Best Tent Camping near Creola, OH

Several tent camping options can be found in the forested hills surrounding Creola, Ohio, particularly within Zaleski State Forest and Wayne National Forest. Zaleski State Forest offers established backpacking tent sites along well-marked trails with multiple loop options. Monday Creek OHV Dispersed camping area provides free primitive tent camping in Wayne National Forest, with drive-in access and basic amenities including vault toilets and trash collection.

Most tent campgrounds in the Creola area feature natural terrain with minimal site development. Zaleski's backpacking campsites include access to potable water from spigots and vault toilets, though campers should bring their own toilet paper as noted in reviews. Sites at Monday Creek OHV have fire rings and allow pets, but lack drinking water. The tent-only sites at Baileys Trail Tent Camping provide more amenities including picnic tables, fire rings, drinking water, showers, and trash collection, though they require reservations. Summer brings higher humidity and bugs, while spring and fall offer more comfortable camping conditions with fewer insects.

Tent campers appreciate the relative seclusion of backcountry sites throughout the area. "The campsites were pretty decent and secluded, but nothing special view wise aside from the typical Ohio forest," noted one visitor about Zaleski. The trails at Zaleski feature diverse terrain with numerous hills, rock formations, and ridgelines, making it popular for multi-day backpacking trips. Sites fill quickly during peak seasons, especially at Zaleski's Camp 2 which serves as a halfway point on the trail. For those seeking more amenities while still enjoying tent camping, Benton's on the Baileys provides access to the Baileys Trail System with clean bathrooms and showers at the base of the hill from the private tent sites.

Best Tent Sites Near Creola, Ohio (29)

    1. Zaleski State Forest

    16 Reviews
    Zaleski, OH
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (740) 596-5781

    "There's a great loop hike in Zaleski State Forest. High quality trees, nice little hills, cool rock formations. Fine campground for tent-camping (my preferred camping method)."

    "Campsites fill up quickly & areas will be shared. Not all have fire rings. Camp 2 is very popular since it is the halfway point(ish) on the trail. Camp 1 is only a couple miles into the loop."

    2. Benton's on the Baileys

    4 Reviews
    Chauncey, OH
    18 miles
    +1 (773) 837-0847

    $40 - $125 / night

    "Extremely private primitive camping surrounded by Wayne National Forest and steps from the Baileys Trail System. Fire pit, picnic table and handmade hammock supplied for comfort and convenience."

    "Excellent campground that is tucked out of the way. You have to walk to the site, up a steep hill, but it is very private and quiet. The bathrooms are down the hill too, but very clean and private."

    3. Monday Creek OHV Dispersed

    2 Reviews
    Nelsonville, OH
    19 miles
    Website

    "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."

    4. Baileys Trail Tent Camping

    3 Reviews
    Millfield, OH
    21 miles

    "Wonderful little location. We drove for about 3 hours to get from where we are. Nice wide open space surrounded by woods."

    "Spent consecutive months at this location and couldn't have been happier with the host and accomodations. Great for that "far out" feel just outside of town."

    6. Trothwood Forest

    Be the first to review!
    Hamden, OH
    7 miles
    Website

    $25 - $50 / night

    7. Caveman's Retreat

    Be the first to review!
    South Bloomingville, OH
    10 miles

    $32 / night

    8. Rockwood

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    South Bloomingville, OH
    11 miles
    +1 (937) 776-3261

    $30 - $100 / night

    9. Camp Rotan

    2 Reviews
    Athens, OH
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (740) 592-3325

    10. Old Stone Church Campground

    2 Reviews
    New Lexington, OH
    24 miles
    Website

    "Each pull-thru is set-up for horses, but RVs are allowed (according to NFS website)."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Creola, OH

620 Reviews of 29 Creola Campgrounds


  • Eira T.
    Jul. 5, 2015

    Burr Oak Cove Campground

    Quiet campground in Wayne National Forest!

    We enjoyed walk-in site #3 during a holiday weekend. The walk-in sites afford more privacy and tree cover than the drive-up sites, where you can see your neighbors on all sides. No showers or sinks, just several vault toilets. Potable water available throughout the camp. Camp sites are $10 a night.

