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Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a destination for millions of visitors each year who enjoy hiking, riding the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad , biking and picnicking. Whether you need an area large enough for a family reunion or just an intimate spot for two, Cuyahoga Valley is an ideal destination. Picnic areas are scattered throughout the park. Two rustic shelters, Ledges and Octagon, are available for reservation in the Virginia Kendall Unit of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
With many different facilities and attractions in the park, there is something to interest everyone. Most shelter areas have open fields for games and nearby hiking trails.Visitors enjoy riding the scenic railroad, exploring the visitor centers, catching one of the summer concerts, attending one of the ranger-guided programs, biking the Towpath Trail or picnicking in one of the park's picnic shelters.
Cuyahoga Valley's two shelters are fully-accessible. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed them with American chestnut and locally quarried sandstone. The shelters are located near Ritchie Ledges, an area with approximately 2 miles of Sharon conglomerate stone cliffs about 30 feet (9m) tall. A large play field and hiking trails are available near each shelter.Ledges Shelter accommodates up to 75 people. It has two fireplaces and eight picnic tables inside, as well as eight tables in the outside pavilion and a large grill. Octagon Shelter accommodates up to 50 people. During the summer months its walls are removed; they are in place from October 15 to May 14. Seven indoor picnic tables, two fireplaces and an outdoor grill are provided.Both shelters have electricity for normal two-pronged household appliances such as coffee pots and crock pots. Drinking water is available at a drinking fountain from May 1 to September 15. Restrooms with flush toilets are available year-round.
The Cuyahoga River flows through the park for 22 miles (35 km), fed by more than 190 miles (306 km) of perennial (permanent) and ephemeral (temporary) streams. The Beaver Marsh and other wetlands, many lined with cattails and dense patches of duckweed, provide a home for many of the park's reptiles and amphibians and help filter pollutants from the water.
Visit Brandywine Falls, the historic Boston Store Visitor Center, Ritchie Ledges, the Beaver Marsh and the Everett Road Covered Bridge. These are some of the more popular attractions in the park.
Cancellations more that 14 days before arrival will receive a refund minus a $10 cancellation fee. Cancellations less than 14 days out will forfeit the entire fee. However, the reserving party may be given an opportunity to reschedule the reservation (based on availability) within 12 months of the original reservation by contacting the park.
$80 - $110 / night
$35 - $55 / night
$25 / night
There are 2 primitive sites here. The West Woods is a 902-acre park that protects the historic sandstone ledges of Ansel’s Cave, Silver Creek and its watershed, extensive wetlands and mature forests.
In an effort to provide more opportunities to enjoy our parks, Lake Metroparks offers tent camping so campers may experience unique natural features and the great outdoors. Reservations are required.
Campsites provide a “rustic” experience for small groups of up to eight people staying in tents. Campers must hike or paddle to the campsites. The sites are set back from the developed areas of the parks from about 0.25 mile to more than a mile. Each location is different and provides a quiet, intimate natural experience—much different than crowded campgrounds.
The paddle-in sites may require a three- to eight-mile paddle by canoe or kayak to reach the campsite. The idea is to paddle a stretch of the Grand River, spend the night under the stars and then paddle another stretch the next day. Imagine paddling 27 miles and spending two nights on the wild and scenic Grand River! That is all possible in your Lake Metroparks.
Each site has a designated area to pitch a tent, a place to build a fire, a grill and a picnic table. The sites do not have restrooms, running water or trash cans. Campers are expected to practice a “leave no trace” camping ethic including carrying in and carrying out all supplies and trash, with the goal of leaving the area better than it was found.
$10 - $20 / night
Headwaters Park is a 926-acre reservation located in Claridon and Huntsburg townships. The property is leased by Geauga Park District from the City of Akron in a partnership that allows for conservation of natural areas, enjoyment by park visitors, and outdoor education and passive recreation. It is Geauga Park District's intent to mange this natural area and to protect the water quality for aquatic life and downstream neighbors. Prior to 1932, the east branch of the Cuyahoga River meandered through a lush ravine as it made its way through Claridon and Huntsburg townships. Picnickers enjoyed many summer afternoons along it's banks; vacationers escaped to cottages nestled around adjacent Crystal Lake and along the river's edge. When the City of Akron began purchasing land in Geauga County in 1932, the cottages and neighboring farmhouses were moved and a dam was built to impound the waters in East Branch Reservoir. Having secured a stable water supply for the businesses and homes in their community, City of Akron officials opened the reservoir and surrounding land to local residents in 1959. In 1996, Geauga Park District's Board of Park Commissioners signed an agreement to lease the land and reservoir, and renamed the area Headwaters Park because of its location at the upper reaches of the Cuyahoga River. Visitor activities are regulated by Geauga Park District in accordance with the City of Akron in order to achieve mutual stewardship goals of protecting natural resources and water quality. Camping is available by permit in the designated tent pad or lean-to sites. Reservations for all facilities can be made online or by calling the Park District office.
