Best Tent Camping near Pioneer, OH

Recent Tent Reviews in Pioneer

374 Reviews of 18 Pioneer Campgrounds

• 

  Jim M.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 17, 2024

  Oaks Campgrounds

  Greedy and ignorant

  So I checked in today to stay for a week and noticed that there is no one here. I must have ended up at the wrong campground, because I usually camp around other nomadic campers and I was having bad anxiety being the only person there.  The people run this decided to play games with me.

  First I told them i am leaving and they had the audacity to try and say they will charge me 30 bucks for plugging my wifi in so I can text my friend with my phone since it only runs off wifi and an argument ensued.

  They suggested I use their office wifi.

  I walked up to it after I unplugged my damn wifi trying to text my friend, there was no password on their office window. It wasnt free. So i walked back to my camper, plugged my wifi back in, texted the idiot who runs the place demanding the password so i can text my friend and they didnt respond, so its like they were trying to entrap me into paying them 30 bucks just for using my wifi. I told them there will be a problem. So I got in touch with my friend, my friend arrives and I made sure they gave me my full refund back. I was gonna lose it if they kept trying to interfere with me trying to reach my friend.

  I do not recommend this campground. It is more like a storage unit for campers. 

  Still trying to find where all the nomadic people are camping right now.

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 5, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  small campground away from it all

  Little four site camping area on the shore of Rivir Lake (not a typo). It can be accessed either by parking and walking in on the wide, well tended trail (#4 on maps) or by boating. The nearest boat launch is Miller lake, a mile west. Sites 3 & 4 are right on the lake with the best access, Sites 1& 2 are across the trail which is along a raised berm with a bridge over the passage to Mud Lake. I'd give this a higher review, but most people wouldn't appreciate the primitiveness of the sites. It's distance from most amenities could be a turn off, but also could be perfect for others

• 

  Christie S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 27, 2024

  Johnny Appleseed Campground

  Suppppppper Bathroom s

  They have the best bathrooms that I have ever seen in the campgrounds.You can even look out at the skylight at the sky.Why you take a shower and while you go to the bathroom is well.It's a beautiful bathroom very well kept.Thank you so much to the campgrounds....

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  Idyllic small location, deserves higher review

  Little four site camping area on the shore of Rivir Lake (not a typo). It can be accessed either by parking and walking in on the wide, well tended trail (#4 on maps) of by boating. The nearest boat launch is Miller lake, a mile west. Sites 3 & 4 are right on the lake with the best access, Sites 1 & 2 are across the trail which is along a raised berm with a bridge over the passage to Mud Lake.
  I'd give this a higher review, but most people wouldn't appreciate the primitiveness of the sites. It's distance from most amenities could be a turn off, but also could be perfect for others

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  Can be crowded, but a good park overall

  We were a bit surprised that despite having a paid reservation , we still had to pay a $20 Day usage fee to enter the park, but no matter. This is a sprawling and sometimes confusing campground to find your way in. But the sites are generally shady if a bit close together. There are five facilities with showers and running water and six pit toilets. drinking water is accessible throughout the park.
  The majority of sites have six person tables, though some, especially in the new 385-416 loop have little four person tables. These are also the least shaded.
  Campground and facilities are clean and well maintained.
  The General Store is one of the most impressively well stocked I have ever seen. Equipment, toys, tools, food souvenirs, you name it. Good dry firewood is $6.50 a bundle in the store, $7 on the honor system after hours. It burns fast, so you might want to buy more than you think. The store is open until 9:00 Friday & Saturday, but only 2;PM on Sunday and never on Monday. Keep that in mind if you're doing a 3-day weekend as we did. When checking out, look up to see the beautiful wooden canoe with wildlife inlaid wood.
  Fire pits are mostly round iron with non-adjustable swing-away grills. Booking is through Indiana DNR/ Reserve America so you can see photos of the site you pick.
  This was our second experience with an Indiana state park, and like our first (Pokagon, in the winter) we were impressed with the clear marking of the hiking trails (and canoe trail for that matter) there was a map and guidepost at every junction.
  There's a beach, concession stand and boat rentals on Sand lake, the Park's largest. Lastly, there's a fish cleaning shed with running water outside the campground entrance that anyone in the park can use, something I wish more parks would provide.

