Best Tent Camping near West Portsmouth, OH

Negatives: This campground is pretty hilly. Many of the spots don't have a great space for a tent. The flattest spots are in the middle of the circle with an open field behind them (but then you won't have any privacy or tree coverage). Even the RV camping on the inside of the loop across from us had its front tires suspended about a foot in the air to make it level though. Considering the flat spots are very limited, I don't think its a great tent campground and geared more towards RVs. One side of the campground runs against a golf course. If you're tent camping over a weekend, be prepared to have golfers tee-ing off next to you beginning at 7am. On Monday morning, be prepared for them to start mowing at 7am. The opposite side of the campground sits against a tree-line and therefore has much better spots. Many of the picnic tables are in pretty rough shape. The ones that have been replaced were done with the metal style that is dipped in plastic and are much sturdier. Likewise, some of the firepits are in pretty bad shape. I'd recommend having a grill grate with you just in case if you cook over the fire like we do. The firewood that is sold at the campground is kept in a shed but it was very wet, there also aren't any options around for buying wood outside the park. The office is supposed to be open until 6pm but one night it was closed earlier and the camp host wasn't on premises all weekend so we were stuck resorting to finding and burning downfall to get dinner cooked. 

The positives: Its a good location and there are plenty of kayaking spots on Grayson Lake. Going to "The Grotto" aka Clifty Falls is a must (4.5 mile round trip). The same boat ramp has a decent place to get in and swim. Lick Falls Loop hike can be done from the campground and was nice (4.5 miles). We also kayaked the Southern portion of Grayson Lake in Laurel Gorge and that was much quieter than the Clifty Falls area. The campground bathrooms were clean. Most of the campsites were a decent size.

Tent sites are on a steep uneven hill, we had site 4. Tent sites are super close, we can hear our neighbors perfectly as if they were talking to us. Only a few feet between each site. Map showed we would be right next to the lake, this is incorrect, lake is not accessible or even visible from campsite.

TENT camping with a simple firepit…… $63 PER NIGHT!!! it used to be $15. Ridiculous for a bare spot to pitch a TENT

Great campsite on the Ohio River. Tent sites are grassy with lots of shade. water and electricity at site for $20.00. We upgraded to a vacant RV site with River Frontage for $35.00, since We were able to sleep In our SUV. Showers and toilets are clean. Staff is so accommodating! The exception? Trains blowing their whistle every 20-30 minutes all night long. The crossing is right by the campground. If you can sleep through it, great. I couldn’t.

If you tent camp they don’t allow access to the bathrooms other than a porta potty open to the public and no showers either. Kinda messed up. The fish were not biting for anyone. It’s part of a public park. The staff were excellent thought, and the price of $20 a night unbeatable. Cheapest to visit the Mothman

This is one of the cleanest campgrounds I’ve ever been to! The bathrooms were immaculate and the grass green and trimmed! Our camping spot didn’t have shade which was challenging since we tent camp, but we learned which spot to try and get next time. We only stayed one night and spent the day at Carter Caves so we didn’t explore how to get to the lake but we could hear boats so it had to be close. There was also a playground and basketball court which I thought was great. The town of Grayson is pretty limited in dining out options so it’s best to plan on making most of your meals at the park.

Great camping experience! Waited too late to book in hocking hills state park but found a site here instead. We are tent campers and stayed in site 106 on"Northridge". Loved that the non-electric tent sites were so isolated from the RV campers. Site 107 gets muddy with a lot of rain. Sites 108-112 have a pretty significant slope. Each site in the loop has a picnic table and fire ring. There's a dumpster, pit toilets, and water. It was a short drive to the rest of the campers, a great hot shower, fantastic general store, miniature golf, and the beach to swim or lake to kayak. Took us at least 30 minutes to drive to the common hocking hills hikes but well worth it. We would return.

This was our first camping trip here and it won’t be out last. We loved this little hidden gem of a park. We were on site 5 and it was level side to side but sloped front to back. The parking pad was nice and it looked like many had been freshly paved.
Some sites are just in the grass and could get muddy since the park is in a valley but they would be perfect for tent camping or a smaller camper.
Lots of hiking trails, a like for swimming and fishing, playground, and fire tower. They also had a mini golf course, outdoor movie screen and a camp store that has a game room and nature center. Most of this part was closed because of winter camping and Covid.
The staff that we saw working were really friendly and recommend some great hiking trails.

