Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Williamsburg, OH

Generous sized campsites, a lot of them are wooded which we prefer, with around 400 sites there are plenty to choose from! Bathroom/shower facilities are updated and usually well maintained. There is a large public beach but it's on the other side of the park so you have to drive all the way around to get to it, no short cuts. They have a camp ground beach but it's been closed the last 2 years. Lots of hiking trails, bridal trails and a bike path. Wish list for this park: Boat rental, dog park, dog beach/water access. Overall a beautiful park.

This is the best campground we have stayed at. We have been here all summer and we’ve had no complaints. The owners are great people who are always here working and interacting with the campers. Splash pad, pavilion, playground, Gaga pit, and dog park are a few of the great amenities. Each lot has a fire pit and the lots are large. They do activities for the kids every weekend and also have bands! It’s a fun place.

This is newly opened and a lot of work still needs to be done. Currently there is no dog park, hiking trails or bathhouses like it states. Many of the spots aren’t even finished yet.

When looking at the camp map don’t plan on having access to the creek or river. Your lucky if you can even view it.

The ground is all sand. So while if it rains you won’t get muddy, but the sand is a pain and gets everywhere.

It’s a KOA, but even for a KOA this one was sub-par. Granted, we visited in late March, and they may not have been at peak season form. But... The entry road is one lane. If you meet another vehicle someone has to back up. That’s just poor design. The roads in the campground need grading. Lots of holes and ruts. The site we were given wasn’t level, and it took a bit of maneuvering to get level. The “dog park” was a mud hole. The internet was extremely slow. And, like all KOAs, sites are very close together! However, on the plus side, the showers, bathrooms and laundry were Done all clean and neat. They have a pool (not open when we visited). Also a large playground, jumping pad and a small store. There was also grass between sites, instead of gravel, which is unusual for a KOA.

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.

Private campsites, nice big lake for swimming, fishing and boating, pets allowed. Perfect for all seasons! Horseback riding available as well!

This was our first time camping here and it was a large park. There was several miles of bike trails , bridle trails and hiking trails. There is also a beach and marina for campers away from the main beach and marina for those just visiting the park for the day.

The nature center offered movies in the evening for guest.

The park was very clean and maintained. Trails were well marked and the camp hosts were very friendly.

We were there over Labor Day weekend and it was a quiet park except for the occasional golf cart late at night going by.

I did see a few dogs off leash which is always a pet peeve of mine.

Verizon cell coverage was good.

Beautiful park and camping if you like a parking lot for RVs. Lots of families and pets. Not great for tents but theres a couple ok spots. Not secluded. Very little shade but lots to do at the park and its very clean.

Dangerous animals on site! My child was bit by a cat at the playground. The cat had been hanging out around the office and at the play ground for a few days while we were there. We asked the office to trap and monitor the cat per health department sugestion after ER visit following bite. The camp manager has given us several different stories about having trapped the cat and then not having the cat then her husband taking the cat to his siatera house. When animal control and Kentucky dpt of health talked to them they gave them all different stories too. Bottom line is they are dishonest people and have a dangerous animal on their property. Beware BEWARE!!! Especially if you have children!

We love camping @ Cowen Lake State park! There are organized activities on the lake and through the nature center. You can also do your own thing. There are plenty of shady campsites, sunny ones, electric, primitive, pet-friendly, handicapped, and pull-thoughs. We love camping in the shady tree-lined areas where we have big sites for family gatherings. We've been camping here for over 10 years and love it!

This is part of the Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metro Parks) and it is at the Twin Creek metro park.  This is an old boy scout camp (Camp Hook) back in the day. 

During these COVID-19 times we wanted a place to park that wasn't the traditional Ohio State Parks camp site. We didn't want to share a common bathroom/bath house or playground area.  We picked this as the Twin Creek camp site only has 3 camp sites within the park.  Even then they are out of side from each other. You can somewhat hear the other two camp sites (rarely).  This meant with two little ones we wouldn't have to constantly remind them to socially distance or put on masks.  We were alone but had plenty of park supports. We had two great park volunteers/security stop by to make sure we had everything we need. 

The nice thing about the Dayton metro parks is that each night in the front county camp sites they include a bundle of fire wood. This is not the small sad bundle that you often buy at gas stations or other markets.  This is a huge bundle. It is dry and cut in an easy to use manner. It is also kept in a little box so it is dry even if you do have weather while camping. If you wish to add an additional bundle of firewood the price is very reasonable at $10.00. I do this every time I camp there to support their campsites/metro parks. I have yet to use up their firewood in the box when I camp for a whole weekend. It is also nice that we don't have to put it in our cars so less clean up after camping. It also helps with the whole burn local fire wood so you are not transporting bugs. Or you don't have to cross your fingers and hope someone close by sells firewood. 

The nice thing about their site is the additional tables made it easy for us to socially distance.  When I camp at local state parks and we only have one table it can be tricky to keep coolers, food, and people separated. We also were able to have kids do craft at one of the tables while we were preparing meals. This camp site is listed as a 10 person camp site. There is no water on site so make sure you bring all the water that you will need. 

