Best Glamping near Sandusky, OH

We went to crystal rock campground for the first time over memorial day weekend. We knew it would be busy but we didn't know it would be bike week, so not only was the campground fully booked but it was fully booked with loud Harley's!

That didn't spoil our time, we just bought earplugs 😂

The amenities were so nice as we are used to really roughing it while camping. We joked that we were glamping as we took showers everyday, ordered pizza one night and even did a load of laundry!!

The owners and employees were so amazingly sweet and helpful. Tom went out of his way to make extra fun activities for the little kiddos. Our daughter really loved the sandbox, and the playground was great! We even did a little gem mining! The display for the bag contents were really need too. Our daughter wanted to stay forever!

Super nice people- small sites- bathroom/ shower cleaned - a interesting area by Lakerside which is an 1800s art with very nice restaurants and shops most closed after Labor Day / do not take your rv /small roads - skip Sandusky

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.

We went tent camping for the weekend and really enjoyed it! Many tent sites available and rather spacious sites. The beach was full since it was Labor Day weekend, but clean and shallow for kids to easily play. Clean bathrooms and shower houses and lots of places to ride our bikes. A nice place to stay if you want to take advantage of the lake, Sandusky or the Lake Erie islands.

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.

The ferry ride it takes to access this state park island is well worth the time and fees! Fun beach side restaurants, dirt roads and pretty beaches. The state park has camping that can accommodate launching your boat if needed. They have showers, although they aren't always very clean. The campground has a beach and playground. You can also purchase wood. Yurts are available for rent. accommodates RV, tent and group camping, although tent spots can be cramped. But nothing beats a lake view spot! I recommend bringing or renting bikes to tour the island!

This is a cozy spot with the a laid back atmosphere and very clean shower house. It's was also cool to see a campground where tent camping is thriving!

We did stay in a Travel Trailer next to seasonal campers and they were very kind and helpful. The lot size was ok...not spacious but not as small as I've experienced. They are grass sites so in the summer months you will need insect repellent at night.

The shower house is older but very well maintained and regularly clean. You can tell the owners care about the campers experience.

Lots of cool activities for kids: putt-putt, ping pong, foosball, playground, etc.

Close to so much in Sandusky and worth a stay.

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.

Nice site on an island in Northern Ohio.

Both tent camping and RV/Trailer camping. A few Yurts to rent also which are somewhat isolated from the other camping areas. Reservations can be made exactly 6 months in advance and only a few sites are kept open for walk ins anymore. The sites along the cliff overlooking the lake have fabulous views but are ONLY for tents and one should NOT camp there with small kids.

The RV camp sites and many of the other camp sites are inland from the cliff and while wooded are generally very close together and most do NOT have a lake view. The ONLY quiet areas in the campgrounds on the weekends are the cliff tent areas since it is a party island and the young people camping in the interior areas seem to never go to bed.  

The Park has a rocky beach (shoes NECESSARY) which is actually a nice swimming area if you aren't looking for sand under your feet or blanket.  That beach is the only free public place to swim on the island (some hotels do have pools). That beach area is a great area though to launch a kayak or sailboard to use in the cove. There is also a regular boat ramp for larger boats or jet skis.  NO overnight boat tie ups at this state park dock (some at the downtown state park, but those are hard to snag)

The town is about 1.5 miles down the road and easy to get to via bicycle or island taxi - vehicle parking very limited if you try to drive into town. and the town has numerous bars and restaurants with lots of live entertainment on the weekends. 

The town is definitely a"party" location on the weekends during the summer months. and there is a very pretty and active harbor there, usually with 100 to 200 boats including some in the 40 to 50 foot range in the harbor on the weekends. 

The slow ferry to the island (Miller) is the car ferry and it has free parking if you can leave your vehicle behind on the mainland and transport your stuff to the campgrounds via a bike trailer or some other way (about a mile+ from the ferry dock to the state park). If you do take your vehicle over note that the wait time to bring it back on a Sunday while usually 2 to 3 hours can also be up to 6 hours from when you get in line (beware the Miller ferry stops running about 8pm, ie: near sunset). Usually little or no wait time when bringing a vehicle or RV back mid week.