    Neighbors were fairly quiet, and there is one trail that leads down to Burr Oak lake. The trail is 1 mile, but it seems to link up with some longer yellow and green-blazed trails that go around the lake. The campground is also a short drive from the Wildcat Hollow trail head in the Athens Unit of Wayne National Forest

  • B
    Oct. 23, 2021

    Forked Run State Park Campground

    Bad for tents

    Went there in October. No attendance around and not many campers. Sites are very bad for tent camping and not the bet for RV’s. Back ins are sort and most sites have no level ground even for the picnic table or fire ring. Showers were clean but cold. Vault toilets only and stuck to high Heaven. Not serviced well at all. Hiked the lake view trail, poorly maintained. The upper loop from the beach end is very hard to find and not marked at all. Even more disappointing than Hope Lake which has its own site problems for tents.

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 6, 2017

    Blue Rock State Park Campground

    It's moss I think....

    Blue Rock State Park is outside Zanesville, Oh off I70. Rt 60 takes you South and then you have a choice of routes in. Good Ohio farmland scenery.

    Out of the way, small camping area with basic sites. A cool feature is a few of the sites have pavilion type covered patios that you can pitch your tent in to help stay dry during inclimate weather.

    Otherwise the sites are close together. Though there are a few sites that are more off to themselves, they are still wide open with sparse tree cover.

    The restroom is basic, the showerhouse is located at the reservoir beach as well as the camp store and boat rental.The staff was very knowledgeable about the area and conversational.

    Several trails are in the area, the Horse Camp is up the road. In addition to this area there is the Blue Rock State Forest that offers several out door activities, check out their map and site online.

  • Alex M.
    Jul. 20, 2022

    Krodel Park Campground

    Nice park, awful bathrooms

    This is a strange campground, but not a bad one. It is minutes away from downtown Point Pleasant. I had spent the afternoon exploring the town and didn't feel like driving further. There aren't many campgrounds nearby, so this place came to the rescue.

    The park's main feature is a lake that looks to be artificial. Maybe an old gravel quarry? The terrain around the lake is nicely landscaped. There is a paved path along the shore, along with picnic tables and shelters. Kayak rentals are available and the lake is stocked with fish.

    Most of the campground is RV focused, but I stayed at a primitive tent site. These are located closer to the entrance. There are no site numbers. Just pull your car up onto the grass and set up wherever. A few picnic tables and electrical outlets are spaced out along the road. There were a few other campers here when I visited, but there was enough room for us to maintain good separation. No shade trees or shrubs for privacy, though.

    This is not a particularly quiet or restful campground. The day use area around the lake was hopping, with people coming and going well into the night. No closing time, or just not enforced? Not sure. Having so much traffic was a little uncomfortable from a safety standpoint, but nothing untoward happened while I was there. There was also quite a bit of noise from the nearby road and railroad.

    The biggest problem with this campground was the bathroom. It was one of the worst I've seen. It may very well have been cleaned recently, but it was so dark and dingy that I couldn't tell. No windows and just a single bare incandescent bulb for illumination. Reminded me of a gas station toilet. The sink barely drained, the toilet barely flushed, and the urinal looked like it was about to fall off the wall. I have used vault toilets that were much, much nicer than this. I found myself wishing for one of those. Gross.

    There is only one other bathroom located closer to the RV area, and this looked to be just as bad. To be clear, there are only two single occupancy men's rooms for the ENTIRE campground. Yes, there are a few porta potties scattered around as well, but this is ridiculous. This place needs to invest in better facilities.

  • Anna S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 9, 2024

    Caldwell Lake Campground — Scioto Trail State Park

    Tent only sites - quiet, wooded

    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.

  • Dave V.
    Oct. 31, 2019

    Hocking Hills State Park Campground

    Close proximity to natural attractions

    Hocking Hills State Park, Oh-Site 89. https://thehockinghills.org/

    Hocking Hills State Park offers close proximity to most of the popular natural attractions...Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, etc....but for a tent camper that prefers solitude and space, I found it unappealing.

    I did arrive late on a Monday evening, mid-October and got one of the last available sites. Packed on a Monday night!

