Best Cabin Camping near Lisbon, OH

Although it’s quite a bit off the main road, it was a nice place to stay. Gate was manned when we arrived just before 8:00 pm. Clerk told us to book online once we picked our spot, as she had just closed the register. We just chose an open spot that was level as we could see in the dark. Weary from a day of travel, we put our heads on the pillow and were fast asleep. Shortly after 9 we heard several rounds of gun shots; that was alarming because it was well after sunset. All in all it was a nice spot with electric only. Several gray water dumps were situated throughout the campground. Dumpsters were full from I’m sure what was a busy weekend of fall camping. The lake was beautiful with ability to rent kayaks. Frisbee golf was onsite too. Commissary for ice and basic sundries, with playground nearby. We didn’t visit the bathhouse, so I’m unsure of it’s condition. Tenant sites with no electricity were down by the lake. Cabin rentals were in a separate spot, off the lake. All in all, in was a nice place with lots of things to do. More of a destination park, for sure.

We have been camping here for over 4 years.  We like the location to the State park nearby for hiking trails and mountain biking trails (Ceasar Creek).   

They have the following amenities a small Putt putt course, Game room, lending Library, Basketball half-court, horseshoes, Volleyball, GAGA ball area.  They are a nice smaller playground near the pool.  Speaking of the pool it is on the larger side and heated they also have a kids pool and hot tub, there are also laundry facilities on-site.   The campground consists of 3 loops  - A mostly full hookup, B loop Water and Electric and C loop is a mix.    If you like wooded areas check out C loop.

Autumn is the best time to camp in Ohio. Lots of small bathrooms. Lake access. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to the fact there was no quick reentry. Had to wait for rvs in front of me to register.

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.

Cabin A, . Check-in time is 2pm and check out is 12pm. Please remember to bring your own linens, Morgan's does not supply sheets for the cabins. There are 2 twin mattresses and 1 full size mattress. **Helpful information from their reservation email. 

They have 4 cabins in our area which would be nice to get another family to join us.  Then each family has their own cabin to retire to at the end of the day. 

https://www.morganscanoe.com/ This site is close to King's Island and Fort Ancient. It also was next to a bike trail.  Close to the Little Miami Bike Trail this was easy to walk on with my friend and her two little ones.  The trail was paved which was a huge help for those of us who were extra short and didn't always attend to their surroundings when walking. 

We were a little nervous as the cabin is so close the river. This is part of the charm but when you have a 3 year old in your group then it is smart to keep an extra sharp eye on the kiddo as the river is a huge draw.  We enjoyed being able to be close to the river and then being inside with a floor/door which a tent wouldn't have given us that extra security.  We had plenty of space for my friend, her two kids, and me. 

The cabin didn't have heat and I tend to get cold easily.  For the average person in the summer and spring you will be fine. I needed to layer up. We had two little ones so during the day instead of the usual King's Island we went to Entertainment Junction. https://entertrainmentjunction.com/ and I was also able to get a Groupon to reduce the cost. 

Price:$60.00/night for 2 Adults and up to 3 kids(3-16 years of age) 2-night minimum  required for weekends and 3-night required for holiday weekends.  The cabins weren't on top of each other. I felt that this was a better deal than some other local cabin prices and the atmosphere was better as well .

The tent sites which I explored on my walks are huge. A great camp site to have a bunch of friends meet up and camp at as it is so close to Cincinnati. This camp site, is far enough to get away but close enough.  This means that everyone can easily get there after work. We didn't want a long car drive with two little ones and this was a great way to start exposing them to camping in our "backyard". 

The prices equal the local state parks but the sites are bigger.  The area has huge trees and grassy areas to put your tents up without feeling like your neighbors are right in your space.

We stayed in a small cabin with a swing on the porch but there are many lodging choices. A stream ran behind the cabin. It has a pool and lots of kids activities. Gravel roads aren’t great for small kids learning to ride bikes but ok for older kids and adults.

The adorable cabin fulfilled my tiny home dreams and camping craving! The cozy cabin had a queen bed, twin bunks and a sofa that made out to a full size sleeper. Kitchen included a fridge, sink and single cup coffee maker. Coffee k cups were provided in a few different varieties as well as sugar and creamer packs. Bathroom had tub/shower, clothesline to dry swim suits or hand-washed clothes, toilet, sand sink vanity. Bedding and towels were provided and were crisp, clean white. WiFi was a bonus and although it wasn’t the fastest it was very useful when looking up nearby activities. Our cabin had a grill, an outdoor table with four chairs, a swing and a fire pit which we enjoyed our last night there. Staff was friendly and helpful. There were laundry facilities within the park and lots of activities but we didn’t take advantage of any of that during our brief stay. Overall, we were very pleased and would gladly stay again!

The cabins are not in the best of shape. Finding mouse traps and some maintenance within the cabin that should have been done was concerning with a toddler. Nice cul-de-sac areas for groups with areas for kids to play. Ground is pretty level so bringing a bike for kids to ride on is nice. There is a playground in walking distance too. Great crappie fishing in early May just steep cliffs to get down to the water. There is a marina nearby where you can rent a John boat for pretty cheap too.

My husband and I love to paddle board. This is a no wake lake and is perfect to get out on the water. Camping in the campground has many sunny sites. There are shady sites. Camper cabins are great too. Shower houses are nice and clean. Camp store available for any necessities.

Great place to take the family and unwind. Good dog park for the furry ones. Bring your boat for some water fun, fish, or simply float around. 3 easy trails to venture out on and take in the parks amazing scenery. With more than 280 campsites and several cabins there’s something for everyone.