$10 - $20 / night
Three primitive sites along the trail with few amenities. Remember to LNT.
$5 / night
Guide
First time at this park I can see why it's always booked up. It seems like the sites are good sized but some are on slopes even the pads so make sure to bring stuff to level. Bathrooms were clean separate showers verizon works well here.
Guide
Review in a previous post.
GuideStayed here while visiting Cuyahoga NP although was 15-20 minute drive to park. But is close to quaint beautiful towns such as Stow Silver and Hudson. Close to a golf course. I felt the road noise was bothersome at night. Most of the sites are simple, treeless but grassy. The power station was several feet from the driveway but the camp host encouraged me to drive on the grass to access power. The price is very reasonable.
Guide
TL:DR-This is a really nice, well-kept campground, though there may be some noise.
Pros: very clean, well-kept grounds and bathrooms; there's a nice-looking playground, two lakes, trails.
Considerations: the entire time we were here, the wind was 10-15 mph and all of our neighbors were very quiet, friendly, and respectful. So the majority of what we heard was October winds blowing leaves off the trees (nice!!), but the few times the wind died down, or when motorcycles or large trucks were on the highway, the sound came thru loud and clear.
The only other thing I can say that I don't think others did, is that some of the sites, like ours, while more or less level where you'd put an RV, might require going up or down an incline to get to the picnic table. A bit of a problem if you have trouble with knees or hips. ;)
Legend
Nice huge CG with mostly long term residents. Gravel roads and relatively level gravel sites. Good FHUs. A lot of amenities for things to do. Laundry facilities were clean with good machines. We would stay here again.
Traveler
Stopped through for 1 night with no reservation. Called and the camp host was super helpful and friendly! Got in after dinner and luckily we were just car camping, because we got (in our opinion) the best site there! 23 has a great shot of the lake, nice cinder blocks built up to block any wind from the fire pit. Didn’t use showers, but the bathrooms were well maintained! The lake view was amazing! Very quiet and small location…perfect for what we wanted for the evening. Would highly recommend!
Guide
I had a tent site and it wasn't bad. The site next to me was blasting music but turned it off around 8 so I won't dock points. The bathrooms were clean and it was easy to get to from the highway. There was a lot of road noise though. The tent platform was level and clean. I would stay again.
Scout
Very nice campground, convenient and clean. A lot of lake front camp sites
Scout
Stayed two nights mid September. Lovely weather. Clean bathrooms and showers with hot water. Firewood, ice, free drinking water, and trinkets available at registration booth.
RangerStayed here again while passing through the area. Facilities are still looking good and the host was very helpful with getting us settled in. Will visit again!
GuideI don’t have much to say about this campground but to start off on a high note the pool was nice. Now the reasons for our low rating. WiFi was nonexistent, everything was dirty and run down. Our RV site was ok. Family rented a cabin and it was disgusting. Dirty furniture-dishes-run down. Toilet looked like someone died in it. For $250 a night our recommendation is get a hotel-cheaper and cleaner (which is what our family ended up doing). Oh and letting permanent sites fly all sorts of political flags makes this KOA unwelcoming and honestly a little scary. Do not waste your money here.
ScoutBrought the pop-up to Geneva State Park over Labor Day weekend and stayed in site 83. The experience was excellent. The site was wooded and ample, with plenty of distance between us and our neighbors on all sides. The bathrooms were fine, and we never had to wait for any bathroom facilities even though the campsite was completely full. The camp store was well-stocked and had some necessities and some extras. We heard standing water could be an issue at some of the sites, but we did not encounter that. After waking up to a thunderstorm at 4:00 am the first night, we fell back asleep and found no standing water at our site when we reawakened a couple hours later. Lastly, cell service in the park is excellent.
This was my 7-year-old daughter's first camping trip, and she had a blast. It took us about 20 minutes to hike to the beach, which was pleasant and had its own facilities and parking. The trail continues down a bit to the creek and marina as well. Away from the park we visited Geneva-on-the-Lake, which is a very short drive away. There we played some arcade games, putt-putt, and had ice cream.
Note that not all campsites are the same at this park, as some areas are closer together, and some are not wooded. Also note that the opportunities for fishing from shore seemed to be limited within the vicinity of the campground. If you're dead-set on fishing, you may want to check out a charter from the local marina.
