If you want to explore the beauty of Gallipolis, glamping is an excellent option. Camping has always been a favorite form of travel for many, but Gallipolis, OH glamping is a new and unique way to do it. You're sure to find glamping for your Ohio camping adventure.
Iron Ridge is one of two campgrounds in the Vesuvius Recreation Area in southeastern Ohio's Wayne National Forest. Iron Ridge offers a great location for outdoor recreation, with activities like boating, swimming and fishing on Lake Vesuvius. Horseback riding and hiking are also available in the rolling hills surrounding the campground.
Boating, fishing and swimming on Lake Vesuvius are the area's most popular activities. Anglers may catch bass, catfish, crappie or bluegill. More than 40 miles of trails exist in the area, with trailheads beginning at or near the campground. A 1/2-mile hiking trail connects the campground to Lake Vesuvius. Lake Shore Trail offers an 8-mile loop around the lake and shorter trails lead to Rock House Cave, a grand, tunnel-like sandstone cave that was once used by Native Americans for shelter.
Iron Ridge Campground is located on a wooded ridge above 143-acre Lake Vesuvius. A scenic forest of mature eastern hardwoods covers the area.
The closest town is Ironton, Ohio, less than 10 miles from the campground.
$20 / night
$20 - $80 / night
$4 - $27 / night
Oak Hill Campground is one of two camping areas within Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area. It has recently renovated and upgraded with modern conveniences like electric hookups and flush toilets. Lake Vesuvius is very close, providing access to ample recreational opportunities.
Boating, fishing and swimming on Lake Vesuvius are the most popular activities. Anglers may catch bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill. More than 40 miles of trails exist in the area, with trailheads beginning at or near the campground. A spur within the campground connects to the Rock House Trail, which leads to a cave Native Americans used as a hide-out many years ago.
The campground is situated on the west side of the 143-acre lake. A mixed hardwood-pine forest with many mature oak trees covers the area.
The closest town is Ironton, Ohio, less than 10 miles from the campground.
$20 / night
There are 78 primitiive campsites and one group site available for organized groups. Latrines, waste drains, picnic tables and fire rings are provided 10 sites are available for campers with pets
Ranger
Lake Hope State Park is a cute area nestled in the foothills of Ohio. With Zaleski right next door, there are a ton of cool things to do around the area. There’s a swimming, boating, camping, hiking, backpacking, and a ton of cool historical sites to see. I would recommend getting an Ohio Lizard Map to find some cool secret sites that most don’t get to find in the area.
Scout
We live close to this park and frequent there, sometimes just day trips. Tent camping is great and just like most places there are a few sites that are the best. Park offers hiking trails from the camp sites to the beach area or packing up the swim gear and using the parking lot. The beach area is back water from the ohio river. It is a sandy rocky mixture. There are boat rentals during peak months. There is a frisbee golf course that is top notch. The only down side to this ohio state park, are the bathrooms; they are port a pot facilities that can be pretty raunchy.
Guide
Great for families who need lots of entertainment. There was showers and washing machine, general store, movie night, playgrounds and more. We stayed in the S loop which is for tent campers which was lower fidelity than the other loops. Our site didn’t have a table, it had been moved to another site so we had to commandeer it. The drive there was a very interesting tour of trump flags Amish buggies and more. Would come back if I was stranded in Ohio, but overall great pit stop for cleaning up on a long journey. They were the only camp with spot open 4th of July weekend in Ohio.
Guide
One of the most beautiful places in Ohio. Some amazing trails, most of the trails are fairly easy to hike and most are not long (less then 2 miles). Several waterfalls to see, and rock over hangs. Campgrounds has all the bells and whistles for camping.
GuideAt old mans cave campgrounds in southern Ohio, you can enjoy time at a nice campsite, the campgrounds also provide a nice in ground swimming pool as well as a nice shower house. Many things do outside of the campgrounds such as cave exploring and trail hiking.
