Best Tent Camping near Grafton, OH

There are 2 sites in the park both of which are walk in only and not close together. They are relatively small, 2-4 person tent only. Run by the Geauga Park District and only $5 for county residents, its cheap and looks it. Reservations must be made 3 days in advance, so no spur of the moment get aways. Basically it was just a space for a tent and a fire ring. No bathroom (about a half mile of trail away), no water, no picnic table, no alcohol. Basically I got the urge to camp in the early spring and wanted somewhere near home but I wouldn't stay there again, and wouldn't recommend anyone else do so either. However, the West Woods as a park is really nice with a nature center, hiking and bridle trails, just the campsite that was lacking.

Make sure you get a reservation at the kiosk by the ranger station in the forest. Do not go to the state park as that is completely different. For the forest office I go to Co Rd 939, Perrysville, OH 44864

Do not camp illegally or without a reservation. They do post signs and ask other campers to report the illegal camping.  

The sunset photo is by the entrance of the parking lot to the campsite.  This is the 2nd easiest campsite to walk into out of the 10.  If you have any mobility issues this is the second best camp site to go to as most of it is along the wide access road and mountain bike trail. The parking lot was clean and easy to access. 

I had limited cell phone signal while here but this had the best signal out of the 10 sites. 

All of the Park and Pack camp sites do not have a bathroom. As you can see from this site I took the time to take a picture of the moon pole.  So do leave no trace of your bathroom habits. 

This site was great for both hammocks and tents.  You could have a small group here and not feel crowded. The camp fire set up is awesome. We had another camper over by that spot so I didn't take pictures of his gear.  He had a hammock and tent set up. He was camping at the spot for a week for his vacation. On our last night at this site another backpacker came through and set up.  Make sure you get a reservation and look closely at the board at the kiosk.  Our main camper at this site was gracious as he had booked the site for the week most folks didn't realize the site was taken as his name was so far up the clipboard.  We weren't alone in not realizing that and he enjoyed the brief company we provided as good neighbors to each other.

If you're looking for a quiet place to hang your pole for a weekend, this near-city escape is for you! Less than an hour from downtown Cleveland, and minutes from historic downtowns Wellington and Oberlin, Ohio, is a quiet, wooded retreat with all the amenities.

Fishing, canoeing, and kayaking (rentals and bait available too!) are offered on Findley Lake, as well as a small, uncrowded public beach. Have your own small, non-motorized craft? There is a designated kayak launch at the boat launch area. For day campers, there are numerous sites around this large state park for picnicking and events, bonfire pits and fishing inlets....and bring your frisbees because there is also an extensive frisbee golf course.

The campground consists of several "arms", roads that branch out from the main road, with a good deal of wooded area between for rear site privacy between them. Beware, the sites are close to these roads and quite shallow, but because each road dead ends in a cul de sac, traffic is very light, even when the campground is full, as when we visited. Tall, dense trees surround, deadening sound, which makes the campsites very quiet, and the curve of each "arm" also suggests a more intimate space than the actual site sq footage does. There is a tent only side, with no hookups or electric, where sites are slightly larger and deeper, tucked between treed areas, and the other half of the campground is with hookups, and nearer to the lake, although it is not visible, but accessible by short path. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table, pretty standard. There are openings into the wood behind the "arms" for kids to explore, but beware of poison oak, which is prevalent and can be found along the edge of where the campsites all meet the woods...it didn't creep into the woods much, but watch out anyway if you have an allergy. Our group was able to avoid it.

There is a clearing at the entrance to the campground with a large playground, camp store with pizza and ice, occasional vegetable dealers, farmers market style, set up with carts around outside there as well. And if you forgot anything, have no fear, town is only minutes away. Cabin rental is also available in this area. Pets are welcome leashed.

Overall, it's a spot worth spending some time at. Convenient family fun for all.

As a Dyrt Ranger, I have the opportunity to try out new and fun camp gear and in this case COFFEE! Which could not have been more well received for these quiet mornings by the lakeside. Admittedly, at first I had my reservations. I enjoy a good coffee and am a great lover of my french press. But also admittedly, I hate cleaning it out campside. Nature's Coffee Kettle allows me to forgo the part I hate and keep the pour over we all love. With a wide selection from Columbian, to darker or flavored roasts, and even hot cocoa and teas for those toasty nights, Nature's Coffee Kettle impressed me. It comes in it's own reusable kettle bag, although I felt that, when changing out the coffee packs (refill packs are sold) after the initial use, the coffee was not as potent as the first use...probably because once the water is poured through, the bag doesn't stick together as well, holding the coffee to steep as long. (Refer to video review) Regardless, I enjoyed the ease of use, quality of the coffee and pourability. I was able to make a kettle in the morning, screw the spout lid back on and take it with me to the lake later for refills. Later when we went across country for a trip, I was able to board the plane with it in my carry on, flat, hardly taking up any room, and so convenient for those hiking or packing trips. It was fantastic, and easy as pie...which goes great with coffee, coincidentally...