In all, however, an excellent facility that has a good range of things to do, along with traditional woodland camping.
Traveler
My 6 year old daughter lived her farm animal dream life for a week! The hosts were so accommodating. My daughter loved the free movie nights under stars, running wild with the goats, and the play grounds and play houses kept her busy for hours! The eggs were delicious, I spent time by the fire, in a hammock, and soaking up the sunshine. It was the rejuvenating experience I needed. I will definitely plan to stay here again!
GuideGets loud and crowded on the weekend as usual, the shower house is pretty nice. There are fire rings and electrics and nonelectric sites. Swimming and boating is nearby.
The water is muddy and the shoreline is sharp rocks.
Peaceful when the early morning lawn mower brigade has gotten past and the dumpster work isn't at full force near my campsite (B18) at 7:30 AM.
RangerAgain it is a nice large place with activities all day for all ages. Pool was great due to temps being in the 90s. Not all sites are full hookup and 50 Amp. The street lights suck as they fully illuminated our sites. Fireworks were OK.
Traveler
We stayed here with our Coast to Coast membership, so it was good for that price. The main restroom/shower house is attached to the office. There are 5 restrooms with flush toilet and hand sanitizer scattered around the park. Most all of the sites are back in. We stayed at a site that shares a pole with water and electric hookups with 3 others. The first time I connected to the internet at our site, it connected right away with good quality. For about 30 seconds. I never got internet at our site again. It is good in the game room by the office, but there isn't anywhere with air conditioning to sit. AT&T has one bar of signal. Many problems getting internet with that. We did enjoy the indoor pool. Until it became crowded with kids. So, we went to the swimming pond. It was quite nice. We took out a paddle boat. They offer paddle boats, canoes, and rowboat to use for free. The one we had wouldn't steer. We went in circles to the right in the middle of the lake for 45 minutes before we got it back to the dock. I think it needs more trees.
Guide
We stayed for a quick overnight. Plenty of grass and good spacing between the sites. Most appear to be seasonal or full time living. You aren’t allowed to walk a dog around the park which was a very odd rule. Had to stay at your site.
Guide
Some days you just need peace and quiet sitting by the campfire and enjoying the creek and the woods. Other times you want to get up and go dance to the band, swim in the lake, join the bingo and other games or throw a grand picnic. Willow Lake Campground offers it all.
Scout
The Tuttle Campground was enjoyable. It is a well maintained park with big spacious spots.
Traveler
Quiet park. Some road noise from campsite J100 but US route 322 is lightly traveled. Typical tent site with fire ring and picnic table. Across street from bath house with shower and toilet which was clean.
ScoutStay here for the holiday weekend, they offer plenty of activities for everyone. Had a band each night! Bad Juju was definitely a favorite of mine. During the band and the day they have a concession stand open with really good food, the girls that work in there are very lovely. The facilities were clean and staff members were respectful and friendly, really the whole park was. This is a great park for a weekend getaway for the family or even just for yourself.
Traveler
It was a nice location to the turnpike but the bathrooms are so out of date. We have a small TT and use the bathhouse frequently. The stall doors hit your knees and the well water stinks…couldn’t wash my hand in the sink. Only one shower stall in the one of 2 bathroom locations. It was nice to see an area designated for dog swimming area. The office closed at 6 PM so no late arrivals. Nice pond but it was a little murky.
Scout
Such a great place to camp. We had such an enjoyable trip. The campground was just incredible.
We visited with our family and really made
Some happy camping memories, which will always treasure. Our site was really pretty and we would visit again!
ScoutWe will definitely be back. The sites are very level, so setup is a breeze. There's plenty of spots to go fishing and hang out by the lake, plus different things to do in the area.
ScoutWe enjoy camping in this local park. It's quiet, and everyone is very nice here. The park Mgr. is very nice and helpful as well.
Guide
Although my recent visit to do a recon for a seasonal site was in the off season, it was a really good first impression. Friendly staff, and found what I hope will be be good spot with reservoir in the distance and leaves on the trees.
Ranger
My family stayed here for a weekend while visiting the Geneva area. This was a very nice, very secure campground that isn't far from a lot of attractions and wineries in the Geneva region of Ohio's wine country. But at the same time, removed enough to be quiet and relaxing. We honestly could have spent several more days here. Our site was a big rig site, so we had no trees, but it was still nice. This is a place we could definitely go back to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Willoughby, OH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Willoughby, OH is Cuyahoga Valley National Park - CAMPING NO LONGER OFFERED with a 4.4-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Willoughby, OH?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Willoughby, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.
