Best Glamping near Huntsville, OH

Alum Creek is just beautiful, nice sites, most of them are at least partially shaded, lots of woods, hiking trails, the lake, it is what I think of when I think of State Park campground camping in Ohio. There are a couple problems. 1. Only ONE little dump station. This is a big campground, so if you're leaving Sunday, you better get up at the crack of dawn to get to the station, otherwise be prepared to wait in a long long line of RV's. We by-passed the long line and stopped at a different State Park campground on the way home and paid 10.00 to use their dump station. 2. They never answer their phone at the campground office. I mean NEVER. If you have a question you will just have to deal with the reserveamerica people who really know nothing other than what they read on the campground website. So basically you know as much as they do. It's maddening. We will go back, but it's a 2 hour drive so it won't be anytime soon.

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.

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.

First off we have to say that Ohio State Park campgrounds are some of the best we’ve ever stayed in. Most Ohio state park campgrounds have spacious sites with trees or other foliage between campsites so lots of privacy and a feeling of being apart from other campers. Alum Creek is no different. The ODNR has upgraded a number of the sites to FHU though most are still electric only. Alum Creek Lake is a large reservoir (by Ohio standards) that has excellent fishing, plenty of undeveloped shoreline to explore from kayaks, canoes or paddle boards and a very large beach. Not as many hiking trails as most state parks but you’re not far from High Banks Metro Park in Lewis Center that is a beautiful park with miles of trails along the Olentangy River. We love Alum Creek and will stay again for sure.

We broke our own cardinal rule, don’t travel unfamiliar roads at night. We were blessed as the journey to the park was uneventful, but we missed some wonderful countryside. Upon arrival at Rocky Fork we realized even with a map it took 40 minutes to find our site. This was not so much due to the darkness as it was to the poor road and site markings. The camp grounds we stayed in was nearly full and had every conceivable form of camping from tents to full size motor coaches. There were a few that appeared to have been here for sometime and that doesn’t bother us other than their site wasn’t getting yard of the month.The surrounding campers were very friendly and eager to share more local attractions. For us south Louisiana Cajuns the mild weather was a blessing, coolest night was in the 50’s 😎. We are fast becoming eastern Ohio fans. We plan on two more Ohio park stops as we move northerly. Stay tuned to the adventures of the Lost Cajuns.

This is my favorite Ohio State Park to camp in so far. Good ATT coverage, look carefully at length of pad as some are shorter. Lovely beach nice views. Only problem was some street noise and the Trick or Treating and Halloween events first weekend of October meant there were a lot lot lot of cars and people and 1.5 hours with the streets closed for activities.

Lake 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!

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.

I have been extremely disappointed with Ohio State Park campgrounds. They have been congested, poorly maintained, badly landscaped, and staying at one felt like I was set-up in the middle of a mall parking lot.

However, Dillon has been a completely different experience. The people in the office are very nice, the pad is almost perfectly level, the grounds are well kept, and the buildings (while a bit long in the tooth) are well maintained.

I haven't made it down to the lake yet, but so far I'm a happy camper.

We 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!!!

We chose this campground for its proximity to Serpent Mound. It's very middle of the road. The camp store is better than average, but the grounds themselves leave a lot to be desired. Very little privacy, small, uneven sites, bathhouses out of an 80s slasher movie. So much goose poop. The firewood we purchased from the camp store was just awful. Wouldn't light, it just smoked. It's not the first time we've had this problem with wood from an Ohio state park camp store.

The staff was super friendly and everyone we encountered was very nice, but it's certainly not somewhere I would want to spend more than a night.

This is a huge campground! I tent camped by myself--felt very safe.  Happened to be next to the park host. No choice of where to locate my large tent.  Showers/bathrooms were OK--older facilities.  Wish this park had a laundry facility--another Ohio park I recently stayed at had a fairly new shower facility that included a laundry facility!  Did not appreciate the waste management company emptying the dumpsters at 4:00 AM!!!  There is a huge, lakeside beach that was just packed with people (no social distancing) and there was trash everywhere--not enough dumpsters.  Near to shopping (Polaris), if you are interested.  Will try to get a lakeside site next time.

This is a nice campground for Ohio because there are a lot of trees, making many sites secluded with privacy. I haven't camped here, I've just driven around because I boat on the creek, so I can't attest to the condition of the bathrooms.

Beware that sites close to the water may flood, or may be pretty damp in the spring.

The beaches are nice, the reservoir is nice for boating, but the horsepower allowed is too much if you want to kayak on the main water, in my opinion. There are nice inlets and coves where you can take smaller boats. Hopefully big boats observe the no wake zone, but they don't always. I don't think there is any hiking, the main attraction is the water and the beach.

This was the only park we’ve gone to this uear with both a large dog park AND a fenced in dog beach! Folks were friendly at the dog park with bunches of chairs set around like a conversation pit. Lots of water and dog tennis balls were available.

The dog beach was fenced so your dog can be off leash. There is even a fenced in area out in the water to keep the pooches from swimming across the Lake chasing geese.

