Best Campgrounds near Fort Loramie, OH

Fort Loramie, Ohio provides access to several established campgrounds with diverse accommodation options including tent sites, RV hookups, and cabins. Lake Loramie State Park Campground serves as a central camping destination in the area, offering waterfront sites and full amenities including electric hookups, showers, and drinking water. Within a 30-mile radius, additional options include Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, Indian Lake State Park, and several private campgrounds such as Cottonwood Lakes and Poor Farmer's Campground, creating a network of camping opportunities throughout western Ohio.

Seasonal considerations affect camping experiences in this region, with most campgrounds remaining open year-round but offering peak amenities from April through October. Many campsites require reservations, particularly for summer weekends and holiday periods when waterfront sites fill quickly. "We love this campground. It is less than 2 miles away from our home but great events and spaces to get our feet wet when learning new techniques," noted one Lake Loramie visitor. Weather patterns can impact comfort, with several reviews mentioning mosquitoes and humidity during summer months. The relatively flat terrain makes most camping areas accessible without special vehicles, though some primitive tent-only sites may require short walks from parking areas.

Campers consistently highlight water recreation as a primary attraction at most area campgrounds. Lake Loramie offers fishing opportunities directly from some campsites, while Grand Lake St. Marys provides boating access and a swimming pool with splash pad for families. Reviews indicate mixed experiences with site privacy, with some mentioning close proximity to neighboring campers. As one visitor described Lake Loramie: "Relax on the waters edge in shear tranquility. Perfect beach for swimming, excellent trails for hiking, and awesome lake to boat." Most developed campgrounds in the region provide standard amenities including picnic tables, fire rings, and access to bathhouses. Several campgrounds offer cabin rentals as alternatives to traditional camping, with varying levels of amenities from rustic shelters to more comfortable accommodations with electricity.

Best Camping Sites Near Fort Loramie, Ohio (83)

    1. Lake Loramie State Park Campground

    9 Reviews
    Fort Loramie, OH
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (937) 295-2011

    "Relax on the waters edge in shear tranquility. Perfect beach for swimming, excellent trails for hiking, and awesome lake to boat. Multiple launch ramps provide ease and convenience."

    "Love being so close to the lake we can fish all the time. The beach is a bit of a walk from the campground but not to far. They offer canoe rentals, and bike rentals."

    2. Grand Lake St. Marys State Park — Grand Lake St Marys State Park

    14 Reviews
    St. Marys, OH
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (419) 394-3611

    "great like campground on Ohio’s biggest inland lake"

    "friendly staff, very clean restrooms, playground, could not swim in the water due to contamination which they have spent millions to repair and is slowly on the up and up, not too far from town, surrounded"

    3. Indian Lake State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Lakeview, OH
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 843-3553

    "This Ohio State Park is in a small quaint town. Good sites, nice beach + a real swimming pool. Many places for fishing from shore OR launching your boat !"

    "The campground was nearly empty so that was nice but the surrounding area was very crowded. There was nearly no area on the lake that didn’t have houses. The campground was clean and well maintained."

    4. St. Mary's Section - Buckeye Trail (Points 6-7)

    1 Review
    Fort Loramie, OH
    6 miles
    Website

    "You're learning to backpack the Buckeye Trail, and you want to take the first steps towards that without worrying about the physical load you're going to have to carry."

    5. Cottonwood Lakes

    1 Review
    Fort Loramie, OH
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (419) 582-2610

    6. Wapakoneta KOA

    8 Reviews
    Jackson Center, OH
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (419) 738-6016

    $42 - $55 / night

    "We stay here while visiting family nearby Ohio. Lots of shade and quiet even with families and usually pretty full, hosts are extremely nice and accommodating. Swimming pool is clean."

    "Great service and help getting the trailer positioned correctly. A few food options on site are nice. The actual sites are very small. Not much room to fit the trailer and vehicle."

    7. Kiser Lake State Park Campground

    13 Reviews
    Fletcher, OH
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 362-3822

    "I may be biased, with it being close to home, but they have a lot for the kids to do. Beach, volleyball net, playground. Plenty of water locations. For me the bathrooms are unusable."

