Best Tent Camping near Archbold, OH

I had a friend's wedding at The Stables (which I didn't realize was 3 min away) and decided to camp here rather than get a hotel. I set up right at 3 at Site 7 - there's no check-in process or attendant. I hadn't printed my permit, so I wondered if I would get a visit from a ranger but all was quiet. The site was spacious, sandy, and well suited for both tent and hammock. The fire ring was in good condition and fire wood was already stacked. The property was well maintained and the bathrooms clean and cool - the women's did have some standing water from a leaky toilet it looked like. You can hear distant cars and some not so distant planes. Also, while all the sites are wooded the woods are not very thick so you can see and hear your neighbors pretty well. Site number three looks at the most secluded to me while site number four was pretty much in the open beside the bathrooms. Group sites were full sun it appeared. The stream behind my site was dry. Nice map and brochures at the parking area. Sturdy picnic tables.

Dirty restrooms. Dirty lake. You have to pay extra to use the slide. Camp sites have been cut in half. Only 1 bathhouse/restrooms all the eay in the front at the beach. On the 2nf day we did find a porta potty in the back but it was nasty and everyone refused to use it. Manager was rude when i could not fit my car, tent (10x20), table and fire ring on out site. Told me o had to move my tent 1 foot over after it was already set up and loaded with beds. She left and I pulled it down and restaked just in time for her to vome and look disappointed that i had followed her order to pull it down and said i did not have to do that. The site was mostly dirt very little to no grass. When it rained we had nothing but mud. Hay rides on the weekend were late and the man driving it went way to fast down the back hill making you feel you were about to fall out. Employees childrwn throwing water on the people riding the hay ride. Someone went around fogging for mosquitos and allowed the children to run and play in the fog. Karaoke lady was extremely rude to all the children.

General: Large state park with 256 campsites, all with electric (20-30-50 amp) hookups. Sites 1-11 and 21-29 have full hookups (water, sewer, electric). Also, there are a lodge and cabins. The park is very well maintained. This park is close to Toledo and within spitting distance of several refineries although you’d never know it! 

Site Quality: All sites are very generous in size and appear to be spaced with a decent amount of space apart with foliage providing varying levels of privacy. Some have beautiful trees that in peak fall color would be stunning. All camper pads are paved and long enough to accommodate large RVs. Some have concrete pads for picnic tables, although the sites in our loop did not. A wooden picnic table and fire ring complete each site. 

Restroom/Shower house: Very clean, however, bathhouses are shared between two loops. Each bathhouse only has two shower stalls, which may necessitate a wait when the campground is full. A hook and a small bench but nowhere to put soap/shampoo in the shower. Good warm water. 

Activities/Amenities: So much to do! Several lakes are good for fishing or boating. Many trails, some grassy and some paved are good for walking, running, and biking. A beautiful and extensive boardwalk constructed by the Ohio Civilian Conservation Corps is available only for foot traffic. Bike rentals are available. A small camp store. Laundry facilities. Donuts and muffins on the weekends. Several playgrounds. Bird houses and feeders are located throughout the park and especially in the spring, you can hear many varieties of birds chirping (however, you will also experience the by-products of so many birds!). Excellent cell service (Verizon). There is also a dump station.

There was a warning that due to the proximity to an urban area campers, bikes, etc. should be locked up but I didn't feel that vibe.

We enjoyed two stays at this campground, once in September and once in May. Even though this large campground was full when we were there on a weekend in September, we did not feel overcrowded. There were many empty campsites when we were there during the week in May (the week before Memorial Day); we very much enjoyed our stay both times!

Lake Hudson is a dark sky preserve full of trees, nature and a beautiful lake. The camping sites come with an electric plug in, a nice fire ring and a picnic table. They are cute sites. Most are not by the lake. There is a dumpster. The facilities are rustic. The facilities are port a potty type with wooden walls and cement floor. No showers. A hand pump well for water. The swimming part of the lake requires a drive. The Lake is beautiful with a sand beach, no wake boating and grills. However it is rustic so there is goose poo. The woods are beautiful. There is hunting. We had heard that some people partied there but the night we were there it was quiet and people were respectful. We had a beautiful fire and dutch oven dinner. We saw one cute racoon who ran away when I reacted. We were worried about mosquitos but we only saw one.

This park is great for the right kind of trips, we visit here often in the summer to enjoy the river, kayak , and relax. Most sites are on a small elevated bank on maumee river, (you can walk down the path but not put a kayak in)

There are no hookups, only vault toilets, no staff only very nice camp hosts ( there are next to site 11 ). 

Sites 1-6 are misleading on the site, they are not on the river bend, there is a gravel trail/road between them and the river bank. its not a huge deal for access but annoying if your expecting direct access. 

Sites 9 and 10 were not bookable in 2020 an hopefully remain that way, they are basically in front on the camp host site, so the camp host is between you and the river. 

Sites 11-15 are the best in my opinion 

Site 13 has direct access to the river on a small walking path.

Site 15 is our favorite, it has the most room and still has a small path down to the river.

50 sites separated by thick trees, 11 are on the lake side with trails thru woods to lake (not really 'lakeview' from inside camper). Swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing, sand beaches & more on a good size lake with tons of inlets & curvy shorelines.

$20/nt in 2018. All are 20/30 amp, no water, no sewer. Several spigots in camp area, no dump station... nearby one at Hayes State Park. Vault toilets (didn't use as we have in camper). Boat launch. Very pretty lake & views, peaceful. Info/reserve at https://www.midnrreservations.com/LakeHudsonRecreationArea?Map

Note1: LONG RV's 31'+ would fit in a lot of the sites, but sites say up to 30'. We had approx 40-45' space from road to treeline.

Note2: DARK SKY PARK designation so enjoy the amazing night star views! They do ask you to keep blinds & drapes closed and exterior lights off or to a minimum.

Note3: Extension or long electrical cords may be needed, as boxes are at back end and halfway to next site over.

Site 16. We stayed here over the weekend of July 4th. The road to get in is a dusty road that’s is very bumpy. It’s a rustic campground with no water or dump station, so make sure you bring water and have a plan for dumping. We used the RV dump station at the Loves Truck Stop in Marshall, MI on our way home which is an hour west of the campground off of I-94 for $10. We were told that you could use Hayes State Park which is 30 mins away as a place for dumping as well. There is only a hand pump to use to get water in front of the campground so make sure you bring jugs for filling. There are a few sites and a cabin in the lake with a pretty view. The mosquitoes and gnats were terrible so make sure you bring bug spray and a fan when hanging out outside. There is no firewood available for sale, but there is someone up the road who sales it for a decent price. The site itself is big as it fit our 32 foot travel trailer. It does connect to the site on the other side of you and the back of you. The electric box for your neighbor is also in the back of this site. No playground for kids, but lots of hiking trails which we biked too the beach and boat launch. There is also a place to fish at the boat launch, where we caught sunfish, large and small mouth bass. There is also 1 geocaching spot too. We will definitely come back. We had a great time!