Guide
This is an extremely primitive place that is not run by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. It is run by the same woman who runs the boat rentals at several other state parks in SE Ohio- this is her business. There are very few amenities here. There are pit toilets, potable water towards the front, and that's it. There is a road that runs alongside the entire length of the campground, right at the edge, so you can hear cars and coming and going, especially at night. I was here in late October, so I can't attest to whether this place has a loud party atmosphere like many other state parks, but it seemed pretty chill, probably due to the fact that you can't reserve a site in advance- you pay when you arrive, and pick your spot then. The boat house's hours said they were still open for the season, but I arrived long after they were supposed to open according to their hours listed on the door, and I never saw a person all day. So I went to go rent a boat at a different place. All in all, the campground is fine, just the traffic along the road was a bit annoying, and the sites are not very wide- you are close to your neighbors and there is nothing separating the sites.
LegendLake Hope State Park is the unsung hero of Logan county, Ohio. Hocking Hills State Park gets the crowds because of its amenities and closer proximity to Old Man's Cave...but...
Each time I have stayed at Lake Hope State Park, I have marveled at why there are only a few stray campers in a state park of 190 sites. Granted...I am usually camping during the week...but its a ghost town. Which is fine by me...solitude...peace and quiet.
The main reason is pit latrines...well, that's my guess, anyways. LHSP still has hot showers. I guess because it doesn't have a pool, it doesn't have the crowds. Shoot! I'd stay home if I wanted a pool. Whatever the reason, you rarely, if ever, will have to contend with neighbors.
Trails are superb...tall canopies, fern ground cover, a wild assortment of fungi and wildlife at every turn. The terrain is undulating but very doable. The campsites are pretty open, so if you did have neighbors...you'd know it. We'd usually snatch up site 98 or 99...or both. No one would usually go that deep into the park. It was private...pit latrine nearby...flat and airy. Foot trails were nearby and the bike trail wasn't too far away.
If you brought your boats...Lake Hope is a nice flatwater paddle. Get there early and watch the water lilies open. Hope furnace is just outside the campground and next to the first "put-in" for the lake. As history buffs will know that Ohio was one of the nation's leading iron producers back in the day. There is also a swimming beach on the opposite end of Lake Hope...if you just have to get wet.
The haunted Moonville Tunnel is nearby and worth the short drive and hike. Unfortunately, it is becoming defaced by disrespectful taggers...still cool nonetheless.
You are plopped down smack dab in the Zaleski State Forest...so pick a trail, any trail.
A short drive away are amazing trails and formations...Old Man's Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, Conkle’s Hollow, Rockhouse and Ash Cave. Each one a must see! Give youself time to hike the trails and enjoy the natural beauty of southern Ohio. Not only will you be glad you did...you will want to return year and year!
LegendWhen I was younger I use to go here a lot on day trips to swim at the man made sandy beach on the lake. From where I used to live in WV it was only a 40 minute drive across the state line into Ohio. The camping there is nice. The fishing is good as well. What makes the lake unique at Forked Run is that it contains dime sized fresh water jelly fish. These type aren't able to sting you. There are shower houses and a camp general store with the camping essentials. There is plenty to do with fishing and hiking. A lot of people in the area mainly go for swimming or to play frisbee golf.
TravelerI discovered this park in 2019 while on a history road trip to Marietta, Ohio and Blanerhasset Island. I’ve since returned to Forked Run just to spend a peaceful weekend The park has over 150 campsites and the times I’ve been there, only a few were occupied. I felt like I had the whole park to myself. Some people complain about the pit toilets. They smell bad, but they’re bearable. There’s a nice lake for kayaking. There’s a boat launch near the dam at the south end of the lake and a second boat launch at midway portion of the lake. You have to drive a few miles to the second launch but I prefer to enter the lake here and paddle north into the headwaters of the lake
ScoutWe have been camping at Tar Hollow for years. Sites 32-37 are huge and flat and near the playground so great for families (therefore avoid if you want peace and quiet!). Sites 38-40 and 64-66 are the most idyllic (completely shaded, quiet yet accessible). The non-electric sites feel really remote. There is a weird generator hum at night but you sort of ignore it after a while. 93-96 are the best non electric sites as they are right against water and under the trees. The primitive restrooms often have bees and wasps and mosquitoes so take care. The showers are reliable and I have always had hot water. There is absolutely no cell service excoet if you hike up to the fire tower. we go back, year after year after year. Fav park for camping and hiking in Ohio!!!