    I found the camping sites a bit cramped both in depth and width. Site 89 and 90 shared the same parking pad. Limited flat locations existed for a tent and my tent footprint is fairly small. You do have a firepit and picnic table with all three in fairly close proximity, so you must be extremely cautious with wind direction when deciding for a fire, else you’ll have embers dotting your tent and picnic table. Even though the neighbors were trying to be respectfully quiet...you heard every conversation and saw their every move.

    No electric, which is fine in my book...the water spigot is centrally located on the loop and happened to be next to my site.

    The restroom/shower facilities were not well cared for upon my visit. The floors were very muddy and trash was piled up in the corner of one stall and out of necessities.

    Construction and dump truck noise started early with a project behind the restrooms.

    The visitor’s center was well-stocked and the employee was pleasant. Cell service is unavailable and even sketchy at the visitor’s center. Wood can be purchased at the visitor’s center.

    Close proximity to local attractions and a swimming pool are likely the big draw.

    Knowing that I prefer solitude and distance when camping, I’ll likely not return but choose nearby Lake Hope State Park for my local visits.

  • A
    Oct. 18, 2020

    Burr Oak State Park Campground

    Nice trails, not so nice campsites

    Most of the sites at this state park campground are very small and don’t have much level ground. Even the sites meant for RVs and trailers are right on top of each other. It’s almost like they took what should have been one site and made it two. There’s a handful of sites that offer a little space and level ground for tent campers. You may or may not have a picnic table and fire ring with a grill at your campsite when you arrive. According to staff, people take the fire rings and I guess there’s nothing they can do. Bathrooms were clean. The lake view trail was nice and accessible from the campground.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 3, 2020

    A.W. Marion State Park Campground

    A Good Place to Meet is in the Middle

    A new site for us at this campground, site 59 which is an inside site. We also had friends who booked 2 inside sites very nearby so we were able to all set up in the middle and share a large space for 10 people and 7 dogs. We were able to be socially distant, have space for cornhole and lots of room for the dogs. Our site pad was pretty level. My husband went over the pad just a little onto the grass, as the other side sloped. So when we stepped out of the camp, we wouldn't be stepping down on a slope. This is one of the quietest campgrounds we go to even though there is plenty for kids to do (playground). Had the weather been better, we would have brought our kayaks for the lake. You have three different types of restrooms. The ones closest to use are the drop toilets, a little further is a porta potty and the furthest was the flush toilets (no showers). It's our little slice of heaven so we like to try a new site each time if we are able. We take our dogs with us so we have to be a little more picky so we don't bother anyone.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 4, 2022

    Hocking Hills State Park Campground

    Beautiful scenery!

    General: 172-site state park with a mix of full hook-up, electric, and no hook-ups in separate areas plus a 33-site family hike-in camp, two group camps, and three cabins. All sites need to be reserved – no walk-ins are allowed. There is a beautiful visitor center, and the camp office has a small store as well. There is a very nice coin-operated laundry room. Don’t count on cell service– with a fleeting one bar of Verizon, it was just enough to tease us, but the break was also a welcome respite. 

    Site Quality: Standard issue for state parks with paved driveways, picnic table, and fire ring, however, there are a few things to note: Some sites are decidedly not level (#105 is very sloped). 103 and 101 meet at a V at the back end and this impedes the separation between the sites. Our site (103) had a drop-off between the driveway and the rest of the site that could pose a tripping hazard if you are not careful. All of the restrooms emit a hum, but the wastewater treatment facility is very loud and is located directly behind the first 9-10 full hook-up sites. 

    Bathhouse: The restrooms were clean, but the showers were just adequate (not the worst camp shower but definitely not the best I have experienced) but at least there was hot water. 

    Activities: We came for the hiking, and we were not disappointed. This park is gorgeous! We hiked the Blue trail (Grandma Gatewood Trail) to Cedar Falls, taking in Upper and Lower Falls, and Old Man’s Cave along the way, and returned via the Rim Trail, which was much easier (fewer roots and up and down). We received a color-coded map of the trails upon check-in but had difficulty deciphering it, especially the mileage. We went to the Camp Office before starting our hike to get clarity. Once on the trails, they were well-marked with either signs or blazes. While you could do a long hike (12 miles one-way) from one end of the park to the other), don’t miss Ash Cave – we drove there the next morning before leaving. There are also mountain biking trails, two playgrounds (the one more centrally located is a bit dated and does not look very safe but there is a newer, larger one at the very end of the road (near the lake trail) and there are also horseshoe pits and a volleyball net there. In season, there is a large swimming pool. 

