Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Fort Loramie, OH

Lake Loramie State Park Campground permits pets throughout its spacious campsites, offering a family-friendly environment for campers with dogs. The park features full hookup sites with water, electric, and sewer connections, along with pet-friendly cabin options. Pets must be kept on leashes no longer than six feet when outside the tent or RV. The campground provides well-maintained areas for walking dogs, and many sites are positioned with views of the lake where pets can enjoy shoreline exploration. The sites are roomy but offer minimal privacy between neighbors. Despite allowing pets, Lake Loramie State Park maintains strict rules about keeping dogs away from the water when blue-green algae warnings are in effect, as this can be harmful to animals.

Grand Lake St. Marys State Park accommodates pets at its campsites and select cabin units, offering multiple pet exercise areas including a dedicated dog park. Campers note the campground is quiet and family-oriented, making it suitable for pets that may be sensitive to excessive noise. The pull-through RV sites are somewhat cramped and arranged like a parking lot, but the back-in sites offer more space and shade. Walking paths around the campground provide good exercise opportunities for dogs. During summer months, the lake has recurring algae bloom issues that create unpleasant odors and pose health risks to pets, requiring owners to prevent dogs from swimming or drinking the water. The campground's location near Wapakoneta offers access to veterinary services and pet supply stores within a 15-minute drive.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Fort Loramie, Ohio (67)

    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

    "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."

    "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 !"

    4. Cottonwood Lakes

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

    5. 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."

    "Close to I75, level sites, laundry, showers, two dog areas and a store and restaurant. The managers are wonderful!"

    6. Kiser Lake State Park Campground

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

    "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."

    "We had an excellent time with our camping trip at Kiser Lake. We were incredibly impressed with the kind staff. We had purchased 8 bundles of wood ($5/bundle) and it was all wet and not usable."

    7. Poor Farmer's Campground

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

    8. Stillwater Beach Campground

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

    $50 / night

    9. 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."

    10. Venture Out Resorts Arrowhead Lakes Resort

    4 Reviews
    Jackson Center, OH
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (419) 738-5000

    "No hiking, significant highway noise, yes a couple big ponds, but a truck stop and truck storage is behind both - so no views. Most of the campers we saw were elderly or had young kids."

    "Therefore no pool or other water amenities except for the lakes. It seems that the 50 amp sights are very spread out and randomly located."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Fort Loramie, OH

317 Reviews of 67 Fort Loramie Campgrounds


  • Jonathan W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 24, 2019

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

    On the trail Adirondack shelter

    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. You can drop the tent on this portion! This Adirondack shelter, located between Points 6 and 7 on the St. Mary's Section of the Buckeye Trail, is perfect for you. Built as an Eagle Scout project by Parker and Keaton Cole of Troop 95 (in Sidney), it is large enough for six or to sleep comfortably off the ground. You cannot miss it as you go along the trail. There is a fireplace (stone, make sure you check that the chimney is not blocked) large enough to cook your hotdogs and keep you happy as you sit in the shelter.  There is deadfall from the trees around you that will serve as kindling and fuel for the fire.  If you start in Lockington or Fort Loramie, this shelter is approximately 10 miles in and the right place to break a two-day backpacking trip.

  • Janet R.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 16, 2025

    Wright-Patterson FamCamp

    The right place for a stop on a road trip

    If you are retired or active duty military, you have access to recreation sites maintained adjacent to many bases. Wright-Patterson has a recreational family-friendly “Fam Camp” campground located by a small lake in the woods on the south side if the base. Families or adults can enjoy staying at the campground for a few days of camping, fishing, paddling and as a base for exploring in and around Dayton. There are many sites with hookups for RV’s, an area for RVs that dont need hookups, basic tent sites, and also a number of camper cabins by the lake. It is also a convenient stopover for folks on roadtrips and seems to be popular with retirees traveling with RV’s. We stopped for one night while on a road trip ourselves, and stayed in one of the tent sites which was very pleasant. This stay was in May, but we stayed here one time in October as well. There is a full bath house with showers snd bathrooms, a rec center with rental equipment for getting out on the lake, and a clubhouse. There is a field with bleachers for ball games, and a nice fenced in dog park.

  • 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.

  • Andrea F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 30, 2020

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

    Off Season and No Water

    We love camping in the off season but with that comes closures. Some sections of the campgrounds might not be open, no camp hosts and limited bathrooms and showers houses. This is to be expected, but when I called the morning of our trip to make sure potable water was available and I was told yes it was only to drive 2 hours and realized they were wrong. No water 🙁. This would not have been a peas we have dry camped before but all the bathrooms were closed as well.

    After called the park ranger he did let us get some water at the maintenance building so we were at least able to finish the weekend. Lesson learned always pull with at least some water.

