Ottawa Metro Park Campground

This is a beautiful, peaceful campground that's not a parking lot like many city campgrounds. It's clean as clean can be, including the bathrooms. The bath house has men's and women's bathrooms as well as a largish entry room with water fountains (one accessible to those in a wheelchair or child), a vending machine, information about the park, an event calendar, and brochures. While we were there, there was a Blue Grass music event scheduled at the nearby amphitheater.

I was very impressed with the design of the restrooms regarding accessibility. I don't have a physical disability, but I always consider what the experience would be for someone who does. Everything in the bathrooms was intentionally designed for accessibility, not a thoughtless retrofit. The accessible shower is amazing.

The campground is first-come first serve, but don't worry about getting a site. There are plenty. Pick up a registration envelope from the mailbox at the entrance sign, complete the triplicate form and follow the instructions. Money and form goes into an envelope and is dropped into the payment slot at the bathhouse.

If you need firewood, there is an open shed to get some, and instructions on how to pay for it. This is so smart to keep people from bringing in and using their own possibly infested firewood.

There is a dumpster and water available between sites. Each site comes with a picnic. And the fields around the park are filled with bunnies!

The sites are well spaced and beautifully maintained. We picked site 30 because it had ample trees on its west side to create nice shade in the afternoon.

A very relaxed, nice park host lives onsite. The entire vibe is chill. It seems to be run more like in an honor system, but they do have rules. Honor the rules to keep this campground special.

This campground is only one part of a larger Metro park with lots to offer. Pick up a copy of the booklet (in the bath house) about the entire park system and what it offers.

The price when we stayed was $30/night with a $5 discount for seniors, and a limit of 30 days (which is incredibly generous).

We stayed for 11 nights and will return again next time we're traveling through this area.