Best Tent Camping near New Bremen, 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 is one of my favorite campsites in Ohio.  5 Rivers Metro Parks really knows how to provide a great camping experience.  They provide a bundle of firewood for each night that you have reserved the site.  In addition, you can easily purchase more wood that will be right there at the site for you.  "Your camping permit comes with one 2' x 2' bundle of firewood per night. Additional firewood available at checkout(+$10.00 per 1/32nd of a cord)." https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786297&api=facilities&type=camp

The ranger checked in on me and also let me know he was closing the gate to the park.  I had his contact information and felt safe and secure while camping here. We had an awesome conversation and I look forward to seeing him on a future visit. 

I love how easy it is to put away the trash and recycle as this isn't something I see at the larger campgrounds within the state. It is refreshing to see the attention to small details such as this when camping. 

The bathroom is simply a porta john.  It is the accessible one and was fairly clean while I was at the site.  No running water, electricity, or other perks such as being able to buy ice at the campground.  You are close enough that you can run into town to stock up on more ice and items. 

I spent my time at Argonne Lake but you will notice folks fishing at that lake and the other smaller lakes onsite. 

Buckeye my campsite is rated as for 5 parking spots and a capacity of 12 folks.  This is much more than what is allowed at our local state parks.  As I mentioned it is nice and easy for a group of us to camp here.  I have friends that come over from Columbus and I come up from the Cincinnati region.   It is an easy drive and the parking situation is much easier for all of us to drive ourselves from each city with our own gear no shuffling of items. This spot does have other larger campsites if you need to look into that for a larger group. 

"This walk-in campsite is located near Argonne Lake parking lot. It features access to hiking trails, nearby sustainable farm and demonstration gardens, as well as fishing in both the lake and fishing ponds(no license required). This site includes a picnic table and fire ring. Potable water and a restroom are located within 600 feet of campsite on the southeast side of the lake." https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786296&api=facilities&type=camp

I have friends that love to explore the lake, ponds, sustainable farm, and the easy access to the trails.  For those that need something interesting to look at you will find old abandoned items such as a pool and street car in the woods.  The land has an interesting history you will want to explore. 

Another thing that is impressive is that they also have a rental program.  If you do not have camping gear but still want to get out and try it then you can rent it from them. https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/rentals/equipment/  A set of 6 is $50.00 for the weekend. This includes the tent, sleeping pads, and sleeping bag.  If you only needed a tent for the weekend that would b e $30.00.   For folks that want to take advantage of their other campsites (backpacking) they have a full rental of backpacking gear for $40.00.  If you only needed the backpack and and tent that would be $25.00 and if you only needed a back pack tent for the weekend that would be $15.00

If you are retired or active duty military, you have access to recreation sites maintained adjacent to many bases. Wright-Patterson has a recreational family-friendly “Fam Camp” campground located by a small lake in the woods on the south side if the base. Families or adults can enjoy staying at the campground for a few days of camping, fishing, paddling and as a base for exploring in and around Dayton. There are many sites with hookups for RV’s, an area for RVs that dont need hookups, basic tent sites, and also a number of camper cabins by the lake. It is also a convenient stopover for folks on roadtrips and seems to be popular with retirees traveling with RV’s. We stopped for one night while on a road trip ourselves, and stayed in one of the tent sites which was very pleasant. This stay was in May, but we stayed here one time in October as well. There is a full bath house with showers snd bathrooms, a rec center with rental equipment for getting out on the lake, and a clubhouse. There is a field with bleachers for ball games, and a nice fenced in dog park.

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.

It's easy to get there. The non-electric sites don't have a lot of space or privacy (ie; trees) between them, definitely no hammocking. There's also a private camper's beach that is absolutely serene, probably not safe to swim in. Due to it being a holiday weekend, it was busy & loud like you'd expect, but it was so rowdy we left early. When we showed up, someone dumped all their trash in our firepit, absolutely disgusting behavior. Two different camp groups, one in electric and one in non-electric, got into loud verbal fights that resulted in the police being called. Fireworks and loud music were played all night long. No quiet hours, or if there are any they're not enforced. It's still great for a night visit if you're in the area, but it's not a dream weekend getaway by any means.

We had three walk-in sites to choose from on Memorial Weekend. We chose Site 113 in non-electric. It was a huge site with big trees for shade. Great for tent camping and it worked well for out camper. You have to pull in with a camper to be able to walk out onto your site. It’s a little backwards, but we only have 19ft camper so it worked for us. Plus we weren’t planning on driving anywhere so we didn’t have to worry about moving our truck. The bathroom/showers were not far and were nice and clean. For a holiday weekend it was nice and quiet. If your a bird watcher take your binoculars. Lots of robins, cardinals, red winged blackbirds and a few orioles. We drove though electric on our way out and the sites were much closer than where we were. We loved it and plan on going back.