Best Tent Camping near Van Wert, OH

Recent Tent Reviews near Van Wert, OH

173 Reviews of 3 Van Wert Campgrounds

• f

  fred F.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 8, 2024

  Kimpels Hickory Acres

  Decent place, will try again

  There is a Waterpark, pool, and hot tub at this campground you can access for an additional price. I camped in a tent next to the cabin that my sister rented so I'm not sure about the tent sites that are available. There are ALOT of full time campers here so I was under the impression that a good site will be hard to find here, but the bathrooms were good and there were things to do so I will try this place out again.

• 

  Daniel

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 21, 2020

  Grand Lake St. Marys State Park — Grand Lake St Marys State Park

  Favorite place

  Second time out love this place has a swimming pool and splash pad for the kids and lots of parks and horseshoe pits bike rentals and put put golf but everything is closed from covid definitely my favorite place to camp primitive or electric tent camp

• M

  Mike B.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 9, 2021

  Indian Lake State Park Campground

  Our Favorite Campaite of the Summer

  State parts are usually good parks, but Indian Lake was our favorite of the summer. A large lake, and large campground. Lots of trailer and tent camping, complete with a beach, boat dock and commissary. The campground had an ice cream stand and showed a movie on Saturday evening for kids in their amphitheater. We will definitely return!

• 

  Mandi B.

  Traveler

  

  May. 9, 2018

  Indian Lake State Park Campground

  May be good for a family

  Our experience with Indian Lake was tough, unfortunately we suffered a pretty severe thunderstorm while we were tent camping, it looked like a tsunami coming in. Despite the weather, our experience was still not the greatest one, the trail was confusing and we were eaten alive by mosquitos, even with bug spray. It also was not a very long hike, just a confusing one. The campground had cut down most of the tree coverage, and it was like we were camping with our neighbors. This may be a great family friendly park with a beach and kid activities, but we dont have kids and prefer a more quiet and secluded atmosphere. We will not be returning.

• 

  Nancy W.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 19, 2017

  Sauder Village Campground

  Nice Campground with Lots of Amenities

  Really enjoyed this campground for the short amount of time we were in the area visiting family The park and facilities were very clean, sites were well-spaced, there is a nice walking/biking trail, and had full hook-ups.  This campground is associated with Historic Sauder Village – a living history destination in northern Ohio. (You can get discount admission to the village if you stay in the campground.) The campground filled up on the weekend but emptied out on Sunday. The RV sites are long, level, and have either 50 amp full hook-up or water and electric only. Tent sites are scattered along the pond which made for a nice view; except, the ridiculous number of geese meant there was poop everywhere along the shoreline and throughout the tent section. Staff does haze the geese but it was not enough to keep them away during the afternoon.

  A fee is charged to enter the historic village or you can ask for a “shoppers pass” and visit the stores inside the village. Located on the grounds (and within walking distance of the campground) is a restaurant, bakery, gift shop and hotel (which has an indoor pool, hot tub, and game room campers are allowed to use). The restrooms, laundry, and showers were very clean and relatively new. Other amenities include basketball, shuffleboard, horse shoes, splash pad, volleyball, corn holes, lake for fishing, and free WiFi. There are a couple of covered group picnic areas available for anyone to use which is nice if you have a big group wanting to get together. 

  The campground is about four miles south of the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90) which is pretty convenient if you are just passing through and looking for a place to stay overnight. The town of Archbold is pretty small but does have a decent grocery and restaurants. The nearby town of Bryan is larger and has a really funky brewery/restaurant housed an old church (Father Johns).