Pick when you want to go depending upon how much you enjoy noise and partying.  Mid week during the summer season is the best time for those who aren't into 24 hour partying and weren't able to snag a cliff side camp site.  Kelly's Island is quieter and has a nice natural sand beach, so better for weekend trips if going with a family, or if you definitely need a sand beach.  If bands, noise, drinking, and people watching are your desire, well this is the place to go on a summer weekend (ala Key West party atmosphere)

this is probably my favorite park in Ohio . it’s always clean people are so friendly and the lake is just beautiful !

A great campground in Ohio. So clean and so many things to do. Campsites are close together but they do honor quiet hours. Great trail around the lake and a fun and challenging disc golf course.

By far my favorite state park. Sites are large and private. Bathrooms are always clean pathways are kept up and make for a great mid day or early morning stroll. This is Ohio's gem!

One of the premier state parks in the state of Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. Plenty of things for the kids, and fishing, boating, and hiking here. It can get busy in the summer but well worth the trip, make reservation for the weekends in the summer and enjoy what the area has to offer.

No longer a fan. Our family camped in the park prior to it becoming a Jellystone Park. Once it became a Jellystone it definitely switched gears to appeal more to weekend guests than seasonals, but it was still fun, clean and friendly and worked for my young family. Until it didn't. In May 2021 Great Escapes Rv and Resorts LLC purchased the park. Since the change in ownership everything about the park has gone downhill. The first thing you'll notice when you pull into the park now will be all the bright beautiful attractions. However, if you look a bit deeper you'll notice the lack of seasonals. That is because we all were told on Father's day this year that we weren't as important to the corporation as the overnight guests who throw hundreds of dollars a weekend at them. We were given the option to possibly stay on as seasonsls, unsure how many spots they would have at that time. Late in the summer we were given our contracts. The contracts included a lot of spelling errors and a huge price tag. Reducing the 100 seasonal spots to 33. Outside of the park. Nearly$1000.00 more. Oh, and while you can't have decks or your own sheds- you can pay an extra$500 to keep your golf cart. It would have been something to consider if the pool hadn't been closed so much this summer due to out of control algae growth and a broken rope dividing the deep and shallow ends. There were so many more issues too numerous to post here. They began charging a price for guests that wasn't even listed on the website. That's just bad, shady business! The website said$10 a guest a day and over memorial weekend with no notification or update to the website they started charging$20.00 a day a person. I had to get corporate involved because that wasn't sitting well with me. Next year though we were notified it will be$35.00 a person, per day. We also were told on Father's Day at the meeting by VP Kelly Jones we had until April to have our things removed from our spots if we were not staying. I asked her twice to be certain we understood that April was the timeframe(All of this is on video, we recorded it as a group so we all had the info) And when we got the contracts, the date to have everything removed was bumped way up to Nov. 1. That is how this company operates. Without integrity or honesty. Good luck to Jellystone seasonals everywhere because you offer no value to them. And if you think they care about overnight guests more, not really. It's not about you or your safety. It's only your money. There was a scary incident with a small child getting his leg tangled in the rope upside down on the lake wibits on the far side where he couldn't be seen from the beach. His head was under water and the fountain was left on so his exhausted cries for help when he lifted his head out were completely muffled. He was only saved because seasonal campers on the other side of the wibits jumped into action. When my husband went to the lake attendant to explain what happened her reply was"Well he had a life vest on!" That was a horrifying and ignorant enough response for me to pull my family from this park for next year. The response from the park on trip advisor says parents are required to be with their children. But 1.) That's not listed at the lake rules and 2.) It isn't enforced. And 3.) Even after this there were many times they forgot to turn the fountain off. A near tragedy wasn't enough reason for corrective action. That's because only your money and photo ops to make more money for them actually matter. I get it's a business. That's what businesses do, make money! However I've been a part of many businesses that cultivate a spirit of community. It can be about more than just the almighty dollar. But not here, not at Cleveland Sandusky Jellystone Park.

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

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.

