Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Defiance, OH

Are you planning a camping trip to Defiance with your dog? We've got you covered. Finding pet-friendly campgrounds in Ohio is easier than ever. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a place near local attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect spot for you and your pup.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Defiance, OH (63)

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Showing results 1-10 of 63 campgrounds

Recent Dog-Friendly Reviews in Defiance

270 Reviews of 63 Defiance Campgrounds


  • Christie S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Johnny Appleseed Campground
    Oct. 27, 2024

    Johnny Appleseed Campground

    Suppppppper Bathroom s

    They have the best bathrooms that I have ever seen in the campgrounds.You can even look out at the skylight at the sky.Why you take a shower and while you go to the bathroom is well.It's a beautiful bathroom very well kept.Thank you so much to the campgrounds....

  • Wendy F.
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Hudson Recreation Area
    Oct. 14, 2024

    Lake Hudson Recreation Area

    Spacious sites

    What an absolute gem of a state park. Almost every site is private, with a few exceptions. Nice trails, well built picnic tables, and huge fire pits. Overall a fantastic experience.

  • BluePitMom O.
    Camper-submitted photo from Sauder Village Campground
    Oct. 7, 2024

    Sauder Village Campground

    History Lovers Heaven

    There's so much to do at the village! What a wonderful place for history lovers and/or kids. In addition to the village, there is a splash pad, a pool (in the nearby inn), and a couple of hiking trails.

    We stayed in Site 23. The sites are sizable, level, and well maintained. The shower house and restrooms were extremely clean.

    The campground was peaceful. It was full during our stay, and the other campers were very courteous. Nobody was loud and obnoxious.

    We were able to catch the Northern Lights!

  • Susan B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Ottawa Metro Park Campground
    Sep. 16, 2024

    Ottawa Metro Park Campground

    Nice, clean campground, adjoining a big greenway

    Very clean and pleasant campground, not far off the interstate. A 13_mile Greenway passes by there. Very nice bath and shower house. All sites paved with water and electric. Great place to spend a night or two.

  • L
    Camper-submitted photo from Ottawa Metro Park Campground
    Aug. 26, 2024

    Ottawa Metro Park Campground

    Wonderful spot

    It is first come..no reservations. Water and electric 30 Amp and some 50 amps as well. Beautiful park with bike and walking paths. Camp hosts are very helpful. Bathrooms and showers are very clean.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Harrison Lake State Park Campground
    Aug. 24, 2024

    Harrison Lake State Park Campground

    Great site!

    Our first time at this park and got lucky with our site. The pad was a little unlevel but easy to fix. The fire ring was fantastic and had pea gravel around it so if it rained it wasn’t a muddy mess. Great site with grass for tents and no one behind us besides a cornfield. We had a sidewalk next to us to the bathroom but there were so many bathrooms we didn’t have very many people pass by. It had pretty decent shade but unfortunately a sweet gum tree nearby so watch out if you’re barefoot. The shower house was nice but no benches in the stall and only had curtains. They were very clean and the camp hosts were friendly. We are headed back in September!

  • J
    Camper-submitted photo from Sun Valley Family Campground
    Aug. 21, 2024

    Sun Valley Family Campground

    Clean facilities, poor book keeping

    Making the reservation didn’t go very smooth, the person taking the information didn’t sound like they knew what they were doing… They charged our credit card, and lost our reservation, however they did honor our word and allowed us to camp. The bathrooms and showers were clean. The camping area had portable toilets that were clean! For just overnight it was OK, not a place I would vacation at.

  • N
    Camper-submitted photo from Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake
    Aug. 15, 2024

    Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake

    Great Family Campground

    We brought down 2 30’ campers and we had 4 adults 3 children and two dogs and stay right next to the craft barn. It is a really nice camp ground with lots and lots for the kids to do. My son had a blast and said this was the best campground he has ever been to. My only complaint is that it is quite costly to stay.

  • B
    Camper-submitted photo from Arrowhead Lake RV Park & Campground
    Aug. 6, 2024

    Arrowhead Lake RV Park & Campground

    Pretty Nice + Cheap

    Sites are large for the weekend campers. The seasonal ones all have back in and the weekends are pull through which is kinda nice. They have two ponds, one for fishing and one for swimming. The swimming one has a dock kids jump off but it only goes to about 3.5-4 feet deep at the deepest point. Overall a pretty nice camping spot. Oh and it was only $45 a night.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Toledo East-Stony Ridge KOA
    Aug. 5, 2024

    Toledo East-Stony Ridge KOA

    Small basic campground near Toledo

    Our site was $59.95 a night.

    We were in Site# 504. We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-through.
    We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site along with my jeep. The site was easy to level. We were charged $25 additional for my jeep since we were towing the trailer. We also were charged $10 because we arrived at 1:25 PM and check-in is at 2 PM. The park was close to empty so arriving early was not an inconvenience. We drove ourselves to our spot (no escort).

