Searching for the best camping near Lorain, OH? Lorain is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Discover great camping spots near Lorain, reviewed by campers like you.
East Harbor State Park Campground is the largest in the Ohio State Park system. It offers Full Hookup, Electric, Non-electric and ADA sites. Pets are permitted at all sites. Other options include a Yurt (ADA), two Sherman Cabins (one ADA cabin), and Group Camping. Reservations are required and can be made online or by calling (866) 644-6727.
Located in Ohio on the sandy shores of Lake Erie awaits an enormous haven of fun, with tons of chances to recreate. Boating, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and camping all attract flocks of visitors to East Harbor State Park.
Nature lovers will rejoice thanks to the dense population of waterfowl, shore birds, and other species of wildlife. Owing to the swampy, wetland climate, a host of migratory species regularly flock to the region. However, the land was not always this rich. It wasn’t until the draining of the Great Black Swamp that the land transformed into an agricultural oasis, producing regional varieties of fruits such as grapes and peaches.
Before European Settlement, East Harbor region was home to Native American tribes like the Ottawa and Wyandot Tribes. Stemming from the translation “trader”, the Ottawa tribe earned its title due to the geographic location of East Harbor. During the period of Westward Expansion, this park’s acreage was first the heart of popular trade routes for Native Americans.
As it developed, the region has long been valued for its recreational potential. In fact, Lake Erie is more similar (and exotic) to a tropical beach resort than you’d first think. This is due to the extensive range of plant and animal life, long sandy beaches, and the immense size of the lake itself. As a result of these factors, 1,831 acres were reserved and protected, to be known today as East Harbor State Park.
Camping at East Harbor is readily available with 352 electric sites. Furthermore, there are 160 non-electric sites available for a cheaper nightly rate. There are also an additional 51 full hook-up sites for those in Recreational Vehicles. Working Nomads and Van Dwellers will be grateful to find Wifi Available, however there is a small fee to use it.
Finally, there’s Dump Stations, Bathrooms, and Showers are routinely located throughout. For a more secure (and expensive) shelter option, there is one Yurt available for reservation. Book in advance, however, as it tends to be very competitive.
If you’ve got furry friends, you can take a breath of relief as pets are permitted on all sites. Moreover, Bike rentals are available as well as games and sporting equipment from the camp office/lodge. Get outside with your friends (any number of legs invited) and enjoy everything that East Harbor State Park has to offer.
Lighthouse Point was voted one of the 9 most beautiful RV Campgrounds in the U.S. by Travel and Leisure Magazine. This relaxing space features full hook-up luxury RV sites plus 50 ultimate patio sites along with waterfront cottages, inland cabins and ten person deluxe cabins. Each tiny home features upgraded bedding, multiple televisions with cable, full linen services, mini-fridge, microwave, and private bathrooms. All accommodations include outdoor seating and a charcoal grill. Guests also enjoy property-wide wi-fi and a convenience store as well as laundry facilities, planned activities and an outdoor pool. Book online now or call us at 419-627-2106.
Sandusky's Hidden Gem. Crystal Rock Campground has called Sandusky home for over 45 years and is just minutes from Cedar Point Amusement Park and the Lake Erie Islands, including: Marblehead, Port Clinton, Catawba, Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island! We offer a quiet place to stay with nearby access to a variety of area attractions. Beaches, Boating, Fishing, Roller Coasters (Cedar Point), Water Parks, Hiking, Kayaking, Water Sports, Foodies, Breweries and Wineries, and exploring Nature.
$32 - $1 / night
There’s never a dull moment at Cleveland/Sandusky Jellystone Park™. Love the water? Our Wibit™ (an inflatable waterpark), heated pool, and paddle boats are for you! More into sports? You will love our rock climbing wall, basketball court, disc golf course, and gaga ball pit. With loads of activities every day, you will be sure to have a great time no matter how you stay! We offer cabins, tent and RV sites, and group camping for families big and small. Family fun starts here at Cleveland/Sandusky Jellystone Park™.
$50 - $70 / night
Camp Sandusky has offered great camping experiences for visitors to Sandusky, Ohio and Cedar Point for over 20 years. Just 6 miles to Cedar Point. Going to Cedar Point? Stay in an Amish cabin and relax around a campfire after your busy day. Bring your RV or tent and enjoy our level shady sites.
We have recently increased the size of some of our sites. We have also added air-conditioning to four of our pet-friendly cabins. We will also be having more planned activities including outings to local attractions.
$23 - $105 / night
This state island campground is more than expected! worth the ferry travel, a paradise kept secret. We stumbled upon this island by accident along our travels after Labor Day and we totally fell in love. The water front camping, swimming, boating, kayaking, historic sites, attractions and facilities are superb. Everything you need and more than you expect. We traveled in with our 34’ trailer. The ferry cost was a bit high, around $200 round trip for us, truck and camper….but it was worth it!! The campground is immaculate, quiet during the week especially after Labor Day, the weekend brings a larger crowd. Walking trails, sites, boating and swimming all available from campground. Sandy shallow beach with beautiful view. Ice, firewood and a store conveniently located at campground. The campground is small and sites a bit tight but spaced accordingly and comfortable. Two waterfront cabins and two yurts available for rent as well. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the island overall. The glacial grooves, limestone crusher, north loop trail, beach and boat launch all withing walking distance. We rented bikes downtown to explore rest of island, including winery, cantina and local bars. Counting the days to go back.
