Best Cabin Camping near Republic, OH

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!

I recently stayed 2 nights on site 304 which was electric only by choice and when we return we will opt for full hook up since those sites look brand new.

Positives:

• Lots are spacious
• Lots of activities: WhoaZone, boating, fishing, horseback riding, near Mohican Adventures for rafting, hiking
• Quiet and with friendly staff and seasonal campers
• Large beautiful cabins to accommodate any type of getaways

Less desirable items:

• Low energy because of the amount of seasonal campers at this campground. They stay to themselves and do not get too social. The transient sites were much less occupied so socializing isn't much of an option.
• Really large property so having a golf cart is almost a necessity

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.

Very nice, clean, people and staff very friendly. You must reserve a spot by phone or online only, no walk ins. I made my reservation while standing at the visitor cabin

We have been going to Pleasant Hill for weekend camping for the last 10 years. They have recently put a lot of money in upgrading their campground. There are many seasonal sites but plenty of transient as well. Very large park with plenty of room for hikes, bike rides and walks. The lake is an all sport lake so there is fishing, tubing, jet skis and kayaking. The marina has boat rentals available. And since it is in the Mohican area, there is more hiking and activities in the state forest. The staff is always very friendly and helpful. We have stayed mostly in area E and the new F side of the campground. The new F sites have concrete pads and plenty of space. Only lacking in mature trees to offer shade. The shower house there is new and clean, offers a laundry facility, but lacks ventilation. Area E has plenty of room and mature trees, but are electric only and the shower house is older. Both have easy access to the docks and lake. The new cabin area is amazing! There are two basketball courts on either side of the park and a few playgrounds. Overall great camping.

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.

I found Malabar Farm in Lucas, OH on my way home from Mom’s house. Never heard of it before and I have been this way for over 20 years now. Louis Bromfield was a conservationist and among many other things (including winning a Pulitzer) he was in the forefront of organic and self-sustaining gardening. This place is amazing! ( and would be an excellent home schoolers camping trip!) Not your typical going hiking kinda campground (there are trails but they are not “major”) you come here to step away from city life and tour a working farm. Ohio countryside at its best. Primitive camping with a gravel parking pad and water, fire ring, picnic table and hitching post. No reservations, this is a first come campground. There’s also a small rentable cabin open year round. Definitely worth a visit and very family oriented events. ( your teenager will roll their eyes at you but probably secretly enjoy the visit)

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!

Our site was $59.95 a night.

We were in Site# 504. We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-through.
We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site along with my jeep. The site was easy to level. We were charged $25 additional for my jeep since we were towing the trailer. We also were charged $10 because we arrived at 1:25 PM and check-in is at 2 PM. The park was close to empty so arriving early was not an inconvenience. We drove ourselves to our spot (no escort).

Our site was shaded with lots of trees. This was a smaller lot with our neighbors fairly close.

The lot comes with a concrete patio with picnic table and fire ring. They sell wood for $6 a bundle.

There is free WiFi, although not strong. They offer Cable TV and there are many channels.

There is not a community outdoor kitchen or community fire pit.

They pickup your garbage at your site daily before noon.

You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. They do not provide golf cart rentals. There is really not a need to have a Golf cart because it is a smaller campground.

They do have a Swimming pool but it is currently closed due to maintenance (although it just looked closed- no signs of maintenance being done).

There is a Playground. They also offer horseshoes, corn hole, giant jinga.

They have a basic general store. There are not scheduled activities for kids.

There is not a snack bar/restaurant on site.

The streets are gravel so not great for riding bikes. This is an RV park with tent camping and cabins to rent.

They have one shower house. The shower house has individual bathrooms with your own sink, shower, toilet. These are kept very clean.

There is a laundry facility. It is a cash only facility, but they have a change machine. There are approximately 4 washers and 4 dryers. It is approximately $2.50 to wash and $2.50 to dry a load.

They have a small fenced in dog park.

There isn’t tons to doin the actual city of Perryville. But Toledo is a 20 minute drive.

This state island campground is more than expected!  worth the ferry travel, a paradise kept secret.  We stumbled upon this island by accident along our travels after Labor Day and we totally fell in love.  The water front camping, swimming, boating, kayaking, historic sites, attractions and facilities are superb.  Everything you need and more than you expect.  We traveled in with our 34’ trailer.  The ferry cost was a bit high, around $200 round trip for us, truck and camper….but it was worth it!!  The campground is immaculate, quiet during the week especially after Labor Day, the weekend brings a larger crowd.  Walking trails, sites, boating and swimming all available from campground.  Sandy shallow beach with beautiful view.  Ice, firewood and a store conveniently located at campground.  The campground is small and sites a bit tight but spaced accordingly and comfortable.  Two waterfront cabins and two yurts available for rent as well.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the island overall. The glacial grooves, limestone crusher, north loop trail, beach and boat launch all withing walking distance.  We rented bikes downtown to explore rest of island, including winery, cantina and local bars.  Counting the days to go back.

General: This campground is huge with a mix of FHU (some back-in and some pull-through), electric hookup, no hookup, group sites, cabins, and one yurt. On a Monday night in June, many of the sites were occupied. 

Site Quality: All camper pads were paved and appeared level. Some sites were a little close together but there was reasonable separation and there was plenty of foliage. Site H3 was a good one as it had no site next to it on one side. 

Bath/Shower house: In our loop, the bathhouse was clean. It took a while for the water to get hot but once it did, it was very hot. The water pressure was very good. The only problem with the shower was that water leaked out onto the floor outside and there always appeared to be a lot of water, which could pose a slipping hazard. 

Activities/Amenities: A camper store and nature center, game room, laundry, dump station and potable water, disc golf, hiking trails, multi-use trails, marina (for large boats, not kayaks or SUPS), basketball, volleyball, archery, fish cleaning station. I think I mentioned everything! 

We enjoyed our two-night stay here, and if/when we return, we would consider taking a ferry to some of the smaller islands nearby.

Well kept, quiet and fun. Bike rental was easy and did not cost too much. We had a tent site and the yurt site. Water was cold due to it being early June as expected.

Kelleys Island State Park is a small, family friendly campground with a beautiful beach. There are kayak rentals available, many nature trails, and fun things to do in the town as well. Be sure to check out the glacial grooves! You can bring your vehicle over on the ferry, or rent a golf cart when you get there.

Nice little campground, offers both places for tent camping and RV camping. Lots to do, bike trails, walking paths, jet ski rentals, etc. Check-in people at the pavilion were nice and helpful. They also sell firewood at the pavillion. Most campsites have electric hook up and there is a dump station for RV's.