Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Yellow Springs, OH is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Yellow Springs is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Yellow Springs. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.
$15 / night
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Yellow Springs is a popular destination in Ohio. "
"Beautiful spot for tent camping right next to the Little Miami River. Picnic tables and fire pit are also nice amenities. I just wish there were a trash can. Still had a great time, though."
"My buddy, James, and I parked next to the Nature Center and trekked in. You can opt to park in the lower parking lot where there is a kayak launch too."
"Camp was in a meadow at the end of about an hour walk in. Literally campsite is on top of trails and meadow provides no shade."
$15 / night
""This walk-in campsite is located near Argonne Lake parking lot."
$15 - $28 / night
"It is dry and cut in an easy to use manner. It is also kept in a little box so it is dry even if you do have weather while camping."
"This was a lovely campsite with 4 picnic tables, fire ring, and a very clean latrine. The other two group camp sites were far enough away that you couldn't hear or see them. "
"This park has such a variety of things to do. there’s a great disc golf course, really nice trails to hike with challenging hills and nice areas with shelters for grilling and parties and such."
GuideBeware of the raccoons. They are adorable but will literally steal your food right in front of you. We were set up for about 5 minutes before a raccoon appeared and swiped a large bag of sunchips off the picnic table as I was about to make a sandwich. Straight savage. Campground is a few minutes from Yellow Springs which is a beautiful town with a lot to see and do including a brewery and nature preserve. John Bryan park itself has some nice hikes and offers top rop rock climbing and repelling. Climbing routes are all available on mountainoroject.com Campground/Park also offers disc golf and volleyball with a ton of picnic areas. Facilities are not the best with outhouse style bathrooms, no showers. This isnt notmally an issue but we visited at the end of June and weather was crazy hot. All in all it's a pretty cool place. Had a great time and even ended up naming all the raccoons, Larry, Mary, & Baby Terry.
LegendPROS
Able to reserve 144 days prior to arriving
Very nice campground but the design leaves a lot to be desired
Friendly camp hosts who were busy picking up trash in common areas and cleaning sites Moveable picnic table
Metal fire ring with cooking grate
Site D45 level asphalt parking pad surrounded by grass
Great view of lake from D loop; some had water access at rear of site
Quiet except for campground party animals who kept it going into the wee hours of the morning
Coin-operated laundromats in non FHU loops $1.50 wash and $1 dry
Free WIFI available and able to connect at campsite
Dump Stations at Park exit have complimentary hoses
Camp store sells hard dipped ice cream
14 miles from the Airstream Service Center in Jackson Center
CONS
No senior discount
$6.50 reservation fee for self made on-line reservation
Basically the FHU loops are out in a field…no privacy from neighbors and no shade what so ever
Grass around sites desperately needed mowed, if you could get thru the large mud puddles
FHU loop D has narrow roads and require driving on grass to back in trailer and some campers in other sites had to move their vehicles
Short length of campsite required creative parking of tow vehicle
Damn Canadian Geese poop every...what a mess!
Site number on electric utility box
FHU sewer connection at the back of the campsite so bring the looooong stinky slinky FHU loop D had tiny toilet building, but no showers; showers were in non-FHU loops
No entry gate personnel on a Friday afternoon to accomplish check-in. Went to park office next morning and was informed no check in required prior to Memorial Day. Never saw a Park ranger driving thru campground
LegendThis is one of my favorite campsites in Ohio. 5 Rivers Metro Parks really knows how to provide a great camping experience. They provide a bundle of firewood for each night that you have reserved the site. In addition, you can easily purchase more wood that will be right there at the site for you. "Your camping permit comes with one 2' x 2' bundle of firewood per night. Additional firewood available at checkout(+$10.00 per 1/32nd of a cord)." https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786297&api=facilities&type=camp
The ranger checked in on me and also let me know he was closing the gate to the park. I had his contact information and felt safe and secure while camping here. We had an awesome conversation and I look forward to seeing him on a future visit.
I love how easy it is to put away the trash and recycle as this isn't something I see at the larger campgrounds within the state. It is refreshing to see the attention to small details such as this when camping.
The bathroom is simply a porta john. It is the accessible one and was fairly clean while I was at the site. No running water, electricity, or other perks such as being able to buy ice at the campground. You are close enough that you can run into town to stock up on more ice and items.
I spent my time at Argonne Lake but you will notice folks fishing at that lake and the other smaller lakes onsite.
Buckeye my campsite is rated as for 5 parking spots and a capacity of 12 folks. This is much more than what is allowed at our local state parks. As I mentioned it is nice and easy for a group of us to camp here. I have friends that come over from Columbus and I come up from the Cincinnati region. It is an easy drive and the parking situation is much easier for all of us to drive ourselves from each city with our own gear no shuffling of items. This spot does have other larger campsites if you need to look into that for a larger group.