This park is huge. There is so much to do here, we didn’t leave the park at all! Just a short walk or bike ride to Lake Erie via a paved path. I highly recommend taking a bike, as there are so many trails and paths to ride throughout the park. The marshy swamp area was neat to see, there were several frog species, snakes, and we even saw a muskrat. The park is very educational, they have a nature center where you can learn about the local flora and fauna. There was a doe and her fawn that we saw almost daily in the park, as well as other deer. A resort is adjacent to the park that has many amenities if you prefer not to camp. There are several ponds throughout the park and lots of green space.
While we were there we had the pleasure of viewing the nested piping plovers that haven’t nested in Ohio for 83 years. 4 chicks remained on the beach during our stay, prepping for the flight south. Several volunteer ornithologist kept a watchful eye on the chicks for safety and didn’t mind educating us on the little creatures. The campsites are nicely sized and vary in privacy. All equipped with a picnic table and fire pit. Some sites had a concrete pad under the table but there didn’t appear to be many, just a handful of what appeared to be newer sites. The park held social events, such as an ice cream social and coffee and pastries several mornings. The camp store was impressive, stocking a variety of perishables and even refrigerated items such as lunch meat, cheese, etc. Very impressive park, we will be back and extend our stay.

I’m sitting here waiting for a flight after about 9 weeks of living in hotels. Fugured it would be a good time to write this review I’ve been holding off on. Anyway, let’s get started.

Campground Review

My buddy Stone and I didn’t really have plans for Memorial Day Weekend like everyone else, so naturally we had to make some. We decided to stay a little closer and avoid flying because that gets expensive over holiday weekends… instead we opted to go camping at Crystal Rock Campground for its proximity to Cedar Point Amusement Park! Seriously only took us like 30 min to get from camp to park.

The campground was $30/night for a tent site with no electric hookups. I understand it was Memorial Day Weekend and just happened to be Ohio Bike Week (I think) but we were packed in like sardines! Their were tent sites right next to RV sites which From what I’ve seen isn’t usually the norm. There are about 120 or so sites in the lower section of the camp all sharing one bathroom. The men’s restroom had 5 or so showers, one urinal, and one toilet. A sign on the door indicates it’s closed from 12-1 (if I remember correctly) for cleaning. I don’t know about you, but I think that one urinal and one toilet is not enough to adequately service 120 campsites. Especially at capacity, which they were when I was there. Our site literally butted right next to three other sites and it just felt very cramped. We were also the furthest from the bathroom you could be, which was quite a hike to do dishes. For these reasons, I give it a 3 out of 5.

I do imagine it would get more stars had I chosen a less busy weekend. It did have a “game room” closer to the checkin as well as a playground. I didn’t use those, but they did look nice.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. On this trip to the Crystal Rock, I tested out the Howler Brothers Aransas Shirt in Voltage Print that I got through Roanline. I give this shirt a 5/5. I’m actually wearing it right now. Here are some of my thoughts on this rad shirt:

1. It’s a rad shirt.
2. It’s comfortable and fits very well.
3. It looks phenomenal untucked, and I reckon it would look good tucked too.
4. It’s got a nifty glasses holding pocket with a microfiber lining to avoid scratches and on the fly cleaning.
5. Did I mention it’s rad?

So I got this shirt through Roanline and their packaging was super cool. I forgot to snag a pic of that but trust me. They even had a handwritten note in there that made it feel nice and personal.

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!

This property is as close as you can get to cedar point amusement park. Tons of amenities, 5 star all the way. Shuttle service to the gates (although it is walkable too) pool area, beach, paved sites, some have lake views. Ultimate patio sites have their own table, chairs and fire pits as well. Well stocked camp store open 24 hours and very clean bath houses. Be sure to book as far in advance as possible as they fill up quick.

Concrete pads. Level! Full hookups were simple to use. The pool area was super clean. One of the thinks I liked best was there was a garbage can on every site! If you can, get a super patio site. Really cool and fun. Not sure if it was just me, but seemed to be lots of spider cob webs.

Super nice place. Pricey but worth it. Concrete level sites. Friendly staff and can walk to the Roller Coasters. Lots to do in the area.

This campground is very clean and so much to offer

Perfect for our visit to Cedar Point. We got there late at 9:00 pm and didn’t have to check out until 8:00 pm the next day so our RV stayed plugged in to all day. The campground stay also included early entry passes into the park at 8:45 AM before the opening for regular entry at 10:00 am. Very nice concrete parking pads and hook ups. Clean and modern bathroom/bathhouse with multiple locations for the campground only. There were arborvitae trees between each site so plenty of privacy too. We had the cheapest sites and were very happy.