Looking for an adventure where you can explore Chillicothe and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Chillicothe, including sites, reviews, and tips. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
$12 / night
7 Acres of private land! Completely wooded with beautiful maple and oak trees. 2 miles from pike lake state park. 10 miles from Rocky fork lake state park and paint creek lake state park! 7 miles from city of Bainbridge where there are stores and restaurants. Wonderful hiking at Highland Nature Sanctuary is only 20 minutes away. There is an Amish bakery and store 20 minutes away also!
$25 - $35 / night
Scioto Grove Metro Park is a 620-acre park along the Scioto River with mature forests and scenic bluffs overlooking the river. It features more than seven miles of trails, two picnic areas with shelters, tables and grills, a kids play area and several overlook decks. The park is located on a scenic bend of the Scioto River and is a great destination for canoeists, kayakers, anglers and people wanting to see waterfowl and other wildlife. Dogs on leashes are welcome throughout the park, which also features a sledding hill. Thanks to a generous donation of 193 acres of land from the City of Grove City, funds from the State of Ohio Clean Ohio Program, and passage of a property tax levy by Franklin County voters, Metro Parks has developed this park for people of all ages and abilities to experience nature and enjoy quality time with family and friends. Additional support came from outdoor retailer REI to construct a backpack trail along the river for those just getting into the sport, as well as those seasoned backpackers who want a quick overnight without having to journey several hours.
Providing a place for all God's children to grow in Faith, Fellowship and Fun through Christ-centered camps and outdoor ministries. Located in the beautiful Hocking Hills in southern Fairfield County, Ohio, it is a quick and convenient drive that feels a million miles away - providing the serenity and connection with God's creation that only being emerged in nature can provide. Learn more about who we are, what we do and how you can participate in or support our work. As a non-profit with a seasonal mission, we still must maintain our facilities throughout the year to allow us to adequately support our mission. Lodging is a great way to help support our camp and help us cover our basic costs throughout the year while enjoying the outdoor experience and facilities that Geneva Hills has to offer.
$35 - $600 / night
$40 - $125 / night
Location, Location, Location! In the heart of the Hocking Hills, high up on the top of the hills overlooking the SaltCreek Valley. We offer our Family Farm with dry off grid camping in Mini convertible A frame cabins, dry camping cabin, yurt, dispersed camping & full service cabin home. We offer acres of private land with hiking trails, the Salt Creek for swimming & fishing, bikes available to share, firewood cut & stacked on site. We provide all the necessities for enjoying a camping trip without you having to lift a finger. We provide Comfy beds, linens, propane heaters, chuck camp box with all your culinary needs, lanterns, flashlights, maps of area attractions & supported businesses. Let’s not forget you will be in the middle of the woods where all the birds and animals live. That includes, flying insects, ants, stink bugs, skunks, raccoons, fox, coyote, deer, birds, bats and Hillbillies.
We are 20 minutes from The Caves, 5 minutes to a full service Village with grocery store, butcher shops, gas stations, 5 restaurants & banking needs. Luxury camping at its best.
$50 - $225 / night
Recreation areas with activity Dispersed Camping: Elm Trailhead Long Ridge Trailhead Monday Creek Trailhead New Straitsville Trailhead Red Oak Trailhead Scarlet Oak Trailhead Sycamore Trailhead White Oak Trailhead Camping is allowed at during the OHV and mountain biking open season.
The horse camp has ten sites are provided at the campground, each with a 45' long by 15' wide parking space. Two sites are fully accessible for people with disabilities. Each site has a covered paddock, fire pit, grill, and tent pad.
Primitive camping is allowed at no charge at the Old Stone Church Trailhead.
This trailhead is part of the Stone Church Horse Trail System. Named for the skeletal ruins of an old stone church nearby, the Stone Church Horse Trail System provides a great opportunity for scenic riding on 21 miles of trails. Various loops for other distances are available. The horse trail winds through the rolling hills of the Wayne National Forest. The trails will lead you through a variety of vegetation: open fields, brushland, mature forest, and new forest. Along the way, you may glimpse wildlife, and will recognize the influence of humans, both now and in the past. You will also pass many of our land management activities.
Guide
This campground has some features that are nicer than what is found in many state campgrounds. There are some secluded sites back in the woods, so you don't feel like you are camping in a parking lot in a few places. NOTE that most of these secluded sites (along the back edge of the campground) are up a flight of stairs. You have to carry all your gear up a hill or stairs to set up. You will not be near your car, which can get annoying.
The bathrooms were average, not great but not gross. We were there on their Halloween weekend, with a fun site-decorating contest and trick or treat in the afternoon, which was mildly annoying for us because they closed the roads from 2 to 6 so we could not drive back to our site, and when we finally could, someone was in our parking pot for the next hour.