    "This park is know for the lake that is kayak and canoe friendly since it doesn’t allow any kind of boat with a motor. It also features a beach , 2 playgrounds and several hiking trails."

    8. Poor Farmer's Campground

    6 Reviews
    Fletcher, OH
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 368-2449

    9. Stillwater Beach Campground

    3 Reviews
    Bradford, OH
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 448-2382

    $50 / night

    10. River Trail Campground II

    6 Reviews
    Celina, OH
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (419) 795-1400

    $45 - $100 / night

    "Nice lake, you can bring golf carts nice size camping lots. We will go back again great experience beautiful place."

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Recent Reviews near Fort Loramie, OH

314 Reviews of 83 Fort Loramie Campgrounds


  • Rebecca H.
    Sep. 9, 2025

    Wapakoneta KOA

    Out Standing

    Wonderful facility! Pool, pool table, games for kids and adults. The grounds are beautiful and the staff is super friendly and helpful! Oh and in the laundry room they even have a sink for washing dishes! Great for tent campers ar those with small units that don't have kitchens.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 3, 2025

    Indian Lake State Park Campground

    Lots of sites

    Our pad was not level front to back so we had to adjust a little bit. The fire ring was nice but our picnic table was beat up. I went to move it and the seat pulled right off. We stayed on a Sunday night so it wasn’t packed. There are a ton of sites. Some had great shade and others didn’t have any at all. The bathrooms were flush toilets and they did have shower houses too. The camp store is really big and it’s right next to their pool. They have a dog park, place to dock your boat and a small beach. I would imagine this would be a pretty busy during the summer.

  • Lisa M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 30, 2025

    Resting Roost

    Okay for one night I guess

    We were kind of stuck, looking for a place to stay as we didn’t have reservations during Labor Day weekend so found this place that was listed on Hip Camp. Near Belle Center. PROS- was relatively cheap, $24,out in the middle of fields so pretty quiet, host seems pretty nice. CONS- had to back up a 100 yard driveway, lots of bugs, smells as they just fertilized the fields (not the owners fault). Okay for setting up a tent or a small rig but wouldn’t advise for trailers. Electric was an extension cord. I think water is available. Owner could have mowed the place a bit.

  • Lisa M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 30, 2025

    Buck Creek State Park Campground

    Quiet park with level spaces

    This park was pretty packed over Labor Day weekend, but it still felt like it wasn’t super crowded. Our space was nice and level. Nice hiking trails in the area. Showers were very nice and clean. Several water spickets throughout the park if you needed to access them. It was a bit of a drive back into the campground, probably 3 1/2 miles.

  • Megan M.
    Aug. 27, 2025

    Grand Lake St. Marys State Park — Grand Lake St Marys State Park

    Campground is fine but the lake reeks of POO

    First the good: the campground is big and spacious. Some areas were like RV parking lots- no trees, no shade, but there was a grassy area in the middle with nice big trees and shade. There is a nice pool and splash pad. Weirdly, the pool closed from 4 to 5, leaving us with nowhere to go on a 90+ degree day. 

    Now, the not-so-good: we stayed in a camper cabin and it was very shabby and dirty. It had bunkbeds, a full size fridge, and a folding table and folding chairs, which was nice (and rare in Ohio state park camper cabins). The bathrooms were average. Not new, not especially sparkling clean, but fine. Not gross, at least.

    Now, the terrible: the entire lake stinks of pig poop. All the air smells like poo. You feel like you are breathing feces when you approach the water. We were right on the water so we couldn't escape the smell. 

    This lake is notorious for having algae blooms that prohibit swimming. So I did a google search before our trip and the Ohio Department of Health reports that the bacteria level in this lake is dangerously high, and no one should swim in this lake. However, when we walked to the campground beach, there was no sign or warning or anything indicating the bacteria in the water- and people were letting their children and dogs swim in it!! 

    We opted to not kayak or paddleboard in the lake because it was clear that it was full of poop. So we had nothing to do at the park except go to the pool (it was too hot to do anything else). We ended up driving around the country roads and seeing the sights so we could escape the smelly lake and hot poo fumes. Neil Armstrong was born in nearby Wapakoneta so there are some sights to see there, and the towns of Celina and ? one other are cute too. 

