Hiking

Sparkman Lake

3 RV Sites, 5 Cabins

Sparkman Lake Campground occupies more than 40 wooded acres in the rolling hills of Monroe County, Ohio — a quieter corner of the southeastern Ohio Appalachian foothills where the landscape is all forested ridges, old farm hollows, and the kind of unhurried rural character that guests from Columbus or Pittsburgh specifically seek out when they need a few days away from the urban pace. Tucked just off State Route 145, the campground combines its natural setting with a variety of accommodations and an expanding collection of farm animals that have made the property particularly popular with families. Five fully furnished rustic cabins and a spacious lodge accommodating up to eight guests provide solid-wall accommodations for groups who want comfort in the woods, while RV hookup lots with individual parking serve travelers arriving by rig. The recently added tiny farm is a standout feature — goats, pigs, bunnies, chickens, and ducks create hands-on animal encounters that children remember long after the fishing and hiking fade in their memories. A playground, dog park, and campfire areas round out the on-site community spaces. The lake itself — the campground's namesake and centerpiece — provides the scenic and recreational anchor for boating, fishing, and evening walks along its wooded shoreline. Pets are welcome throughout the property. The Monroe County landscape surrounding Sparkman Lake is quietly beautiful in the way that southeastern Ohio's Appalachian edge so consistently is — mixed hardwood forest on the ridges, old agricultural fields in the hollows, and the creek drainages that cut through the underlying sandstone and shale geology. Deer, wild turkey, and a variety of woodland songbirds are regular presences on the property, and the overall natural setting produces the deep quiet after dark that guests from Ohio's larger cities often comment on as one of the most immediately striking aspects of a Monroe County stay. The town of Woodsfield, seat of Monroe County, is just ten minutes from camp and offers the community character of a small southeast Ohio county seat — local restaurants, shops, and the informal community feel that survives best in rural Ohio's away-from-the-interstate towns. Barnesville and Clarington, each within about a half-hour's drive, extend the local exploration options, and the broader southeastern Ohio region encompasses the Wayne National Forest and the Ohio River's historic corridor within day-trip range for guests staying multiple nights. Sparkman Lake Campground is open through the Ohio camping season, with summer and early fall delivering the warmest lake conditions for boating and fishing and the best weather for the tiny farm visits that anchor family trips. Fall brings the hardwood color change across the surrounding Monroe County hills — one of the more underappreciated foliage displays in a state where most visitors head north toward Lake Erie rather than south into the Appalachian foothills. Reserve cabins and the lodge well ahead for summer weekends, when the combination of lake, farm animals, and wooded setting creates demand that exceeds the property's solid-wall accommodation capacity.

from $40/night

Perry Backwoods Campgrounds

42 RV Sites

Perry Backwoods Campgrounds in New Lexington, Ohio, offers 21 RV sites on nine family-owned acres, with full-hookup back-in sites carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp service, and rigs accepted to 60 feet. The layout is big-rig friendly — unusual for a campground this size in the southeast Ohio hill country. Twenty-one sites run from full-hookup back-ins with 30 and 50-amp service to primitive RV sites for guests who need less. Rigs up to 60 feet fit, and a dump station serves those without full hookups. Restrooms and showers are on site. Pets are welcome. On-site facilities are straightforward. A playground serves families, and hiking runs from the property through the wooded Perry County hills. The nine-acre scale and family ownership mean guests deal directly with the operators, and the campground continues to add facilities. Off-roading areas are nearby for guests hauling ATVs. New Lexington sits on US-22 about 60 miles southeast of Columbus, in the reclaimed coal country that has grown back into some of the most rugged terrain in an otherwise glacially flattened state. Hocking Hills State Park, the AEP ReCreation Land, and the Wayne National Forest are all within day-trip range. The campground serves the southeast Ohio camping season, drawing from the Columbus and Athens markets. Fall color through October is the most scenic window, and summer weekends see the heaviest demand. Reserve ahead for both.

