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Campground Scorecard (52 of 55 viewed)

Exceptional
        Barkcamp                    Buck Creek                 Deer Creek                   Delaware                    
        Dillon                           Harrison Lake              Hocking Hills                 Lake Loramie
        Maumee Bay               Mosquito Lake             Paint Creek                  Rocky Fork
        Salt Fork                     Shawnee                      West Branch

Nice
       Alum Creek                  Blue Rock                    Burr Oak                       Caesar Creek
       East Fork                     East Harbor                 Findley                          Forked Run
       Geneva                       Grand Lake St Marys   Indian Lake                   Jackson Lake
       John Bryan                  Kiser Lake                    Lake Hope                    Mohican
       Mt. Gilead                    Punderson                   Pymatuning                   Stonelick
       Van Buren

Not so nice
       A.W. Marion                 Beaver Creek              Cowan Lake                 Great Seal
       Guilford Lake               Hueston Woods           Lake Alma                    Malabar Farm              
       Mary Jane Thurston     Muskingum River         Pike Lake                     Portage Lakes
       Scioto Trail                   Strouds Run                Tar Hollow                    Wolf Run

Trip Summary

This trip was dramatically different from our earlier trips. For starters, we drove 2,988 miles and never left the state.

The basics
   21 days of travel
   2,988 miles of driving
   2,171 miles of towing
   13.0 mpg
   We visited 52 state campgrounds and stayed in 9 of them
   We bypassed 3 state campgrounds because they're on Lake Erie islands

Conclusions

• We probably visited at the worst and the best times. It was the worst time because we saw them out of season; most camp offices were closed and much of the spring maintenance hadn't been done early in the trip. It was the best time because we could look around at our own pace without disturbing anyone and we could observe more and more camp offices opening as we continued through the trip.

• In our opinion

             15 were exceptional
             21 were nice
             16 were not so nice

• Our opinion isn't worth much to campers because we prefer traveling to camping. We don't use most campground amenities. We're happy with electricity, water, flush toilets and hot showers, and can do nicely with just electricity and water.

• Ohio has made a huge investment in sharing its natural beauty. There are 73 state parks, 55 appear to be suitable for trailer camping. Unfortunately, the effect of current budget constraints is visible in some of the park system.

• Each state campground seemed to have its own personality. That personality was strongly influenced by the campground staff. We were welcomed warmly by district office staff, camp office staff and maintenance workers alike. Most were committed to their work and pleased to be able to do it.

• State campgrounds are generally well placed for campers, but are relatively inaccessible for travelers. Most required long drives on secondary roads.

• Area attractions presented tempting distractions during the trip. They made it difficult to maintain focus on our campground investigations.

• With one exception, we found each state campground by driving to the location of the related state park as shown on an Ohio road map. We couldn't find the Muskingum River State Campground that way.

• This was a fun trip. Now we have to figure out what to do with all we learned.

Day 21 - South Bloomingville to Hilliard

This was a great day!  We awoke to sunshine and clear blue sky. It was a little cool, but really uplifting after the days of overcast and rain.

We took a final look at the Hocking Hills Campground and then headed for our last stop.

The 145 mile trip to Burr Oak and home followed back roads all the way to Reynoldsburg. We got to see Athens (again), Chauncey, Glouster, New Lexington, Somerset, Baltimore and Pickerington. Actually, we saw a lot of Pickerington because we got stuck in traffic on OH-256 for about 20 minutes.

We parked the trailer, unloaded everything and were home by 4:30pm.

The Period of Silence

We've stayed in two pretty remote state campgrounds since leaving home on Tuesday. There's been no Verizon phone coverage at either ... hence no internet connection via our hotspot and no postings. 

Imagine living through three consecutive days with no phone and no internet access. We explored in lots of rain and even had to sit through a tornado warning in a women's shower.

Notice here that we fail to mention being warm, dry, comfortable, and able to watch TV every night. The definition of "roughing it" sure changes as we get older.

Sorry for the delay. We'll enter the missing posts retroactively over the next few days.