GuideWe had read about the quietness of Forked Run and it was we had a loop all to ourselves and only about 15 campers in the whole campground,
It was very clean and the areas coming into the campground beautifully maintained, but once we got to our campsite it was covered in trash, cigarette butts, beer cans and tons of candy and straw wrappers, the woods behind each campsite was loaded in trash, toilet paper and feces.
After a few hours we had our site pretty much cleaned up, but on our walks we noticed more sites looking the same.
Shower house was clean, but after visiting a pit toilet and fighting of hundreds of bugs I noticed the pit toilet was almost overflowing, yes overflowing. As many as I have used I have never seen one so full which explains why everyone was crapping in the woods.
If you want internet bring a WiFi and a booster and you will be good.
No available park ranger, in facts serious accident happened at the front gate and victims waited for EMS to arrive, if a ranger was on duty help could have been faster.
Kayaking was great with some hidden coves.
Other than that it can be a beautiful park, Ohio ODNR you should be ashamed of yourself for the way this park is kept.
TravelerIt was better than decent😀. The bathrooms and bathhouse were clean .. one broken shower head but the other three were functional. Clean hot water without an odor. The general store employee (SANDY) was everything and exceptional. She went over and waaayyy beyond to help us as we were new to the area. I appreciate her generosity with her time. She is a true gem:) The park was clean with very neighborly neighbors. We did not hit the trails as it was only a 1-night stop on our journey. It was a back in -concrete trailer site (our trailer was 32 feet ) with electric only (no problems) and there was a potable water faucet nearby. We noticed a dump station as we were leaving the park.
Call ahead so that the employee Can tell you the best way into the park .. the alternate way we didn’t take apparently had winding narrow turns with steep hills. Also… please go there in the daytime silly us arrived at night and it was quite a challenge. Overall, we enjoyed our stop at this Ohio state park. Thanks again Sandy!!! You will not be forgotten:)
GuideIt’s place was a last minute booking for us as we needed to kill 2 days before our next planned stop in North Carolina. I’d say most reviews are pretty accurate I read on here. Bathrooms dated camp spots are small except for a few in the first loop that were pull through. Out of the whole campground on Tuesday there was only 5 camp sites occupied. It was very quiet and peaceful. Even better no cell phone service. When we left people were starting to arrive for the 4th of July weekend. I was surprised at how many sites were tagged for arrival. Now one of the reasons we picked this was because of the lake and reviews on the swimming area for our kids. We were very disappointed in the swimming area. The swim area was filled with locals who were leaving trash on the beach and lake. It was disappointing the amount of fast food rappers and cigarettes butts all over the place. This park does have the potential to be one of those hidden gems with a little TLC. We enjoyed the stay here. We ended up going to Marietta, Ohio both days. This town was not to far away and has a ton of history. I would return to this campground to enjoy the piece and quiet. But would not return to bank on the swimming area and lake to enjoy with the kids.
ScoutHocking Hills State Park is a very beautiful natural wonder in Ohio, but the state park campground was ok. The main complaint my group had was with the bathrooms. The women's bathroom near our site had 4 stalls- none of which had doors which would close. They were beautiful big, heavy wooden doors, but each was too big to actually close and lock the door! Fixing this may take 1-2 days work, but someone could easily remove the locks, run the doors through a saw to cut off an inch, stain and seal the exposed wood, and re-attached the locks. Old Man's Cave has a brand new welcome center, but the campground still has bathroom doors that don't close. It doesn't make sense to me. The only other complaint is that the asphalt parking areas at each site are fairly small and there is no parking provided for extra vehicles. Having a large group with people driving separately makes it difficult as there is one parking spot on a site(if you set up a camper). Other general notes: Many of the sites have a lot of slope, as you are in the hills, though each appeared to have at least one small flat area. The showers are fairly open, with curtains on each shower and a large curtain separating the shower area from the rest of the bathroom. They have a bench, hangers for towels, and a shelf for soap. The showerheads themselves are very nice and always had warm water! Another newer bathroom we visited(near the pool) had been remodeled recently, but was significantly dirtier than the old one. There was mud and toilet paper all over the floor and it was smelly. Overall, the campground is in a great location. You can easily hike to Old Man's Cave, Rose Lake, Cedar Falls, and the Devil's Bathtub. Most of these trails lead to other areas 4-5 miles away as well. And being within walking distance of the trails, you don't have to worry about parking(and boy was it crowded this Labor Day weekend).