If you’re looking for a camping spot that mixes comfort with a touch of nature, Lighthouse Point Campground is just the place. I recently stayed at one of their Deluxe Patio Sites, and I’ve got to say, it was a fantastic experience.
Such a great place to camp. We had such an enjoyable trip. The campground was just incredible.
We visited with our family and really made
Some happy camping memories, which will always treasure. Our site was really pretty and we would visit again!
Park on the lake and close to many amenities including Cedar Point Amusement Park. Sites are very tightly packed. Park was mostly empty while we were there early in season. We camped at East Harbor State Park in a Motorhome. Sites in our section were back in and would be difficult to back a trailer into a site with a full campground.
This campground has been wonderfully updated! The owners have added in an additional playground, dog park, newly paved roadways, newly redone building, a new pavilion, fire pit, and boat parking! We love camping here every chance we get! It is convenient to the turnpike and Cedar Point is just a few miles away!
My friends and I decided to stay here for the weekend. Even with the colder weather it was nice and cozy. Plenty of fire wood provided and a short distance away from the gorge to walk. The second night had lots of coyotes around, which is cool but can be dangerous if not careful of course. Coyotes were heard all around the general area. Other than that quiet and the roads close by are unheard. Overall a great experience and definitely recommend for a rustic experience.
We booked a tent plot for two days in advance, once we set up camp though the weather report said 30% chance of rain it proceeded to rain nonstop all night long. Our tent leaked horribly bad and it was evident with the forecast we would not last another day in the tent. We had to pack up and leave. KOA was not sympathetic to us at all. In fact when I called to ask questions I was ignored on the phone then disconnected. We were packed up and checked out by the check out time and they refused to refund us for a night. There were plenty of spots open so it's not as though they would have been loosing money. Not only that but we bought$25.00 worth of firewood that was in plastic that we could not use because of the non-stop rain. They would not take it back for a refund. Then oddly advised us to take it if we wanted to, knowing firewood is not to be transported. We left the unopened firewood at the campsite which I'm sure they were able to resell. All in all we spent about$140.00 for one night of camping where we were stuck inside of our leaking tent. Never again will we ever stay at another KOA camp.
A lot to do. We had bad weather coming in so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked to.
This is a basic little campground. It’s quiet with huge sites. It’s not a fancy campground, but I don’t go camping for the same amenities I can get at home.
Very popular campground, lots of people. Easy drive-up spots, fire pits, clean showers, bathrooms, and a camp shop. Really nice bike/walking bath out to the water.
We booked a weekend trip here on a whim to visit some nearby attractions. After looking at the campground map, we chose a lakefront site in the Eagles Point area and were not disappointed! Beautiful views! Can bring your boat or kayak and drop in right from your site. Showers and bathrooms were clean. Staff were friendly and a ranger patrolled multiple times a day/night. We will definitely go back!
Walk right into the park or swim park! Literally the best way to stay ay Cedar Point!!! Very clean campground!
We spent a night here to celebrate my husbands birthday with a couple of our friends. The campground was great! It was well setup with lots of things to do. The only complaint I have is that the tent sites aren’t very well designated. There aren’t any markers showing where sites start and stop. We rented two sites next to each other and when we pulled up the one we were assigned was being used by someone else. Luckily the one on the other side was open so we could still set up next to each other, so it really wasn’t that big of a deal, but I’m sure if there were better markers/signage it wouldn’t have been a problem to begin with. Otherwise it’s a great campground, we are definitely planning on coming back with the kids. Lots of fun things to do.
The site is being renovated and a lot of work going on there. Bathrooms are terrible because of all the construction and minimal cleaning if they are even open at all. Staff is very new and friendly but this is not what we expected for a jellystone park. They didn’t have a yogi bear costume for my 2 little girls who were extremely disappointed. We had to tell them that he was sick. I will not be returning to this park for at least a few more years.
The cliffside sites are absolutely beautiful. We stayed in 107 and the view is breathtaking! Bathrooms and shower house were good! Staff was very friendly. I wouldn’t suggest booking a cliffside site if you have small children. We also liked that the campground is gated. We will be going back!
I had made reservations several months ahead of time, drove 6 hours just to get there and find the people in a neighboring site had their stuff into my site. I went to the office and the staff called a camp host to “evaluate” the host then came and told me he could move the fire ring and I could just put my tent there. No! I went back to the site, thinking maybe I could talk to the other people, and a group of them got up and started moving more things clearly into my site and threatening me. I went back to the store, crying asked for a refund. I left. Never did get all my money back. Will never return.
