Best Cabin Camping near Put-in-Bay, OH

Beautiful scenery. Located right on the water, with beautiful views of Lake Erie. Well maintained campground, although the bathrooms had limited number of toilets. I usually had to wait to get a stall. You can rent a golf cart, but I took my bicycle and everything was a short ride away. It’s a very quiet island; especially during the week, which is when I went. If you want more shopping and nightlife, consider Put-in-Bay. But Kelley’s Island is a perfect quiet getaway.

Overall good campsite on South Bass Island. It's close to Put in Bay - famous for it's bar scene. If you're good at trekking, everything on the island is walking distance, but if you can bring it a bike would make for much quicker trips. There are also a number of taxi services or golf cart rentals available.

The sites are very small, but have very nice views of the lake. It stormed while I was there and the winds got strong, so make sure your tent is sturdy, or choose an in-land campsite.

Sites were smallish but flat. Bathrooms/showers were clean. Camp store had firewood but not much else. Put- in-bay was a short bike ride away. If you don’t like drunk frat boys, visit during the week.

We've stayed here for the last 3 years for a long weekend in late July. They keep the campgrounds and facilities very clean. Always a good time. Always a few sites with obnoxiously wasted people but that comes with being on Put in Bay.

This campground has beautiful, cliff-side sites right on the water, which is probably not good for small children. The interior sites are just ok, but most are level with a bit of shade.

There is a rocky beach, boat rentals, and lots to do all over the island. There are shuttles from the campground into the main part of town.

What you need to be aware of here is the party atmosphere. Many young people camp here so that they can party in Put-In-Bay all day and night. Last time I was here, a group of 20-somethings came home at 2am and blared their music til 5. They quieted down a bit but started right back up at 7am. Not fun at all. This made me reluctant to return to this campground in the summer, as beautiful as it is. I'd try it in mid-September or October, but never summer again.

This is a beautiful place to stay when visiting put-in-bay. You are secluded from the party central street but a golf cart away if you wanted to join the festivities. This camp ground is on lake erie and offers beautiful views of the lake and access to the water. Will definitely stay here again!!! Books up quickly

Last time I came here was in 2019. Words cannot describe how great this camp ground was. The wild life In the area was abundant making hikes in the afternoon great especially near sunset when the deer in the area started to come out. Also watching the sun set and rise on the beach/ swimming area was a great experience. The location of the camp ground puts you right on Lake Erie and close to great locations such as Put in Bay, Kelly’s island and cedar point.

Beautiful place, well kept, lots of sites overlooking the lake and a lot of shade. The island is pretty well known as a party island so we generally only camp here off-season now. There is a lot to see and explore like the caves, the monument in the world famous bars. The entire island is pretty rowdy during the summer so plan accordingly. We usually do kelleys island in the summer and Put-in-Bay in the offseason if we're headed this way. Wifey says the bathrooms were below average (most important for her).

I enjoy this campground because there are lots of great spots to choose from. I love the ability to walk or bike to the beach. The camp store has all the necessities you may have forgotten. I enjoy walking to the pond at night and flashlight frogs. Typically there are a lot of raccoons so keep your food locked up tight. It is a great place for birding, fishing, boating and close to marblehead lighthouse and the ferries to take you to Kelley's Island and Put In Bay.

Great location with many shoreline sites facing west with some of the best sunsets to be seen. Easy access for canoeists and kayakers, gentle shoreline, office is just a short walk away. Ferry accommodate paddlers if you are not up for the trip from the mainland. The island appears to be primarily rock, I couldn’t find a spot to get a tent stake in more than 1-2 centimeters. Bathrooms and showers are average. 

Put-in-Bay may be Ohio’s Key West but this state park is a mile+ from party central but it was quiet, particularly after-dark.  Seasonal law-enforcement stay here too. If you walk into town you need to keep an eye out for golf carts needing to slow-down. 

I hope to return.

https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/south-bass-island-state-park

It is a nice campground. The sites can be a bit close together but it is well maintained for the most part. We were there in April and they have some new bathroom and laundry facilities that were really nice. They were new and clean and there was even one that was a whole private bathroom with a toilet, sink, shower and a bench. The laundry facilities were clean and they had a nice sink and counter to do dishes as well. This is a great location that is close to the ferries that go to Put-In-Bay and the other Lake Erie Islands and there is also a lot do do in the area without having to go to the islands.