Traveler
Great campground very nice
ScoutGood for families wanting a quiet vacation. Didn't find much to do in the area though.
ScoutNice quiet campground
GuideThis campground has been around since the 1800s. It has a lot of permanent residents and we had a lot of fun checking out the different set ups.
There are a lot of amenities but they need updated. The playgrounds need replaced. The activities building had a pool and game room area, which we used a lot. These were dated as well but our kids had a blast and that is all that matters.
Everyone we engaged with at the campground was very pleasant. We went midweek so it was not very crowded other than the permanent residents. The park is very quiet.
We did a couple day trips down to Pomeroy, which is a nice little river town with ice cream, playgrounds, and shops less than five miles from the campground.
ScoutClean facilities, quiet campground.
Legend
Ok for overnight stop.
Pros: 50 amp hook-up Water Sewer
Cons: Gravel pad Sites close together
ScoutGreat RV/Camper spots for your family! Although I’m more of a tent camper myself, my family members have some medical issues that require them to sleep inside and have access to electricity, so Fox Fire turned out to be a really good spot for that. Camper spots are a decent size, but they can feel a little cramped on the bigger weekends. Their camp store is stocked with everything you may need and not to mention their swimming lake is pretty fun and provided hours of entertainment for the youngins in our group. Super cool programs too! Can’t complain about a movie out by the lake. Ooh and make sure you rent a banana bike! Super fun.
RangerWe loved our stay here! The owners are so friendly and welcoming. They had so much for kids to do: a swimming pond with inflatables, gem mining, banana bikes, and more. They showed a movie at 9pm on a big inflatable movie screen outside. Lots of other families there to hang out with.
The only downside was that the tent sites are close to the interstate, so there was A LOT of road noise all night. Otherwise, it was a great camping experience!
GuideMaybe I am not used to KOA prices but $52 a night for a FHU seems high! The owners were nice and accommodating! The site while somewhat level was gravel and wet from day’s storm (poor drainage) ! I booked from afar and was not able to find other campgrounds near Charleston, WV.
LegendWe enjoyed our stay at Huntington/Fox Fire KOA! This is a holiday KOA that offers more amenities for vacationers. It has very close proximity to I-64 in West Virginia, and you can hear the traffic pretty clearly.
The staff is wonderful, they obviously care very much about their jobs and we enjoyed talking to them. They keep the property very clean which is saying a lot because it’s a very busy park. Each day we watched the park nearly empty and by sundown it was mostly full again. On the weekends it was full to capacity, and it’s occupants were out enjoying their time!
There is: great cellular for TMobile and AT&T, laundry, dog walk area, storage, cabins, a store, a swimming pond, small beach area, and some sites have fire pits. The picnic tables were pretty dated.
The hookups are a little strange. You share pedestals in many of the sites. And the arrangement is a little strange but it works.
GuideIt was our first stay ever in our RV. Our site was muddy but it did rain 2 out of 3 days. Site 32. The staff was very pleasant and helpful.
RangerWe came to this campground because it was close to the Kenova Pumpkin House. We rented a cabin on a cute little pond. It was a nice setting and it was a little out of the way from the main part of the campground which was nice. It had a deck that overlooked the pond and the campground. The only thing I didn't like was that it was close to the interstate and you could hear the traffic all night. If you want convenience, though, this is good since it is close to the interstate.
ScoutWe have stayed here full time for work and the people who run the place and work here are so kind and friendly. The area is safe and right near the nicest little towns (barboursville and hurricane) which have all the restaurants and shopping you’d need. A few city parks have some decent hiking trails and the state park and ‘big city’ of charleston or Huntington are a short drive. Great park all year with lots of green space, ponds for catch and release, and fun swimming blow up things in the water during summer, cabins for visitors. Very family friendly and well maintained. Another RV park that is right down the road is literally a parking lot, definitely the nicest campground we’ve found in this area for sure! We stayed in 114 and 115 which are RIGHT under the expressway, so can be VERY noisy. The closer you get to the front desk the better for the noise, but the expressway can be very very loud with all the truck and engine brakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Gallipolis, OH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Gallipolis, OH is Lake Hope State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 34 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 18 glamping camping locations near Gallipolis, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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