The campground itself was quite nice and spacious. Some of the most private camping sites I’ve seen in Ohio. Shower facilities we a bit above average mad seemed to be looked after at least once a day (we were there in the off season).

IMHO, one of the nicest campgrounds in the state.

It 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:)

Hocking 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).

Everyone online is constantly raving about Alum Creek so we finally decided to try it out. Initially we had site A9 but when we arrived we realized the main road (55mph) was extremely close and loud. We ended up looking at all of the open sites and picking C3, which literally might be the best site in the park. Even still, the constant road noise and insane amount of small plane traffic is extremely annoying. The fire station across the street doesn't help either. The park seems to be roughly 80/20 mix of small sites to medium/ large sites. Usually my reviews are a ton of positives, then a few negatives. This one unfortunately is almost all negatives. The oddly places bathrooms have no parking, only the two shower houses on our half of the park did. I say oddly places because they are kind of in the middle of the woods with multiple paths going to them. You would definitely benifit by finding these paths before it's dark or you'll be lost like we were. Also you may not want a site with one of these paths if you don't like people walking through your site. Due to looking for a better site and it being October, it was dark by the time we finished setting up. One of the few nice things about the park is how dark it gets at night. Unfortunately, there are barely any signs around the park and the ones they have ahine green in your headlights and are almost illegible. Kind of like the light yellow site numbers on the grey electric box. The park does have many nice amenities like, miniature golf, a large dog park, many trails and a nature center. Down the road is a very large beach, a dam and parks. The absolute best part was the camp store. Literally the nicest people in the world were working here... I'm pretty sure we wouldn't stay here again, especially in the summer when it's probably crazy busy. Especially when Delaware state park is 10 miles away and literally our favorite park in Ohio. The two are complete opposites.

Tar hollow state park is a nice place to be away from it all and enjoy some camping time with family.

Very open campgrounds. Not a lot of family amenities. Great hiking trails for every level.

We went to Tar Hollow state Park campground on April 11,2019 and it was as quiet as can be!! Not one camper by us. Perfect spot lot 71, it has plenty of room for a couple tents or pop up and tents and still have room for 2-3 cars. But this is probably the only campsite you can do that in. The rest are tight and with little to no space. Lots 1-27, I would say are for campers, RVs etc very little to no space for tents. Lots 67-70 I would say are for tents. Tight road getting in and out. Lot 71 I would say is for both tents and campers. Behind lot 71 is woods so you can do off trail hiking. Be ready for a climb but it’s pretty. There’s a playground for the kids and a wooden swing for the parents to sit and watch there kids. The bathrooms down on this site are pit toilets but the bathrooms by lots 1-27 have flushing toilets and that is where the shower house is located. I don’t recommend lots 32-37 because from what can see you have to drive through the grass to get to them. Lots 30-31A would be nice it you have kids (not toddlers) because there’s a small stream to play in and on the other side of the stream is the playground. The stream is only like 3 ft wide so easy for kids to cross but yet parent can sit at campsite and watch kids at playground. Staff was nice but rarely saw a ranger. General store did say they just opened today. I would probably never come here when it is busy. I would have no idea how everyone would drive by each other roads are not wide and some campsites have little space to park. But for as of now - beginning of season its great! There is a small beach that we didn’t go to and a movie screen that we didn’t go to nor know if they use. The store staff said there is fish in the lake. Naturally breed not stocked.

It was a cold rainy day when I pulled into the park. I wasn't super impressed with the park. So, I opted to get back on the road. It was a quiet park with maybe 10 sites occupied. 

They do have nice shelters but through out the park the bathrooms need updated. The camp sites by the lake held the most promise but then I saw warnings about sewage. They had an awesome putt putt site.  Everything was locked up due to COVID-19 in terms of rentals. 

Each site felt like it would be a muddy camping experience. The campground roads could use some care. I then went to the beach which looked nice but I wasn't sure if it was safe due to the signage. 

The fire tower which is what I was most looking forward to was closed due to covid-19. It is a short drive maybe 20 minutes from the center of the campgrounds.  The signs don't give an indication on how far or what a location is such as shelter house name. 

I did find some trails and blazes. For backpackers look at the trail and campsite by the fire tower as that was a nice find. The markings could be improved upon for all of the trails. 

Cell phone signal even with Verizon wasn't a possibility. Make sure you know how to get there and back to where you need to go. I used a paper map to reorient where I was after I popped out of the park after visiting the fire tower.

Stayed at the primitive campsites at the top of the ridge above the lake and all the RV and electric sites. The campground is great in that there is no tree cover so you have clear skies to view the stars. If it rains then it probably would not be the best location. The parking is separate from the campgrounds but its a short walk uphill, maybe no more than a 1/3 of a mile to the farthest site. Now there's like 12 sites or so and they're all great other than the fact that you are extremely close to your neighbors and you can hear EVERYTHING. there is little privacy to do "anything" since the other campsite is directly beside you. so if you plan on having amorous outings, wait for daylight where people are making noise or go somewhere where the campsites are a little more spaced apart.