Best Glamping near Bolivar, OH

Upon arrival friendly staff greeted us. Bath houses are clean and well maintained.  Our site was not clean and ready.  Picnic table looked like it was not cleaned since last season and the fire pit was full of rubbish.  Had campers behind us who played music so loud we couldn't hear each other talk.  I asked the gentleman to please turn it down and they did slightly. Another camper also asked them to turn it down and again it was very slight.  Well after midnight music continued.  No park ranger made rounds until Saturday morning and throughout the day.  

The lake is gorgeous this weekend and we enjoyed riding bikes and walking the park.  

May be back to try again.

Stayed a night here near the end of June after a rainstorm. A few quick highlights:

1. Because there are a ton of sites, you can expect one thing: variety. There are plenty of aluminum Airstream, Winnebago, fifth wheels, pull behind, and tents. You can expect to find a little bit of everything here.

2. If you’re looking for peace and quiet, Mill Creek might not be for you. Most of the sites seem to be typically pretty packed. Generally, people respect quiet hours, but with sites so close to each other, noise is a factor.

3. The surrounding area seems to be pretty spartan. There’s a grocery store about 10 minutes up the road, a bait shop about three minutes away, and a drive-through (with some light groceries and drinks) about two away. Nice enough folks in all three :) Super helpful and accommodating.

4. Berlin lake seems to be the big draw. Plenty of boats, jet ski‘s, kayaks, and swimming opportunities. If that’s your thing, plan accordingly and you won’t be disappointed.

Overall, Mill Creek is a pretty solid site within driving distance of Akron / Canton. I’ll be back, with adjusted expectations.

Quick tip: My particular site was pretty muddy upon arrival. Granted, that was after a bit of rain. But it wouldn’t hurt to bring an extra pair of shoes ;-)

Stayed here the first weekend of October.  Nice spots and many have good spacing from your neighbors.  Pets are welcome.  Facilities are older but well kept.  Bathhouse is heated with showers that have a fiberglass tub surround, not concrete.  Nice hiking trails that connect through the campground.  Hiking trail maps are not great but the trails are marked well. The Lake is a good walk and looks good for kayaking and fishing.  Brought our kayaks but it was a bit too cold.  Big wide spots are 11 and 16.  Nice hammock hangers on the non-electric spots.

Pros: closest camping to Cuyahoga National Park, safe, professional (labeled envelopes with information at check-in and wood delivery) Cons: bathrooms weren’t cleaned or restocked as frequently as necessary (overflowing trash cans, TP empty by 5 pm), shower curtains/showers had mildew, truly dirty bathroom floors, had to drive 1/4 mile to the one trash dumpster, unlevel sites

One more thing: there’s a significant raccoon and skunk problem along the section with water/electric back-in spots. We got to know our neighbors very well over two nights as we helped each other fend off multiple raids by entire families of raccoons and one very large, very bold skunk. We lost two camping chairs to the skunks because there was no way to fight them off once they moved into our shelter and, even without spraying, skunks tend to leave a scent behind on anything that’s fabric.

The price is okay in that it is the closest to the national park and the next closest campgrounds are the state park campgrounds (West Branch and Mosquito Lake), but the state park grounds are MUCH nicer and about $15 less per night. If you have the time to drive and can plan your trip months in advance to get reservations, West Branch is a better alternative.

My family and I had never gone tent camping before together, since my husband and I were kids. I have chronic pain and was terrified to go due to my difficulties. This place was amazing!

PROS:

The shower houses are individual big rooms to use that include a shower with a seat and toilet. They do also have handicap parking&camping spots right by the shower house, no smell even being 89 degrees.

They also have amazing prices for renting out a pontoon, it’s only a max 10 mph. I was able to comfortably fish for 4 hours on this. For the boats we were allowed to park down below right by the docks so I wouldn’t have to walk the hill.

When you book online it needs to be done 2 days out, from where we live (Columbus Ohio) the reception at the camp was very very hard to hear on the phone. It is easier to book online then see them at the office when you arrive, they close at 7 pm. Checkin is at 4 pm and checkout is 2pm for camp set up(you can set up sooner if no one is there)

We were lucky to get a walk up electric spot, although hilly it was beautiful! We were right by the private dock and the residents were very kind, some offered us worms or help with our fire. Even though we were by the public outhouse you could not smell anything until right by the outhouse.

You do need a special plug for the electric, we didn’t realize this and did not bring one. I was panicked at first since I needed a fan to get through the 89 degree weather in a tent but the front office has spares you can borrow! They are a lifesaver up there and so kind, if we could have tipped we would have.

We caught plenty of fish up there for all 3 of us, including my 1 st grader, all we used were worms and was surprised how much we caught.

All in all we were really happy and even convinced my parents to come up with us next year 😊

CONS:

The drive up was very hilly and lots of buggies. Be careful sometimes the road disappeared and you don’t see the buggy until right there; the road speed is 55mph but we only went between 35-45.

There is no cell service up there so be prepared, we lost it for about 20 minutes before the camp site. We have sprint. Make sure to pack a old school map so you can get around, there is a family dollar store in town, about 4 mile drive, if you forgot anything.

Most neighbors you have our yearly members, this is great for peace but limits the spots they actually have open to rent out by the lake and have electric. We were hoping to get a better spot in the future but they only have a couple of non yearly spots available even a year out.

We arrived Friday late afternoon and set up in the rain. Didn’t see much of the park on Friday,  but Saturday we went exploring and saw the marina, beach, horse camp area, and walked some of the bridle trails. They also have playgrounds that are open and some food trucks in case you don’t want to cook.

 This is the second park we have stayed at that is part of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and so far I am impressed. Large landscape sites that are full hookup with large concrete pads. Each with its own picnic table and fire pit. They also have a boat dock for the campers to use.   The lightning bugs even put on a nightly show.