    Now back to the campground itself was nice and clean. Site are a little close together. The biggest down side is you are there to enjoy the lake but the lake had algae warnings everywhere not to go near the water.

    They do have a dog park, pool and splash pad when in season and a marina. Also they have WiFi and good cell coverage.

  • Lisa S.
    May. 1, 2019

    Lake Loramie State Park Campground

    Perfect retreat for the family or solo adventure

    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. Rent a canoe or kayak and head out for some time alone or with your favorite person. The cabins are heated but pets are not allowed. Campground is huge as are the sites. Some are premium, there’s a few ADA and some lakeside making for a great view to enjoy your morning coffee.

  • K
    Aug. 16, 2020

    Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metroparks)

    Twin Creek Metro Parks (Geronimo camp site)

    This is part of the Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metro Parks) and it is at the Twin Creek metro park.  This is an old boy scout camp (Camp Hook) back in the day. 

    During these COVID-19 times we wanted a place to park that wasn't the traditional Ohio State Parks camp site. We didn't want to share a common bathroom/bath house or playground area.  We picked this as the Twin Creek camp site only has 3 camp sites within the park.  Even then they are out of side from each other. You can somewhat hear the other two camp sites (rarely).  This meant with two little ones we wouldn't have to constantly remind them to socially distance or put on masks.  We were alone but had plenty of park supports. We had two great park volunteers/security stop by to make sure we had everything we need. 

    The nice thing about the Dayton metro parks is that each night in the front county camp sites they include a bundle of fire wood. This is not the small sad bundle that you often buy at gas stations or other markets.  This is a huge bundle. It is dry and cut in an easy to use manner. It is also kept in a little box so it is dry even if you do have weather while camping. If you wish to add an additional bundle of firewood the price is very reasonable at $10.00. I do this every time I camp there to support their campsites/metro parks. I have yet to use up their firewood in the box when I camp for a whole weekend. It is also nice that we don't have to put it in our cars so less clean up after camping. It also helps with the whole burn local fire wood so you are not transporting bugs. Or you don't have to cross your fingers and hope someone close by sells firewood. 

    The nice thing about their site is the additional tables made it easy for us to socially distance.  When I camp at local state parks and we only have one table it can be tricky to keep coolers, food, and people separated. We also were able to have kids do craft at one of the tables while we were preparing meals. This camp site is listed as a 10 person camp site. There is no water on site so make sure you bring all the water that you will need. 

    We also were able to hike the easy trails around the camp site. No need to put the kids in the car unless we wanted to.  Which we still did:) 

    We drove into town and discovered a covered bridge that I had missed on an earlier camping trip. (Germantown).  This town also has the Florentine which is one of the oldest inns in Ohio. It was closed while we were in town but it is well worth a stop. The town also has a community pool as well that you can buy a day pool pass. 

    The campsite does have two spots that would be neat for a wedding. You can reserve an amphitheater. 

    The campsites during peak season are $20 during week days and $28 for weekends. I still find this to be one of the best values for camping in Ohio. Especially, when you consider the level of privacy that you have on these sites.  The vault toilets are one of the best as they are always clean. We have hand sanitizer and toilet paper. We didn't have to share our vault toilet with any other family units. 

    All of these small touches really made COVID-19 camping with kids much easier. We look forward to being back at this camp site in the fall. 

    Here is the website to make a reservation https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786190&api=facilities&type=camp

  • Megan M.
    Sep. 6, 2018

    Kiser Lake State Park Campground

    Beautiful lake, no running water, feral cats

    This park has a beautiful lake and nice (although short) hiking trails. The problem is that there is no running water- no showers and smelly pit toilets. There is one spigot for drinking water.

    Beware that the campsites are mostly in one big grassy field with no shade. I'd pick a site along the perimeter or along the lake.

    This park is overrun with feral cats (or it was when I was there). Some people might think that is cute. I consider feral cats to be wild animals that carry disease. What's really bad about them is that they've been fed so they are comfortable around people. We spent the whole weekend trying to fend them off- every time our backs were turned, they jumped up on our picnic table. They ate our food, which we had to throw away. When we sat by the fire, they rubbed up against our legs, which is disgusting, considering they carry Bartonella, which is transmitted through their fleas and ticks (Bartonella is a co-infection of Lyme, or you can get it on its own. I know- I've had it since middle school. Feral cats probably carry Lyme too, as they are mammals). I can't express how stressful it was, trying to keep these wild cats away from us the entire weekend. I don't know why the park can't get them under control.

    Sure, cat people will be offended by my statement, but would you want raccoons or skunks up on your table, eating out of your pots and pans? Would you want raccoons rubbing up against you while you are trying to relax? These cats are also wild animals, yet way too tame for comfort. Ugh,I shudder remembering it.