Pine Creek Cabins & Camping Resort

34 RV Sites, 10 Cabins

Pine Creek Cabins and Camping Resort in South Bloomingville, Ohio, is a five-star camping resort in the heart of Hocking Hills country — a full-service property amid lush Hocking County forest, a serene creek, and a charming horse farm that gives guests the Hocking Hills experience at its most immediate and most varied, within minutes of the sandstone gorges, waterfalls, and old-growth hemlock hollows that make the Hocking Hills State Park complex the most visited and most beloved natural area in Ohio. The resort's proximity to the full Hocking Hills circuit — Old Man's Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Cantwell Cliffs, Rock House, and Conkle's Hollow — positions it as the practical overnight base for guests whose Hocking Hills itinerary requires more than the six-hour round trip from Columbus that the day-trip visitor market primarily makes. Full-service cabin accommodations alongside RV and tent site options give the resort the breadth to serve guests who want the luxury cabin experience in the Hocking Hills forest alongside those traveling with their own equipment. The creek's natural character and the horse farm's presence give the property a genuine countryside identity that the surrounding Hocking County forest deepens — this is not a suburban campground adjacent to a natural area but a property embedded in the agricultural and forest landscape that defines the Hocking Hills region's character between the park units. Pets are welcome. Old Man's Cave, the most visited site in Hocking Hills State Park, preserves a recess cave carved by the Hocking River's erosion of the Black Hand sandstone formation in a gorge of extraordinary beauty — the cave amphitheater, the upper and lower gorge trails, and the waterfalls and natural bridges visible from the trail system create one of the most scenically concentrated four-mile hiking loops in the eastern United States. The trail system connecting Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls via the gorge trail provides the single most rewarding day hike in Ohio, and the six-mile Grandma Gatewood Trail connecting the cave to Ash Cave extends the experience for guests who want the full one-way traverse. Ash Cave, named for the ash piles of Native American cooking fires found in the recess cave's floor by 19th-century settlers, is the largest recess cave in Ohio — a 700-foot-wide horseshoe amphitheater with a year-round 90-foot waterfall whose seasonal flow varies from a full waterfall cascade in spring to a delicate veil in summer to a frozen ice column in winter that gives each seasonal visit a distinct visual character. The cave's 100-foot-tall ceiling and the acoustic quality of the horseshoe recess amplify the waterfall sound into the natural amphitheater in a way that photographs of the site do not convey. Pine Creek Cabins and Camping Resort serves guests year-round in Hocking County's temperate Ohio climate, where the spring wildflower season from mid-April through May and the fall foliage from mid-October through November represent the two peak natural beauty windows in the Hocking Hills forest. The resort's creek setting provides year-round engagement regardless of season, and the winter frozen-waterfall period at Ash Cave and Old Man's Cave attracts photographers specifically seeking the ice formation character that below-freezing temperatures create in the gorge microclimates. Reserve cabin and RV site accommodations well ahead for spring and fall weekends, when the Hocking Hills area's proximity to Columbus drives the highest demand from Ohio's primary leisure market.

from $39/night

Rocky Fork Ranch

1 RV Site

Rocky Fork Ranch in Kimbolton, Ohio, provides a distinctive ranch-themed family resort camping experience in Guernsey County's rolling hill country, combining horseback riding, disc golf, mini-golf, hiking trails, and a pool with the rural Ohio character of the unglaciated southeastern landscape where the Ohio hill country's forested ridges and creek hollows preserve the Appalachian upland character that the flat Central Ohio agricultural plain entirely lacks. The ranch's programming integrates the western ranch experience—horseback trail rides through the surrounding woodland—with the family campground amenities that transform Rocky Fork into a full-featured resort destination in a corner of Ohio rarely on the family vacation radar despite its distinctive landscape and outdoor recreation character. The ranch's facility covers an unusually broad recreation spectrum: full hookup sites, cabins, an outdoor pool, mini-golf, disc golf course, horseback riding with guided trail rides, hiking trails through the surrounding Guernsey County hill country, basketball, gaga ball, horseshoes, planned activities, live music and entertainment, a game room with billiards, dog park, pavilion, clubhouse, laundry, showers, propane fills, Wi-Fi, and the unique combination of western-style horseback recreation with resort campground amenities creates a dual-identity vacation environment that serves families whose ranch experience is a primary draw and families who want resort camping with a distinctive setting. The wedding venue extends the property's event programming beyond camping. Guernsey County sits in southeastern Ohio's unglaciated Allegheny Plateau where the hill-and-hollow topography, the Muskingum River tributaries, and the hardwood forest cover create a landscape more reminiscent of neighboring West Virginia's Appalachian character than the flat corn and soybean fields of Central Ohio. The region's history reflects the energy extraction economy that has defined southeastern Ohio since the early nineteenth century—salt wells, coal mining, and more recently the Utica shale natural gas development—alongside the agricultural heritage of a rural county whose courthouse city of Cambridge preserves the county seat architecture of a once-prosperous Ohio market town. Salt Fork State Park, approximately 8 miles north of Kimbolton via OH-541, is Ohio's largest state park at 20,000 acres surrounding the 2,952-acre Salt Fork Lake in a reservoir and upland forest landscape that provides the most comprehensive outdoor recreation infrastructure in eastern Ohio—hiking, boating, fishing for saugeye and largemouth bass, a beach, mountain biking, and the state park lodge and cabins that make Salt Fork a destination park rather than a day-use facility. The Cambridge Glass Museum in Cambridge preserves the heritage of the Cambridge Glass Company's Depression-era pressed glass production that made Cambridge internationally recognized among glass collectors. Rocky Fork Ranch operates seasonally from spring through fall in Guernsey County's four-season Ohio climate, with the summer horseback riding season from June through August representing the peak guest activity period when the trail rides through the surrounding woodland provide the most lush and immersive equestrian experience. The spring wildflower season in April and May brings trillium and wild geranium to the Guernsey County hollows, and the fall foliage season in October transforms the surrounding unglaciated hill country into the color display that Ohio's Appalachian fringe consistently produces each year. The ranch's combination of horseback riding and resort amenities creates a family camping experience with a distinctive character not replicated at any other campground in the eastern Ohio corridor.