Burr Oak

Region: Southeast

Campground: Burr Oak State Campground

Address: 10220 Burr Oak Lodge Road, Glouster, OH 45732

GPS Coordinates: N 39° 32' 29.93", W 82° 2' 15.88"

Access:

Take TR-107 off OH-13.
Entrance & access roads are paved.
TR-107 is rough.

Entrance on TR-107

Electric camp sites

Non-electric camp sites

Site #21

Gravel site pad

Rating: _ Exceptional  X Nice  _ Not so nice

Site Services: (number of sites)

Electric     76   no electric

             0    20 amp

             0    20/30 amp

             17   20/30/50 amp

Water        0           

Full Service 0

Site Amenities:

Parking Pad     some paved, some gravel
                lots of short pads in non-electric area

Fire Ring       yes

Picnic Table    yes

On Grounds:

Potable Water   yes (can only fill tanks in equestrian camp)

Dump            yes

Flush Toilets   yes   

Latrines        no

Showers         yes

Other Amenities:

Amphitheater    yes       Laundry         yes
Archery Range   no        Miniature Golf  no
Basketball      no        Mt. Bike Trail  no
Bike Path       no        Nature Center   no
Boat Ramp       yes       Playground      yes
Boat Rental     yes       Shelter House   yes
Bridal Trails   yes       Shooting Range  no
Camp Store      yes       Swimming
Disc Golf       no             Beach      yes
Golf Course     no             Pool       no
Hiking Trails   yes       Volleyball      yes
Horseshoes      yes       Wi-Fi           no

Favorite sites:
21

Pros:

Non-electric sites are pretty, some look down on the lake.
Lodge has tennis and indoor swimming.

Cons:

No water at sites.
Electric sites have little or no shade.
There's no turnaround in electric site area, very long back-ins.

Area Attractions:

Wayne National Forest
Sunday Creek Wildlife Area
Wolf Creek
Strouds Run State Park
"Rim of the World" Scenic Drive (OH-78)

Comments:
Campground is small and attractive.

Day 20 - South Bloomingville (day 2)

Today was pretty much all wet, all day.  We woke to rain and explored in the rain.  There were a few short breaks in the rain. The sun was able to lighten the sky a little, but never made a full arrival.

We drove 199 miles and visited 3 state campgrounds: Lake Hope, Strouds Run and Forked Run.

On the way …

OH-278 between Lake Hope and Nelsonville is the best free roller-coaster ride we've taken.

We saw a lot of these ... and they said it all!

Lake Hope State Campground …

This campground has new, paved entry and access roads.  It has lots of trees, is rustic and is very pretty.

Strouds Run Campground …

This is a small, privately run, self-service campground. It’s not for us.

Forked Run State Campground …

This campground was a delightful surprise. Even though their summer maintenance has been delayed by rain, it made a great first impression.

End of day …

We returned to our Hocking Hills campsite by 6:30pm. It’s cold and damp. We turned on the furnace for the first time this week.

Tomorrow …

We’re going to visit Burr Oak (our final campground of the trip) and then head home.

Lake Hope

Region: Southeast

Campground: Lake Hope State Campground

Address: 27331 State Route 278, McArthur, OH 45651

GPS Coordinates: N 39° 20' 22.11", W 82° 21' 19.14"

Access:

Enter from OH-278.
Entrance & access roads are paved.

Entrance on OH-278

Camp sites

Rating: _ Exceptional  X Nice  _ Not so nice

Site Services: (number of sites)

Electric     141  no electric

             0    20 amp

             0    20/30 amp

             46   20/30/50 amp

Water        0           

Full Service 0

Site Amenities:

Parking Pad     paved

Fire Ring       yes

Picnic Table    yes

On Grounds:

Potable Water   yes

Dump            yes

Flush Toilets   no   

Latrines        yes

Showers         yes

Other Amenities:

Amphitheater    yes       Laundry         yes
Archery Range   yes       Miniature Golf  no
Basketball      yes       Mt. Bike Trail  yes
Bike Path       yes       Nature Center   yes
Boat Ramp       yes       Playground      yes
Boat Rental     yes       Shelter House   yes
Bridal Trails   yes       Shooting Range  no
Camp Store      no        Swimming
Disc Golf       no             Beach      yes
Golf Course     no             Pool       no
Hiking Trails   yes       Volleyball      no
Horseshoes      yes       Wi-Fi           no

Favorite sites:
43,47,167

Pros:

Camp office was open.
Freshly paved entry & access roads and site pads.
Very pretty, lots of trees.
Beautiful lake.
Built on a ridge.
Boat rental includes row boats, kayaks & canoes.
Excellent lodge restaurant.