"This walk-in campsite is located near Argonne Lake parking lot. It features access to hiking trails, nearby sustainable farm and demonstration gardens, as well as fishing in both the lake and fishing ponds(no license required). This site includes a picnic table and fire ring. Potable water and a restroom are located within 600 feet of campsite on the southeast side of the lake." https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786296&api=facilities&type=camp
I have friends that love to explore the lake, ponds, sustainable farm, and the easy access to the trails. For those that need something interesting to look at you will find old abandoned items such as a pool and street car in the woods. The land has an interesting history you will want to explore.
Another thing that is impressive is that they also have a rental program. If you do not have camping gear but still want to get out and try it then you can rent it from them. https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/rentals/equipment/ A set of 6 is $50.00 for the weekend. This includes the tent, sleeping pads, and sleeping bag. If you only needed a tent for the weekend that would b e $30.00. For folks that want to take advantage of their other campsites (backpacking) they have a full rental of backpacking gear for $40.00. If you only needed the backpack and and tent that would be $25.00 and if you only needed a back pack tent for the weekend that would be $15.00
LegendHueston Woods State Park, Oh.
http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/huestonwoods
Campground Overview: Hueston Woods State Park is very close to Miami University...in the Southwest area of Ohio. The direction we traveled from the south took us on numerous winding country lanes through farm country that actually meandered in and out of Indiana and Ohio.
(Disclaimer: I am a tent camper, preferring backcountry sites of solitude and privacy...so take my reviews of campgrounds with a grain of salt).
The campground area is separated not only by roadway, but a short walk, ride or drive from the reservoir, docks, boat rental beach area and tiny nature center.
The Campground Office sits at the campground entrance and does offer quite a bit of camping items for its tiny size should you have forgotten anything. The cabins and lodge are on the opposite bank of the reservoir. The tent site area was sparsely occupied and the particular area was empty that I chose.
All campground sites are line of sight, no barriers or buffer between neighbors(something I do not enjoy)...the trees are mature and tall so offer no privacy. Noise/sound travels so when full, you’ll likely hear your neighbors conversations.
Unknowingly, it appeared every weekend in October has a big Halloween emphasis, so the upper campground was sold out. I was advised the lower non electric loop would also be sold out...which reinforced my gratefulness for midweek camping.
With the vast old growth forests, dried/dead branches for firewood was plentiful for a chilly night(38) fire. We evaded the impending rain for once and pressed on. Weekend campers experienced heavy storms as we left.
There are several hiking trails and biking trails. Streams were dried up at our visit. A cool restoration covered bridge was a short hop from the campground. The lodge has a restaurant, a gift shop, an outside pool and a nicely equipped activity room for older kids complete with numerous arcade games, pool table, and ping-pong table. There is also a token tiny exercise center-Key card entrance for lodge stayers. The A-frame lodge, though nostalgic, needs some TLC and updating(especially the exterior).
Traffic noise is noticeable, especially during quiet hours. While not excessive, it’s disruptive.
Deer sighting were plentiful as were chattering tree rats...ahem, squirrels, sorry. Woodpeckers stayed busy overhead. At dusk an overly friendly“masked trash panda” encroached seeking to share my delectable and perfectly toasted s’more...having to be chased off(unfortunately, it appeared he has been fed by campers to be that bold). Other small birds were plentiful as were migrating Canadian honkers.
Housekeeping notes: In the larger non-electric loop newer restrooms existed...modern bathrooms and showers were clean and stocked with TP. No paper towels offered, only electric hand dryers. Bathroom stalls, like the showers, utilized shower curtains rather than lockable doors. In my tent area...antiquated wood shed pit latrines...that truly needed razed.
I did not have time to walk any trails, but talked with mountain bikers that spoke favorably. There were several marked trails near the reservoir area.
Final Thoughts: It was a nice choice for a stop-over as I drifted north. However, I would not want to stay when it’s busy or on the weekends. The reservoir beach and watercraft fishing appears a big draw...and I wish I had brought both my bicycle and canoe.
ScoutVisited twice in May 2021 (sites 54 & 39) bookending our camping roundtrip from Virginia to Kansas and this was one of the worst places we stayed. We lived in Dayton for a number of years and Yellow Springs is one of our favorite places. That being said, we were quite disappointed at the set up.
