Best Equestrian Camping near Lakeview, OH

Limited horse camping options exist near Lakeview, Ohio, with none of the local state parks having dedicated equestrian facilities. Kiser Lake State Park Campground and Buck Creek State Park Campground provide general camping accommodations but lack horse corrals and specialized equestrian amenities. Camping at these locations with horses is not permitted based on the available feature lists. Both parks offer primitive and electric sites, with Buck Creek having more developed facilities including showers, which Kiser Lake lacks. Campers frequently note that Kiser Lake offers a quiet environment with views of the non-motorized lake, making it popular for fishing and kayaking.

For equestrians seeking horse-friendly camping near Lakeview, travel to more distant Ohio state parks with designated bridle trails and horse facilities would be necessary. While both Kiser Lake and Buck Creek offer hiking trails and water activities, they cannot accommodate horses at their campgrounds. Buck Creek State Park provides more amenities for general campers, including a dedicated beach area and boat access. The campground features level concrete pads with adequate spacing between sites. Visitors to both parks appreciate the natural setting and wildlife viewing opportunities, with deer commonly seen on trails at Buck Creek.

Best Equestrian Sites Near Lakeview, Ohio (4)

    1. Kiser Lake State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Fletcher, OH
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 362-3822

    $25 - $55 / night

    "I may be biased, with it being close to home, but they have a lot for the kids to do. Beach, volleyball net, playground. Plenty of water locations. For me the bathrooms are unusable."

    "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."

    2. Buck Creek State Park Campground

    32 Reviews
    Springfield, OH
    37 miles
    Website
    +1 (937) 322-5284

    $29 - $160 / night

    "A well manicured campground just outside Dayton, easy to get to, back in pavement site with 30A electric, picnic table and fire pit. Plenty of potable water spigots around, just not at the site."

    "I did not spend enough time here to give a thorough review, but what I will say is that this site is nice if you need a campsite for a couple nights while passing through Ohio."

    3. Delaware State Park Campground

    39 Reviews
    Radnor, OH
    46 miles
    Website

    $39 - $40 / night

    "This state park spans over 2,000 acres and is just north of the cute Ohio town of Delaware. "

    "Delaware State Park is a gem in the Ohio state park system. What is amazing to us is how few people seem to know it exists!"

    4. Van Buren State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Van Buren, OH
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (419) 832-7662

    $35 / night

    "Since Van Buren State park is an easy 20 minutes away from home for me, i visit there often. it is clean and quiet, they dont get too busy and loud."

    "It’s a small campground with one side as equestrian and the other side not. All sites had electric and water, no full hookup. There were only drop toilets and no showers."

Show More
Showing results 1-4 of 4 campgrounds

2026 Explorer Giveaway

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win


Equestrian Camping Reviews near Lakeview, OH

95 Reviews of 4 Lakeview Campgrounds


  • Nancy W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 22, 2017

    Delaware State Park Campground

    Nice Ohio State Park

    This state park spans over 2,000 acres and is just north of the cute Ohio town of Delaware. We stayed here for two nights while visiting friends in the area but wished we would have stayed to enjoy all that the park had to offer. The campground was really nice and quiet when we stayed there which was during the week and in the spring and not very crowded. We can imagine that this park is pretty full in the summer with all their amenities and close proximity to major Ohio cities. 

    The 'pod' layout of the campground made for large campsites (some sites are over 90 feet in length and well suited for large RV’s) with good separation between sites. There are 212 sites that have 50 amp electric. The campground also has yurts for rent (May through October) that are furnished with beds, table and chairs, a cooler, ceiling fan, outdoor charcoal grill and a picnic table with canopy. This is a great option for those wanting to stay in something more than a tent but don’t have an RV.

    There is no sewer or water at individual sites but there is a dump station and water fill station near the park entrance. Roads and campsites are paved with grassy patios that feature picnic tables and fire pits. The park does not provide wifi but our Verizon hotspot and 4G phone worked well. There are centrally located bath/shower houses with coin-operated laundry facilities.  

    The park is open year-round and great for outdoor activities; especially, those that are water-related. There are numerous boat launches, fully equipped marina, and swimming area. We launched our kayaks and had a great time paddling around the lake.  Be aware that there is no horsepower limits for boats on the lake and weekends are very popular for anglers in high-powered bass boats. The northern portion of the lake is a “no wake zone” which makes for a more pleasant paddling environment.  If you don’t have a boat, boat rentals are available at the marina. 

    For those wanting to hike there are plenty of hiking/biking trails for you to get out and explore the park.  Many of the trails link together so you can decide how long you want to hike. The Lakeview Trail was perfect for us as our dog loved jumping in the water during our hike. Other amenities in the park include a nature center, 18-hole disk golf, hunting, archery, volleyball, horse shoe pits, picnic areas, and an 800-foot designated swimming area.  At the camp store/office you can rent bikes as well as other sporting equipment.

    If you decide to venture out of the park you are only about 40 miles from downtown Columbus and less than 20 miles to the world-renowned Columbus Zoo (which is definitely worth a visit). The nearby town of Delaware is really nice with downtown shopping, restaurants, a historic theater and brewery (Stass Brewing Company has great Belgian-style beer with a fun atmosphere).  