Tar Hollow State Park sits adjacent to the State Forest, in a similar setup to Scioto Trail and Lake Hope. It is pretty remote (no cell phone coverage at even the top of the hills), and really is a chance to 'get away' from the modern life. All sorts of camping is covered: RVing, trailer camping, and tent camping at electric sites, and primitive tent camping at several locations. Most of the camping is down in the valley, upstream from the lake. There is a camping area (and large paved lot) just below the dam (during this trip we saw a Boy Scout Troop with a school bus parked down there, so for those looking a for a group camping experience with a heavy vehicle that's an area to consider). This lower dam lot sits on the access trail to the main Logan Trail loop (for those wanting some serious distance hiking).

When we go, we tent camp with no electricity, so this review will focus on that style. The primitive camping is at the North Ridge campsite at the top of the hill to the north of the lake. There is a single gravel parking lot here, and you are carrying your gear in at most 100 yards, up hill, to the farthest spot. It is the crest of the hill, so the different spots have different amounts of slope. Pay attention to the descriptions in the reservation website if you're not prepared for this. The whole site is one large cleared oval, with a large grassy area (well mown) at the crest. There is room for the kids (or dog) to run around in circles, but you'll want to watch the thrown ball. It is really, really quiet. We could not hear anyone at the park down below. If you're lucky and have no clouds, there is virtually no light pollution and you can see the Milky Way. You are not within walking distance of the main park or trails, so plan on driving down to the main park or to the trail head you intend to use. There is water (drinking fountain and spigot) and his/hers pit toilets with antibacterial soap (you know the brand name).

Activities: it is a state park, so there are some things aimed at kids and there were lots of kids this past week running around looking busy and happy (even the teenagers). The lake has a sand beach and designated swim area. It is blocked off from the rest of the lake by a wooden dock from which you are able to shallow dive (it's only seven or eight feet deep). Swim at your own risk. There are peddle boats to rent (two drivers, two passengers). We rented canoes, but there is also a rowboat and several kayaks. The main lake is large enough that an hour's rental is just fine for your canoe time. Separately there is a boat launch, and a fishing dock. There is a small two-room nature center, and there is a naturalist who conducts several activities. In past years we've been able to spend an hour or so at the nature rooms, and then let the kids go off with the naturalist on an hour+ guided hike down the creek to explore for wildlife and plants. Call the camp store to get information on that. The camp store is friendly and welcoming, with a small selection of mementos (magnets, hiking sticks), a few nature-themed toys, last-minute forgets (duct tape, popcorn, table cloth and the like) and ice cream. The front porch has a swing and rocking chairs, and will definitely block a heavy thunderstorm for you. There is miniature golf, but don't expect a major chain's high quality production--this is a state park. There is a foosball table and air hockey as well in a separate game room. The park is well looked after, and the staff are friendly and helpful--everyone knows why they are there.

For committed outdoors people, it is a good base from which to explore Hocking Hills (25 minutes away) and the Tar Hollow State Forest trails. You're near the Buckeye Trail (accessed from the trail below the dam, 1.5 miles up to the Fire Tower), and the Logan Trail loop in the state forest. For the family looking to get away for a day or two, there is much to do so long as you aren't expecting a resort. And to get the kids off the electronics...oh, sorry, there's no cell phone access at all. Just listen for the hawks, the tree frogs, and the rest of nature.

Stayed two nights at Tar Hollow's North Ridge Campground, which is the tent only campground. Be sure to visit the "Camp General Store" to pick up your permit before heading to your campsite. If your GPS takes you to the North Ride campground, just drive past and continue on until you see the general store/putt putt area. Believe the camp store is open until 8pm during the week. 

We were on site 106, which is at the far end of the campground. The campground is about 2-3 acres large, situated on a hill with a path dug out around the perimeter. 

