Best Glamping near West Union, OH

We actually camped at Boat Gunnel which is a part of Twin Knobs Campground. We love this campground because it is a private area with 4 RV hookups and approximately 10 tent sites. You rent the entire place for $125 or $130 a night. It is close to the water. We left our boats down on the bank. You have a "private" restroom and shower house. Occasionally you will get a hiker or someone coming through the trails that will use it. The only reason that it didn't score perfect is that the showers need some attention. There was mud along side the blacktop path that led down to the fire pit that was full of mosquito larvae and smelled. Easy fix, but had to keep the kids and dogs away from it constantly. My sister took a nasty fall on the trail down to the waters edge and that would be an easy fix to make that trail a little smoother. I know we are camping, but with the price, it is actually glamping. We like this place because it is easy for my aging parents to come down and visit. Great, large shelter also.

So most if the sites are large enough for 30 and larger RV’s but we’re designed by someone who was clueless. On the general setup of newer campers and motorhomes. Pad are about 12 x12 concrete so that’s a plus but the location of the pads if you want to use your RV awning means your wheels in what ever your using are goi g to be nearly off the level area or in the grass. Sites 7 11 10 3 are the best.the power for site 7 is on the wrong side so your going to need an extension possibly All the premium sites have 30/50 amp hook ups and water. Dump station is about 500 ft away. The equestrian sites are 500 ft away they are big enough for 30 ft trailers site 5 is ok but it’s pad is about 6 ft off the road between the sites. We have stayed at all the mentioned sites. Again not bad just weird setup. Bath house is new very clean closest to sites 10 12 11 9 and 7 they have a large covered area for events also in the Flatwood area most of the sites are on the lake front. Fishing is t to bad. The park has a golf course. The other side of the camp ground had 4 or so yurts for rental. And I believe this year may have cabins didn’t look know it’s in the works. The tent camping area is fairly large. Been years since we have done that type of camping. Great for pop up campers and campers smaller that 28 ft Ada access on the older side of the it’s close to shopping g for what ever you man need park is clean and well policed they also have canoe and some other rentals

Most of the campsites have great privacy, despite being fairly close together. The beach is very nice! There are plenty of trails for the hikers, and 2 lakes if you're the boating/swimming type. Lots of elevation for Ohio.

Shawnee State Park was totally without any phone signal. Right on the border of Kentucky, in Ohio, you are in the small town almost South.

Beautiful countryside, fortunately I was on Rt 125 when I lost all clue where the park entrance was. Then I saw the Shawnee Range and kept on driving. Definitely get a map because the whole park offers a lot of out door opportunities.

Backpack trail, 23 and 40 miles loops with 7 camping areas, register and enjoy. Equestrians get 70 miles and primitive camping.

The camping area is small ( a good thing ) the restrooms are clean and basic. Showerhouse and laundry. The attendant was super helpful and knowledgeable.

Recently looked at staying at the RV Flat Woods section. They haven’t done any camping upgrades. To the RV section the electrical. Is on the wrong side if a few sites. So you will need 25 ft 50 amp extension cord. The sites are Not Paved. They are Nit full hook up most of the pads they poured are in the Wrong position for a 5th wheel. For 45.00 a night. Your better off going to anyone of the Kentucky or Ohio State parks. They do have canoe rentals. and a huge frisbee golf course. “Rolling eyes “ really. They spent money on upgrades. Mainly on planting grass and walking loops. The few RV sites. Are gravel. Un even un kevel. And Over priced hasn’t changed for the past 4 years other than the price going up. The park area fir day use is nice. Ball field upgraded. Boat ramp. Same location just upgraded. With better automatic gate. Again the park is nice. But the rv section SUX. Especially fir 45.00 a night plus

In the short videos I posted you will notice that I did not add a transcript.  Please turn on your Google Accessibility for Live Captions to access the spoken information within the video clips. 

Shawnee State Park (Little Smokies of Ohio)

Has a great ranger/naturalist (Jenny) she made the days go by in a memorable way as we were able to do a creek crawl with her one day, kayaked for free with her on the lake, and had several other activities that we enjoyed.  ODNR has a gem in Jenny as she was able to tailor the events to a wide range of abilities, interests, and ages. 

Cell Phone service is weak at the park.  We didn't always have a signal at the camp grounds but if you go over to the lodge you will have a signal.  You can also access Wi-Fi while at the lodge if needed.  The lodge has a restaurant that you can eat at if you wish.  They also have an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and an indoor hot tub. If you camp at the state park campsites you can pay for a day pass.  This is a great thing to do when you need a change of pace or if it is rainy and you want to swim indoors. They even have a game room (old school arcade). 

Near the Shawnee State Park is a dairy bar that my family has gone to for many years. It is a part of the tradition to get Turtle Sundaes. https://www.facebook.com/Buckeye-Dairy-Bar-Miniature-Golf-166451746787194/

In the Shawnee lodge if you look closely at the main mural you will notice Raven Rock. We totally overlooked this while we were growing up.  Thanks to the internet we now know this is a nature preserve. https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/raven-rock-state-nature-preserve

Our first campsite was number 12.  We arrived at 5:55 PM and the camp office closes at 6:00 PM. The gal waited for us to check out the site and we promptly came back as she did indicate it was a rough site.  This site and 13, 14 is what I would expect for a backpacking campsite.  Not for a traditional car camping non-electric campsite.  If we had any older or younger family members with us it would have been inaccessible.  We didn't like the walk up to the site and the big draw back was the table in the poison ivy. We promptly for the 1st time in my camping career paid a fee to switch to a new site. Luckily the park was not super busy as it was a weekday.  