    Overall, I will not return to this lake or this part of the state. If you can't get in the water, paddle board or kayak, the only thing left to do is ride around in a boat and hope the water doesn't get anywhere near your mouth or your skin. No thanks.

  • d
    Aug. 19, 2025

    River Trail Campground II

    Just So-SO

    We stayed 3 nights. Our site was a dirt pads. There are mostly full-time residents. There is the smell of a massive Chicken coup at our site. THERE ARE A TON OF FLIES!!!!! We had flies for days!. We kill 3 and 5 more would pop-up in our trailer. I was so happy to leave this fly infested site. 

    It's very hard for me to give them less than 5 stairs because, everyone was so nice. We had them filled up our propane tanks and they actually brought them to us and hooked them up while we were gone. Someone even brought us wood planks for stabilizing our trailer. However, truth be told…. our spot was horrible-right next to the laundry room in direct sun and it stunk! The women's shower was gross too. ( I ended up, not using their shower room.)

    We never used their pool.

  • Paula  S.
    Aug. 11, 2025

    Blue Water Campground

    Our stay at bluewater

    The staff is extremely friendly, and try to accomadate with anything you could need. The campesites are fairly large with gravel pads. They offer water and electric hook-up for 30&50 amps. There is not a sewer hook up but they do offer a weekly pump out for a small fee and a dump station on the way out. The pool, ponds, playground and pavillion are all within walking distance from almost any site.

  • Don H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 6, 2025

    Ottawa Metro Park Campground

    Most Excellent Municipal Campground

    This is a beautiful, peaceful campground that's not a parking lot like many city campgrounds. It's clean as clean can be, including the bathrooms. The bath house has men's and women's bathrooms as well as a largish entry room with water fountains (one accessible to those in a wheelchair or child), a vending machine, information about the park, an event calendar, and brochures. While we were there, there was a Blue Grass music event scheduled at the nearby amphitheater.

    I was very impressed with the design of the restrooms regarding accessibility. I don't have a physical disability, but I always consider what the experience would be for someone who does. Everything in the bathrooms was intentionally designed for accessibility, not a thoughtless retrofit. The accessible shower is amazing.

    The campground is first-come first serve, but don't worry about getting a site. There are plenty. Pick up a registration envelope from the mailbox at the entrance sign, complete the triplicate form and follow the instructions. Money and form goes into an envelope and is dropped into the payment slot at the bathhouse.

    If you need firewood, there is an open shed to get some, and instructions on how to pay for it. This is so smart to keep people from bringing in and using their own possibly infested firewood.

    There is a dumpster and water available between sites. Each site comes with a picnic. And the fields around the park are filled with bunnies!

    The sites are well spaced and beautifully maintained. We picked site 30 because it had ample trees on its west side to create nice shade in the afternoon.

    A very relaxed, nice park host lives onsite. The entire vibe is chill. It seems to be run more like in an honor system, but they do have rules. Honor the rules to keep this campground special.

    This campground is only one part of a larger Metro park with lots to offer. Pick up a copy of the booklet (in the bath house) about the entire park system and what it offers.

    The price when we stayed was $30/night with a $5 discount for seniors, and a limit of 30 days (which is incredibly generous).

    We stayed for 11 nights and will return again next time we're traveling through this area.

  • Allie H.
    Aug. 3, 2025

    Huggy Bear Campground

    Overall a great experience

    Clean! Tons to do especially for kids, pet friendly, definitely get rowdy on the weekends- book ahead to snag the best sites. We stayed 5 days and it was awesome. Mini golf, fishing, 3 pools, inflatable in the water, they have a whole schedule for the weekends here. It’s great!


Guide to Fort Loramie

Camping near Fort Loramie, Ohio, offers a variety of experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. From serene lakeside spots to family-friendly campgrounds, there’s something for everyone.