We stayed on the Eaglepiont side. It’s opposite the main campground up the mile about .5 mile. The sites are not as modern but have more trees and natural beauty. The main campground is most cement pads and no shade. The Messerly Recreation building had some fun things for kids on Saturday and bingo on Saturday night.
Overall nice place and not far off the Highway!
This campground is very large with lots of spots to choose from. The C portion has few trees, but if you choose a spot off one of the south circles, the sites are private. The bathhouse is very clean and well maintained. If you want quiet, it may not be for you because lots of families camp there. Quiet hours were, however, quiet! Trails are wide, grassy, and mowed, great for families who want to walk with children. WiFi is not strong, so don't plan on streaming a movie in the evening. There are plenty of things to do, though. My husband and I had a great time!
Very beautiful but spaces are close together. I stayed near the playground and the kids were there until late. Not a quiet campground, if that’s what you’re looking for.
The sites on the cliffs are fantastic but any site will do. Great location if you want to camp on the island. Not much to do on the island itself so I wouldn’t make this a destination like I would a larger area of park. Bathrooms are clean, they have showers and a pin code to get into the park. Love it!
Positives:
Negatives:
Overall, the campground was good, but what really made it spectacular was the view from the coastal campsites. The fire rings are situated right on the edge of the cliff so you can enjoy an evening watching the sunset over the water.
The rest of the campsite was nice. It was equipped with water stations, shower stalls, and flush toilets.
Checking in was really easy, and the campground even has a keypad gate so it’s just campers beyond that point.
The good; WiFi worked well, campground was not crowded, any staff we saw were pleasant. The Bad; entire campground appears to be in disrepair, one of the 2 pools is inoperable, the other not very inviting, numerous broken down cars, buses, fire trucks in campground, sites not very well groomed, sewer hookup was missing treading, playground looked old and not kept up.
This KOA is only a few miles from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which is our reason for coming to the area. It's also close to Akron & Cleveland.
I was pleasantly surprised at how scenic it is. I expected an urban KOA. This one is in a rural area outside Streetsboro. There is light industry behind the campground- trees cover it, but you can still hear it. There's some train & traffic noise.
Nightly rate for the weekend is$10 higher.$69.99 seems a little high.
There's 4 ponds, 2 that you can fish. There's a pool, playground & jumping pillow grouped together. Very noisy (we had site 2 right across from it), but it settles down after sunset.
The main office has a gift shop/store. They have scoop ice cream & fudge.
The sites are nice. The main area has some pull throughs, Some of the back in sites have a view of the pond. The tent sites are at the bottom of a hill & IMO too close together. Also too far away from the bathroom.
Which brings me to the bathrooms/showers. I requested a site near a bath house since my husband is mobility impaired & we don't have a shower. We had site 2, which is right by the shower house& bathrooms. This one of those bathrooms where there's no Mens/womens, just individual bathrooms. After the first night the showers were all closed...for the duration of our 4 night stay. We had to drive to the back where there were 4 or 5 shower/bathroom combos. All for the use of the entire campground! It was a busy weekend& the bathrooms were VERY dirty. It got better Sunday evening, but when you know a lot of people are going to be in the bathrooms you need to step up your game!
This is absolutely one of the nicer KOAs I’ve been at. Well kept, nice size, mostly level /gravel sites with grass. Pavilion picnic areas throughout. 3 ponds. Nice pool, a few play areas. Tent, seasonal, short-stay, cabins. All very nice! Bathrooms/showers immaculate! About 10 minutes off the highway. Nice trees everywhere and sites are good size! Off the road and quiet! Very pleased with it! Walmart just down the road and close to Cuyahoga National Park (lots of hiking).
This campground is right off of interstate 80, and couldn’t be easier to get to! As close as it is, there isn’t much road noise (depending on the location of your site). Sites are a decent size in length, but pretty close together. Most look reliably level. Gravel and grass. Tent and rv sites. Not many trees for shade in rv area, but enough to provide some shade. Very clean comfort station (showers too). Nice play area near the pool and even a small basketball play area 1/4 court. Just 15-20 minutes from Cedar Point which is an easy ride. Overall, I would stop here as an overnight again, but wouldn’t pick it as a vacation spot.
We tent-camped in well-shaded loop D, which is a non-electric tent area. Loop D is much smaller and more private than the larger non-electric area (loop A). If you're in a camper, then the area next to loop A (loop B) is your best bet for shade. We loved our stay here. It's a great base camp for exploring the area and the beach is just a short drive. I wish the bathrooms in the non-electric loop were updated, but they were cleaned on a daily basis. Daily nature programs for kids at the campground 's excellent nature center were great. Take the ferry to Put-in-Bay while you're at East Harbor, or take a road trip to the Mad River & NKP train museum in Bellevue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Lorain, OH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Lorain, OH is East Harbor State Park Campground with a 4.2-star rating from 49 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 19 glamping camping locations near Lorain, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.