What an outdoor lovers dream! Boating to fishing to disc golf you will not get bored! Enjoy a few hours or the day hiking one of eight trails or all of them. If you have horses take them out on the two loops especially for them. Lodge, campground, cabins so many options. The campground was clean, quiet and serene. Only electric at the sites, but 2 of your favorite fur babies are welcome.

Amazing views of the water and surrounding wooded areas. Good place to fish for bluegill and catfish. Awesome place to swim during daytime hours, just remember to us caution and don’t go out of designated area. Nice trails for hiking or taking a cruise on your bike. Spend the night at the camper cabin or if you have an RV hookup to one of the electric sites and enjoy the sunset. Wonderful place for the kiddos to learn about the great outdoors while enjoying some family time.

My wife and I spent Labor Day weekend here as it was close to Columbus and allowed family to come spend a night or two.

We appreciated the full hook-ups and pull through site. The staff came through every morning to pick up the trash. But, the water hook ups were accessible through a hole/pipe and we had to “fish” down to connect our hose.

The people here were really nice. And they had quite a big staff to take care of the place, life guard, and run the children’s events like Tye-dye, archery, etc. if you have kids, the pool and the lake activities will keep them busy all day and give them a great opportunity wear themselves out for a good night sleep.

The Wi-Fi was good but not free and was worth the $2/day to do some late night binge watching.

Overall, the park buildings and roads could use some repair/updates and there are a number of seasonal/year round rentals that could benefit from some repair and attention. The park is a nice getaway and the people and families we met were outstanding.

We’d come here again.

Cowan Lake State Park - A friend and I were able to kayak on the lake the night of a Friday the 13th moon. It was beautiful. Sadly, no pictures as I do not have a water proof camera. The next day we also went out for another paddle under the bright sun.  The boat ramp and parking lot is easy to use and has a good layout.  They do have some tent sites close to the boat ramp area and you can see the lake from those tent sites. 

Our campsite did not have any trees but they have planted a lot of new trees. I assume this due the previous trees having to be cut down due to Emerald Ash borer damage. Our campsite didn't have any shade but others did so you really have to pick wisely. 

The trails here are easy and short.  I loved the informational boxes and tags that they had on the trees or plants.  This is helpful if you have little ones with you or if you are like me and just like to learn about the animals/plants on the trail. 

The park also had a lending library and walking stick lending program. I thought these were simple but memorable features for this park. 

Our campsite was close to two different bathroom structures.  One right behind our site was toilets only. This did mean that sometimes folks would walk on the edge or through the camp site at times.  The other bathroom structure was further down the road and it had both toilets and showers.  The larger bathroom had an ADA shower in it as well. 

The camp store was well stocked and you could rent bikes from the store. These bikes were often all over the campground so be extra careful when driving in the park.  They do have the orange flag but as they are low to the ground it is hard to see them at times. 

The cabins here have both a fire ring and grill. This isn't the case at all Ohio State parks so it was a nice surprise.  They also have a porch that is screened in with a view of the lake. You are not able to walk down to the lake from the cabin but it is a lovely view. 

For those who want to "Walk-On" camp please take a look at the photo of the neon yellow paper as how the park approaches this will be different in the future. 

**Not all photos or videos uploading so some information may be missing. I will try to upload again later.

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. Just be careful if you hike with dogs since some trails intersect with a nature preserve which doesn’t allow pets.

The campground itself has 20 electric sites , 56 primitive sites and 4 camper cabins. All the electric sites are pull through and all sites have a fire pit but only the electric sites come with picnic tables.

Due to off season and COVID the camp store is closed and there is no camper host or park office staff around.

We did notice lots of downed trees on the poorly marked hiking trails. Some trails just started but no maps were around and no trails were blazed. It was hard to tell where we were headed or how long a trail was. I tried using the new Detour app and it wasn’t very accurate for this park.

We did have good Verizon cell coverage.

My wife and I love this small state park. There are two main camping areas, wooded and shaded for smaller rv’s, trailers, tenters while the other section caters to larger RV’s and Motor homes with pull thru and longer pads. This section does have some trees but mostly sunny. There is one main bath house that is quite nice and kept clean. Several restrooms are scattered throughout with flush toilets. Camp hosts are friendly and helpful and do a great job of keeping the campground clean when folks leave. There is a small camp store, though its been closed this summer. There are places to get firewood and prices vary from $5-20 per bundle or stack. Marina is on the other side of the lake but only rents small boats and pontoons. The lake is limited to 9.9 hp motors. OK fishing from the beach area and docks. There are a few hiking trails and they do have cabins that have been updated recently. We are there several times a year camping with our teardrop.

Cowan Lake State Park is near Wilmington, Ohio and they have been making a lot of improvements to the park.  It is a great location between Cincinnati and Columbus with easy access from the highway.  This is good if you want to meet with friends somewhat in between.  It isn't too close to the highway so you don't hear the road noise as it is a few miles away but it is an easy drive to the park. 

They have been revamping the Nature Center to make it more accessible to folks as they have recently added a ramp. The Nature Center actually has two buildings side by side used for different purposes.  Then behind the Nature Center they have a location where several birds are located in cages.  Then next to where the birds are kept you will notice a new paw print trail that is a short but informative hike.

The commissary has great pizza and ice cream.  We also bought our firewood and ice from them as well.  We didn't need to leave the park.  We had a few trails to pick from and picked two of the shorter ones for members in our group.  

The cabins have been revamped as well.  They are all close to each other so if you wanted to have a family reunion or a get together this would be a great spot to do so.  At the end of the main road it will lead you to the lake.  You can use the dock to put your boat out (kayak and certain motor boats).  Folks are fishing at the lake or simply enjoying the beauty of the lake.  

The beach is simple but that is part of the charm.  It is clean and we were able to swim on the hot days that we had while camping.