• 

  Casi O.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 26, 2017

  Venture Out Resorts Arrowhead Lakes Resort

  Big rigs to tents

  We stayed here for free for 10 days as a part of a promotion that came with the purchase of our rig. Not sure about normal pricing though, as this campground is owned by Venture Out Resorts and they are a timeshare company (we had to sit for a hour long "pitch" to get our free days). They have 50amp, full hookup, pull through sites (and we saw 40+ ft rigs there) to tent camping to cabin rentals. The campground was clean (shower houses always looked great) and grounds were maintained. Amenities include an indoor pool, hot tub and sauna (close at 10p), but we did not partake because it was so overridden by children, chlorine, and no open windows - didn't seem worth any effort whatsoever in the July heat. The amenities we did checkout (close nightly at 8p) included their new 18 hole mini golf course, small arcade (4 games and pinball was broken 😢), loaner bikes, and water toys (we liked the paddle bikes). The company recently bought the property, so you can see what they inherited vs what it will probably eventually be like based off their sister properties (they recently added the putt putt and a big jungle gym) so it could evolve more as time passes. Regardless, in its current state as active 30 somethings, we were pretty bored. No hiking, significant highway noise, yes a couple big ponds, but a truck stop and truck storage is behind both - so no views. Most of the campers we saw were elderly or had young kids. I'd say if you fall into a category where you want to sit beside your rig all day or want your kids entertained (playgrounds, kids programming - it was luau week so they had a Moana movie night and other kid activities), go on and book a longer stay. If you're only looking for a spot to stay overnight by the highway, do it! It is simple to pull in and have full hookups to take advantage of but a 10 day stay is too long if you're paying. Other things to know: Walmart, Aldi, Lowes, and several automotive chain stores are at max 5 min away, which made grabbing some needed supplies super easy. That said truck stop above was very convenient to get into to fuel up our rig too. Fun fact: Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta and the Armstrong Air & Space Museum is also a max 5 min drive away if you want to get your inner astronaut fix.

• 

  Patrick M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 28, 2018

  Grand Lake St. Marys State Park — Grand Lake St Marys State Park

  great facility

  great like campground on Ohio’s biggest inland lake

• 

  Amanda K.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 1, 2020

  Sauder Village Campground

  Fun with Kids

  This was a great campground. VERY clean, nice bathrooms with showers. Ice and Wood easily available. We stayed with four kiddos in a tent spot across from a cool plash pad, a little lake to fish in and close to running water. Only reason this campground doesn’t get five stars is because of noisy trucks/highway noise, and a freight train which drives often at night. There is also a farm near the tenting spots with a rooster. Not the best place for sleeping, but would totally go back!

• 

  kim K.

  Traveler

  

  Jan. 5, 2022

  Kil-So-Quah - J. Edward Roush Lake

  Boating enthusiast

  Cash only self check in on sight. Very small campground. About 20 electric and 20 tent. Level gravel lots. Not any hiking really, mostly fishing and boating. Nearby town for supplies.

• 

  Lindsay B.

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 30, 2015

  Ottawa Metro Park Campground

  Swimming and Family Fun

  The Ottawa Metro Park has a big swimming area, a fishing area, big campsites (mostly for RVs) and walking trails. It's nice. It's Ohio camping, but it's nice. Wouldn't travel far out of my way, but if you're around, you won't regret stopping by.

• 

  Ralph L.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 4, 2018

  Indian Lake State Park Campground

  Good Site with STRANGE Wildlife !

  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 !

• 

  Meredith S.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 2, 2020

  Wapakoneta KOA

  Local base camp

  We stay here while visiting family nearby Ohio. Lots of shade and quiet even with families and usually pretty full, hosts are extremely nice and accommodating. Swimming pool is clean. Not far from highway but no real traffic noise. Check out the Template of Tolerance a few miles away in Wapakoneta. Definitely with a visit.

• T

  Tori W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 6, 2019

  Indian Lake State Park Campground

  Average

  Campground had a nice well maintained pool with lifeguards. Campground had clean bathrooms and showers, and everything was well maintained. Would have liked more hiking trails. Only hiking trail is rather boring. The camper hosts nag about a lot of minor things that we’ve never experienced out of the several Ohio state parks we’ve camped out. So I would say average place.

• K

  Kevin R.

  Traveler

  

  May. 26, 2020

  Indian Springs Campground

  Tents matter too

  They really need to focus on how to keep tent campers coming back instead of focusing on the seasonal campers. No grass. Tiny spots. Not enough restrooms. Not enough showers. Sad part is, there is only one restroom and it is 9 times out of 10, too disgusting to use. We will continue coming back once a year, but wish it was nice enough to come back even more than that. The fireworks were amazing though!

