Best Glamping near Gates Mills, OH

Beautiful area for a get away in Ohio. The beach is never too packed. You can take kayaks out and venture off around the shores.

This park is one of my favorites in Ohio at this time. Most of the sites are some what private. There are many trails and even a fog park next to the lake.

Stayed on a premium patio site and loved it. The campground and staff were awesome. Level site, great hook ups, awesome WiFi and cable. Clean facilities, 3 lakes (one with a fishing pier), 2 dog parks, and super friendly staff. 30 min to Cleveland. Walmart, gas stations and restaurants within 5 miles. Just off Ohio Turnpike, but can't hear it. Definitely recommend this KOA

Ranger Review: Morsel Spork at West Branch State Park

**Campground Review: **

This state park was very welcome after our first two unlucky Ohio state park experiences. We had no trouble pulling in at 3 pm on a Sunday after Labor Day with no reservations and snagging a very nice spot (Site 50 backs up to Kirwan Reservoir). There are two loops that are on Jay Lake where there is a beach; it was understandable that there weren’t any water view spots that had not been reserved here. A very quiet park that is well-maintained with lots of amenities. Even the rumbling of the nearby trains was on the quiet side! Nice playground with toy stocked sandpit, volleyball net, cheap laundry ($3 per load, wash and dry), dishwashing sinks, showers, and clean bathrooms. There was even a step stool for kids to be able to reach the sinks. A staffed store(9am-7pm on Sunday, 11am-7pm Monday– Thursday and 9 am– 8:30 pm on Saturday) with basic supplies and, of course, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Some of the sites have a slight grade so be cautious when selecting. Many trees that provide separation between sites. Several short hiking trails. A side note: I only saw one non-Ohio license plate besides ours in the entire park, almost like it is an Ohio secret (not anymore!)

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**Product Review: **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the opportunity to test products. At this campground, I tested the large  Morsel Spork from Outdoor Element. I have to admit that when I unpacked my box from Outdoor Elements, I was surprised at how LONG our morsel sporks were(we have other sporks that are much shorter so I was expecting these to be a similar size) but then I saw a photo of someone using it with their freeze-dried meal and it was an aha moment! No need to dirty another dish because this mighty spork can reach to the bottom of the pouch with no problem! These sporks are also sturdier than others we have used. The rubber scraper edge is a nice touch – would be great for getting the last delicious bits of meals from the freeze-dried meal pouches and I’m thinking also in glass or plastic containers. A very nice addition to our camping tools.

Booked a one night stay a day ahead of time on Ohio State Park site with full hookup.  when we arrived the site had been given away by staff to move someone from a noisy area.  Gave us the choice of a couple of other electric only sites.  Found one right near the water and couldn't have been happier!  Site 222 was on a cul de sac right across from the water.  Site is probably under water in early year.  Had a Pileated woodpecker visit us within 10 yards.

Can't say how nice Wilma from the park office was.  She was very apologetic and at the end of our stay gave us a gift card to use for another stay.  Both Wilam and the camp host checked on us to make sure we were happy.

Bring your kayaks and bikes.

My friends and I were going to a festival in the Northeast Ohio area. The festival camping was full, so we stayed at this location for a night. The sites are very affordable if split between little people. This very family orientated campground has a gravel road system connecting a ton of camp spots, RV locations, mobile homes, a playground, a swimming lake, and a even a fishing lake. The ground itself is huge, so kids can have fun and run around with other kids in nearby sections of the campgrounds. Overall there are a ton of amenities and very friendly staff. We told the office lady we would be back late at night, and she gave us a special passcode to the gate. That was super kind of her. The land isn’t particularly pretty and the campsite for tent camping are rather close together, but it’s a good location overall for RV’s. I wouldn’t recommend this location if you’re trying to enjoy nature, because sites are pretty close together and certainly not secluded. There are positives for tent campers including water taps, outlets, trash receptacles, bathrooms, and hot showers.

West Branch is one of the best-known family campgrounds in NE Ohio. And it's not hard to understand why. Full amenities, clean facilities, and a nice lake round out the picture of a great place to get some family R&R.

Here's what you can expect:

1. It's Busy. 

Like, really busy. Be sure to book early as spots fill up often. Sites are fairly close to each other, but most people seem respectful of space and limits. 

2. It's Accessible.

West Branch is a quick drive from Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Youngstown - hence the draw. if you live anywhere close, there's no reason NOT to check this place out!  

3. It's Fun (but a bit loud) 

If you're looking for quiet, West Branch might not be the place for you. Since the lake has not real HP limits, you'll hear boats motoring quite a bit throughout the day. 

4. It's got everything :) 

Seriously. There's nothing else you could want. Hiking trails, swimming, a fully stocked office for the essentials you forgot. 

Quick tip: Bring swimsuits. There are plenty of places to swim in the well-kept beaches or off a boat. West Branch is a great family getaway for summer swimming!

Would have given this site 5 stars but the walk to the site was a bit more of a haul than expected. It was just myself, kids, and pup. So it made setting up camp a bit more work but we enjoyed our stay thoroughly. Its like you have the forest to yourselves out here.

My friends and I decided to stay here for the weekend. Even with the colder weather it was nice and cozy. Plenty of fire wood provided and a short distance away from the gorge to walk. The second night had lots of coyotes around, which is cool but can be dangerous if not careful of course. Coyotes were heard all around the general area. Other than that quiet and the roads close by are unheard. Overall a great experience and definitely recommend for a rustic experience.