    The campground itself gets 3 stars for some of its flaws but the scenery is so beautiful, 4 stars are merited, in my opinion. I would recommend reserving in one of the “spurs” as there would be less traffic.


Guide to Creola

Wayne National Forest and Zaleski State Forest provide the primary tent campsites near Creola, Ohio. Located within the Appalachian foothills, these camping areas feature diverse terrain with elevation changes between 600-1,100 feet. Overnight temperatures can drop 15-20 degrees below daytime highs even in summer months, requiring campers to pack additional layers regardless of season.

What to do

Hiking the Baileys Trail System: Access this 88-mile trail network from Benton's on the Baileys, which sits adjacent to the trail system. "The hiking is decent, but seems like it heads into private property pretty quickly. It is not a long drive from Hocking Hills so that is a better bet for hiking," notes Emily M.

Explore historical sites: Visit the Moonville Tunnel near Zaleski State Forest for a glimpse into local railroad history. "I highly recommend taking the short connector trail on the south loop to cut over to the Moonville Rail Trail. We spent one afternoon hiking over to the Moonville Tunnel and it was one of the coolest parts of our four day trek," shares James W.

Water activities: Lake Hope offers kayaking, canoeing and swimming opportunities near camping areas. "You can dock a boat off lake hope and enjoy a day on the water, or rent a kayak or canoe at the local beach area right down the road. You can enjoy a day playing in the water, eating ice cream and sun bathing," suggests Kasey K.

What campers like

Privacy and seclusion: Baileys Trail Tent Camping offers spacious sites with natural buffers. "Nice wide open space surrounded by woods. There were other campers but very friendly and had plenty of space to ourselves," writes Alex A.

Reliable water sources: The backpacking campsites at Zaleski feature dependable water access. "The campsites have privies, spigots for water, and a lot of different sites for different sized groups. Its a popular trail for a reason!" confirms Matt S.

Wildlife encounters: The forests around Creola host diverse animal species. "We have seen salamanders, deer, snakes, a wild turkey even wandered into our camp in May 2018," shares Leon H. about his Zaleski State Forest experience.

What you should know

No phone service: Cell coverage is minimal or non-existent in many camping areas. "NO SERVICE PLAN ACCORDING make sure you have a map especially to get out of the park!!!!" warns Lani R.

Limited amenities at dispersed sites: Monday Creek OHV Dispersed provides basic facilities only. "Vaulted toilet and garbage cans were a welcome bonus," notes Kevin C., highlighting the minimal infrastructure.

Seasonal considerations: Spring brings significant mud while summer increases insect activity. "Good trail and campsites had water, but it can get a little humid and buggy there," reports Nick M. about backpacking at Zaleski.

Tips for camping with families

Choose appropriate trails: Select routes matching children's abilities at Trothwood Forest, which offers shorter hiking options suitable for younger campers with access to drinking water and toilet facilities.

Plan for multiple stops: Break longer hikes into manageable segments with children. "Wonderful overnight backpack trip for our family. We did the South Loop at Zaleski - 10.9 miles. The hike was great. Lots of ups & downs, a pond & beautiful rock outcroppings," shares Renée C.

Watch for hazards: Be alert for poison ivy and ticks, particularly in warmer months. "Trails had lots of poison ivy & ticks present. We look forward to coming back & doing the remainder of the trail," continues Renée C. about their family backpacking experience.

Tips from RVers

Limited RV options: Most camping near Creola focuses on tent sites with few dedicated RV facilities. Hocking Vacations Campsites offers some RV-accessible options but requires advance reservations.

Plan for uneven terrain: Access roads may present challenges for larger vehicles. "We slept soundly, made breakfast and were on our way. Great stop over location," notes Kevin C. about staying at Monday Creek OHV area.

Prepare for off-grid camping: Most sites lack hookups or amenities for larger vehicles. Bring all necessary supplies including drinking water as most dispersed camping areas near Creola don't provide potable water sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Creola, OH?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Creola, OH is Zaleski State Forest with a 4.5-star rating from 16 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Creola, OH?

TheDyrt.com has all 29 tent camping locations near Creola, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.