There is no privacy between campsites, at all. If someone on one end of the campground is having a party, everyone in the campground is going to be up all night (our first night). On our last night there, we (and the poor family with young kids in a tent 15 feet away) were audibly assaulted by a very amorous and inebriated couple in a tent until the wee hours. With no trees between sites, you have no buffer and good god what I would have given for a buffer.
Pit toilets have those heavy doors that help keep things less buggy (positive) but because they are on a raised area in the middle of an almost treeless campground, the clang of them shutting echoes throughout the night.
No showers.
No dedicated tent-pads. We were car-top camping so I can't speak to ground conditions for tent camping but do know our two spots would have put us on some sort of slope. (Unless we set up a tent right next to the road on 54).
Like I said, it wasn't bad. Definitely wasn't great.
ScoutLimited level campground with full and electric hookups (does have WiFi). Best areas are A (full hookups and B (electric hookups) with concrete pads, some with slight slopes. First sites #s on A side do have larger slopes! C through E are electric only but are hilly grass pads. Other areas are back in the woods with no WiFi connections and primitive bathrooms/ outhouses (no showers) But park has great recreational activities. Book early for weekends which are almost non existent during the summer for A and B areas! Also only one dump station in B area.
GuideThis is a very pretty little campground with really basic amenities - vault toilets and a some common area spigots. Large trees, grassy sites, nice trails. Our non-electric spot was a bit challenging to find a level spot on the grass but it was large enough to work it out. Had table and fire ring and a place to dump gray water. Close to Yellow Springs which is a real plus.
LegendThis is a park I have hiked at several times but this is the first time camping here. It a very limited campground. Only 17 electric sites and 43 primitive sites. The restrooms are pit toilets and there is no shower house. What they lack in amenities they make up for in scenery. They offer 10 hiking trails 9.7 miles of mountain bike trails. Also a disc golf course and playground. They are also close to the town of Yellow Springs which offers shopping, dining, and even its own brewery. Also some other area attractions are Young’s Jersey Dairy, Brandenberry Winery, Clifton Mills and Stillwrights Distillery.
LegendThis is part of the Dayton Metro Parks (Five Rivers Metro Parks) and it is at the Twin Creek metro park. This is an old boy scout camp (Camp Hook) back in the day.
During these COVID-19 times we wanted a place to park that wasn't the traditional Ohio State Parks camp site. We didn't want to share a common bathroom/bath house or playground area. We picked this as the Twin Creek camp site only has 3 camp sites within the park. Even then they are out of side from each other. You can somewhat hear the other two camp sites (rarely). This meant with two little ones we wouldn't have to constantly remind them to socially distance or put on masks. We were alone but had plenty of park supports. We had two great park volunteers/security stop by to make sure we had everything we need.
The nice thing about the Dayton metro parks is that each night in the front county camp sites they include a bundle of fire wood. This is not the small sad bundle that you often buy at gas stations or other markets. This is a huge bundle. It is dry and cut in an easy to use manner. It is also kept in a little box so it is dry even if you do have weather while camping. If you wish to add an additional bundle of firewood the price is very reasonable at $10.00. I do this every time I camp there to support their campsites/metro parks. I have yet to use up their firewood in the box when I camp for a whole weekend. It is also nice that we don't have to put it in our cars so less clean up after camping. It also helps with the whole burn local fire wood so you are not transporting bugs. Or you don't have to cross your fingers and hope someone close by sells firewood.
The nice thing about their site is the additional tables made it easy for us to socially distance. When I camp at local state parks and we only have one table it can be tricky to keep coolers, food, and people separated. We also were able to have kids do craft at one of the tables while we were preparing meals. This camp site is listed as a 10 person camp site. There is no water on site so make sure you bring all the water that you will need.
We also were able to hike the easy trails around the camp site. No need to put the kids in the car unless we wanted to. Which we still did:)
We drove into town and discovered a covered bridge that I had missed on an earlier camping trip. (Germantown). This town also has the Florentine which is one of the oldest inns in Ohio. It was closed while we were in town but it is well worth a stop. The town also has a community pool as well that you can buy a day pool pass.
The campsite does have two spots that would be neat for a wedding. You can reserve an amphitheater.
The campsites during peak season are $20 during week days and $28 for weekends. I still find this to be one of the best values for camping in Ohio. Especially, when you consider the level of privacy that you have on these sites. The vault toilets are one of the best as they are always clean. We have hand sanitizer and toilet paper. We didn't have to share our vault toilet with any other family units.
All of these small touches really made COVID-19 camping with kids much easier. We look forward to being back at this camp site in the fall.
Here is the website to make a reservation https://www.metroparks.org/rentals-permits/reserve-a-campsite/?id=786190&api=facilities&type=camp
Yellow Springs, Ohio, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for adventure and relaxation in nature.
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