• 

  Wendy F.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 14, 2024

  Lake Hudson Recreation Area

  Spacious sites

  What an absolute gem of a state park. Almost every site is private, with a few exceptions. Nice trails, well built picnic tables, and huge fire pits. Overall a fantastic experience.

• 

  Adrienne N.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Way Back In Campground

  Do not recommend

  We camped at Way Back campground llc in Michigan for three seasons, initially building strong friendships with the owners and their grandchildren. Our kids would eagerly await our weekly arrivals during the summers, often chatting and playing video games during the off-season. The campground initially offered family-friendly activities like hayrides and crafts.. these dwindled to events that included only our children and the owners' grandchildren, often overshadowed by drunken behavior unsuitable for kids. By the second season, that sense of community soured when the owners' friends/family began uninvited weekend parties on our campsite. Groups would show up, using our firewood and partying late into the night while our kids struggled to sleep, often leaving only after we became assertive and telling them to leave so we could go to bed. This disregard for our family's needs, compounded by other unsettling issues made it clearly evident that Way Back is not a family friendly campground. Our campsite being littered with debris from a previous burned, condemned camper on our lot, promises of cleanup that went unfulfilled for 3 seasons. Obscene drunken adult behaviors in front of children that went unaddressed, only created a growing sense of disappointment. We also faced safety concerns, such as homeless individuals using drugs and living in the campgrounds. Convicted sexual offenders and known drug addicts in the park. Hostile fighting and commotion usually provoked by and instigated by the owners. A lingering presence of inappropriate adults around children at the park. Despite our initial rapport and giving the owners multiple chances to make improvements, issues only escalated, leading us to strongly advise against this campground. (Photos from last day. The glass and Debris has been collected like that every weekend for the last 3 years)

• 

  BluePitMom O.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Sauder Village Campground

  History Lovers Heaven

  There's so much to do at the village! What a wonderful place for history lovers and/or kids. In addition to the village, there is a splash pad, a pool (in the nearby inn), and a couple of hiking trails.

  We stayed in Site 23. The sites are sizable, level, and well maintained. The shower house and restrooms were extremely clean.

  The campground was peaceful. It was full during our stay, and the other campers were very courteous. Nobody was loud and obnoxious.

  We were able to catch the Northern Lights!

• 

  Mano P.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 28, 2024

  W. J. Hayes State Park Campground

  Travel Trailers

  If your longer than 40ft be aware most sites will not work for you here, they do have some but the wood line, privacy and nature is great. Lots of activities for the family by camp staff. Water sports and lots of trails

• D

  Djakata S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Indian Creek Camp & Conference Center

  Super friendly staff

  I only stayed one night. I am a tent camper and where I was, it was only me in a fenced in area. I was right next to a cow field. The cows did not moo all night and there was no foul order. I needed no amenities so I can't vouch for that

• C

  Cliff F.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 16, 2024

  Chain O'lakes State Park Dispersed Campsite

  Hidden Gem

  Great camping level site.

• 

  Michelle A.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 1, 2024

  Stickley Family Farms

  Down load of map went great

  I'm going soon I will update as I go.

• 

  Shannon G.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 24, 2024

  Harrison Lake State Park Campground

  Great site!

  Our first time at this park and got lucky with our site. The pad was a little unlevel but easy to fix. The fire ring was fantastic and had pea gravel around it so if it rained it wasn’t a muddy mess. Great site with grass for tents and no one behind us besides a cornfield. We had a sidewalk next to us to the bathroom but there were so many bathrooms we didn’t have very many people pass by. It had pretty decent shade but unfortunately a sweet gum tree nearby so watch out if you’re barefoot. The shower house was nice but no benches in the stall and only had curtains. They were very clean and the camp hosts were friendly. We are headed back in September!

• 

  Tony T.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Harrison Lake State Park Campground

  Great Campground

  The sites in the tent-only section were well sized and shady. We were on the lake side and were able to get some nice views of Harrison Lake. There were families on either side of us with little kids who were well behaved, albeit a little noisy (i.e a really young child was screaming for about 2 minutes straight non-stop at 9 am until finally the parents said something). Bathroom facilities (single occupancy with shower) were about a 3 minute walk and were clean. Good stay!