We tent-camped in well-shaded loop D, which is a non-electric tent area. Loop D is much smaller and more private than the larger non-electric area (loop A). If you're in a camper, then the area next to loop A (loop B)  is your best bet for shade. We loved our stay here. It's a great base camp for exploring the area and the beach is just a short drive. I wish the bathrooms in the non-electric loop were updated,  but they were cleaned on a daily basis. Daily nature programs for kids at the campground 's excellent nature center were great. Take the ferry to Put-in-Bay while you're at East Harbor, or take a road trip to the Mad River & NKP train museum in Bellevue.

I have been coming up to Kelleys Island for 39yrs and this year really tested my happiness. The campground has gone through quite a bit of changes over the last couple years and it's not entirely for the better. We stayed on the water front site directly next to the trail for the public beach. I do not recommend this site unless you want everyone to walk through the site at any time all day long. People do not respect quiet hours and leave their porch lights on in the cabins that now sit on the water front. There used to be VIPs that cleaned the park everyday and maintained everything. Not anymore and the park seems a little less friendly now. Golf carts are or were prohibited from entering the campground but now drive around the park all day long creating quite the ruckus and disturbing the beauty of nature. The bathrooms did get an upgrade of fixtures and super bright LED lights, but they took out the ADA accessible showers that had detachable shower heads and a bench to sit on in the shower. This beautiful well kept secret feels a lot like it's sister island Put-in-Bay now with all the rules stripped no care for the environment with partying all day. We did however have beautiful weather the entire time we were there. The site was clean but we noticed a lot of trees had been lost over the years and our camper sat in full sun all day long. They have replanted a tree that will cover the parking pad with shade in probably 10 years. The stairs to get to the public beach we decaying railroad ties that need some TLC but work. The dumpstation has moved to back of the campground by the old pet section which is nice and keeps the noise away from the rest of the park. They also stripped the Ranger program and no longer offer education hikes, movie nights, island history hikes, or the nature program. These were all favorites of mine as a child and made me appreciate the island more.

If you're looking for a quiet place to hang your pole for a weekend, this near-city escape is for you! Less than an hour from downtown Cleveland, and minutes from historic downtowns Wellington and Oberlin, Ohio, is a quiet, wooded retreat with all the amenities.

Fishing, canoeing, and kayaking (rentals and bait available too!) are offered on Findley Lake, as well as a small, uncrowded public beach. Have your own small, non-motorized craft? There is a designated kayak launch at the boat launch area. For day campers, there are numerous sites around this large state park for picnicking and events, bonfire pits and fishing inlets....and bring your frisbees because there is also an extensive frisbee golf course.

The campground consists of several "arms", roads that branch out from the main road, with a good deal of wooded area between for rear site privacy between them. Beware, the sites are close to these roads and quite shallow, but because each road dead ends in a cul de sac, traffic is very light, even when the campground is full, as when we visited. Tall, dense trees surround, deadening sound, which makes the campsites very quiet, and the curve of each "arm" also suggests a more intimate space than the actual site sq footage does. There is a tent only side, with no hookups or electric, where sites are slightly larger and deeper, tucked between treed areas, and the other half of the campground is with hookups, and nearer to the lake, although it is not visible, but accessible by short path. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table, pretty standard. There are openings into the wood behind the "arms" for kids to explore, but beware of poison oak, which is prevalent and can be found along the edge of where the campsites all meet the woods...it didn't creep into the woods much, but watch out anyway if you have an allergy. Our group was able to avoid it.

There is a clearing at the entrance to the campground with a large playground, camp store with pizza and ice, occasional vegetable dealers, farmers market style, set up with carts around outside there as well. And if you forgot anything, have no fear, town is only minutes away. Cabin rental is also available in this area. Pets are welcome leashed.

Overall, it's a spot worth spending some time at. Convenient family fun for all.

