Best Glamping near Cleveland, OH

Stayed on a premium patio site and loved it. The campground and staff were awesome. Level site, great hook ups, awesome WiFi and cable. Clean facilities, 3 lakes (one with a fishing pier), 2 dog parks, and super friendly staff. 30 min to Cleveland. Walmart, gas stations and restaurants within 5 miles. Just off Ohio Turnpike, but can't hear it. Definitely recommend this KOA

Mostly seasonal campers. Drive in sites are set back & not near the lake. They have back in & drive through sites. There is a small store. It is close to Cleveland & has Good Sam discount.

Here's what's great about this campground situated at an easy drive from major cities like Columbus and Cleveland...its scenic, a fully loaded campground with bathhouses, parks, hiking paths, swimming resivoir with boat rental...we highly recommend renting a pontoon for the day and hanging out in the resivoir for swimming and lounging! It's both relaxing and nice to get away from the beach crowd!

I was at first happy to find a campground along our route. They had some seasonal campers that had left, which opened up some spaces. Choice made because closest campground to Cleveland. Well the site was trashed. Garage all over, firpit overflowing with charcoal and beer bottles. Woods behind site full of beer bottles and garbage. People camping there were loud and not speed limit adherence. Lots of rules but people didn't enforce what so ever. Would not return or recommend.

West Branch is one of the best-known family campgrounds in NE Ohio. And it's not hard to understand why. Full amenities, clean facilities, and a nice lake round out the picture of a great place to get some family R&R.

Here's what you can expect:

1. It's Busy. 

Like, really busy. Be sure to book early as spots fill up often. Sites are fairly close to each other, but most people seem respectful of space and limits. 

2. It's Accessible.

West Branch is a quick drive from Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Youngstown - hence the draw. if you live anywhere close, there's no reason NOT to check this place out!  

3. It's Fun (but a bit loud) 

If you're looking for quiet, West Branch might not be the place for you. Since the lake has not real HP limits, you'll hear boats motoring quite a bit throughout the day. 

4. It's got everything :) 

Seriously. There's nothing else you could want. Hiking trails, swimming, a fully stocked office for the essentials you forgot. 

Quick tip: Bring swimsuits. There are plenty of places to swim in the well-kept beaches or off a boat. West Branch is a great family getaway for summer swimming!

I chose this campground for its proximity to Cuyahoga NP. It's located somewhat close to an industrial area, so it's not really that quiet but is a good place to stay if you want to be near Cuyahoga or Cleveland (relatively) inexpensively. It was, however, one of the most expensive campgrounds I've ever stayed at! I was there at the end of August and a tent site w/ no amenities was over 35 bucks for the night.

The showers were free (unusual camping bonus), but all the bathrooms/showers were in pretty rough shape and not that clean. Getting around the campground is also pretty confusing because the roads are pretty winding (like most campgrounds), but none of them have street signs.

The campground served its purpose for what I needed, but I probably would never stay here again given the choice.

Beautiful area for a get away in Ohio. The beach is never too packed. You can take kayaks out and venture off around the shores.

Ranger Review: Morsel Spork at West Branch State Park

**Campground Review: **

This state park was very welcome after our first two unlucky Ohio state park experiences. We had no trouble pulling in at 3 pm on a Sunday after Labor Day with no reservations and snagging a very nice spot (Site 50 backs up to Kirwan Reservoir). There are two loops that are on Jay Lake where there is a beach; it was understandable that there weren’t any water view spots that had not been reserved here. A very quiet park that is well-maintained with lots of amenities. Even the rumbling of the nearby trains was on the quiet side! Nice playground with toy stocked sandpit, volleyball net, cheap laundry ($3 per load, wash and dry), dishwashing sinks, showers, and clean bathrooms. There was even a step stool for kids to be able to reach the sinks. A staffed store(9am-7pm on Sunday, 11am-7pm Monday– Thursday and 9 am– 8:30 pm on Saturday) with basic supplies and, of course, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Some of the sites have a slight grade so be cautious when selecting. Many trees that provide separation between sites. Several short hiking trails. A side note: I only saw one non-Ohio license plate besides ours in the entire park, almost like it is an Ohio secret (not anymore!)

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**Product Review: **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the opportunity to test products. At this campground, I tested the large  Morsel Spork from Outdoor Element. I have to admit that when I unpacked my box from Outdoor Elements, I was surprised at how LONG our morsel sporks were(we have other sporks that are much shorter so I was expecting these to be a similar size) but then I saw a photo of someone using it with their freeze-dried meal and it was an aha moment! No need to dirty another dish because this mighty spork can reach to the bottom of the pouch with no problem! These sporks are also sturdier than others we have used. The rubber scraper edge is a nice touch – would be great for getting the last delicious bits of meals from the freeze-dried meal pouches and I’m thinking also in glass or plastic containers. A very nice addition to our camping tools.

