Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Matamoras, OH

Dog park!! and right on the lake!! Found this by mistake on our way out, and the dogs loved it. Access to lake, a beach, well fenced. I would give Salt Fork SP extra stars for this one, especially if there were campsites co-located.

Camp ground is easily accessible being just 6 miles from I70, leaving the convenience of Cambridge and city amenities close by while allowing for great trails and solitude. Stayed in campground A, and the front end has little shade, but being here in autumn was perfect for lots of sunshine on site. Sites with trees for tree tents is minimal. Drinking fountains are dispersed fairly frequently throughout campground, but RV hookups with water were limited during my stay. Shower houses and comfort houses all have flushers and sinks.

TICK WARNING!!!! After a morning hike down wooded Trail, we spent A LONG TIME pulling ticks from dogs...even though the temps were in the 30's overnight and everyone was treated with flea & tick protection.

Saltfork is located about 45 minutes from my house, and makes for the perfect overnight trip. 

There are tons of things to do, and lots of space in which to do them. My favorites includes hiking trails, and the lakeside dog park. 

I stay in the primitive camping, it allows for more privacy and quiet. Although it also means you are relegated to the pit toilets. I personally don't mind them, but I know some campers will make the drive to the nicer shower house in the RV heavy side of the park. 

Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, the fire rings in the primitive section need some work, as the grates are very old and small.

Only stayed for a night but it was very quiet and only a handful of other campers. All the sites seemed relatively level. Some of the electric hookups had damage but being able to choose your spot upon arrival helped. We arrived in pouring rain and had no issues with our campsite when we could see it in the morning lol.

Bathrooms and showers were relatively clean and accommodating.

Seemed a lot like a hidden gem and I definitely recommend. Especially if you have a dog. Across the street, the park portion of this campground has a dog park, playground, historical site and pond for fishing

FYI . Most of the sites seemed small so it might be best for smaller setups. Also I did not see any pull through sites.

As with any trip, do your research, read your reviews, peruse Google Satellite maps and talk to locals when you can.

Mountwood County Park http://www.mountwoodpark.org/about.html is located about 15 minutes east of Parkersburg on Rt 50. Heading east on Rt 50 from Parkersburg, WV you will arrive at Mountwood County Park on the right...but the campground portion is a mile further east on the left side of the road. Both are marked by road signage...but most would assume they are all in one location.

If you bring your quads, dirt bikes or mountain bikes with you when you camp, then Mountwood County Park is for you. Right off the back of Mountwood are plenty of ATV trails to keep you busy during your stay. If bombing mountain bike trails is your thing, then across the highway from the campground is your dream. If relaxing in a serene mountain or river valley campground atmosphere is what you desire...keep driving east on Rt 50 another 20 minutes to North Bend State Park.

The primitive tent sites ($20 nightly) are less than desirable and more of an afterthought...and I'm being gracious. There is patchy tall grass, dirt and rocks with no leveled areas. And you have to wander a distance to the restroom/showerhouse when needed. You can rent the tiny cabins ($40 nightly) up on the top of the hill if you desire. They were rented and filled during my visit, surrounded with trailers filled with quads (not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting). One of the main ATV offroad trail entrances is a hundred yards or so past the primitive tent sites so anticipate traffic and some noise. There were a few electric/water sites available for RV/Campers but the majority of them were filled.

It does appear that that there are several "long term campers" at numerous sites, as wooden steps and decks are built and attached to the campers. I would not describe the campground as neat and tidy, but fills a need.

The other portion of the county park lies across Rt 50 about 1/2 mile east. This is where you will find a nice 50 acre lake...shaped like a "T" on its side... for short paddles or fishing (no swimming permitted), a solid collection of varied ability MTB trails and a cool, little local WV Oil history museum. Being a bit of a history buff, I was fascinated by the museum...how the local town was created during the oil boon and then destroyed by fire...of an enormous wilderness mansion that sat where the campground now sits. Interesting stuff.

There is a nice dog park if you brought your pooch. Several picnic areas with picnic shelters, playgrounds, and decent shared hiking trails.

As stated, if your main purpose is to MTB or ATV, then you might be contented with Mountwood County Park Campground. As county parks go, Mountwood County Park, itself, is nice and has a lot to offer. If quiet camping is your objective, I would recommend NorthBend State Park just down the road a piece.

If you are confused by this campsite that makes sense. This was an AEP ReCreation campsite. It has recently been purchased by the State of Ohio. The ReCreation AEP campsites has an outstanding FB (Facebook) page. I would recommend you keep close tabs on that site to figure out what you need to know about this site or others. The new sign does make it easy to find. It is also one of the closest campsites to the Miner's Memorial Park with the Big Muskie bucket. If you don't know what that is do go and check the site out. 

I would also say print maps and also take photos of maps. This one wasn't too bad to find as it is on the current paper map that AEP printed dated January 13, 2020. If you have kids that like horses I would go over to see if anyone is at the Equine area that is close by as well.  So a fun filled day of looking at a giant mining bucket and horses. 

Cell phone coverage is extremely limited out here. Verizon got service in most of the areas.  It wasn't 100%.  If you do need coverage the Mining Memorial is the main spot to go. Other carriers never seemed to have a signal. 

These campsites allow 2 cars per site. Pets are allowed if leashed. As Ohio is taking over the campsites think Ohio State Park rules. You can still camp here for free at the moment.  

https://www.aep.com/recreation/areas/recreationland

https://www.cleveland.com/open/2018/07/first\_phase\_of\_ohios\_new\_jesse.html

https://birding-in-ohio.com/morgan-county/jesse-owens-state-park-and-wildlife-area-maple-grove-campground/

This campground is currently closed but hopefully opening in a couple of weeks. We were camping there as volunteers with the Buckeye Trail Association to assist with trail cleanup. The Buckeye Trail is easily accessible from the campground for hiking.

The campground has a beautiful lake you fish or kayak on and there are a ton of birds so bring your binoculars.

Some sites have good shade and some have absolutely none. There is no electric so come ready to boondock or bring a generator. There are sites on the hill or right next to the lake. There are water pumps and drop toilets which were semi clean.

It’s free to camp and first come first serve. You do have to have a permit which can be downloaded from the web. You do have to register and there is a camp host.

Wood is not provided and there are no rings but spots for your fire. Be smart, keep an eye on it. Picnic benches are at each site, some better than others. Each side also has its own trash can.

It is pet friendly, keep em on their leash. Some sites have more space than others if you want to keep your dog on a lead.

We lucked out with cool weather so not having 100% shade was fine with us this weekend.