Best Cabin Camping near West Jefferson, OH

Although it’s quite a bit off the main road, it was a nice place to stay. Gate was manned when we arrived just before 8:00 pm. Clerk told us to book online once we picked our spot, as she had just closed the register. We just chose an open spot that was level as we could see in the dark. Weary from a day of travel, we put our heads on the pillow and were fast asleep. Shortly after 9 we heard several rounds of gun shots; that was alarming because it was well after sunset. All in all it was a nice spot with electric only. Several gray water dumps were situated throughout the campground. Dumpsters were full from I’m sure what was a busy weekend of fall camping. The lake was beautiful with ability to rent kayaks. Frisbee golf was onsite too. Commissary for ice and basic sundries, with playground nearby. We didn’t visit the bathhouse, so I’m unsure of it’s condition. Tenant sites with no electricity were down by the lake. Cabin rentals were in a separate spot, off the lake. All in all, in was a nice place with lots of things to do. More of a destination park, for sure.

Autumn is the best time to camp in Ohio. Lots of small bathrooms. Lake access. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was due to the fact there was no quick reentry. Had to wait for rvs in front of me to register.

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 love the buckeye lake koa. Great cabins and amazing fishing.

The cabins are not in the best of shape. Finding mouse traps and some maintenance within the cabin that should have been done was concerning with a toddler. Nice cul-de-sac areas for groups with areas for kids to play. Ground is pretty level so bringing a bike for kids to ride on is nice. There is a playground in walking distance too. Great crappie fishing in early May just steep cliffs to get down to the water. There is a marina nearby where you can rent a John boat for pretty cheap too.

Great time! Has fishing, kayaking, golf cart trails, volleyball set up, basketball court, swimming pool and super nice cabins.

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.

My husband and I love to paddle board. This is a no wake lake and is perfect to get out on the water. Camping in the campground has many sunny sites. There are shady sites. Camper cabins are great too. Shower houses are nice and clean. Camp store available for any necessities.

What an outdoor lovers dream! Boating to fishing to disc golf you will not get bored! Enjoy a few hours or the day hiking one of eight trails or all of them. If you have horses take them out on the two loops especially for them. Lodge, campground, cabins so many options. The campground was clean, quiet and serene. Only electric at the sites, but 2 of your favorite fur babies are welcome.

My family and I had been looking forward to camping here this weekend. The weather forecast was a bit iffy with a 50/50 chance for rain, but instead of giving up and canceling we decided to try it. We got our tent set up, but the rain was so heavy that our tent began to leak. We asked if they had any cabins available, and they did, but they wouldn’t credit us the cost we had already paid to stay. They said we’d have to pay the cost of the cabin in addition to the cost we paid for the tent site. We asked if we could get a credit for a future stay and they said NO. We asked about a refund for our second night that we weren’t going to use and they again said NO. They just kept saying that their policy is no refunds for any reason unless you cancel 2 or more days before your arrival date. While we recognize the need for policies like that, we also know that some circumstances, like torrential rainfall, can allow for GRACE and a waiver of the policy, or at least a modification (credit toward a future stay). They got our $105 for 2 days we didn’t use, and if they had exhibited better customer service they might have gotten more from us in the future, but they won’t get a penny more now, since we won’t be staying here ever again.

My wife and I spent Labor Day weekend here as it was close to Columbus and allowed family to come spend a night or two.

We appreciated the full hook-ups and pull through site. The staff came through every morning to pick up the trash. But, the water hook ups were accessible through a hole/pipe and we had to “fish” down to connect our hose.

The people here were really nice. And they had quite a big staff to take care of the place, life guard, and run the children’s events like Tye-dye, archery, etc. if you have kids, the pool and the lake activities will keep them busy all day and give them a great opportunity wear themselves out for a good night sleep.

The Wi-Fi was good but not free and was worth the $2/day to do some late night binge watching.

Overall, the park buildings and roads could use some repair/updates and there are a number of seasonal/year round rentals that could benefit from some repair and attention. The park is a nice getaway and the people and families we met were outstanding.

We’d come here again.

Cowan Lake State Park - A friend and I were able to kayak on the lake the night of a Friday the 13th moon. It was beautiful. Sadly, no pictures as I do not have a water proof camera. The next day we also went out for another paddle under the bright sun.  The boat ramp and parking lot is easy to use and has a good layout.  They do have some tent sites close to the boat ramp area and you can see the lake from those tent sites. 

