Best Equestrian Camping near Columbus, OH

Best state park in Ohio for sure! 2 1/2 hour drive from Cincinnati, 1 1/2 hour drive from Columbus, and 3 hour drive from Cleveland. This park has plenty of trails for all types of people, my favorite is conkles hollows, so I highly recommend that!

I get asked "where should we go camping or hiking in the Midwest?" Hocking Hills State Park is always my go-to answer. 

It has a ton of different terrains, it's easily accessible from Columbus, OH, and has great hiking opportunities. 

This particular campground is amazing because it's located nicely to many hiking trails but far away that you aren't overly crowded so you still get the feeling that you're in nature.

I've been here a ton growing up in the horse campground area, but most recently was there for tent camping. We were surrounded mostly by RVs, but we fit in quite nicely into our site. 

The sites were nicely spaced out and the hiking trails were all nearby.

Alum Creek State Park is just under 40 minutes from Columbus. It makes a great weekend getaway from the city. The campground offers some spots next to the water which have a wonderful view.

Alum Creek is just beautiful, nice sites, most of them are at least partially shaded, lots of woods, hiking trails, the lake, it is what I think of when I think of State Park campground camping in Ohio. There are a couple problems. 1. Only ONE little dump station. This is a big campground, so if you're leaving Sunday, you better get up at the crack of dawn to get to the station, otherwise be prepared to wait in a long long line of RV's. We by-passed the long line and stopped at a different State Park campground on the way home and paid 10.00 to use their dump station. 2. They never answer their phone at the campground office. I mean NEVER. If you have a question you will just have to deal with the reserveamerica people who really know nothing other than what they read on the campground website. So basically you know as much as they do. It's maddening. We will go back, but it's a 2 hour drive so it won't be anytime soon.

Less than 30 minutes north of Columbus and you are in a rustic area with LOTS to offer. Besides the camping there is a sail boat dock and horse riding trails. The lake is big enough to spend hours on! It is rarely crowed here. Makes for a great community!

Simple and safe... Fifteen reservable sites via online or phone. Equestrians, mountain bikers, and hikers seem to use this park often. Although no utilities... there is a shelter, restroom and trash recepticle. Campfires are permissible. Hiking trails head off from this park that cover many miles. A steep hike up Sugar Loaf will wake you up in the morning.

Most sites seem good (from a tent-car camper perspective) / music on Friday nights/ pancake breakfast on Saturday / kayak launch sites / ice cream$2 at the store.  The camp has its own beach, but floats / kayaks are not allowed.

I live near Columbus so I may not camp again, but just go to the park which I hadn't been before.  Near the park = Easton shopping center, Ikea, Polaris Mall, Columbus Zoo + Zoombezie Bay Water Park

We stayed in one of the small cabins and loved it! Very clean, with thoughtful amenities. Hot tub on the back porch. This cabin also comes with two horse stalls. Bridle trail access right from campground.

Lots of room! Privacy, some sites have accommodations for several tents as well as full hook up for campers. Some are adjacent to the playground There are tons of things to do: Miniature golf Disc golf BMX trails Small dog park Golf course Horse camp

Alum Creek State Park is a beautiful park and great campground just outside the hustle and bustle of downtown Columbus and minutes away from attractions such as the Columbus Zoo.

The campground has good sized sites and is wooded throughout with clean bath houses, well maintained roads, and easy access for big rigs.

There is also a very nice dog park in the park including dog beaches with lake access for your pups to swim.

We love this campground and the beautiful lake and appreciate the easy access to local attractions, shopping, and more.

I was here before they sold out and seeing it now makes me sad. The bathrooms were gross, the arenas had weeds shooting up. This was a very nice place to take the horses, now it's an overpriced average campground with absolutely nothing to write home about.

There are tons of trails to check out all throughout the park. Kayaking on the northern side of the lake would be recommended. It gets too busy with larger boats in the main area of the lake. Check out the mountain biking trails & horse trails. Lots of great fishing. Be careful around the old homesteads and dumping sites.

Large, private sites, good electric service, reasonable distance to Columbus. I was confused about no on-site office, self check in. Lake is beautiful. Bathrooms are decent.

Stayed the night here. Very close to Columbus. Nice open lots with level parking and very nice, clean bathroom/facilities. No wifi, but decent enough cell signal for both Verizon and AT&T.

Paid $29/night. Will come back!

What an outdoor lovers dream! Boating to fishing to disc golf you will not get bored! Enjoy a few hours or the day hiking one of eight trails or all of them. If you have horses take them out on the two loops especially for them. Lodge, campground, cabins so many options. The campground was clean, quiet and serene. Only electric at the sites, but 2 of your favorite fur babies are welcome.

