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West Branch State Park Campground in Wayland, Ohio offers primitive horse camping with access to equestrian trails. The campground features a designated horse camping area separate from the main camping sections. Bridle trails throughout the 5,000-acre park provide extensive riding opportunities for equestrians. According to campers, the horse camping area sometimes permits tent campers without horses, which can affect the equestrian experience. Campers note this mixed-use policy has caused safety concerns when children or inexperienced campers are placed between horse trailers. Visitors use The Dyrt to find real feedback on camping near Newbury, Ohio.
The park's 20 miles of trails are open to horses and connect riders to various sections of the park. The horse trails can also be used by snowmobiles in winter months, creating seasonal variations in usage patterns. Horse campers must bring their own water and supplies as hookups are not available in the equestrian camping area. Trailer parking is available directly at campsites, though some horse campers have expressed interest in having the same full hookup amenities that are offered in the main campground. The horse camping area is located in a more remote section of the park, providing a quieter experience but with less oversight than the main camping loops. Camp hosts in the equestrian area work to educate non-horse campers about proper behavior around horses.
"The bathrooms are clean and include a laundry and sinks outside to wash your dishes. Campground hosts and staff are friendly and helpful. Sites are roomy and clean. Lots of variety."
"There is no WiFi and barely one bar of cell service; your best internet access is at the nice public library 7 miles away in Ravenna Sand beach is an easy walk from all camp sites and boat trailers can"
from $30 - $52 / night
Check Availability"This park is one of my favorites in Ohio at this time. Most of the sites are some what private. There are many trails and even a fog park next to the lake."
"They told me Ohio State Parks were voted #1 in the US. Well there is a reason for that. Beautiful, clean, great spots, not a bad site in the entire park."
from $27 - $80 / night
Check Availability
TravelerYou need to make reservations well in advance for the “primo” sites. The bathrooms are clean and include a laundry and sinks outside to wash your dishes. Campground hosts and staff are friendly and helpful. Sites are roomy and clean. Lots of variety. If you’re into hiking, disc golf, kayaking, fishing, equestrian pursuits, etc, this is the park for you.
Traveler3 Immaculate bath houses all with laundry facilities, all sites have electric (no f-ing generators) and many have have water and sewer hook ups. There is no WiFi and barely one bar of cell service; your best internet access is at the nice public library 7 miles away in Ravenna Sand beach is an easy walk from all camp sites and boat trailers can be parked on your camp site Boat launch has a big trailer parking lot, too. There are hiking, equestrian and mountain biking trails in the park and launching off paddle boards is ok at the boat launch or the nearby beach Friendly staff and camp hosts!
RangerThis park is one of my favorites in Ohio at this time. Most of the sites are some what private. There are many trails and even a fog park next to the lake.
GuideFirst time here. They told me Ohio State Parks were voted #1 in the US. Well there is a reason for that. Beautiful, clean, great spots, not a bad site in the entire park. Wood is dry and cheap right outside the park entrance. Bass fishing is top notch on the lake. I would definitely come back here again and again.
LegendRanger Review: Morsel Spork at West Branch State Park
**Campground Review: **
This state park was very welcome after our first two unlucky Ohio state park experiences. We had no trouble pulling in at 3 pm on a Sunday after Labor Day with no reservations and snagging a very nice spot (Site 50 backs up to Kirwan Reservoir). There are two loops that are on Jay Lake where there is a beach; it was understandable that there weren’t any water view spots that had not been reserved here. A very quiet park that is well-maintained with lots of amenities. Even the rumbling of the nearby trains was on the quiet side! Nice playground with toy stocked sandpit, volleyball net, cheap laundry ($3 per load, wash and dry), dishwashing sinks, showers, and clean bathrooms. There was even a step stool for kids to be able to reach the sinks. A staffed store(9am-7pm on Sunday, 11am-7pm Monday– Thursday and 9 am– 8:30 pm on Saturday) with basic supplies and, of course, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Some of the sites have a slight grade so be cautious when selecting. Many trees that provide separation between sites. Several short hiking trails. A side note: I only saw one non-Ohio license plate besides ours in the entire park, almost like it is an Ohio secret (not anymore!)
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**Product Review: **
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I have the opportunity to test products. At this campground, I tested the large Morsel Spork from Outdoor Element. I have to admit that when I unpacked my box from Outdoor Elements, I was surprised at how LONG our morsel sporks were(we have other sporks that are much shorter so I was expecting these to be a similar size) but then I saw a photo of someone using it with their freeze-dried meal and it was an aha moment! No need to dirty another dish because this mighty spork can reach to the bottom of the pouch with no problem! These sporks are also sturdier than others we have used. The rubber scraper edge is a nice touch – would be great for getting the last delicious bits of meals from the freeze-dried meal pouches and I’m thinking also in glass or plastic containers. A very nice addition to our camping tools.
LegendHere's what's great about this campground situated at an easy drive from major cities like Columbus and Cleveland...its scenic, a fully loaded campground with bathhouses, parks, hiking paths, swimming resivoir with boat rental...we highly recommend renting a pontoon for the day and hanging out in the resivoir for swimming and lounging! It's both relaxing and nice to get away from the beach crowd!
ScoutStayed in two different areas of West Branch State Park while visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Very impressed with large, clean bath houses, including fully private showers. Sites were very large and spread out, visit bing lots of nice privacy. Though we did not take advantage, the park also offered horse bridle trails, mountain biking and water activities on the lake. What a gem!