As a Dyrt Ranger, I have the opportunity to try out new and fun camp gear and in this case COFFEE! Which could not have been more well received for these quiet mornings by the lakeside. Admittedly, at first I had my reservations. I enjoy a good coffee and am a great lover of my french press. But also admittedly, I hate cleaning it out campside. Nature's Coffee Kettle allows me to forgo the part I hate and keep the pour over we all love. With a wide selection from Columbian, to darker or flavored roasts, and even hot cocoa and teas for those toasty nights, Nature's Coffee Kettle impressed me. It comes in it's own reusable kettle bag, although I felt that, when changing out the coffee packs (refill packs are sold) after the initial use, the coffee was not as potent as the first use...probably because once the water is poured through, the bag doesn't stick together as well, holding the coffee to steep as long. (Refer to video review) Regardless, I enjoyed the ease of use, quality of the coffee and pourability. I was able to make a kettle in the morning, screw the spout lid back on and take it with me to the lake later for refills. Later when we went across country for a trip, I was able to board the plane with it in my carry on, flat, hardly taking up any room, and so convenient for those hiking or packing trips. It was fantastic, and easy as pie...which goes great with coffee, coincidentally...

LOVED this park.  There is a great amount of greenery between sites, bathrooms were good.  So much to do you don't have to leave the park:  great bike paths / hiking paths, a lodge with restaurant, cabins, golfing, kayak rental, beaches, tennis, basketball.  Really, almost anything you can think of.

SO MANY BIRDS - definitely a bird watchers paradise.  

NOTE:  if you have time, the Toledo Botanical Garden was free and very much worth a trip!

It’s a wide open widely spaced campground. We go there every May for birding. There’s a lodge there, too, and large cabins. Bathrooms are nice.

Sites are generally larger than many state parks.

Remember that your Golden Buckeye card gets you half off on weekdays.

Disappointed to hear that two of the prime lakefront sites will have cabins built on them in the near future!

This on a bay on the very western side of Lake Erie among a wildlife refuge and wilderness area. I came for the birding and wasn’t disappointed. Parts of this park are very built up as a resort feel but the nature center, shore swimming, and wilderness is still very nice. Unfortunately they allow hunting and trapping, it was disturbing. The campsites are pretty crowded but still ok. There’s a yurt and cabins too.

Maumee Bay State Park. Ohio. Let me state: Awesome park Full hook ups, 50,30,20. Sewer. Water. Handicap sites too!!! Dump station, with rinse down hose if needed. Large sites, private by trees. Gives each on your own yard. All Back of sites are fields. No one behind.
Quiet. Beautiful.
Lodge on site, cabins too Store, pool at lodge, game room at lodge. Bathrooms, showers houses. Clean and kept up. Each area has one.
Roads are set up with a circle at the end. Drive down them loop around then drive out. Angled driveways, easy to get trailer in. Or back in A and C class easy in and out too. Lakes, beach, canoe, kayak, bikes, hiking, boardwalk, wild life preserve, birders Haven, a scenic hill to climb.
More pictures to come.
They also have Hosts that stay here, and get free camping for helping parks out. Quiet times are observed. Perfection!!!! Wish all campgrounds had this layout.

General: Large state park with 256 campsites, all with electric (20-30-50 amp) hookups. Sites 1-11 and 21-29 have full hookups (water, sewer, electric). Also, there are a lodge and cabins. The park is very well maintained. This park is close to Toledo and within spitting distance of several refineries although you’d never know it! 

Site Quality: All sites are very generous in size and appear to be spaced with a decent amount of space apart with foliage providing varying levels of privacy. Some have beautiful trees that in peak fall color would be stunning. All camper pads are paved and long enough to accommodate large RVs. Some have concrete pads for picnic tables, although the sites in our loop did not. A wooden picnic table and fire ring complete each site. 

Restroom/Shower house: Very clean, however, bathhouses are shared between two loops. Each bathhouse only has two shower stalls, which may necessitate a wait when the campground is full. A hook and a small bench but nowhere to put soap/shampoo in the shower. Good warm water. 

Activities/Amenities: So much to do! Several lakes are good for fishing or boating. Many trails, some grassy and some paved are good for walking, running, and biking. A beautiful and extensive boardwalk constructed by the Ohio Civilian Conservation Corps is available only for foot traffic. Bike rentals are available. A small camp store. Laundry facilities. Donuts and muffins on the weekends. Several playgrounds. Bird houses and feeders are located throughout the park and especially in the spring, you can hear many varieties of birds chirping (however, you will also experience the by-products of so many birds!). Excellent cell service (Verizon). There is also a dump station.

There was a warning that due to the proximity to an urban area campers, bikes, etc. should be locked up but I didn't feel that vibe.

We enjoyed two stays at this campground, once in September and once in May. Even though this large campground was full when we were there on a weekend in September, we did not feel overcrowded. There were many empty campsites when we were there during the week in May (the week before Memorial Day); we very much enjoyed our stay both times!