    Our site was shaded with lots of trees. This was a smaller lot with our neighbors fairly close.

    The lot comes with a concrete patio with picnic table and fire ring. They sell wood for $6 a bundle.

    There is free WiFi, although not strong. They offer Cable TV and there are many channels.

    There is not a community outdoor kitchen or community fire pit.

    They pickup your garbage at your site daily before noon.

    You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. They do not provide golf cart rentals. There is really not a need to have a Golf cart because it is a smaller campground.

    They do have a Swimming pool but it is currently closed due to maintenance (although it just looked closed- no signs of maintenance being done).

    There is a Playground. They also offer horseshoes, corn hole, giant jinga.

    They have a basic general store. There are not scheduled activities for kids.

    There is not a snack bar/restaurant on site.

    The streets are gravel so not great for riding bikes. This is an RV park with tent camping and cabins to rent.

    They have one shower house. The shower house has individual bathrooms with your own sink, shower, toilet. These are kept very clean.

    There is a laundry facility. It is a cash only facility, but they have a change machine. There are approximately 4 washers and 4 dryers. It is approximately $2.50 to wash and $2.50 to dry a load.

    They have a small fenced in dog park.

    There isn’t tons to doin the actual city of Perryville. But Toledo is a 20 minute drive.

  • Tony T.
    Camper-submitted photo from Harrison Lake State Park Campground
    Jul. 22, 2024

    Harrison Lake State Park Campground

    Great Campground

    The sites in the tent-only section were well sized and shady. We were on the lake side and were able to get some nice views of Harrison Lake. There were families on either side of us with little kids who were well behaved, albeit a little noisy (i.e a really young child was screaming for about 2 minutes straight non-stop at 9 am until finally the parents said something). Bathroom facilities (single occupancy with shower) were about a 3 minute walk and were clean. Good stay!

  • ABBI S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake
    Jun. 17, 2024

    Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake

    Primitive camping right by a busy highway

    This was my husbands, and my 2 small babies first camping trip. We chose Jellystone in Fremont Indiana because it was only an hour from our home and has so many fun family activities. We wanted to do something close by in case things went awry, I am Glad we did that. We got to the site and we had booked primitive camping. From the map online you could not tell it was directly next to an extremely busy highway. So instead of the sound of nature we heard blaring 16 wheelers for hours on end. Our campsite was not labeled with our site number so we had to guess what site we had booked. The camp sites were on a slight hill and my youngest isn’t even 2 and is accident prone. This was dangerous given the fact that the picnic table was sloped right by the fire ring for a dangerous combination. Our chairs were unsteady and sitting around the fire in general was dangerous. We couldn’t relax at all and had to continuously be cautious of my 1.5 year old falling into the fire! It is currently June and the temps are high which we expected but the heat combined with the highway traffic at night led to no sleep for our children or us. Not to mention at 10:30 construction vehicles pulled up right next to the campsite and began their work. By 11:15 we had had enough. We decided to go home. It was the worst 7 hour experience of our vacation history. We called the next day and relayed our experience to the registration cabin and paid to have a cabin. The point of this thread is, I personally Feel like I paid to be homeless next to a highway for the week. I am Angry, camping should not be next to a busy highway. The entrance needs to be relocated to where the primitive camping is and the camping needs to be in a more secluded area. People are paying for this experience and it was the most chaotic/ anxious trip I have ever been on. We have not experiencedthe fun activities yet because we have had such a horrible time at the actual campsite we drove home and are coming back the next day so we could actually get some sleep. When we paid for a cabin and relaid our experience the woman working registration did not even apologize for our bad experience. We were not met with any form of compassion or understanding for the chaos we paid for. If you are going to keep booking primitive camping next to a busy highway, inform your guests! Be aware of construction schedules! Know what is happening in your area for the sake of your guests and their quality experience! Do not let your park become a thing of the past because you are neglecting to remember our experiences keep us coming back!

  • J
    Camper-submitted photo from Happy Acres Campground
    Jun. 4, 2024

    Happy Acres Campground

    Stay in the Skybox

    We rented site 95 in the “skybox” it’s on the backside of the property. Super clean campground with friendly workers and seasonal residents were so friendly. Enjoyed the pool, pickleball and walking the trails. Has a 9hole disc golf. Very cool place and Angola has a lot to offer.

  • N
    Camper-submitted photo from Twin Acres Campground
    May. 25, 2024

    Twin Acres Campground

    Good Time and nice place

    Stayed here with my family on memorial weekend. Nice campground with friendly staff. Would come again for sure.

  • Rick M.
    Camper-submitted photo from Adventure Bound Pleasant View
    May. 13, 2024

    Adventure Bound Pleasant View

    Scam company

    Place is a joke, ran by two little piece of shit trolls with a god complex to over come the lack of achievement in there lives. They have zero management skills and even less people skills. Must be overcompensating for something.

