The best TENT SITES camping near
Reno , OHIO

This park is very well groomed and most of the trails within the park had been cleared of vegetation so there was no fighting through the weeds. There are a number of good hikes within the park. We were there Columbus weekend and it was hopping but everyone quieted by 10.

This campground is nice.  They are all designated campsites but they are first-come-first serve. They are hike-to only.  

It is great for hiking and backpacking camping but if you are looking for car style camping, this is not it.

The trail is challenging terrain, especially when backpacking.  It can be very wet and muddy in the spring (or after any rains), so be prepared for that.  

The road to it is difficult also (as are most with dispersed camping).

There are no amenities except for an outhouse in the parking lot.

This is pack in/pack out.

We came to Shadow Lake in October to camp for the month. To get here, you must drive through the rolling hills of Southern Ohio, which is absolutely gorgeous in October! The campground is beautiful and peaceful, especially at this time of year as most of the campers have either gone south, closed up or pulled out for the season. There are several ponds located on the property and trails meander along and around the 100 acre property. We see deer almost every evening. There are a couple hiking trails nearby (Piatt Park and Raven’s Rock) which have incredible rock formations in the gorges. The owners, Lynn and his wife, recently purchased the resort and are very friendly and helpful. They are enhancing the amenities. Shadow lake is an excellent place to camp whether in a tent or a big rig!

Beautiful setting. Campground has many permanent sites. Clean and spacious.

Great spot for walk in or hike in camping! There are a couple of campsites at the trailhead and quite a few all along the trail. There is a 5 mile loop or a longer ~15 mile loop that you can hike and there are campsites every couple of miles. The sites themselves are just semi-cleared areas with stone fire rings so it is totally primitive camping. The trails can be a bit muddy after it rains and probably take a long time to dry out down in the valleys. While there is water in the valleys I wouldn’t use it even with a filter. There are signs posted at the trailhead that advise against it plus there is still active oil drilling in one of the hollows (the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars) There is cell service when you’re up in the ridges but there are a lot of dead zones in the valleys and even at the trailhead. Overall, it was a beautiful, quiet place and I only saw 2 other people in the trail while I was hiking out the second day.

Cool little campground. First come first served with no reservations accepted. The sites are clean with picnic tables and fire rings and can accommodate small RVs. There are a couple of vault style outhouses, dump stations and a couple of water stations as well. No electric or water hookups, though. Came on a Thursday and there were only two sites occupied so it was nice and quiet even though there is a bit of road noise from the nearby roads. There’s also an easy 1 mile trail down to Burr Cove proper. The sites are $15 ($10 in the off season when the water is turned off) and you pay at an honor box at the entrance once you pick your spot.

Most of the sites at this state park campground are very small and don’t have much level ground. Even the sites meant for RVs and trailers are right on top of each other. It’s almost like they took what should have been one site and made it two. There’s a handful of sites that offer a little space and level ground for tent campers. You may or may not have a picnic table and fire ring with a grill at your campsite when you arrive. According to staff, people take the fire rings and I guess there’s nothing they can do. Bathrooms were clean. The lake view trail was nice and accessible from the campground.

We drove thru Sand Hollow, Bicentennial and Maple Grove before choosing Hook Lake. All of these Jesse Owens State Park/AEP campgrounds are free for up to 14 days. While most of the sites at Hook Lake do not have cell coverage we were lucky enough to find that at the "top of the hill" we were able to get both att and verizon at around 2 bars (3 to 5gb download but under 1 upload).

This campground was very quiet, lots of shade (not ideal if you are running on solar only). The DNR make rounds on a regular basis. There is a dumpster by the entrance to the campground but no longer cans at each site (October 2020).

Stayed in site 27 with a 33ft travel trailer and we're able to get level without and blocks.

Lots of hiking, mountain biking and The Wilds are near by. McConnelsville is about 20 min away for all your gas, food (Kroger) and propane (Greueys Fuel and Freed.

Site 41 with a paved pad and electric. We were across from the shower house and bathrooms. The office is closed but a staff person was on site. Our site was perfect for us with trees on either side to help with shade. Across our site was also a big green space to walk our dogs. Not all the electric sites have shade especially if you are up top. The lower electric is much better however some of the sites hardly have a space for tents and would be better for a camper. Lots of places to hike and a lake to kayak or canoe. There’s a big playground for the kids as well. The tent only sites are a little less desirable as they are all downhill and mostly uneven. They have flush toilets and sinks but you’d have to come up to the main campground to shower. Pick your site wisely!

Nice campground, with 2 catch and release ponds. There are 30 & 50 amp spots, a cabin, for larger group, seasonal lots…..for rent by the year, and a shower house with flushing toilets!! Nice campground, close to nearby Salt Fork State Park, with a camp store on site.