from $61/night

Camp Holly

8 RV Sites

Camp Holly in Diana, West Virginia, offers eight full-hookup RV sites across a 22-acre mountain property in Webster County, with 30-amp service and rigs accepted to 36 feet. Cabins, glamping structures, and tent camping join a pond, playground, and general store in the state's most rugged interior. Eight back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp, sized to 36 feet, with site WiFi. Note the 36-foot cap before booking a larger rig. Cabins, glamping structures, and tent camping round out the accommodations. A general store, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Two useful tips from the operators: buy fishing passes when you book your campsite for a discounted rate, and add a jumbo firewood square at booking and they will deliver it to your site. Pets are welcome. A pond anchors the on-site recreation with fishing, swimming, paddle boats, boating, canoeing, and kayaking from the water. A community fire pit, playground, hiking, and biking fill the rest, with planned activities through the season. Diana sits on WV-20 in the heartland of the Mountain State's most remote interior. The Cranberry Wilderness, the Gauley River National Recreation Area, and the Williams River's wild brook trout stream give this the most complete wilderness and outdoor adventure access of any campground in central West Virginia's Chestnut Ridge and Back Allegheny country. Summer water recreation and October foliage drive demand. With eight RV sites, reserve well ahead.

from $10/night

Wood Mountain Campground

6 RV Sites, 16 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites

Wood Mountain Campground in Glen Jean, West Virginia, offers six full-hookup RV sites, 16 tent sites, and four glamping sites on a hilltop directly off Highway 19, at the heart of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Sites carry 30 and 50-amp with water and sewer, sized to 35 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Six sites run in standard and premium full-hookup configurations carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 35 feet — note the 35-foot cap before booking a larger rig. Sixteen tent sites and four glamping sites round out the accommodations, alongside two-bedroom cabins with fully equipped kitchens and large covered porches. Restrooms, showers, and site WiFi handle the practical side. The hilltop position gives views across the surrounding forested ridgelines, and a disc golf course, barn, pavilion, corn hole, and picnicking areas fill the grounds. The operators put it plainly: this is West Virginia, where there are more trees than people, and guests who want to keep to themselves are as welcome as those who want to chat. Pets are welcome. Glen Jean sits directly across from both the Summit Bechtel Reserve — one of the largest scouting and outdoor education facilities in the world — and the national park's administrative hub, which puts this about as close to the action as any private property in the gorge. River outfitters and the town of Fayetteville are a short drive, and a creek and mountain terrain surround the property. Summer whitewater season and October foliage drive demand in the gorge. With six RV sites, reserve as early as you can.

