quite frequent, especially since this road appears to be a favorite of motorcyclists. 

I will be returning and I'd like to stay in another location towards the end of the site, and on a less busy weekend.  Overall this is a nice location.

Site16
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021
  • Review photo of Independence Dam State Park Campground by Andy K., June 3, 2021