    Would definitely camp here again if we were in the area.

  • Angie B.
    May. 19, 2018

    Van Buren State Park Campground

    Quiet

    Since Van Buren State park is an easy 20 minutes away from home for me, i visit there often. it is clean and quiet, they dont get too busy and loud. the horse camp is nice with some new pens to keep your horse instead of them having to be tied up. They keep the restrooms clean, but no flush toilets, which dont bother me. My only complaint about Van Buren State park is that there are no shower facilities.

  • BThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 17, 2021

    Delaware State Park Campground

    Where’s the crowd?

    Delaware State Park is a gem in the Ohio state park system. What is amazing to us is how few people seem to know it exists! this state park is only 15 to 20 minutes away from Alum Creek State Park and yet there are virtually no crowds at all. The park is very large and the campground is adjacent to Delaware Lake, a reservoir a few miles north of the small town of Delaware. The lake offers boating with unlimited horsepower but it seems most of the boats on the lake were either fishing boats or kayaks. There is a very nice swimming beach, a beautiful marina with a full service store and two very good disc golf courses. There is also a youth fishing pond for the youngsters and plenty of hiking trails throughout the park. The campsites all have asphalt pads and are quite spacious; all are electric only as far as we could tell. The biggest con is also this park’s greatest pro and that is the campground requires a long drive to get to it - but that makes it feel more “out there.” The town of Delaware has a very vibrant downtown with lots of quality local restaurants and bars plus grocery stores and fuel to keep you well stocked for your camping trip. Highly recommended!

  • Marshall P.
    Apr. 14, 2021

    Delaware State Park Campground

    A nice State Park and I like the layout

    This is another of our favorite Ohio State Parks.  The campground is setup in a nice layout with each of the separate sections having a spoke and wheel layout with a bathhouse in the middle.  Sites are roomy and we like the wooded feel.

    The dog part was quite muddy and actually closed while we were there and we were a bit disappointed by that but there was plenty of space to walk the pups.

    Located near the town of Delaware, you aren’t too far off the beaten path and we even had decent service with Verizon.

    I also noticed that the6 had a nice storm shelter on the property that was well marked and easy to get to from any of the campground areas.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 2, 2025

    Van Buren State Park Campground

    Small and peaceful

    We stayed one night on our way to IN. We’ve never been here before and wanted to check it off our list. It’s a small campground with one side as equestrian and the other side not. All sites had electric and water, no full hookup. There were only drop toilets and no showers. They were clean but I don’t think I’d want to do more than a weekend there. It had a nice playground for kids and plenty of trails to hike or go horseback riding. They also had a dog park and small wildflower garden. The check in cabin had ice and wood for sale but no store. Our site was really nice. The pads were recently paved and had a huge bumper at the end. The fire ring was nice and the site had plenty of space for tents.

  • Nicole G.
    Jul. 8, 2018

    Van Buren State Park Campground

    Quiet campground

    We stayed during the week for one night. Campground was clean and quiet, had electric hookups at most sites. Host was very friendly. They also have a camp area for horses. Only criticism is you have to drive to another area of the park for an RV dump.

  • C
    Apr. 26, 2021

    Buck Creek State Park Campground

    Great quiet site

    A well manicured campground just outside Dayton, easy to get to, back in pavement site with 30A electric, picnic table and fire pit. Plenty of potable water spigots around, just not at the site. Dump station near the entrance of the campground. Walking trails along the lake well cared for. Plenty of activity with playground and an outdoor theater. Plenty of water-front pebble beach for enjoyment in the summer. Close to the campground is the marina with a restaurant , but won’t open til Memorial Day.

    Addendum: July 2021 - was speaking with a number of people who have been here and they suggest not going during the summer. There is a large influx of rowdy locals who don't quite respect the peace and quiet many of us like.

  • A
    Jul. 2, 2018

    Van Buren State Park Campground

    Fair campground

    Campground is small but well maintained. Hiking is great. Probably better for people with horses. Electric did not work at all sites. Pit toilets did not seem sufficient for all camp sites.

  • Daniel U.
    Dec. 23, 2020

    Delaware State Park Campground

    Hidden Gem!!

    Wow!! We happened to stumble across this campground while making an ohio map of campgrounds to visit. For some reason this place is not known to most. Every time I ask people if they've been here, no one ever knows about it. Even my parents didn't know it existed, and we did a lot of camping growing up. Delete state park is in the middle of corn county and has very little around it. Just the drive from the entrance of the park to the sites takes ten minutes. But it is a beautiful drive. The park is huge, gas multiple playgrounds, beach, tornado shelter, etc. The campgrounds have brand new roads and pads that are very level, very long and extremely wide! The absolute best site pads I've seen. The sites are large mostly spread out. Many of the bathrooms are updated to the private seperate bath/shower stalls that were amazing to use. We booked at the last minute and honestly didn't have the highest hopes for the place based on some older reviews. We really lucked out with the ONLY site that was open. Amazing site 197!!! This site was probably the best site in the entire campground. It was huge, backed up to the woods, lake, hiking trails and a huge picnic area in the woods. The fire pit, which was at least 20 feet behind our camper, had a circle of trees around it where we hung our two hammocks and had room for more. All of the fire pits were the newest ODNR model with the swing away and adjustable cooking grate. Sounds like a small feature, but it is actually amazing compared to all the others. This site seemed like it was twice as big as the others. When we plan our trips for the summer, we usually prefer going somewhere new each time. We have a limited number of places we put on our return trip. This one has made it to number 2, behind Kelly's Island and Maumee Bay. We would highly recommend!!!!