Deer Creek SP is conveniently located between Cincinnati and Columbus. Bath and shower houses have been updated and were kept clean. Some sites are shaded while some are in full sun. Was a nice quiet place to relax for a weekend.

Hocking Hills State Park and campground are the perfect spot for families looking for a quick getaway! The campground is clean and well laid out, with sites that feel pretty comfortable. 

Hiking through Hocking Hills (a 5 min walk from most camping sites) is also the perfect mix of challenge / reward for the little ones. There's plenty to see and keep them interested. My advice: Plan on a full-half day with a picnic lunch along the trail.  

Driving time: Columbus = 1h, Cincinnati = 2.5h, Cleveland = 3.3h

Quick Tip: Check out neighboring attractions in the area. We went gem mining and the kids had a blast!

Alum Creek State Park is one of those parks with the main attraction in the middle and the different areas strung out along the outside. So you need to be careful going from one area to the next, busy road. Old State Rd is the main thoroughfare through the area. Off Oh I71, take either Cheshire Rd or Rt 36 to Old State Rd and follow the signage.

Plenty of sites to pick from in the large camping area. I liked A due to the space between camp sites. I also drove through J enroute to a boat ramp and the sites there are a little closer together. There are cabins also available. Showerhouse centrally located in each area.

The sites are mostly level, with gravel area and picnic table. There was a playground, basketball court and nature center on site. There is a internal roadway if you like to bike ride or run and trails.

In another section of the park is the beach, there is a paddling only area (north end), plenty of fishing and boating left to enjoy, horse trails, bike trails and hiking trails.

The dog park is awesome, they have their own beach!

Alum Creek State Park is a very well designed State park. Its located north of Columbus, Oh just off I-71N. The sites have level pads. The park is very neat and clean. Our particular rv site was an electric only site (L06) but water was just across the street so if was convienent to fill the camper. This was a very pretty campground with boating and water sports as the main activity.

When approaching the campground make sure you GPS is set for the campground and not the park. the two are separated by a few miles and signage at the park to the campground is not clear, especially, at 11:00PM when it is dark.

While were there they had a trivia night which was fun and a free pancake breakfast on Sat. morning which was quite delicious.

For Astronomers this is a Bortle class 4 site with an SQM rating of 21.27. I did not get observe from this site as it was cloudy due to wildfire smoke. Overall we had a great time at the park.

The electric only sites were priced at $33/night.

This was a last minute reservation and only available due to a cancellation. The campground was full for the weekend. The campground is pretty big with different types of sites. Some are smaller, close to neighbors while other have seclusion with trees. From past experience, if it rains, some of the sites do flood. We had great weather this weekend. The site we reserved had a hill right next to the passenger side/door side of your camper. If you had a big camper, it might be tight to open your slides and an awning. You most likely would not sit right outside your camper door. In fact, the fire ring is behind the site and up a small hill. We set up our ez-up in the back and out of the way, it worked for us. There was also a path that led you into the playground. Speaking of playgrounds, you will hear a lot of kids if the weather is nice. We were right across from the camp host (very nice lady) and very short walk to the bathhouse. The bathhouse had 4 flushable toilets and I think 3 showers. The showers did not have benches in the stall, only on the outside directly across. With a full campground, the bathrooms were kept very clean with the amount of people using it. We walked around and noticed a lot of bathhouses and another playground. We took a hike that led us to the lodge - it was an in and out and just under 5 miles. On our way back we stopped at the camp store which was well stocked with items you may need or not. There is a putt putt course, frisbee disc course, horse trails, dog park, nature center, golf course and more trails nearby. There are plenty of things to do if you like to keep busy or are trying to keep kids entertained. (The bees and stinkbugs were out and about while we were there.)

First off we have to say that Ohio State Park campgrounds are some of the best we’ve ever stayed in. Most Ohio state park campgrounds have spacious sites with trees or other foliage between campsites so lots of privacy and a feeling of being apart from other campers. Alum Creek is no different. The ODNR has upgraded a number of the sites to FHU though most are still electric only. Alum Creek Lake is a large reservoir (by Ohio standards) that has excellent fishing, plenty of undeveloped shoreline to explore from kayaks, canoes or paddle boards and a very large beach. Not as many hiking trails as most state parks but you’re not far from High Banks Metro Park in Lewis Center that is a beautiful park with miles of trails along the Olentangy River. We love Alum Creek and will stay again for sure.

Coming here before April 1 (half the campground is still winterized) is great! Low crowds and a great location! Lots of available hikes. Even this time of year, the shower house is open and working. Potable water is available to bring back to your site. And if you are an Ohio resident 60 yrs old or older, get your Golden Buckeye card for a 50% savings on Ohio campgrounds.