Ohio State Parks for Fall Camping

Burr Oak State Park
Burr Oak State Park and its 100-site campground feel like a best-kept secret. The remote 2,593-acre park in southeast Ohio is miles from everything but the tiniest towns, making it the perfect spot for connecting with nature on a quiet overnight stay.

“You don’t just find Burr Oak accidentally,” says park and watercraft manager Jerry Pollock. “You have to know where to look. It’s truly quaint.”

The campsites are on the smaller side, and many are placed along rolling hills. Thirty-three of them offer electric hookups, but most are primitive. While there are hookups for smaller recreational vehicles, Burr Oak is ideal for tent camping. A handful of primitive sites are located near the 664-acre Burr Oak Lake.

“You can easily walk over [from those sites] and fish from the shore,” Pollock says.

Although the park is a calm retreat, there’s plenty to do here. Burr Oak Lodge & Conference Center has a restaurant, lounge and indoor pool. There is also a 21-mile backpacking trail that follows the lake’s shoreline, with primitive and group campsites along the route.

“We have people that come in, figure out where they want to camp and hike that trail for a couple days and nights,” Pollock says. 4170 Beach Rd., Glouster 45732, 740/767-3683

Delaware State Park
The dense woodland of central Ohio’s Delaware State Park’s campground makes it feel secluded despite the fact there are more than 200 sites here, all of which have electric hookups for recreational vehicles. Set along the western shore of the 1,300-acre Delaware Reservoir, the sites are organized into clusters that end in cul-de-sacs. Each of the four clusters has a shower house and playground, and the interconnected hiking trail system makes getting around an adventure (the good kind). The campground also has nine-hole disc golf and mini golf courses, shuffleboard and pickleball courts, and a dog park. 5202 U.S. 23, North Delaware 43015, 740/363-4561 

Blue Rock State Park: photo courtesy of Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Blue Rock State Park
Located southeast of Zanesville, the 322-acre Blue Rock State Park’s intimate campground has just over 60 sites available, all of which are primitive, making it the perfect spot for fall tent camping. The campground is also notable for its 22 equestrian camping sites and the park’s 3 miles of bridle trails that connect to the 26 miles of trails found in the adjacent Blue Rock State Forest. The campground’s on-site archery range is near the camp store, which sells supplies and snacks and rents canoes, kayaks and rowboats to take out on the 15-acre Cutler Lake. 7924 Cutler Lake Rd., Blue Rock 43720, 740/674-4794

Cowan Lake State Park
Home to bald eagles that will occasionally do their own fishing in the 700-acre lake, Cowan Lake State Park offers more than 250 campsites, most of which have electric hookups for recreational vehicles (47 sites have full hookups). For campers strictly interested in roughing it, there are 17 primitive sites. The campground also has two shower houses (each with a laundry facility), a camp store with supplies, bike and kayak rentals, and access to five hiking trails. The on-site nature center is perfect for activities with the kids, and it’s a great spot to learn about Cowan Lake’s bald eagles. 1750 Osborn Rd., Wilmington 45177, 937/382-1096

For more information about these and other Ohio State Parks, visit ohiodnr.gov.

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