No longer a fan. Our family camped in the park prior to it becoming a Jellystone Park. Once it became a Jellystone it definitely switched gears to appeal more to weekend guests than seasonals, but it was still fun, clean and friendly and worked for my young family. Until it didn't. In May 2021 Great Escapes Rv and Resorts LLC purchased the park. Since the change in ownership everything about the park has gone downhill. The first thing you'll notice when you pull into the park now will be all the bright beautiful attractions. However, if you look a bit deeper you'll notice the lack of seasonals. That is because we all were told on Father's day this year that we weren't as important to the corporation as the overnight guests who throw hundreds of dollars a weekend at them. We were given the option to possibly stay on as seasonsls, unsure how many spots they would have at that time. Late in the summer we were given our contracts. The contracts included a lot of spelling errors and a huge price tag. Reducing the 100 seasonal spots to 33. Outside of the park. Nearly$1000.00 more. Oh, and while you can't have decks or your own sheds- you can pay an extra$500 to keep your golf cart. It would have been something to consider if the pool hadn't been closed so much this summer due to out of control algae growth and a broken rope dividing the deep and shallow ends. There were so many more issues too numerous to post here. They began charging a price for guests that wasn't even listed on the website. That's just bad, shady business! The website said$10 a guest a day and over memorial weekend with no notification or update to the website they started charging$20.00 a day a person. I had to get corporate involved because that wasn't sitting well with me. Next year though we were notified it will be$35.00 a person, per day. We also were told on Father's Day at the meeting by VP Kelly Jones we had until April to have our things removed from our spots if we were not staying. I asked her twice to be certain we understood that April was the timeframe(All of this is on video, we recorded it as a group so we all had the info) And when we got the contracts, the date to have everything removed was bumped way up to Nov. 1. That is how this company operates. Without integrity or honesty. Good luck to Jellystone seasonals everywhere because you offer no value to them. And if you think they care about overnight guests more, not really. It's not about you or your safety. It's only your money. There was a scary incident with a small child getting his leg tangled in the rope upside down on the lake wibits on the far side where he couldn't be seen from the beach. His head was under water and the fountain was left on so his exhausted cries for help when he lifted his head out were completely muffled. He was only saved because seasonal campers on the other side of the wibits jumped into action. When my husband went to the lake attendant to explain what happened her reply was"Well he had a life vest on!" That was a horrifying and ignorant enough response for me to pull my family from this park for next year. The response from the park on trip advisor says parents are required to be with their children. But 1.) That's not listed at the lake rules and 2.) It isn't enforced. And 3.) Even after this there were many times they forgot to turn the fountain off. A near tragedy wasn't enough reason for corrective action. That's because only your money and photo ops to make more money for them actually matter. I get it's a business. That's what businesses do, make money! However I've been a part of many businesses that cultivate a spirit of community. It can be about more than just the almighty dollar. But not here, not at Cleveland Sandusky Jellystone Park.

My friends and I were going to a festival in the Northeast Ohio area. The festival camping was full, so we stayed at this location for a night. The sites are very affordable if split between little people. This very family orientated campground has a gravel road system connecting a ton of camp spots, RV locations, mobile homes, a playground, a swimming lake, and a even a fishing lake. The ground itself is huge, so kids can have fun and run around with other kids in nearby sections of the campgrounds. Overall there are a ton of amenities and very friendly staff. We told the office lady we would be back late at night, and she gave us a special passcode to the gate. That was super kind of her. The land isn’t particularly pretty and the campsite for tent camping are rather close together, but it’s a good location overall for RV’s. I wouldn’t recommend this location if you’re trying to enjoy nature, because sites are pretty close together and certainly not secluded. There are positives for tent campers including water taps, outlets, trash receptacles, bathrooms, and hot showers.

Would have given this site 5 stars but the walk to the site was a bit more of a haul than expected. It was just myself, kids, and pup. So it made setting up camp a bit more work but we enjoyed our stay thoroughly. Its like you have the forest to yourselves out here.

My friends and I decided to stay here for the weekend. Even with the colder weather it was nice and cozy. Plenty of fire wood provided and a short distance away from the gorge to walk. The second night had lots of coyotes around, which is cool but can be dangerous if not careful of course. Coyotes were heard all around the general area. Other than that quiet and the roads close by are unheard. Overall a great experience and definitely recommend for a rustic experience.

I had a tent site and it wasn't bad. The site next to me was blasting music but turned it off around 8 so I won't dock points. The bathrooms were clean and it was easy to get to from the highway. There was a lot of road noise though. The tent platform was level and clean. I would stay again.