The lakes are quite tiny. The one at the campground is more like a large pond- fine for paddling around on a paddleboard for practice, but don't think you'll get in any meaningful kayaking or sight-seeing on this pond. The other lake is slightly bigger, but still not big enough for kayaking more than a couple hours at most.
The new campground is on the river on what used to be the golf course- I will write a separate review for that.
The lodge has some amenities (pool, hot tub, cafe, bar), but we ate in the restaurant and it was terrible. I do not recommend. Get some apps at the bar if you have to but keep your expectations low. We had pork nachos and the pork tasted old, everything was cold and it gave me a terrible stomachache.
Guide
Easy pull-thru site for our small travel trailer. Each pull-thru is set-up for horses, but RVs are allowed (according to NFS website). Maybe because it was Halloween night, maybe due to hunting season, I dunno, but there seemed to be more traffic than expected for this road. Our only neighbors got a little... rowdy, but it was okay.
Campsite fee is $15 on the honor system. If you have a National Park's Golden Age or Access pass, they honor a 50 percent discount.
I had good 4G ATT cell service. Worked well, with no drops. Data was a bit slower than usual but still good.
The only facilities here were a single pit toilet (surprisingly clean) and a trash can at each site. There may be more services during the height of the season, at least water for horses, but nothing else I could tell.
A short distance further down the road, just after it turns to gravel, at the Old Stone Church trailhead, there are grassy places to back in smaller campers/RVs. And even further down the road, after it turns back to asphalt :D, there's a private campground with utilities, I think, but we only saw it and didn't check it out.
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.
Guide
Autumn is the best time to experience this Park. Less crowded than summer. 5 million visitors last year. More than Yellowstone. Guided hike was the best.
Traveler
Tent site was nice. We could make dinner and there weren’t any mosquitoes even though it was right above a swamp. It was a nice driving distance from Hocking Hills and a neat place to camp.
GuideThis is a great place to visit and camp. I am a tent camper so I was in the non electric site. The hiking is fantastic. Rose lake is also a wonderful lake and quite beautiful. Will always come back
Ranger
I stayed in the non-electric, tent-only campground NOT the RV campground. Out of curiosity, I drove through the RV campground and it was so loud and cramped! But the tent-only area is separate. Walk-in sites with pit toilets and potable water. The map of how the sites are laid out online is extremely inaccurate, I would not have picked my site if it had been accurate. But there was only one other camper and we all had plenty of space - I could barely see them through the trees. All sites appeared to have a picnic table and fire ring. Many miles of trails / dirt roads for hiking and biking. Clear skies at night. Very relaxing.
Scout
Stayed with the family for 5 days/ 4 nights and had a wonderful time. The KOA had a lot of amenities to offer. The staff was friendly, courteous and great to deal with. The sites were nice and wide but not all level but it's an area that has lots of hills. The pool was wonderful, the bathroom was clean and spacious. The camp store has everything you may need with a Walmart 10 minutes down the road. Close to the park to go explore but the KOA had a lot to offer for your stay.
Scout
This campground has been a staple of Hocking Hills for decades. Finally some new owners took over in May ‘24 and have really done an amazing job renovating things. The staff is super friendly, large primitive campsites right on the river with tons of shade trees! They are even building treehouses to stay in. We love it here!
Ranger
Need to reserve online, books up very fast. Got lucky and found an opening for site 5 which was right on river and away from the busier parts of park - didn’t see a single person. Nice tent pads, campfire ring, and provided wood.
Scout
Tent sites are on a steep uneven hill, we had site 4. Tent sites are super close, we can hear our neighbors perfectly as if they were talking to us. Only a few feet between each site. Map showed we would be right next to the lake, this is incorrect, lake is not accessible or even visible from campsite.
TravelerIt was a good campground, we had a hard time getting our rv to be level but overall we enjoyed it.
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!
Scout
This is our first time staying at a non state park. I was a little nervous, but I already booked our next visit here ! To start, the staff are absolutely amazing and so kind. We stayed at site 61 and the lake view is perfect. Bring your hammock because there are plenty of trees !!
There is a great playground for kids and a swimming hole. The bathrooms are so clean. You can kayak on the lake and they do have rentals .
Ranger
Camped at the west side of the vaulted toilet lot. Arrived about 5 PM and all 3 camping spots were empty. Lots of trucks and toy haulers heading up the various roads into the late evening. We slept soundly, made breakfast and were on our way. Great stop over location. Vaulted toilet and garbage cans were a welcome bonus.