We camp here at the beginning and end of the season where the bars are less crowded and the campground isn’t as booked.

These lakeside campsites are stunning and even the one tucked further into the park have a lot of options too. From open areas where it would be fun to book a couple sites with friends, and some secluded for more privacy.

We always stay lakeside because you cannot beat the view! We’ve stayed 103 and 114!

One hint: be we are on the cliffs of Lake Erie, some sites you might have to hunt for soft ground to stake your tent.

It could be an ok place if you get the right spot. Some of the sites are VERY SLOPED and some people parked campers in those spots and used very odd things to try and level them. The sites are not maintained well and have lots of weeds and some are very close and are essentially sharing the space with the fire ring and picnic table with other campers. Not very private at all. If you have awnings or slides, you will have to be careful about what site you will get or you will not be able to open the slides or your awning. If you get a good spot or are tent camping then it may be ok.

Located about ½ mile off the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath, this campground is a part of a 5th generation working farm.  Both standard campsites and shelters are available and are scattered among a working Christmas Tree farm.   A very sweet couple owns the place and runs the campground, George & Carol Haramis.

Each site is situated on grass, has a picnic table, and fire ring (firewood is supplied with your campsite fee).  Both pit toilets and water are available to campers as well. Some are shaded and other sites have quite a bit of sun.  The shelters are robustly constructed, but don’t have much cross ventilation as they are only open to the front, so are quite hot in the heat of the summer, and provide no barrier to insects.  No electricity is available. Come prepared to hang your food (not for bears, but for mice).

They prefer reservations, but happily accommodated our reservation-less lifestyle as it was early in the season.  Our shelter site was just next to the gravel parking area and overlooked the farm as well as had a great view of the sunset.  Unfortunately, you can hear the highway from the campground, despite the fact that it is located a good distance away. It didn’t bother us at night, but we definitely heard it first thing in the morning.

Just down the road in the village of Peninsula, OH (and right next to the towpath) are Century Cycles (super helpful bike shop!!) and the Winking Lizard Tavern (fun restaurant/bar). After a long day of cycling, we enjoyed an adult beverage and some dessert after making dinner in the campground.

More info here:  https://centurycycles.com/articles/camping-along-the-towpath-trail-pg1342.htm

This was my second time enjoying Mohican State Forest’s Park & Pack sites. I took my daughter to site 10 for an overnighter.

If you’re unfamiliar w/ the Park & Pack system I found this PDF to be extremely useful.

http://www.backpackohio.com/etrails/bpo_mohican.pdf

As others have stated, make sure to sign in at the kiosk, you can find it here:

950 ODNR Mohican Road 60 (County Road 939), Perrysville, Ohio 44864

There’s no reservations, you show up, see what sites are available, sign in and drive to the appropriate parking area.

After signing in at the kiosk we drove and parked at the upper parking area for sites 8-10. The last 1/4 mile of the road is pretty rutted, so if you have a low profile vehicle you may need to park at the lower area (which isn’t much of a parking area and the Rangers don’t really want anyone parking there).

Site 10 is about 3/4 of a mile down the trail from the upper parking area. Well marked and easy to find. There are plenty of areas to set up shelter and hang hammocks. After my daughter and I set up camp near the fire ring we explored and found spots below the SE edge.

You can find a short “trail” at the NE edge of the campsite that leads down to a ledge where a couple unofficial fire rings have been built. You can also get there by continuing east past the last Site 10 trail marker. The trail is a bit over grown but was still easily followed. It will loop around towards the south then back west leading into the lower area.

The whole area is beautiful and scenic. I’d like to head back in the fall and or winter to enjoy the view of the gorge in different seasons. The site is fairly remote, we only saw a hiker while hiking in and heard mountain bikers riding down the trail NW of Site 10. The only con I would give the site is there’s no water source, so you have to pack in all your water needs. Being the middle of summer that was quite a bit for my daughter and me. Packs were much lighter on the way out.

It was difficult to find pictures or reviews of the Findlay group sites. It honestly seemed to me that they didn't exist, so I thought I'd do the service of taking some pictures.

The group sites are away from the main campsites, so you should have plenty of space for your group to set up and enough distance between them to not disturb the peace if you have a large group. OGA2 is heavily forested, I'm not sure about OGA1. There are plenty of trees so both hammock and tent campers should be accommodated. The fire pit is large and there are 4 picnic tables.

The campsite is about 75 yards from the parking area, and there is a vault toilet right before the parking area.