Our campsite did not have any trees but they have planted a lot of new trees. I assume this due the previous trees having to be cut down due to Emerald Ash borer damage. Our campsite didn't have any shade but others did so you really have to pick wisely. 

The trails here are easy and short.  I loved the informational boxes and tags that they had on the trees or plants.  This is helpful if you have little ones with you or if you are like me and just like to learn about the animals/plants on the trail. 

The park also had a lending library and walking stick lending program. I thought these were simple but memorable features for this park. 

Our campsite was close to two different bathroom structures.  One right behind our site was toilets only. This did mean that sometimes folks would walk on the edge or through the camp site at times.  The other bathroom structure was further down the road and it had both toilets and showers.  The larger bathroom had an ADA shower in it as well. 

The camp store was well stocked and you could rent bikes from the store. These bikes were often all over the campground so be extra careful when driving in the park.  They do have the orange flag but as they are low to the ground it is hard to see them at times. 

The cabins here have both a fire ring and grill. This isn't the case at all Ohio State parks so it was a nice surprise.  They also have a porch that is screened in with a view of the lake. You are not able to walk down to the lake from the cabin but it is a lovely view. 

For those who want to "Walk-On" camp please take a look at the photo of the neon yellow paper as how the park approaches this will be different in the future. 

**Not all photos or videos uploading so some information may be missing. I will try to upload again later.

This park is know for the lake that is kayak and canoe friendly since it doesn’t allow any kind of boat with a motor. It also features a beach , 2 playgrounds and several hiking trails. Just be careful if you hike with dogs since some trails intersect with a nature preserve which doesn’t allow pets.

The campground itself has 20 electric sites , 56 primitive sites and 4 camper cabins. All the electric sites are pull through and all sites have a fire pit but only the electric sites come with picnic tables.

Due to off season and COVID the camp store is closed and there is no camper host or park office staff around.

We did notice lots of downed trees on the poorly marked hiking trails. Some trails just started but no maps were around and no trails were blazed. It was hard to tell where we were headed or how long a trail was. I tried using the new Detour app and it wasn’t very accurate for this park.

We did have good Verizon cell coverage.

My wife and I love this small state park. There are two main camping areas, wooded and shaded for smaller rv’s, trailers, tenters while the other section caters to larger RV’s and Motor homes with pull thru and longer pads. This section does have some trees but mostly sunny. There is one main bath house that is quite nice and kept clean. Several restrooms are scattered throughout with flush toilets. Camp hosts are friendly and helpful and do a great job of keeping the campground clean when folks leave. There is a small camp store, though its been closed this summer. There are places to get firewood and prices vary from $5-20 per bundle or stack. Marina is on the other side of the lake but only rents small boats and pontoons. The lake is limited to 9.9 hp motors. OK fishing from the beach area and docks. There are a few hiking trails and they do have cabins that have been updated recently. We are there several times a year camping with our teardrop.

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!

Cowan Lake State Park is near Wilmington, Ohio and they have been making a lot of improvements to the park.  It is a great location between Cincinnati and Columbus with easy access from the highway.  This is good if you want to meet with friends somewhat in between.  It isn't too close to the highway so you don't hear the road noise as it is a few miles away but it is an easy drive to the park. 

They have been revamping the Nature Center to make it more accessible to folks as they have recently added a ramp. The Nature Center actually has two buildings side by side used for different purposes.  Then behind the Nature Center they have a location where several birds are located in cages.  Then next to where the birds are kept you will notice a new paw print trail that is a short but informative hike.

The commissary has great pizza and ice cream.  We also bought our firewood and ice from them as well.  We didn't need to leave the park.  We had a few trails to pick from and picked two of the shorter ones for members in our group.  

The cabins have been revamped as well.  They are all close to each other so if you wanted to have a family reunion or a get together this would be a great spot to do so.  At the end of the main road it will lead you to the lake.  You can use the dock to put your boat out (kayak and certain motor boats).  Folks are fishing at the lake or simply enjoying the beauty of the lake.  

The beach is simple but that is part of the charm.  It is clean and we were able to swim on the hot days that we had while camping.

This was such a great place to book a group site. The shelter was perfect for group lunch/dinner area and a nice place to put gear that we didn't want to get wet. The site is far away from other campers and so peaceful. There was 2 outhouses close enough to walk but not so close you could smell them. The campground has a nice clean lake, nature room, bike rentals, paddle boat rentals, putt putt golf course and a movie stand. Great place to stay.