Cons:

No water at sites.
No flush toilets.

Area Attractions:

Hocking Hills State Park
Hocking Valley Birding Trail
Zaleski State Forest
Waterloo Wildlife Area
Lake Alma State Park

Comments:
Nicely maintained

Strouds Run

Region: Southeast

Campground: Strouds Run State Campground

Address: 11661 State Park Road, Athens, OH 45701

GPS Coordinates: N 39° 21' 17.07", W 82° 2' 17.43"

Access:

From Strouds Run Road (CR-20)
Entrance & access roads are paved.

Entrance on Strouds Run Road

Camp sites

Rustic Latrines

Rating: _ Exceptional  _ Nice  X Not so nice

Site Services: (number of sites)

Electric     78   no electric

             0    20 amp

             0    20/30 amp

             0    20/30/50 amp

Water        0           

Full Service 0

Site Amenities:

Parking Pad     paved - long, level, good spacing

Fire Ring       yes

Picnic Table    yes

On Grounds:

Potable Water   yes

Dump            yes

Flush Toilets   no   

Latrines        yes (very rustic)

Showers         no

Other Amenities:

Amphitheater    yes       Laundry         no
Archery Range   no        Miniature Golf  no
Basketball      yes       Mt. Bike Trail  yes
Bike Path       no        Nature Center   no
Boat Ramp       yes       Playground      yes
Boat Rental     yes       Shelter House   yes
Bridal Trails   yes       Shooting Range  no
Camp Store      no        Swimming
Disc Golf       no             Beach      yes
Golf Course     no             Pool       no
Hiking Trails   yes       Volleyball      yes
Horseshoes      no        Wi-Fi           no

Favorite sites:
None

Pros:
Good hiking campground.

Cons:

Camp office closed ... looks like a self-registration camp.
Privately run ... looks untended.
Hard to get to from US-33.
No water at sites.
No electricity at sites.
No flush toilets.

Area Attractions:

Anthony G. Trisolini Gallery (in Athens)
Lake Hope State Park
Hocking Hills State Park
Burr Oak State Park
Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve
Wayne National Forest

Comments:
Not for us.

Forked Run

Region: Southeast

Campground: Forked Run State Campground

Address: 63300 State Route 124, Reedsville, OH 45772

GPS Coordinates: N 39° 6' 11.60", W 81° 47' 2.81"

Access:

Take OH-681 north from OH-124.
Entrance & access roads are paved.

Entrance on OH-681

Camp sites

Rating: _ Exceptional  X Nice  _ Not so nice

Site Services: (number of sites)

Electric     64   no electric

             0    20 amp

             0    20/30 amp

             81   20/30/50 amp

Water        0           

Full Service 0

Site Amenities:

Parking Pad     paved
                long pads are pretty level
                many short pads aren't level (tent sites?)

Fire Ring       yes

Picnic Table    yes

On Grounds:

Potable Water   yes

Dump            yes

Flush Toilets   no   

Latrines        yes

Showers         yes (2 for 145 sites)

Other Amenities:

Amphitheater    yes       Laundry         no
Archery Range   no        Miniature Golf  no
Basketball      no        Mt. Bike Trail  yes
Bike Path       no        Nature Center   yes
Boat Ramp       yes       Playground      yes
Boat Rental     yes       Shelter House   yes
Bridal Trails   no        Shooting Range  no
Camp Store      yes       Swimming
Disc Golf       yes            Beach      yes
Golf Course     no             Pool       no
Hiking Trails   yes       Volleyball      yes
Horseshoes      yes       Wi-Fi           yes (at office)

Favorite sites:
Area 1 (17,25,36)
Area 2 (2,53,57)

Pros:

Camp office was open.
Also has tetherball.
Forked Run Lake
Hiking trail to the Ohio River.