We also were able to hike the easy trails around the camp site. No need to put the kids in the car unless we wanted to.  Which we still did:) 

We drove into town and discovered a covered bridge that I had missed on an earlier camping trip. (Germantown).  This town also has the Florentine which is one of the oldest inns in Ohio. It was closed while we were in town but it is well worth a stop. The town also has a community pool as well that you can buy a day pool pass. 

The campsite does have two spots that would be neat for a wedding. You can reserve an amphitheater. 

The campsites during peak season are $20 during week days and $28 for weekends. I still find this to be one of the best values for camping in Ohio. Especially, when you consider the level of privacy that you have on these sites.  The vault toilets are one of the best as they are always clean. We have hand sanitizer and toilet paper. We didn't have to share our vault toilet with any other family units. 

All of these small touches really made COVID-19 camping with kids much easier. We look forward to being back at this camp site in the fall. 

Here is the website to make a reservation https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786190&api=facilities&type=camp

We have stayed in four sites her during the past couple of month. There are two walk-in sites (10 & 51). Both were pleasant, nearly level, close to amenities, but were under no shade. [Site 10 is presently inhabited by a large family with a sign that says “Camp Host out front. I have not seen them do anything for campers here, and the site is kept in disgraceful cluttered condition.] we next stayed on Lot 13, which backs up to the primitive campground. Quite nice, but beware: this site as well as about half of the other sites at this campground require the use of electrical and water extensions because the connections are on the “wrong” side of the RV, and quite a distance away. For Lot 13, I needed over 50’ of extensions. We then stayed on walk-in lot 51. I was able to “self permit” at the gate…it’s first come first served, no online reservations. Nice, but no shade. Finally, we’re on Lot 47. Eureka! This is my favorite so far. It’s one of the “premium sites” with wooden deck and nicer picnic table for only $2 additional per night. View is phenomenal, and it’s close enough to dumpsters and gatehouse. Notice that I didn’t mention anything about sewer hookups. That’s because there are none. There is a single, very popular dump station near the entrance/exit.
There are several miles of decent trails here, a swimming pool, putt putt golf, a pioneer museum, and a lodge with a good restaurant. The campground is easily accessible and is very kid and pet friendly. Nice sites for tent camping. Facilities are a bit dated, but clean and well maintained. All RV sites are back-in, and some are limited length. (Though some campers have rather cleverly managed to pull through a couple of the sites.) Some are quite unlevel.
Overall good family campground on rich historical site.

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.

We stayed in Site 12, which was huge and conveniently located close to a fairly new shower house. That facility was among the very best I've seen! Amazingly clean!

There are many things to do here: Saturday night movies, Bingo, and, of course, the lake. Canoe, paddle board, and kayak rentals.

The park was not full but somewhat busy, yet, outside of kids playing and dogs occasionally barking, there was little noise.

We drove through the entire campground. Some sites were bigger than others. Most sites were relatively flat.

Fall is a good time to visit Caesars Creek. The trees are turning beautiful colors. Also, the park is convenient for the Ohio Renaissance Fair and events at Roberts Arena.

Our family camped for 3 nights at site 268 and 269 . The sites are spacious with plenty of room for cornhole games . Showers were nice and hot and bathrooms were clean. Had a good time at the beach and caught a few fish at a couple different fishing spots. Overall good times, except the raccoons stole our hot dog buns we had sitting on the picnic table for literally 5 minutes while we cooked our hot dogs. It was a little too busy for my liking on Friday night , but Wednesday and Thursday we basically had the loop to ourselves!

A great place for family and friends to get together to camp! Rv’s and tents! Horses and dogs! Kayak and swim!

This campsite is HUGE. Has over 400 campsites and the first 17 have places you can keep your horses! Something I have never seen before. Some sites are not okay for tent camping and when we got there we had to go back to the office to see if we could change our site. Lucky for us you get one free site switch a stay, so that was nice. The beach is big but unfortunately no dogs allowed. It would be nice for them to include a section where dogs were allowed so we could enjoy. We spent our day on the trails instead. A lot of RV camping but overall it was a great trip!

We 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!

I like the beach, wish they could have a beach dog to chase away the geese.

Camping is also nice. More trees please.

Love the Meteor Show Campout on the beach. Best even of my summer.

I’ve been camping at stonelick for all of my life, it’s been a tradition to camp there with my family for 25 years. it’s very kid friendly, dog friendly, and there’s always friendly people around. the hiking trails are beautiful, and kayaking on the lake is also very pretty.

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent 3 nights. Loved our spot (a fellow camper asked if we knew the mayor to get it…we don’t). Some hiking right from the site. Access down the trails to the water. Loved the bat boxes along the trails by the local boy scouts. Great dog walking areas. Very quiet, low capacity. Thoroughly enjoyed the nearby Ntl Museum of the USAF.

We stayed for just one night at site #34. It ended up being a great site for us and our dogs. There was space between us and our neighbors and we had access to the water. We did not venture out since we were there for one night but noticed it was very family friendly. The only downside we would mention is that most of all the other sites were packed in right next to one another.