A variety of sites from primitive to full hook up. Flush toilets and clean showers. The lake is small and limited to electric motors only, but nice for kayaks and SUP. And for those of you looking for a little more comfort check out the lodge for a little less rugged stay.

We tent camp from our motorcycles & this is our favorite camp site! We have camped here 4 times & love the private, wooded site.

Punderson was a great weekend get away. The campground was very clean including the bathrooms and the camp sites. There is a lake with kayak and small boat rentals, kid friendly hiking trails. The only downside is that some of the campsites are very close together. So if you are looking for a secluded camping spot this may not be the best campground.

The park is very nice. Great Lodge. Nice lakes and cabins to rent. The camp grounds for RV's is not the best. Very few full hookups. Rest of the sites only have 15-20 amp service. The lots are not even close the level. You will need a lot of blocks to get close to level. Saw one RV with auto levelers with his tire about foot off the ground. If they leveled the lots and added water and at least 30 amp electric it would help a lot.

We recently spend the weekend at Punderson State Park Campground to visit family.  There is a ton of stuff to do at this park and it is spread out so you do not feel on top of each other.  We stayed at Site 11, this site is on the road with full hook-ups only.  The rest of the part is water and electric.  We enjoyed hiking, biking, kayaking and sharing stories.  There is a beautiful lodge across from the campground that has cabins to rent.  Although we didn't play, there is a 27 hole disc golf course, a regular golf course, archery range and several hiking trails.  This place will be on our list to return.  The only downside was the lake had alot of algae, but this is expected in the heat of summer.

Great for fishing. Crammed and unlevel tent camping. People kept walking through our site to get to the bathroom which was annoying and rude. Few trails for hiking

Been here a few times for day trips first time camping will definitively come back. Pros- lots of sites, lots of flush bathrooms around the camp ground, the bathrooms and shower houses are the older style but have been kept clean the whole weekend, kayaks for rent firewood available to buy. Cons- the sites greatly very on size and flatness so make sure you look at the pictures of the site before you book some are basically the parking pad and a fire ring, some are big and flat some are on a incline. Also most sites have enough trees that hammock camping would not be an issue especially the sites that you park and go back from road about 20 ft with good privacy

Beautiful wooded sites with lots to do for the family. It is super hilly so if you’re looking for flat look elsewhere. Cute nature center, nice playground, lots of rentals available, clean beach with nice shallow swimming area. Our site barely had space for our large tent to fit but it all worked out. Make sure you check pictures of the sites to see if they will accommodate your rig/tent.

Great territory, with kayaks, hiking trails decent showers, and playgrounds and basketball hoops

Small sites, oddly set up. Our site was an not level cement pad, then a slippery slope down to our fire pit. No cell reception. The lake was very full of algae, no swimming.

We have just returned from our first stay at Punderson and have no complaints! Sites are smallish, but clean, mostly level and well kept, as is the camping area in general. There are NO pull-through sites I am aware of. Had a picnic with nearby family at one of the pavilions… again, neat and clean and well taken care of. Very quiet at night, which is something we look for. Firewood for sale on site was a bit pricey, but that’s to be expected. Only complaint was lack of strong WIFI, but we have our own uplink. Will definitely return!

Roomy sites, friendly camp hosts. My only complaint was the first loop was hard to find. I didn’t see a sign fir the first group of campsites. Great lake for fishing, kayaking.

The facilities were clean and the campground facilities were very nice

Our non-electric campsite was on the corner, so very secluded on one side but we had to walk through our neighbors’ campsite to get down to the car. Had to walk up a small hill to get to the campsite which was not the most convenient, as we had to carry everything up and back down each time we needed it. Clean bathrooms, beautiful views, friendly people. Stayed here to make the trip to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which was about a 45 minute drive away. Unfortunately we got rained out and were unable to stay the entire time.

Spent one night here in a tent site that was slightly off the road. I parked and had to walk about 30 feet to the site which was no big deal and the path was clear. The bathroom was not far away. I did not spent any time in the park the next day but it seems there are many amenities they could keep you busy if you were there for longer.

TL:DR-This is a really nice, well-kept campground, though there may be some noise.

Pros: very clean, well-kept grounds and bathrooms; there's a nice-looking playground, two lakes, trails.

Considerations: the entire time we were here, the wind was 10-15 mph and all of our neighbors were very quiet, friendly, and respectful. So the majority of what we heard was October winds blowing leaves off the trees (nice!!), but the few times the wind died down, or when motorcycles or large trucks were on the highway, the sound came thru loud and clear.

The only other thing I can say that I don't think others did, is that some of the sites, like ours, while more or less level where you'd put an RV, might require going up or down an incline to get to the picnic table. A bit of a problem if you have trouble with knees or hips. ;)

When I was there it rained a lot. My sites were mud pits. The campground is beautiful. Some sites were backwards. A lot of the sites are only 20 amp.

The location was great. Big lake with a lot of water sports. Fantastic (but technical) disc golf course. It was me, my fiancee and my dog in a rooftop tent on top of a Tacoma. There was some sitting water which brought insane mosquitos, but we stayed immediately after a storm. Not the parks fault at all. Each site has a picnic table and a fire ring. Bring your own wood or buy it at the front desk in the check in building. They also offer a military discount!