2014 - Ohio State Campgrounds

The Plan

"Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

That's what we're doing this spring.  We're going to wander the state in an attempt to visit and rate every state campground.  The quest may seem like nonsense, but it's been a long, cold winter.  It's time to get outside.

Trip Summary

We left on April 21st and returned May 16th.

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.