Best Equestrian Camping near Long Bottom, OH

Stayed: 9/6/2020 - FREE

Site: Left fire pit facing toilet

This campground is the equestrian Kinderhook Trailhead within Wayne National Forest.

I didn't know what to expect for a dispersed campground at a trailhead. We pulled in and there was one couple setup at a designated site (picnic table and fire pit). As we drove around the trailhead, we found a second designated site. The forest website says dispersed camping is allowed and fires are allowed with a 10 foot clearance and a ring of rocks. So when we pulled up and saw picnic tables and fire pits provided, I was a little confused. I'd assume you'd also be allowed to create your own site, if the two designated sites are taken. There's not a ton of room, but I'd say another 5 sites could setup and be somewhat spread out. It is an open area, so there wouldn't be physical privacy, although the tall trees provide shade.

With it being an equestrian trail, there were a lot of horses and trailers throughout the day. Before sunset, everyone cleared out and only campers remained.

One vault toilet and perfect AT&T and Sprint cell service.

#DareToEverywhere

Easy pull-thru site for our small travel trailer. Each pull-thru is set-up for horses, but RVs are allowed (according to NFS website). Maybe because it was Halloween night, maybe due to hunting season, I dunno, but there seemed to be more traffic than expected for this road. Our only neighbors got a little... rowdy, but it was okay.

Campsite fee is $15 on the honor system. If you have a National Park's Golden Age or Access pass, they honor a 50 percent discount.

I had good 4G ATT cell service. Worked well, with no drops. Data was a bit slower than usual but still good.

The only facilities here were a single pit toilet (surprisingly clean) and a trash can at each site. There may be more services during the height of the season, at least water for horses, but nothing else I could tell.

A short distance further down the road, just after it turns to gravel, at the Old Stone Church trailhead, there are grassy places to back in smaller campers/RVs. And even further down the road, after it turns back to asphalt :D, there's a private campground with utilities, I think, but we only saw it and didn't check it out.

I get asked "where should we go camping or hiking in the Midwest?" Hocking Hills State Park is always my go-to answer. 

It has a ton of different terrains, it's easily accessible from Columbus, OH, and has great hiking opportunities. 

This particular campground is amazing because it's located nicely to many hiking trails but far away that you aren't overly crowded so you still get the feeling that you're in nature.

I've been here a ton growing up in the horse campground area, but most recently was there for tent camping. We were surrounded mostly by RVs, but we fit in quite nicely into our site. 

The sites were nicely spaced out and the hiking trails were all nearby.