• N

  Nicole M.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 17, 2019

  Indian Springs Campground

  Dirty

  Dirty restrooms. Dirty lake. You have to pay extra to use the slide. Camp sites have been cut in half. Only 1 bathhouse/restrooms all the eay in the front at the beach. On the 2nf day we did find a porta potty in the back but it was nasty and everyone refused to use it. Manager was rude when i could not fit my car, tent (10x20), table and fire ring on out site. Told me o had to move my tent 1 foot over after it was already set up and loaded with beds. She left and I pulled it down and restaked just in time for her to vome and look disappointed that i had followed her order to pull it down and said i did not have to do that. The site was mostly dirt very little to no grass. When it rained we had nothing but mud. Hay rides on the weekend were late and the man driving it went way to fast down the back hill making you feel you were about to fall out. Employees childrwn throwing water on the people riding the hay ride. Someone went around fogging for mosquitos and allowed the children to run and play in the fog. Karaoke lady was extremely rude to all the children.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 8, 2019

  Independence Dam State Park Campground

  Not feeling the love

  When researching our trip, I came upon this state park right on the Maumee River and was very surprised to find it had not been previously reviewed. The website indicated the sites were tent only but when I called, I was told we could park and sleep in our campervan. When I tried to make reservations, there was a two-night minimum on the weekends and we were just passing through so I decided to see if we might be able to snag one night if there were sites available. 

  There is a two-mile road to the campsites once you enter the park and along the way, we passed many pull-out day-use picnic areas on nicely manicured grounds. Once we reached the campsites, there seemed to be less attention paid to the area. Turns out that there were only a very few sites that had paved pads that would accommodate our van; the rest were clearly for tents only (but there was no way to tell this from the website). Even though I had seen that about half of the sites were reserved, there was no one there at 4:30 on a Friday. There did not seem to be any staff or rangers on-site and there is self-registration. The rates seemed kind of steep ($19 on weekdays; $20 weekends and $22 on holiday weekends) for sites with no hookups and only porta-potties. We saw some people fishing near the dam and perhaps the campground would be suitable for these folks and/or people boating/kayaking in who portage down the river (there is a marina) but it just did not feel like a place we wanted to camp.

• 

  Gary J.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 5, 2020

  Indian Lake State Park Campground

  Indian Lake State Park Campground

  Very nice campground with larger campsites. Campers varied from tents to large RV’s. Most sites are shaded with large trees and at the end of the cul de sac’s were canals that let you access the lake from the campground. Even had docks for boat campers. A very pleasant and relaxing atmosphere here. Park and restrooms were clean and the showerhouse in “B” section seemed to have been just remodeled. Some fast food and restaurants were close by with unique places like the “Tiltin Hilton” which offered a selection of sandwiches and beer. Nice large playground for the kids as well. Always seemed to have a breeze through the campsites.

• 

  Megan M.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  Lake Loramie State Park Campground

  Pretty lake. Parking lot campground

  First, the lake here is beautiful. It has many islands, coves and inlets and is perfect for a couple of days of paddling or fishing. That's where the two stars come in. 

  BUT. There are many buts. The campground is like a giant RV lot. The sites are tiny. We were in a tent-only site and we had two families right on top of us on either side. We could hear the entire conversations of one family, plus there were 11 people there, three cars, and they were partying the first night and extremely noisy.

  The reservation map is incorrect. When I reserved, it showed #13 as being on the end of the tent only area. When we arrived, I found out there was a site #14 that wasn't even pictured on the reservation map, and this is where the giant screaming family was parked! I thought I was going to be on the end- it is not very accommodating for a variety of reasons for a reservation map to be so incorrect. 

  The air everywhere reeks of sewage, ranging from what you smell outside a giant pig farm, to what you smell outside of a porta potty, to rotten egg smell. I don't know where these smells were coming from but it was nonstop. 

  The bathrooms were extremely dirty. It looks like they haven't been renovated since the 80s. 

  The employees in the office never seemed to be able to tell us what we needed to know. We asked on Friday evening where the Saturday morning naturalist paddle would be, and we were told to come back Saturday morning and ask someone else. On Saturday, the person in the office told us to go to a location that was miles away- we spent 40 minutes in the car driving around, trying to find where this activity was, only to give up and find out it was actually adjacent to the campground, not down the road in a different part of the park. 