GuideWe just got back from our first trip to Mosquito Lake State Park Campground. All in all, it was a great experience.
We stayed in site 67, which is a waterfront site, with electric. The water is about 25 yards from the pad, but is visible from the entire site. The site was spacious, but not as private as some of the others. There is some woods between this site and the sites on either side, but other sites are visible. The fire pits and picnic tables were staggered, so it created some distance to make it feel more private.
The campground as a whole, was very quiet. We stayed from Wednesday to Friday. The group next to us seemed a little rowdy when we first pulled in, but by 10:00 there was no noise anywhere near us.
Most sites seemed pretty level from side to side, but where we were, several had a slope from front to back. Away from the waterfront, most sites looked pretty level. The amount of space between sites varied from site to site. Some sites had woods on both sides, while others were pretty open. Some had nice large grassy areas, others were much smaller. Sites from 214-224 are in a cul de sac and are water front, but they were pretty close together with very little privacy between sites, if any. They are very close to the water though.
There are bathrooms and water scatter about, but from what I saw there was only 1 shower house.
Wal-mart and other shopping and restaurants were about 3 miles away. Park was easy to get to, only one turn for us off the highway. Lake was great for kayaking and paddleboarding. Very nice dog park in a different part of the park. There is a boat launch accessible from inside the campground.
Dump station has 2 lanes which was nice when checking out. Fresh water fill up was also located near the dump station.
GuideBeautiful area for a get away in Ohio. The beach is never too packed. You can take kayaks out and venture off around the shores.
West Branch State Park Campground features waterfront sites on Kirwan Reservoir where campers can launch kayaks directly from their campsites. The campground offers both wooded and lakeside sites across 5,000 acres, with many campers noting the spaciousness and privacy between sites. Electric and non-electric options are available, with some sites requiring significant leveling due to slopes. The park maintains 20 miles of trails that accommodate equestrian use, hiking, and seasonal snowmobiling.
Water recreation: West Branch State Park provides multiple water access points with a designated swimming beach in the camping area. Rino S. notes about their experience: "We're at site 160. No electricity, no hookups, but a HUGE lakefront site. We're in a self-contained RV so it's not a problem for us. Beach is right next door too!"
Hiking: West Branch State Park Campground maintains several short hiking trails through wooded areas. According to Andrea F., "Once the dynamics of filling and setting up were done, we set off to explore the park. It had some really nice hiking trails. We also played some disc golf and went geocaching."
Fishing: Mosquito Lake State Park offers fishing opportunities, though seasonal algae can affect conditions. Rose S. shares their experience: "The algae was kind of thick, which made fishing impossible, so we stopped bringing the kayak."
Clean facilities: Mosquito Lake State Park Campground provides well-maintained shower facilities. Heidi B. comments: "Great park! Sites are spacious and level. Very clean park. There are several full hook-up sites. Electric sites near the lake. New Bathrooms are under construction."
Privacy: Many campers appreciate the separation between sites at West Branch. Dan M. notes in their review: "very private sites, clean individual showers." This privacy creates a more secluded camping experience despite being in an established campground.
Pet accommodations: Mosquito Lake State Park features a dog park near the lake. Jim L. states: "This park is one of my favorites in Ohio at this time. Most of the sites are somewhat private. There are many trails and even a dog park next to the lake."
Site leveling: Many sites at West Branch require significant leveling equipment. Andrea F. explains: "Our site was labeled slight slope. That was a joke. We were only off 2 inches side to side but front to back we had to lower the front 15 inches. The jack was down as low as it would go and we were still off by 1.5 inches."
Amenities: Mosquito Lake State Park Campground offers varied facilities but with some limitations. Courtney C. advises: "The sites are huge. The dog park is amazing. Theres so much to do here. Swimming, boating, fishing. We love it. Only bad are no real bathrooms except at the front of the park. No place to wash dishes. Rough if you're tent camping."
Seasonal considerations: Sites can flood during heavy rain seasons. Samantha J. reports: "Unfortunately our campsite was under water due the extensive rains recently this past week and spring overall. But the staff at the camp office gave us a list of all of the open sites that we could choose from so that we could still camp."
Playground access: West Branch includes multiple play areas for children. Alisa G. shares: "There are playgrounds for the children. An ice cream social is held on Saturday evenings that my children always love to attend."
Organized activities: Mosquito Lake State Park Campground offers weekend entertainment. Karen D. notes: "Will do movie nights on the weekends." Linda R. adds: "Concert every Saturday during the summer."
Nature exploration: Mosquito Lake provides specialized recreation for younger children. Joe F. recommends: "Beach was great and there an epic playground for kids. If your kids are 8 and under they'll love the nature playground and nets provided to catch critters."
Water fill considerations: West Branch State Park Campground has some infrastructure challenges for RVers. Andrea F. cautions: "First the water fill is on an incline so when our tank was 'full' pulling away from fill station it was really only 2/3 full. This was okay for a short weekend but not good planning from who ever designed the park."
Full hookup options: Mosquito Lake offers full service sites for RVers requiring all amenities. Heidi B. confirms: "There are several full hook-up sites. Electric sites near the lake. We stayed at site #96."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Newbury, OH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Newbury, OH is West Branch State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 66 reviews.
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