Cons:

No water at sites.
No flush toilets.
Summer maintenance still in progress.

Area Attractions:

Shade River State Forest
Campus Martius State Memorial Museum
Ohio River Museum
Marie J. Desonier State Nature Preserve

Comments:
Camping Area 3 has no electricity.
This campground made a very good first impression.

Day 19 - West Portsmouth to South Bloomingville

The morning and evening were similar ... they brought rain to the day.

The morning rain was gentle and ended by 8:30am.

The evening rain followed a delightfully sunny day. It arrived at 6:30pm and came with a tornado warning. We spent 45 minutes in a nearby, cement-block, women’s shower house.

We drove 145 miles and visited 4 state campgrounds: Jackson Lake, Lake Alma, Tar Hollow and Hocking Hills.

On the way …

Our route was hilly and curvy. We traveled on lots of back roads and enjoyed the experience. We got a view of many towns we had heard of and some we hadn't. Portsmouth, Scioto Furnace, Jackson, and McArthur were notable along the way.

Ohio River near Ironton

There were lots of hills and curves.

And lots of history

Jackson Lake State Campground …

This is a pretty, small campground.  It was a real find.

Lake Alma State Campground …

This is a small, but cramped campground.

Tar Hollow State Campground …

This campground is a bit rustic and is a difficult drive.

Hocking Hills State Campground …

This campground is perfectly located as a base for exploring the wonders of the area (Old Man's Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave and Rock House). 

End of day …

We’re camped at site 113 in Hocking Hills. The site is nicely placed; we’re next to a shower house and to a source of potable water. We’ll be here 2 nights.

We have no phone or internet service here.

A milestone reached …

We passed 50,000 towing miles on camping trips today. The total reached 50,069 miles when we parked tonight. Total driving distance for the trips is 62,033 miles. Fun, fun, fun.

Jackson Lake

Region: Southwest

Campground: Jackson Lake State Campground

Address: 35 Tommy Breen Road, Oak Hill, OH 45656

GPS Coordinates: N 38° 54' 17.25", W 82° 35' 54.51

Access:

Enter Tommy Breen Road off OH-279, right next to the lake
Entrance & access roads are paved.

Jackson Lake from OH-279

Entrance

Amphitheater

Camp site

Tent camp site

Rating: _ Exceptional  X Nice  _ Not so nice

Site Services: (number of sites)

Electric     0    no electric

             0    20 amp

             0    20/30 amp

             34   20/30/50 amp

Water        0           

Full Service 0

Site Amenities:

Parking Pad     paved - long and pretty level

Fire Ring       yes

Picnic Table    yes

On Grounds:

Potable Water   yes

Dump            yes

Flush Toilets   no   

Latrines        yes

Showers         no

Other Amenities:

Amphitheater    yes       Laundry         no
Archery Range   no        Miniature Golf  no
Basketball      yes       Mt. Bike Trail  no
Bike Path       no        Nature Center   no
Boat Ramp       yes       Playground      yes
Boat Rental     yes       Shelter House   yes
Bridal Trails   no        Shooting Range  no
Camp Store      no        Swimming
Disc Golf       no             Beach      yes
Golf Course     no             Pool       no
Hiking Trails   no        Volleyball      yes
Horseshoes      yes       Wi-Fi           yes (at office)

Favorite sites:
24,27

Pros:

Nicely cared for.
Sites are spread out.
Nice tent area with electric.

Cons:

No water at sites.
Camp office was closed.
It's easy to miss the Tommy Breen Road turnoff from OH-279.

Area Attractions:

Leo Petroglyph State Memorial
Buckeye Iron Furnace State Memorial
Lake Katharine State Nature Preserve
Cooper Hollow Wildlife Area

Comments:
Very nice little campground.