Guide to Lakeview

Campgrounds near Lakeview, Ohio sit in west-central Ohio's glaciated till plains region at approximately 1,000 feet elevation. The area features several reservoirs and state parks within a 60-mile radius of Indian Lake. Summer camping temperatures typically range from 60-85°F with higher humidity, while spring and fall offer cooler conditions with occasional frost.

What to do

Fishing at non-motorized lakes: At Kiser Lake State Park Campground, you can enjoy a unique fishing experience on a motor-free lake. "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," notes Andrea F. The restrictions create a peaceful fishing environment away from the noise of motorboats.

Hiking with varied terrain: The trails near Lakeview offer different difficulty levels. A camper at Delaware State Park Campground explains, "There are plenty of hiking/biking trails for you to get out and explore the park. Many of the trails link together so you can decide how long you want to hike." Many trails connect to water features, with one reviewer mentioning "The Lakeview Trail was perfect for us as our dog loved jumping in the water during our hike."

Winter activities: The region offers year-round recreation options. At Van Buren State Park, winter sports enthusiasts can find suitable terrain for cross-country skiing. As Kevin T. describes, "I came cross country skiing here in early January and it was absolutely amazing. It is cold but the terrain is simple for first time skiers."

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Many campers value space and separation between camping spots. At Delaware State Park, "The 'pod' layout of the campground made for large campsites with good separation between sites. There are 212 sites that have 50 amp electric." This design helps maintain a sense of privacy even when the campground is busy.

Kid-friendly amenities: Families appreciate the various activities available for children. One camper at Buck Creek State Park Campground shared, "Had a 4 day 3 night long weekend. Camp host on I think lot 71 or there about were great at keeping the activities going. Every night there was a movie and you could buy root beer floats for $1!! And the kids loved it."

Quiet environment: The peaceful atmosphere stands out to many visitors. "A hidden gem, super quiet, low traffic and decent fishing," writes Buck B. about Kiser Lake. Similarly, at Buck Creek, another camper noted, "This park was pretty packed over Labor Day weekend, but it still felt like it wasn't super crowded."

What you should know

Horse camping limitations: Despite searches for horse campgrounds near Lakeview, Ohio, equestrian facilities are limited. While Van Buren State Park Campground has designated horse areas, it's about 60 miles north of Lakeview. "They also have a camp area for horses. The horse camp is nice with some new pens to keep your horse instead of them having to be tied up," mentions Angie B.

Bathroom facilities vary: Restroom quality differs significantly between parks. At Van Buren, "There were only drop toilets and no showers. They were clean but I don't think I'd want to do more than a weekend there," reports Shannon G. Know what facilities matter most to your camping style before booking.

Seasonal considerations: Weather impacts amenities. At Kiser Lake, "Due to off season and COVID the camp store is closed and there is no camper host or park office staff around," reported a camper in early spring. Always check what services are available during your planned visit dates.

Tips for camping with families

Site selection matters: For families with children, location within the campground can impact experience. At Van Buren, "Some of the sites are small so you have to be careful which you site you reserve if you're a tent camper. The outside of the circle is your best bet and there's a few scattered in the middle. If you can get a good middle spot it's nice if you have kids since there's a playground, swings, basketball, and tether court."

Weekend activities: Some parks offer structured programming for children. At Delaware State Park Campground, "I also noticed that they had a nice storm shelter on the property that was well marked and easy to get to from any of the campground areas," writes a safety-conscious camper. This park also offers yurts as an alternative to tent camping.

Beach access: Water features make a big difference for family enjoyment. One reviewer noted at Kiser Lake, "It also features a beach, 2 playgrounds and several hiking trails." Always check if beaches have lifeguards or designated swimming areas before planning water activities with children.

Tips from RVers

Site dimensions: RV campers should verify site specifications before booking. At Buck Creek, "Our space was nice and level. Nice hiking trails in the area," reports Lisa M. Many parks have recently improved their RV pads, with Van Buren campers noting "The pads were recently paved and had a huge bumper at the end."

Hookup details: Electric service varies between parks and sites. A camper at Kiser Lake explained, "The campground has no full hookups but does have electric. RV sites have a view of the lake. Sites are clean and paved." Always confirm what utilities are available at your specific site number, not just the general campground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Lakeview, OH?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Lakeview, OH is Kiser Lake State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 12 reviews.

What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Lakeview, OH?

TheDyrt.com has all 4 equestrian camping locations near Lakeview, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.