RangerThis is a very nice campground near all of the attractions of Hocking Hills, Ohio. We had full hookups that were excellent, but if we didn't there were several new restrooms throughout the grounds. The camp store has the usual stuff you'll find and is always seems to have a friendly attendant behind the counter. There are several fun things for the kids to do, including a very large bounce pad and a pretty nice looking playground. There's a somewhat small swimming area, but it seems to be pretty clean for a pond. The campground is right on Lake Logan and there's access to the water at the bottom of the grounds. There's also boat rentals right around the corner.
Scout
We used site 64 Sunday through Tuesday. The park was peaceful and pleasing as the employees and volunteers obviously take pride in their efforts. A 12-year-old was with me; she enjoyed shooting basketball and swinging at the playground. Fellow campers were quiet. I'll be back!
ScoutMy kinda place
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.
Traveler
The site that we are currently staying in is nothing like the pictures online(I am more than happy to share photos.) I contacted the owner, he talked down to me, continually interrupted me and even raised his voice trying to intimidate me. The site has serious concerns. Such as the Nextdoor cabin fire pit is located less than 6ft from where I am suppose to park my brand new truck. There is only gravel, no grass for 12ft outside of our camper. Our site appears to be a driveway or turnaround and numerous ppl have tried to drive through, Esp with gulf carts. I raised my concerns and unhappiness to the owners and they argued and talked down to me. The husband raised his voice and essentially yelled at me basically telling me we could pack up and leave. This has not been a great experience so far and I am not sure I will ever stay at a jellystone or recommend one to anyone in the future.
Traveler
So originally I was not super thrilled when we arrived but that changed quickly. We booked last minute on a holiday weekend and had like 2 options for a spot. I wasn’t happy with our spot but again that’s my own fault. I would definitely book ahead and look at the map to find a good spot. Some are very close to neighbors. Others are really nice. I was upset The pool was not open since there was no post about it being closed and the website says it would be open the weekend of Memorial Day. So I went into everything with a pretty crappy attitude. THEN, we went to the lake and at the desk was the new managers. They have only had it for 2 weeks now. They were super super sweet. She told us that they really did everything in their power to have the pool open and it just did not work out. They worked really hard to get it fixed and it needs to cure for like a week. I believe she said. So completely NOT their fault. Again they have only been there 2 weeks. We met some seasonal people and they were super nice as well. Our kids made friends quickly. The little lake was so much fun. My children were upset we had to leave early due to the storm coming in. We did not want to travel back in the storm. However I could have paid 100 dollars more and got into the jellystone park. I don’t think I recommend our spot though. It was on a corner which was nice but so small, no shade, fire pit was so little, no picnic table or anything. But if the pool was up, it would have been better.
ScoutWe stayed two nights in #184. Our site was HUGE! The pad was very level, so setting up the TT was quick and easy.
We checked one restroom and one wash house: both were in good condition and quite clean. Lysol was in the air.
The lake was pretty. Watching the herons was relaxing.
The people in our section were courteous. All seemed to obey the quiet hours.
The only negative was the lack of a central fresh water fill station. Spigots are dispersed throughout the camp, which means sitting in the road for as long as it takes to fill your tank. Fortunately, we had a spigot by our site, so we could fill once we parked.
We'll definitely be back.
Traveler
The staff and people were nice and helpful. However, based on the picture I thought it was like KOA or Jellystone and it might have been in its past but not now. It felt more like a workcamp then a campground. Many long stay residents and their sites looked like it. Heavily patched campers that will most likely never move again and one site looked like a junkard. The resident did seem to love fishing in the pond, which I guess has very large catfish so if you like that you might like it.
TravelerThis place was really cute. I personally feel like it was a little too open for my liking. I’d rather feel like I’m out in the woods more and maybe a little bit more space between you and your neighbor . However, it was nice. One of the gentlemen that worked there I think also stays during the season. His name is Steve. He is super friendly and helpful. He taught my kids some fishing tricks ! And don’t get me started on the bathrooms!! I have NEVER seen such amazing, clean, nice bathrooms at a campground we decided to use their shower instead of our camper shower ! 
Traveler
We just purchased our camper and this was the first place we went. We are familiar with this park due to the little “beach“ area they have. We stayed in the off-season, so there was not a whole lot of people. Our stay was quiet and relaxing. loved our site too.
TravelerMy family recently stayed at Campbell Cove for the weekend. Everything appeared new and updated. The sites were nice and level. Nice playground and clubhouse building.
Unfortunately we went during the office season so the clubhouse was closed and the jump pad wasn't up.
We hope to come back someday
Guide
Stayed one night. OHV trails closed for winter. Hiking allowed year-round. Most campsites inaccessible during off-season. Pit toilet closed for winter. Probably busy on weekends during the season. Nice place.
Chillicothe, Ohio, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and relaxation in nature.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Chillicothe, OH is Zaleski State Forest with a 4.4-star rating from 16 reviews.
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