  • Andrea F.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 17, 2021

    Kiser Lake State Park Campground

    Quiet Park

    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. Just be careful if you hike with dogs since some trails intersect with a nature preserve which doesn’t allow pets.

    The campground itself has 20 electric sites , 56 primitive sites and 4 camper cabins. All the electric sites are pull through and all sites have a fire pit but only the electric sites come with picnic tables.

    Due to off season and COVID the camp store is closed and there is no camper host or park office staff around.

    We did notice lots of downed trees on the poorly marked hiking trails. Some trails just started but no maps were around and no trails were blazed. It was hard to tell where we were headed or how long a trail was. I tried using the new Detour app and it wasn’t very accurate for this park.

    We did have good Verizon cell coverage.


Guide to Fort Loramie

Camping near Fort Loramie, Ohio centers around the area's numerous state parks and lakes. The region sits at approximately 900-1000 feet above sea level in western Ohio, with summer temperatures typically ranging from 70-85°F. Camping options include both established state parks and private campgrounds, most offering water recreation access with varying pet policies.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Lake Loramie State Park provides shoreline fishing access where campers can catch various species. "Quiet with a spot on water for fishing," notes Joe D., who gave the park a 5-star rating. Many campsites are positioned along the water for easy access.

Water activities: At Indian Lake State Park Campground, visitors can enjoy multiple water recreation options. "There is a camper beach area, swimming pool and boat launch within the campground," explains Andrea F. The park also includes "a new kayak launch and playground by the beach area that looked nice," according to another reviewer.

Hiking trails: Kiser Lake State Park Campground offers several hiking trails for nature exploration. "The park... features a beach, 2 playgrounds and several hiking trails. Just be careful if you hike with dogs since some trails intersect with a nature preserve which doesn't allow pets," advises Andrea F. The park's natural setting provides a quieter camping experience compared to busier lakes.

What campers like

Convenient local camping: Some campers appreciate the proximity to home for weekend getaways. "This is a local's campground. Many permanent camps. We camped in the primitive area and were the only ones there," shares Ashley W. about Cottonwood Lakes.

Lakeside views: Many campsites provide direct lake access. "We love being so close to the lake we can fish all the time," writes Ashley W. about Lake Loramie State Park. Another camper at Kiser Lake noted, "We camped on lot 57 and the view of the lake was awesome!"

Swimming options: Wapakoneta KOA receives positive reviews for its clean facilities. "Super clean KOA with level gravel sites... 2 Fenced dog areas, nice playground, game room, giant chess set outside, clean pool," reports Lisa D. The campground's proximity to Interstate 75 makes it convenient for travelers.

What you should know

Algae concerns: Several lakes in the region experience algae issues, particularly in summer months. Andrea F. notes about Lake Loramie: "There were signs posted everywhere to use caution with the water because they were known to have blue green algae in the water so we had to keep the dogs away from it."

Limited privacy: Some campgrounds offer minimal separation between sites. Megan M. observes that Grand Lake St. Marys State Park has areas "like RV parking lots—no trees, no shade, but there was a grassy area in the middle with nice big trees and shade." Site selection can significantly impact your camping experience.

Weather considerations: Spring and summer storms can affect camping. "Our experience with Indian Lake was tough, unfortunately we suffered a pretty severe thunderstorm while we were tent camping, it looked like a tsunami coming in," shares Mandi B.

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly activities: Most parks organize weekend events for children. "The kids loved the playground and had fun at the Fun Field Day activities!" Shanda A. writes about Lake Loramie. Many campgrounds feature playgrounds, swimming areas, and recreational programs.

Site selection for families: Choose sites that balance accessibility with some privacy. "We had a back-in, water/electric spot that was roomy as we were on an end. Wood deck, picnic table, and fire ring included," shares Ryan W. about River Trail Campground.

Pet exercise areas: For families camping with dogs, note available pet facilities. Wapakoneta KOA offers "two dog areas," and most state parks have designated pet walking areas, though restrictions may apply near beaches and swimming areas.

Tips from RVers

Hookup availability: Full hookup sites can be limited at state parks. "The campground has no full hookups but does have electric. RV sites have a view of the lake. Sites are clean and paved," shares Aaliya B. about Kiser Lake State Park Campground.

Pull-through access: Some campgrounds offer easier access for larger rigs. "The pull through area is very cramped; more like a parking lot," notes Kim M. about Grand Lake St. Marys, suggesting back-in sites might provide more space.

Leveling requirements: Be prepared for uneven sites. "Our pad was not level front to back so we had to adjust a little bit," reports Shannon G. about Indian Lake State Park, highlighting the importance of bringing leveling blocks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Fort Loramie, OH?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Fort Loramie, OH is Lake Loramie State Park Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 9 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Fort Loramie, OH?

TheDyrt.com has all 67 dog-friendly camping locations near Fort Loramie, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.