Bathroom access such as the stairs, bathroom stalls ADA, and other access points will need to continue to be improved for those with mobility issues. This would have greatly impacted my friends and family had they been with me on this trip.  

The showers in the bathhouse are motion sensor based. That means if you get too far from the sensor the shower will turn off.  Also, make sure you take your shampoo items etc. out with you before you get dressed as if you reach back in to grab your items you will promptly get sprayed. 

Another favorite spot is the fire tower https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/copperhead-fire-tower  Please make sure to respect the fire tower as it is one of the few fire towers that you can still go up in and look at the beautiful view.  You will not have a signal here so make sure you also ask about how to get back as we didn't have a GPS signal for the way back and just explored our way back to civilization. 

The park was not super busy while we were there in June.  It is a well kept secret as I found this to be one of the most charming parks that I have been to in a long time.  I suspect the cell phone signal and location has impacted folks coming to this park compared to others. It isn't super close to a major city but for me that is part of the charm. 

For those of you who like to mountain bike do check out the new mountain bike trails. I cannot report on those as I am not talented enough to go out on those trails;)

This isn’t a very big campground. And some of the pad lengths are really really short. You should know that on the campground map they have written the pad lenoon them which is great. There are two shower houses which are really nice with flush toilets and showers. The only thing about the showers is there is no bench inside the stall and not really anywhere to hang your items so you will get wet. Shawnee State Park is very hilly. There is a campground store, very small and closed during the off-season. The comfort stations are also closed in the off-season, but they are spread out throughout the campground. Some sites are really best fit for tents only or you can hammock and at the actual tent sites they have nice tent pads for them. There is a playground, putt putt course, small lake that you can kayak or paddleboard in. They’ve got a great little nature center with lots of trails and again it’s hilly so pick your trails wisely, but very very pretty. We were the only people on our side of the campground.

Such a neat campground where many spots are on the side of a hill and the campfire ring is above or below it on the hill.

Tent camping sites were set back, in the woods, down a private path (about 75’) and totally secluded.

The park had a clean, nice outdoor movie theater, mini golf, and a lake with rentables.

The hiking was beautiful and accessible - the campsites were equipped with tables and fire pits - the firewood was plentiful - but you need a car if you're going to see everything. We drove every day, which we hadn't anticipated, but once we saw what was available, we were more than happy to drive to see it! The falls and the nature were incredible and we had an incredible weekend. You'll love it - bring a nice camera! Oh, and a car ;)

Make sure to consult a map beforehand and decide what you want to see most. Your cell service may be spotty, so it's good to have a plan on the front end just in case. And if you do in the summer or early fall, bring some bug candles or bug spray.

Oh and BE CAREFUL with your gas. There aren't a ton of gas stations around, so make sure that you don't drive around and run out of gas too far from a gas station. Be aware of where they are a plan accordingly for a great experience.

Nice Campground, electric but no water at the sites. Lots of good tent or small camper spots, but be selective if you have a camper bigger than 25ft. I recommend site 82, 83, 85, or 78. Great trails, nice lake, plenty of shade and creeks. Not much access to a good town for supplies so bring what you need. If you want to take a drive for a great hole in the way steak house try The Ribber. But go early 45 min wait at 4pm and it gets worse.

Nice campground in a beautiful area. Restrooms and shower houses were very clean. Beaches could use some improvement, the smaller beach had goose poop all over. The larger beach at turkey creek was a little better with sand but not one of the nicer beaches I’ve visited. Very quiet campground was very peaceful and relaxing!!!

We were told that the site we’d been assigned was room enough for 52’. Our RV is only 34’ so that would be more than enough. we got there and it was maybe 20-24” in length, with no wiggle room because one end was the park road/driveway, the other end a hill. Luckily, they did have a half dozen or so other options for us to move to. Most sites are only 30 amp electric, no sewer or water hookup, which can be typical of state parks. There is absolutely no cell service in the Campground. the lodge at the top of the hill has a weak signal, but is better than nothing if you really need to check in with outside world.

I stayed at Shawnee SP campground in August 2020 (Friday night). This campground is geared towards families with kids, especially with RVs. It has all of the amenities: electric at most sites, water, flush toilets, showeres, laundry. There’s a small lake at the campground with a swimming beach and canoe rentals. They also have a gift shop and miniature golf. North of the campground there is a lodge with cabins and larger fishing lake. The campsites are very close together and the campground was full when I was there. It was surprisingly quiet at night. I prefer a little more privacy and separation from other campers. Looking around the campground I’d say that Site 8 is the best site for car camping or RV camping. There are 2 tent camping sites (111 and 112) that provide separation from other campers but you have to park and carry your gear back to the sites

We arrived on Friday afternoon a little before check in time and were allowed to check in and go to our site. We stayed on campsite 61 which is just long enough for a 23ft camper and our truck to park next to the camper. The drop down from the pad was a little steep with no stairs. The campground is very well kept and free of litter. The view from our campfire was an amazing 100ft drop off to the creek below. The campground was very well set up for many different types of recreational vehicles and RVs. The trails start right at the campground by site 86. The camp hosts were very nice and helpful. The only problem we had was that the campground was sold out of firewood and we drove down to Friendship to buy it at the gas station. The dumpsters are not in the campground but just outside in a parking lot by the beach.