Best Cabin Camping near Upper Sandusky, OH

Alum Creek is just beautiful, nice sites, most of them are at least partially shaded, lots of woods, hiking trails, the lake, it is what I think of when I think of State Park campground camping in Ohio. There are a couple problems. 1. Only ONE little dump station. This is a big campground, so if you're leaving Sunday, you better get up at the crack of dawn to get to the station, otherwise be prepared to wait in a long long line of RV's. We by-passed the long line and stopped at a different State Park campground on the way home and paid 10.00 to use their dump station. 2. They never answer their phone at the campground office. I mean NEVER. If you have a question you will just have to deal with the reserveamerica people who really know nothing other than what they read on the campground website. So basically you know as much as they do. It's maddening. We will go back, but it's a 2 hour drive so it won't be anytime soon.

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

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.

Great place to take the family and unwind. Good dog park for the furry ones. Bring your boat for some water fun, fish, or simply float around. 3 easy trails to venture out on and take in the parks amazing scenery. With more than 280 campsites and several cabins there’s something for everyone.

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)

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.

Alum Creek State Park is one of those parks with the main attraction in the middle and the different areas strung out along the outside. So you need to be careful going from one area to the next, busy road. Old State Rd is the main thoroughfare through the area. Off Oh I71, take either Cheshire Rd or Rt 36 to Old State Rd and follow the signage.

Plenty of sites to pick from in the large camping area. I liked A due to the space between camp sites. I also drove through J enroute to a boat ramp and the sites there are a little closer together. There are cabins also available. Showerhouse centrally located in each area.

The sites are mostly level, with gravel area and picnic table. There was a playground, basketball court and nature center on site. There is a internal roadway if you like to bike ride or run and trails.

In another section of the park is the beach, there is a paddling only area (north end), plenty of fishing and boating left to enjoy, horse trails, bike trails and hiking trails.

The dog park is awesome, they have their own beach!

Alum Creek State Park is just under 40 minutes from Columbus. It makes a great weekend getaway from the city. The campground offers some spots next to the water which have a wonderful view.

General: 214-site campground, all with electric hookups. Campsites are in four loops.

Site Quality: All sites are paved and appeared to be level. A fire ring, picnic table, and electric hookup complete each site. Generous foliage provides separation between most sites. 

Bath/Shower: Fully contained all-gender units in the third loop. Each one has a bench and a baby changing station. Soap and air dryers. A more traditional bath/shower house was in the fourth loop (don’t know about the first two loops). 

Activities/Amenities: Several hiking trails (but it was raining when we were there so didn’t explore), a small putt-putt course (free use of putters and balls), disc golf, shuffleboard, basketball, tennis, and a small camper store. Each loop has a playground and other recreational options (i.e. volleyball net). The marina offers water toy rentals. 

My five-star rating is based on the possibility of what our stay might have been if the weather had cooperated! Unfortunately, it was cold and rainy during our stay in June. We will definitely be back again to take advantage of the marina rentals.

We drove down from MI for a quick weekend getaway. Nice and friendly staff with plenty of things to do in the area. Bathrooms and showers were clean which is always a plus. Wifi reception was also good. Definitely a place to stay if you’re fishing Lake Erie or visiting Cedar point.

Indian Lake State Park is my close to home camping get away. Right on Indian lake, you can enjoy the beach, boating, swimming, fishing and relaxing. Last year, the state park added a nice inground swimming pool. the state park is a fun, family friendly, safe place to enjoy camping. It is kept up and maintained well.

The good - The staff was very friendly and helpful. The price - we were just staying the night as we were traveling so the price for a primitive tent site was far better than a hotel or Airbnb

The not so good- Bugs were persistent but the smoke from the fire seemed to keep them at bay. The bathrooms were pretty far (compared to other campsites) from the tent area.

The bad - NOISE!!!! If you are looking for a quiet getaway go somewhere else. The campground is right on a heavily traveled roadway and seemed to be on a major ATV trail as well. The ATV’s were racing up and down the trail as well as just sitting and reving their engines.
Around 8pm someone started shooting a gun VERY CLOSE to the campground. This continued for quite some time. At around 5am some hunting dogs that I assume live on the adjoining property began incessantly howling to the point we packed up and left immediately.

Overall - we weren’t camping for an extended time so this was ok for the price and our purpose. Given the same circumstances, we would not stay here again and would gladly pay more for a reduction in the noise.

First off we have to say that Ohio State Park campgrounds are some of the best we’ve ever stayed in. Most Ohio state park campgrounds have spacious sites with trees or other foliage between campsites so lots of privacy and a feeling of being apart from other campers. Alum Creek is no different. The ODNR has upgraded a number of the sites to FHU though most are still electric only. Alum Creek Lake is a large reservoir (by Ohio standards) that has excellent fishing, plenty of undeveloped shoreline to explore from kayaks, canoes or paddle boards and a very large beach. Not as many hiking trails as most state parks but you’re not far from High Banks Metro Park in Lewis Center that is a beautiful park with miles of trails along the Olentangy River. We love Alum Creek and will stay again for sure.

This Ohio State Park is in a small quaint town. Good sites, nice beach + a real swimming pool. Many places for fishing from shore OR launching your boat ! There is even lots of wildlife especially of the pink vriety !