Best Tent Camping near Lima, OH

PROS 

Able to reserve 144 days prior to arriving 

Very nice campground but the design leaves a lot to be desired 

Friendly camp hosts who were busy picking up trash in common areas and cleaning sites Moveable picnic table 

Metal fire ring with cooking grate 

Site D45 level asphalt parking pad surrounded by grass 

Great view of lake from D loop; some had water access at rear of site 

Quiet except for campground party animals who kept it going into the wee hours of the morning 

Coin-operated laundromats in non FHU loops $1.50 wash and $1 dry 

Free WIFI available and able to connect at campsite 

Dump Stations at Park exit have complimentary hoses 

Camp store sells hard dipped ice cream 

14 miles from the Airstream Service Center in Jackson Center 

CONS 

No senior discount

$6.50 reservation fee for self made on-line reservation 

Basically the FHU loops are out in a field…no privacy from neighbors and no shade what so ever 

Grass around sites desperately needed mowed, if you could get thru the large mud puddles 

FHU loop D has narrow roads and require driving on grass to back in trailer and some campers in other sites had to move their vehicles 

Short length of campsite required creative parking of tow vehicle 

Damn Canadian Geese poop every...what a mess! 

Site number on electric utility box 

FHU sewer connection at the back of the campsite so bring the looooong stinky slinky FHU loop D had tiny toilet building, but no showers; showers were in non-FHU loops 

No entry gate personnel on a Friday afternoon to accomplish check-in. Went to park office next morning and was informed no check in required prior to Memorial Day. Never saw a Park ranger driving thru campground

This park is great for the right kind of trips, we visit here often in the summer to enjoy the river, kayak , and relax. Most sites are on a small elevated bank on maumee river, (you can walk down the path but not put a kayak in)

There are no hookups, only vault toilets, no staff only very nice camp hosts ( there are next to site 11 ). 

Sites 1-6 are misleading on the site, they are not on the river bend, there is a gravel trail/road between them and the river bank. its not a huge deal for access but annoying if your expecting direct access. 

Sites 9 and 10 were not bookable in 2020 an hopefully remain that way, they are basically in front on the camp host site, so the camp host is between you and the river. 

Sites 11-15 are the best in my opinion 

Site 13 has direct access to the river on a small walking path.

Site 15 is our favorite, it has the most room and still has a small path down to the river.

We love camping in the off season but with that comes closures. Some sections of the campgrounds might not be open, no camp hosts and limited bathrooms and showers houses. This is to be expected, but when I called the morning of our trip to make sure potable water was available and I was told yes it was only to drive 2 hours and realized they were wrong. No water 🙁. This would not have been a peas we have dry camped before but all the bathrooms were closed as well.

After called the park ranger he did let us get some water at the maintenance building so we were at least able to finish the weekend. Lesson learned always pull with at least some water.

Now back to the campground itself was nice and clean. Site are a little close together. The biggest down side is you are there to enjoy the lake but the lake had algae warnings everywhere not to go near the water.

They do have a dog park, pool and splash pad when in season and a marina. Also they have WiFi and good cell coverage.

When researching our trip, I came upon this state park right on the Maumee River and was very surprised to find it had not been previously reviewed. The website indicated the sites were tent only but when I called, I was told we could park and sleep in our campervan. When I tried to make reservations, there was a two-night minimum on the weekends and we were just passing through so I decided to see if we might be able to snag one night if there were sites available. 

There is a two-mile road to the campsites once you enter the park and along the way, we passed many pull-out day-use picnic areas on nicely manicured grounds. Once we reached the campsites, there seemed to be less attention paid to the area. Turns out that there were only a very few sites that had paved pads that would accommodate our van; the rest were clearly for tents only (but there was no way to tell this from the website). Even though I had seen that about half of the sites were reserved, there was no one there at 4:30 on a Friday. There did not seem to be any staff or rangers on-site and there is self-registration. The rates seemed kind of steep ($19 on weekdays; $20 weekends and $22 on holiday weekends) for sites with no hookups and only porta-potties. We saw some people fishing near the dam and perhaps the campground would be suitable for these folks and/or people boating/kayaking in who portage down the river (there is a marina) but it just did not feel like a place we wanted to camp.

Only 30 minutes down the river from Independence Dam State Park, this park was markedly different. Because there was a two-night minimum reservation on weekends and we were just passing through, we decided to try and roll the dice and see if we could slide into a spot for just a night without a reservation. Alas, the only spots still available were walk-in tent sites which would not work for us. This park was laid out more like an RV park with the sites very close together and no privacy between them (Site 16 looked to be the best one for privacy). Except for the walk-in tent sites, electric and/or electric/water hookups were available. As we pulled in, the host immediately greeted us and was very friendly (she genuinely wanted to find us a spot). There is a marina/store close-by and the quaint town of Grand Rapids (which you could walk to if you wanted) had several shops and restaurants. We would have stayed here for the night if a site had been available, so make sure you make reservations if you are coming on a weekend (and can stay for two nights).