from $24/night

Revelle's River Resort

51 RV Sites, 13 Cabins, 1 Yurt

Revelle's River Resort in Bowden, West Virginia, offers 51 full-hookup RV sites, four cabins, and a yurt along two miles of Shavers Fork river frontage in the Monongahela National Forest, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 45 feet. Riverfront back-in categories at 30-amp and full service join standard and dry back-in tiers, with a splash pad, hot tub, and on-site saloon. Fifty-one back-in sites span standard, dry, riverfront 30-amp, and riverfront categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV and picnic tables, sized to 45 feet. The riverfront categories are the reason to book here, and the dry tier gives self-contained rigs a lower rate. Four cabins, including heated units, and a yurt round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. A splash pad and hot tub and sauna anchor the property, with a recreation center, clubhouse, pavilion, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, a playground, dog park, and on-site dining filling the grounds. The saloon hosts live weekend music, and the river carries fishing, swimming, hiking, and biking. Skiing and snowboarding are nearby, and the resort operates as a wedding venue. Revelle's sits nine miles east of Elkins, just off Route 33 on Faulkner Road at Bowden — the physical address is 5 Faulkner Road. Summer, fall color, and ski season all draw. Reserve well ahead for October and holiday weekends.

from $30/night

Cross Creek Camping Resort

Cross Creek Camping Resort in Delaware, Ohio, offers full-hookup RV sites, tent sites, and cabins on a big-rig-friendly property 30 minutes north of the Columbus ring road. A heated pool, recreation center, and full activity program serve central Ohio's weekend camping market in rolling Delaware County countryside. Full-hookup RV sites serve guests with rigs on a layout sized for big coaches, with tent sites and cabins rounding out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Check-in for rentals is 3pm, and the resort is strict on it given the cleaning turnaround from the previous night's departure. Pets are welcome. A heated pool anchors the summer, with a recreation center, sports courts, tennis, volleyball, basketball, bocce ball, shuffleboard, gaga ball, corn hole, and gem mining across the grounds. A creek runs the property, with walking trails, biking, a community fire pit, playground, and dog park besides, and live music through the season. A lake, water park, amusement park, and casino are all nearby. Delaware County's position north of the Columbus metro is the practical advantage — this is a genuine outdoor escape that a Columbus family can reach in half an hour, which is exactly what the weekend camping market needs. State park access and boating are close. The resort serves the Ohio season. Summer weekends from the Columbus metro drive the heaviest demand, with fall color extending it into October. Reserve well ahead for summer holiday weekends.

from $36/night

Lake Wapusun RV Resort

37 RV Sites, 3 Cabins, 6 Tent Sites, 3 Glamping Sites

Lake Wapusun RV Resort in Shreve, Ohio, offers 37 RV sites, three cabins, six tent sites, and three glamping sites on a lake in Wayne County, with 20 and 30-amp water-and-electric service and rigs accepted to 45 feet. A beach, boat rentals, golf cart rentals, and a jumping pillow anchor a family resort behind a gated entrance in Ohio's Amish Country. Thirty-seven back-in sites carry water and electric on 20 or 30-amp, sized to 45 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables — note there are no sewer hookups at the sites, though a dump station is on site. Three cabins and three glamping sites serve guests without a rig, and six tent sites cover simpler camping. A general store, propane fills and exchange, laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side, with WiFi throughout. Well-behaved, vaccinated pets are welcome but must be leashed outside your vehicle or attended in the fenced off-leash area. Recreation is the resort's focus after a full redesign. A lake with a beach supports swimming, boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boats, with boat rentals on site and inflatable water toys in season. A clubhouse, game room, craft room, and pavilion cover indoor hours, with basketball, sports courts, gaga ball, and a jumping pillow outdoors. Golf cart rentals, walking trails, a dog park, and a playground round it out, and food trucks, live music, and planned activities fill the calendar. On-site dining and a wedding venue complete the property. Mohican State Park, Malabar Farm State Park, the Ohio State Reformatory, Amish Country, and area wineries are all close. Summer family demand is the peak — reserve ahead.

from $32/night

Jellystone Park™ Clay's Resort

174 RV Sites, 51 Cabins, 2 Glamping Sites, 53 Cottages, 3 Lodges

Jellystone Park at Clay's Resort in North Lawrence, Ohio, offers 174 RV sites, 107 cabin, cottage, and lodge units, and two glamping sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted up to 155 feet — the largest capacity in this batch. Lakefront premium back-in and pull-through categories join a water park, spa, and laser tag. One hundred seventy-four sites span premium back-in, premium pull-through, preferred premium pull-through, lakefront premium back-in, and lakefront premium pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 155 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The lakefront categories are worth requesting early. One hundred seven cabins, cottages, and lodges and two glamping sites make the lodging range exceptional. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, showers, portable toilets, and firewood handle the practical side. Four-seater and six-seater golf carts can be added at booking. A water park, splash pad, outdoor pool, and inflatable water toys anchor the summer, with a hot tub, sauna, and spa alongside. Mini-golf, laser tag, an arcade, jumping pillow, gaga ball, gem mining, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, corn hole, and a beach fill the grounds, with a lake for boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. On-site dining, a bar, snack bar, barn, and live music round it out. Pets are welcome. North Lawrence sits in Wayne County between Canton and Wooster, near the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Amish country. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $58/night