Some positives about the campground and site 106: 

-the path around the hill allows for great drainage; a huge help if you're camping in rainy weather. 

-the north ridge campground is in an entirely separate area of the park than the RVs and there aren't many campsites, so in that way it feels a little more remote and secluded. 

-In addition to the path around the perimeter of the campsite there is a path leading up through the middle of the campground with the campsites situated on either side of the path. Since site 106 is at the far end, you don't have anyone walking by your campsite to and from the parking lot. 

-Pine lake is a beautiful little spot to fish, rent a paddle boat, or just relax. There is also a pretty spacious beach area.

-There is a water spigot, restrooms, and a dumpster.

-There is no cell service. Enjoy the outdoors! You are off the grid! 

Some negatives about the campground and site 106: 

-You cannot park your car directly at your campsite. There is a parking lot at the bottom of the campground hill. You have to carry your items to your campsite. Depending on what site you reserved you could have to walk uphill for about 100-150 yards. This could be an issue for differently abled people. Also, it means you need to be crafty about securing your food at night if you don't want to walk it back down to your car. 

-Many of the campsites are situated on pretty intense slopes. 106 wasn't too bad. I would guess 105 is probably the most level site in the campground. 

-Site 106 is the farthest from the parking lot. Great for privacy, bad for lugging your stuff to and from the car. 

-The bathrooms are pit latrines. Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned about this (you're camping! it's cool to rough it a bit!) However…these are some of the dirtiest I've experienced. The bathrooms are also very narrow and perhaps most importantly, they are not lit, so you have to make sure you bring your headlamp with you at night. I also couldn't get the latch to lock on the doors, but maybe that was user error. There is toilet paper and hand sanitizer (but I always double sanitized with my own sanitizer back at our tent--such was the state of these bathrooms.) 

-The campsites are all pretty close together. We got lucky and there was no one next to us, but even so we could still clearly hear conversations at other campsites and folks snoring at night. 

-There is no cell service. Be sure to give anyone who may need to contact you a heads up.

All in all, we had a positive experience and were glad we went. That said, there are better spots to tent camp in and around OH.

Great for families who need lots of entertainment. There was showers and washing machine, general store, movie night, playgrounds and more. We stayed in the S loop which is for tent campers which was lower fidelity than the other loops. Our site didn’t have a table, it had been moved to another site so we had to commandeer it. The drive there was a very interesting tour of trump flags Amish buggies and more. Would come back if I was stranded in Ohio, but overall great pit stop for cleaning up on a long journey. They were the only camp with spot open 4th of July weekend in Ohio.

We broke our own cardinal rule, don’t travel unfamiliar roads at night. We were blessed as the journey to the park was uneventful, but we missed some wonderful countryside. Upon arrival at Rocky Fork we realized even with a map it took 40 minutes to find our site. This was not so much due to the darkness as it was to the poor road and site markings. The camp grounds we stayed in was nearly full and had every conceivable form of camping from tents to full size motor coaches. There were a few that appeared to have been here for sometime and that doesn’t bother us other than their site wasn’t getting yard of the month.The surrounding campers were very friendly and eager to share more local attractions. For us south Louisiana Cajuns the mild weather was a blessing, coolest night was in the 50’s 😎. We are fast becoming eastern Ohio fans. We plan on two more Ohio park stops as we move northerly. Stay tuned to the adventures of the Lost Cajuns.

This campground should be a must visit on your list 🤗

We have camped in many places & this is definitely a 5 star 🌟 place. The spaces are so spacious & clean. The bathrooms & showers are so clean as well (Hardly see that anymore) The campground is relaxing & quiet 😁

The hosts & owners make you feel right at home & like family 💕 Beautiful views of the Ohio River & access to the water (beach) 🏖️ You can see the barges go by, watch the beautiful sky, & see the mountain range across the river. So much beauty to truly relax. Close to Cincinnati but far enough away to be in a peaceful relaxing place. You can tent, rent a cabin, or bring your own camper. Perfect for family camping 🏕️ 

Great events for families to enjoy. 

Truly a wonderful place to be. 

Love love love this campground 🏕️🏖️🛶🐟❤️🌟