  Last, the lake is in the middle of a residential neighborhood. You can see houses around the edge of the park while you are sitting in your campsite. It is not remote, and there is a noisy, busy highway running along the side of the campground. 

  I enjoyed the lake but I will not camp here again.

• 

  Sadye H.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 24, 2019

  Kil-So-Quah - J. Edward Roush Lake

  A little needed rest.

  Kil-so-qauh, used to be a little hidden gem right outside of town but has turned into quite a popular place, but for good reason. The campground accommodates both luxury rv campers and more rustic private tent or hammock goers like myself. Entering the camping area there is a lush grass opening with large campsites with water and electric hook ups for the RV folk. There are also 2 nice play grounds in this area as well. Continuing down the road you begin to enter the woods which is non electric sites with plenty of trees to make your weekend private and to the right is an overlook of Roush Lake where you can watxh the sunset set the water on fire. There are no fantastic bathrooms just pit toilets but easy get away is worth it.

  *I've camped here every season but if you dont like crowds, make sure to avoid the summer holidays.

• 

  Jonathan W.

  Traveler

  

  Dec. 24, 2019

  St. Mary's Section - Buckeye Trail (Points 6-7)

  On the trail Adirondack shelter

  You're learning to backpack the Buckeye Trail, and you want to take the first steps towards that without worrying about the physical load you're going to have to carry. You can drop the tent on this portion! This Adirondack shelter, located between Points 6 and 7 on the St. Mary's Section of the Buckeye Trail, is perfect for you. Built as an Eagle Scout project by Parker and Keaton Cole of Troop 95 (in Sidney), it is large enough for six or to sleep comfortably off the ground. You cannot miss it as you go along the trail. There is a fireplace (stone, make sure you check that the chimney is not blocked) large enough to cook your hotdogs and keep you happy as you sit in the shelter.  There is deadfall from the trees around you that will serve as kindling and fuel for the fire.  If you start in Lockington or Fort Loramie, this shelter is approximately 10 miles in and the right place to break a two-day backpacking trip.

• 

  Chad W.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 28, 2020

  Huggy Bear Campground

  Weekenders that felt alienated

  I thought I’d enjoy this place a little more because I’d heard from several people and they liked their experience. There are a lot on permanent sites and we just felt a little out of place because we are “weekenders.” I would have rated this place a one star had we not rented a golf cart. Our site was far from anything and with 3 kids it was tough not to spend the 65/day cart rate. We will probably return here in the summer to experience more of the swimming areas. Also we’ll try and get a group to go with us so we won’t feel as alienated.

• L

  Laura D.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 16, 2018

  Huggy Bear Campground

  Family Friendly

  If you you’re going for family friendly fun where you can sit around a fire wIth friends and family, this is the place. There is swimming and family activities to keep everyone busy. Nice restrooms and overall friendly atmosphere on the grounds. No woods or hiking areas to explore but what can you expect for middle of corn country?

• 

  Shona S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 8, 2023

  Blue Water Campground

  Okay

  It had the facilities, but we were unimpressed with the service when booking, price quoted at reservation and online was different to price charged and we were placed right by the dump ground

• N

  Nicole S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 23, 2022

  Blue Water Campground

  GREAT FOR LONG TERM & FAMILIES

  They have everything you need for a long stay. Pool, lakes, very dog friendly, activities, food, washer and dryer, showers!

• 

  Susan S.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 8, 2021

  River Trail Campground II

  Great place to relax

  My family camped here last summer and it was a nice getaway. Nice pool and clean pond for swimming and fishing.

• A

  Amy B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 30, 2023

  River Trail Campground II

  Quick weekend stay

  The papers were friendly ans helpful. Friendly patrons throughout the park. Clean saltwater pool, a park and a clean pond with a swimming beach. Catch and release fishing allowed. Bingo on Saturday evening! We all enjoyed our stay.

• 

  Monte M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 4, 2021

  River Trail Campground II

  Very nice camp ground

  We stayed there three nights had a very nice stay. They have alot of sites owners were very friendly people at the camp ground were all friendly. Nice lake, you can bring golf carts nice size camping lots. We will go back again great experience beautiful place.