Jellystone Park™ Columbus North

125 RV Sites, 45 Cabins, 14 Tent Sites

Jellystone Park Columbus North in Mount Gilead, Ohio, offers 125 RV sites, 45 cabins, and 14 tent sites across 76 wooded acres, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted up to 100 feet. Dedicated Bark n Roll dog-friendly sites join basic, standard, and deluxe categories, alongside a beach, lake, and jumping pillow. One hundred twenty-five sites span basic back-in, basic pull-through, standard back-in, deluxe back-in, deluxe pull-through, and Bark n Roll categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 100 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The Bark n Roll sites are purpose-built for guests traveling with dogs. Forty-five cabins and 14 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The after-hours emergency line is 567-241-1098. An outdoor pool and beach anchor the summer, with a lake and pond supporting boating, boat docks, fishing, and inflatable water toys. A jumping pillow, gaga ball, gem mining, sports courts, basketball, horseshoes, corn hole, a recreation center, walking trails, hiking, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, dog park, on-site dining, a bar, snack bar, and food trucks fill the rest, with planned activities through the season. Pets are welcome. Forty miles north of Columbus, the 76 acres hold enough on-site attraction to fill a week without leaving. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $45/night

Momma Tried RV & Campground

38 RV Sites, 2 Tent Sites

In the forested mountains of Pocahontas County in eastern West Virginia, Momma Tried RV & Campground sits among the hardwood hollows and mountain streams of one of the wildest and most unspoiled regions in the eastern United States. Located near the small community of Cabins—itself a name that captures the essential character of the area—the campground operates year-round and provides full hookup sites, walking trails, a dog park, sports courts, and direct access to the rivers and mountains that define the Monongahela National Forest country. For outdoors-focused campers who want genuine Appalachian terrain, this is the right address. Full hookup sites with WiFi deliver modern connectivity in a mountain setting that might otherwise suggest a more spartan experience. Walking trails loop from the campground into the surrounding forested terrain, and the campground's river and stream access opens up swimming holes, fishing spots, and quiet stretches of water that can occupy entire afternoons with nothing more than wading boots and a light rod. A dog park gives canine travelers their own space, basketball and sports courts provide on-site active recreation, and a playground serves families with younger campers. The campground is open year-round, accessible for fall foliage season, winter snowshoeing, and the full spring wildflower bloom that turns the surrounding Allegheny hollows into something extraordinary. The mountains surrounding Cabins are part of the Allegheny Highlands—ancient, rounded ridges covered in mixed hardwood and spruce forest that represent some of the most significant wild country remaining in the eastern United States. Monongahela National Forest, which envelops much of Pocahontas County, provides hundreds of thousands of acres of hiking, mountain biking, trout fishing, and wildlife habitat. The Greenbrier River, one of the cleanest rivers in the Appalachians, flows through the region and offers kayaking, canoeing, and fly fishing in water that is famously clear and cold in every season. The Greenbrier River Trail—a converted rail trail running more than 70 miles through the Greenbrier Valley—is one of the premier rail-to-trail experiences in the eastern United States, with sections accessible from the campground area. Seneca Rocks, the dramatic quartzite formation rising 900 feet above the Seneca Creek valley, is one of the iconic technical climbing destinations in the Appalachian region. Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, offers day-trip access to long views across the Allegheny ridges. Waterfalls, swimming holes, and the dense quiet of old mountain forest surround the campground in every direction. Momma Tried RV & Campground is open year-round and serves outdoors-focused guests who want a functional base camp in mountain country rather than a resort. The campground suits serious hikers, kayakers, mountain bikers, and anglers especially well, and the absence of heavy resort programming is part of the appeal for guests who come to be in the mountain environment rather than watching it from poolside. Whether you're chasing trout on the Greenbrier, riding the rail trail, climbing at Seneca Rocks, or simply immersing yourself in the remarkable quiet of the West Virginia highlands, Momma Tried delivers the right setting. Book a site and get outside.

from $44/night