  • Tina G.
    Camper-submitted photo from Happy Acres Campground
    May. 2, 2024

    Happy Acres Campground

    Unexpected gem

    We made an last minute stop here on a Sunday night. The owners were helpful and went out of their way to help us. The campground looks awesome and makes you feel at home. They are also big rig friendly. We will stop back here again.

  • N
    Camper-submitted photo from Sunny's Campground
    Apr. 1, 2024

    Sunny's Campground

    Lots of fun

    I took my family there and we had a great time. My 7 year really enjoyed the swimming and riding his bike through the campground. When we stayed the campground had brought in large inflatable water slide which was a great time. They charge for WIFI and it wasn’t very good at all, but that is my only complaint.

  • Kim B.
    Camper-submitted photo from Fish Lake Family Resort
    Oct. 30, 2023

    Fish Lake Family Resort

    A real family campground with a friendly community.

    The owner was wonderful, friendly, and responsive! 

    The site was good for an overnight stay.

    It seems most sites were seasonal and those folks were very friendly.

    We would definitely stay again when going through the area.

    Lots of things happening...and even though we were just a one-night stay, passing through, we were invited to take part in everything going on.  We felt very welcome.

  • Shona S.
    Camper-submitted photo from Blue Water Campground
    Sep. 8, 2023

    Blue Water Campground

    Okay

    It had the facilities, but we were unimpressed with the service when booking, price quoted at reservation and online was different to price charged and we were placed right by the dump ground

  • Rick G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Johnny Appleseed Campground
    Aug. 31, 2023

    Johnny Appleseed Campground

    Great for Fort Wayne Visit

    Let me start out by qualifying my 5-star review by saying it is site specific. Our site was one of the more private which earned the 5-stars. But, even in a different site it’s a great place to stay for a few nights as you explore the area. Easy in and out, good electric service, water at the site, good Verizon signal, easy dump station access, and friendly camp hosts. Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) burial site is next to this county park. And he is celebrated each Fall within the park with a festival.

  • Randall K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Camper-submitted photo from Buck Lake Ranch
    Aug. 25, 2023

    Buck Lake Ranch

    He said yes, she said no

    Ok where to start. I could see this place could be better in an rv or if you are here for a festival. For me it was a little creepy and run down and dirty.

    But I want to start and say people were very nice! This is def an rv place and as such the bathrooms were not very clean. I could not find the showers but was told they existed.

    Places is full of history and he loved it for that. Considered the Nashville of the north and it prob was 50 years ago. I’m sure it was amazing then - they built a little Main Street. But now it’s pretty much run down. We had a good time taking pics. The lake is nice but seems more like a pond - not a swimming place but I saw people fishing.

    Lots of cool photo spots and pretty grounds. It’s just the buildings were kind of run down and bathrooms were dirty - looked like the toilet hadn’t been cleaned in months. People overall were having a good time but mostly it was all RV’s.

  • Y
    Camper-submitted photo from Ottawa Metro Park Campground
    Aug. 11, 2023

    Ottawa Metro Park Campground

    So peaceful

    Stopped here for the night on a road trip. It was the best decision to make! It is such a nice peaceful campground! The sites were nicely spaced along with a wonderful bathroom. Its definitely one of the nicest campgrounds I have ever been to!

  • A
    Camper-submitted photo from River Trail Campground II
    Jul. 30, 2023

    River Trail Campground II

    Quick weekend stay

    The papers were friendly ans helpful. Friendly patrons throughout the park. Clean saltwater pool, a park and a clean pond with a swimming beach. Catch and release fishing allowed. Bingo on Saturday evening! We all enjoyed our stay.


Drive Time


Guide to Defiance

If you're looking for a great spot to camp with your furry friends near Defiance, Ohio, there are several welcoming campgrounds that cater to pet owners. Enjoy the outdoors while ensuring your pets have a fantastic time too.

Dog owners appreciate spacious sites and amenities

  • At Sauder Village Campground, you'll find well-maintained sites that are perfect for both tents and RVs, allowing plenty of room for your pets to roam.
  • Independence Dam State Park Campground offers a peaceful environment with clean facilities, making it a comfortable choice for you and your dog.
  • Woodbrige Campground features electric hookups and a market, ensuring you have everything you need for a pleasant stay with your pet.

Dog-friendly activities while camping near Defiance

Tips for camping with dogs near Defiance

  • Always keep your dog on a leash at Blue Water Campground to ensure their safety and the comfort of other campers.
  • Bring plenty of water and snacks for your pet, especially when visiting Huggy Bear Campground, where outdoor activities can keep them busy.
  • Make sure to clean up after your dog to maintain the cleanliness of sites like Sunny's Shady Recreation Area, which is known for its family-friendly atmosphere.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Defiance, OH?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Defiance, OH is Harrison Lake State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 16 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Defiance, OH?

    TheDyrt.com has all 63 dog-friendly camping locations near Defiance, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.