Best Equestrian Camping near Canton, OH

West Branch is one of the best-known family campgrounds in NE Ohio. And it's not hard to understand why. Full amenities, clean facilities, and a nice lake round out the picture of a great place to get some family R&R.

Here's what you can expect:

1. It's Busy. 

Like, really busy. Be sure to book early as spots fill up often. Sites are fairly close to each other, but most people seem respectful of space and limits. 

2. It's Accessible.

West Branch is a quick drive from Akron, Canton, Cleveland, and Youngstown - hence the draw. if you live anywhere close, there's no reason NOT to check this place out!  

3. It's Fun (but a bit loud) 

If you're looking for quiet, West Branch might not be the place for you. Since the lake has not real HP limits, you'll hear boats motoring quite a bit throughout the day. 

4. It's got everything :) 

Seriously. There's nothing else you could want. Hiking trails, swimming, a fully stocked office for the essentials you forgot. 

Quick tip: Bring swimsuits. There are plenty of places to swim in the well-kept beaches or off a boat. West Branch is a great family getaway for summer swimming!

3 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!

This state park has a lot to offer with the highlight being a large 2,650-lake that appeals to fishermen, boaters, and swimmers. The park is over 5,000 acres and not only has camping but hiking, volleyball, fishing, playgrounds, picnicking, hunting, horseback riding, and more.

The campground is divided into three loops with nearly 200 sites. Campsites include those with full hook-up (50 amp), electric only (50 amp), and some with no electric. This campground is suitable for everything from large RVs to tents. Sites and roads are paved and each site has a picnic table and fire pit. In loops where there is no water directly at the site, water spigots are scattered throughout. The restroom/bathhouses in our loop were really nice, modern, clean, and had laundry facilities which is a real plus at a state park campground. Campsites can be reserved online up to six months in advance. Since we were here in April, the campground was practically empty and getting a site was no problem. But, if you want one of the 29 full hook-up sites in the summer, you better book early.

We really enjoyed the hiking trails and being able to leave our campsite and be right on the trails. There are approximately 12 miles of hiking trails and an additional 20 miles that are open to horses and snowmobiles. (Be aware that hunting is permitted in certain areas.)

The park is about 15 miles from Cuyahoga Valley National Park which is a fantastic place to explore with a lot going on for the whole family! If you are interested in football, the National Football Hall of Fame is just down the road in Canton. The town of Hudson has a pretty, historic downtown with a fun old soda fountain.

We would definitely stay at this campground again. It was a perfect place to stay while visiting family in the nearby town of Hudson. Loved having a paved site with full hook-ups especially since there was a lot of rain while we were there. The lake was perfect for kayaking and had we been able to stay longer we would have spent more time on the water.

As part of a nearly 200-mile bikepacking ride, this was our last stop! We spent 2 nights in their "Class B" area down in the Mohican River Valley and loved it.

The oddly named “Class A” camping area offers everything from full-hook up camping slots for campers large and small, as well as just electric sites and 10 “walk-in” primitive sites, and cabins -- all of which are reservable. This area has all the bells and whistles of a modern campground with an environmental learning center, a nice outdoor pool, clean showers and bathrooms, an extensive playground and hiking and mountain biking trails right out the front door.

The “Class B” area offers 25 primitive sites on a first-come, first-served basis. It is almost 6 miles by road from the “A” services, but only a 2-mile flatish hike along the river trail. At these sites, there are only pit toilets and a water pump. Each site has a picnic table and a small fire ring. There is also a large group camping area just a few miles away from the primitive “Class B” area.

Tubing and canoeing are available within the park, but there are also several canoe outfitters in the area which provide rental / pick up services. The sheer number of these businesses makes me think that summer time can be crowded!!

Beautiful shaded trails meander all throughout the park and they boast some of the most challenging mountain biking in the mid-west, so read your trail maps. Hiking, equestrian and winter snowmobile trails also offer some great opportunities to get out and stretch your legs throughout the year. There is also a safe and convenient, bike lane / bike path into nearby Loudonville, which has a small grocery story and the usual fast-food restaurants.

Note: The only reason why this park didn't get a 5 star was due to their customer service. It was absolutely lousy, confusing, and the young folks working behind the counter acted as if they didn't want to be there and/or hadn't been trained. We almost left, but since we had cycled 42 miles to get there that day, we chose to stay and enjoyed our time in their Class B sites.

I loved to camp in the Horse camping area but this year they are allowing tent campers to camp there and it is just not safe.  There are multiple tents, sometimes in between horse campers.  There are children running around and since this in the back of the campground with no supervision, the campers are leaving garbage at the sites and in the fire pits. 

There are two camp hosts in that area and they do the best they can to educate people on horses but most do not understand they were even booked in the horse camp nor do they understand that horses can spook.

The hosts are trying to clean up after these bad campers and reporting them but there does not seem to be anything they can do. They would never allow this kind of thing to happen in the main campground.

If the campers are allowed to camp in the horse camp then the horse campers should be allowed in the main camp.  I sure would  like a full hook up with electricity and water for my horse trailer. 

Whats fair is fair.  Why even designate a section just for Horse campers if you are going to allow primitive campers to camp there. 

Last year there may have been one or two tents here and there through out the season but this year the tent campers outnumber the horse campers.