What to do:

  • Hiking and Biking: Explore the trails at Hueston Woods State Park Campground. “The park has great trails for hiking and biking,” noted one camper. You can enjoy the lush greenery and wildlife while getting some exercise.
  • Fishing and Swimming: At Buck Creek State Park Campground, visitors can enjoy fishing and swimming. One reviewer mentioned, “Large park with a marina, archery range, disc golf and more. Trails to lake covered with shade.”
  • Picnicking: Many campgrounds, like Caesar Creek State Park Campground, have picnic areas. A camper shared, “The camp sites are spacious,” making it a great spot for family meals outdoors.

What campers like:

  • Clean Facilities: Campers appreciate the cleanliness of restrooms and showers. One visitor at John Bryan State Park Campground said, “The park and facilities are beautiful. The campground has a new bathhouse.”
  • Spacious Sites: Many enjoy the roomy campsites at Indian Lake State Park Campground. A reviewer mentioned, “The sites are far enough apart for some privacy.”
  • Friendly Staff: Campers often highlight the helpfulness of campground staff. At Dayton KOA Holiday, one guest remarked, “Very clean and quiet campground bathrooms extremely clean! Would recommend staying there.”

What you should know:

  • Noise Levels: Some campgrounds can get noisy, especially on weekends. A camper at Hueston Woods State Park Campground warned, “Don’t go here if you expect peace and quiet.”
  • Reservation Fees: Be prepared for reservation fees at places like Indian Lake State Park Campground. One camper noted, “The online reservation system is clumsy to use at best.”
  • Wildlife Encounters: Raccoons can be a nuisance at some sites. A visitor at John Bryan State Park Campground shared, “The sheer number and boldness of raccoons...freaked the kids and new campers out.”

Tips for camping with families:

  • Choose Family-Friendly Campgrounds: Look for spots like Grand Lake St. Marys State Park that offer playgrounds and activities for kids. One camper said, “Great location of pull-through sites for families with kids because of proximity to playground.”
  • Plan for Activities: Bring bikes or kayaks for fun on the water. A family at Summit Lake State Park Campground enjoyed, “There is a large (shallow) lake for fishing and kayaking.”
  • Pack Snacks and Games: Keep kids entertained with snacks and games. A camper at Buck Creek State Park Campground mentioned, “The camp store definitely needs updating,” so it’s best to come prepared.

Tips from RVers:

  • Check Site Sizes: Make sure to check the size of RV sites before booking. A reviewer at Ouabache State Park Campground noted, “Camp sites are tiny.”
  • Look for Full Hookups: If you need full hookups, consider campgrounds like Caesar Creek State Park Campground, which offers electric hookups and more.
  • Be Prepared for Weather: Bring tarps or canopies for unexpected rain. A visitor at Indian Lake State Park Campground mentioned, “The campground and flowing river through the campground...had standing water around the fire pit.”

Camping near Fort Loramie, Ohio, has its perks and quirks. With the right preparation, you can enjoy a memorable outdoor experience!

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Fort Loramie State Park campground located in Ohio?

Lake Loramie State Park Campground is located in western Ohio, approximately 5 miles east of Fort Loramie in Shelby County. The campground sits along the shores of Lake Loramie, between the towns of Minster and Fort Loramie. It's situated in a region known for its recreational lakes, being just north of Grand Lake St. Marys State Park and within an hour's drive of several other state parks in the area.

How can I find a map of Lake Loramie campground?

You can find a map of Lake Loramie campground through several sources. The official Ohio Department of Natural Resources website provides downloadable PDF maps showing the campground layout, trails, and facilities. When making reservations through the Ohio State Parks reservation system, campground maps are available to help select your site. Upon arrival, maps are typically provided at the check-in station. For digital planning, The Dyrt app offers campground information and sometimes user-contributed photos of maps. Wapakoneta KOA, located nearby, often has local area maps including Lake Loramie information for visitors exploring the region.

What amenities are available at Lake Loramie campground?

Lake Loramie campground offers a range of amenities including electric hookups at most sites, shower facilities, flush toilets, and a dump station. The campground features picnic tables and fire rings at each site, with many sites offering shade from mature trees. Recreation options include a swimming beach, boat ramps, fishing access, and hiking trails. Unlike Ouabache State Park Campground where sites can be small and exposed, Lake Loramie typically provides more spacious camping areas with better privacy. Potable water is available throughout the campground, and there are playgrounds for children.