• 

  Miranda J.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  W. J. Hayes State Park Campground

  Hayes State Park

  We stayed in a tent on site 32, this was a very nice campground, peaceful, with trails and ample shade. Campsites were decently sized, fire pits were big, $5 per bundle of dry wood, showers were private with hot water, and there were activities and a beach/playground for kids. Checkin/out was simple, and coffee/hot coco was provided by the campsite each morning. Will be returning to this campsite again. I suggest sites 93-96 for more private/shaded sites.

• 

  Wendy F.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 15, 2024

  Hideaway RV Park

  Great 1st camping experience

  This was our 1st ever camping trip and it was a delight. Pull thru spot, super easy to get to, full hookup. Spots had plenty of room, some had grass others had concrete. Quiet, very chill RV park, small beach on a pond for fishing playground for kids and plenty of room for our small dog. Linda (owner) was amazing, very helpful and easy to use venmo for payment and for firewood use. Overall a great experience , would definitely visit again. Plenty to do around town, lakes everywhere just have to choose which one to go to.

• 

  Kyla T.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 27, 2024

  Twin Pines Campground & Canoe Livery

  Quaint, pretty, and fun!

  I visited this campground last summer! It was a smaller campground, but very woodsy (just how I like it)! They have kayak/canoeing, a playground area for the kids, and good site sizes. The only thing that wasn’t pleasant was the beach area (too small and muddy), and the fact that my boyfriend’s mother had to pull off leeches various different times after being in the water!

• A

  Angelika M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 25, 2024

  Johnny Appleseed Campground

  lovely place to stay

  just being here for an one night stop. Restrooms are very clean and comfortable. Nice place and very friendly camp hosts

• l

  luke S.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 14, 2024

  Mary Jane Thurston State Park Campground

  Good spot.

  We had spot 8 and it was a good spot. It was a pull through spot that could fit a pretty large RV we will be staying here again if it is close on our travels. Highly recommend

• 

  Kelsey S.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 14, 2024

  Mary Jane Thurston State Park Campground

  Great spot!

  We stayed at site 8, enjoyed not having much of a crowd. View of the river was beautiful. Easy pull through access.

• J

  Joni C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 4, 2024

  Happy Acres Campground

  Stay in the Skybox

  We rented site 95 in the “skybox” it’s on the backside of the property. Super clean campground with friendly workers and seasonal residents were so friendly. Enjoyed the pool, pickleball and walking the trails. Has a 9hole disc golf. Very cool place and Angola has a lot to offer.

• 

  Mitchell S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 4, 2024

  Marble Springs Campground

  More rules then posted refused to update rules.

  Fishing but is catch and release. It is not posted any where in the rules or at the fishing spots. Nore was I told this be fore being warned about it. Cancled season and went to where I could catch and eat.

• H

  Hunter M.

  Scout

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Pokagon State Park Campground

  Super fun

  They have good hiking trails, nice refreshing waters, good food options at certain places

• S

  Scott B.

  Guide

  

  May. 28, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  Nice but older

  Our site was 21 inches unloved from front to back and 7 inches down on the passenger side! With poison oak all over the back of our site so bring a lot of leveling block and no kids! Other that that it was a decent park with lots of activities but a very hard campsite to navigate and a busy weekend forget about dumping lol your gonna be there a while. Also no Verizon signal but our friend had T-Mobile and he was ok signal.

• N

  Nick M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 25, 2024

  Twin Acres Campground

  Good Time and nice place

  Stayed here with my family on memorial weekend. Nice campground with friendly staff. Would come again for sure.

• 

  Gary G.

  Scout

  

  May. 3, 2024

  Waterloo Portage Lake Modern — Waterloo Recreation Area

  Vicious dogs not on 6-foot leash as required

  The 6-foot leash rules are very clearly stated. There are many campers whose dogs remain the exception and don't abide by the rules. My leashed dod has been threatened by vicious larger unleashed dogs as I walk my dog more than once this month. So the camp host or ranger should , after warning the offending campers once, call the county animal control. This situation is way out of control.

• 

  Tina G.

  Scout

  

  May. 2, 2024

  Happy Acres Campground

  Unexpected gem

  We made an last minute stop here on a Sunday night. The owners were helpful and went out of their way to help us. The campground looks awesome and makes you feel at home. They are also big rig friendly. We will stop back here again.