Sometimes great adventures are close to home and get overlooked as "too close, we can go anytime." It's easy to fall into that mindset, I know I do it quite a bit. The small town of Wellington just down the road from the store has plenty of cool Ohio history but just a little south of town on Route 58 is Findley State Park. The park wraps around Findley Lake with all kinds of activities from boat rentals, picnic areas, bike trails, and even a disc golf course. The campground is separated from the rest of the park areas and requires your camping receipt to enter so there isn’t an influx of non-campers driving through, which is extremely reassuring of camper safety.
From the State of Ohio’s ODNR page, “Located in northeast Ohio, the 838-acre Findley State Park was once a state forest and is heavily wooded with stately pines and various hardwoods. Popular with hikers and mountain bikers, the park’s trail system includes a connection to the statewide Buckeye Trail. The trails are lovely in all seasons, but particularly inviting during autumn and spring. The park’s forests, meadows, and quiet waters offer a peaceful backdrop for camping, boating, and hiking.”
Here are the campground specifics from the ODNR:
"The large family-friendly campground offers two camping areas — one with a mix of full-service, electric and non-electric campsites, and the other will all primitive campsites — all in a shady setting. Pets are permitted on all sites.
· 15 full service sites (three are ADA compliant)
· 91 electric sites (two are ADA compliant)
· 151 non-electric sites divided between two separate camping areas"
The sites range from these really nice concrete pads that are perfect for ADA needs and older campers that don’t want to crawl around in the dirt trying to level an RV, plus a wheelchair can easily get around to all necessary points of the site.
All sites are back in and the hookups vary by the area, there are full hookups right across the road from primitive sites which gives you a nice mix of camping styles. There are plenty of facilities within walking distance of any campsite and they are all well maintained. The campground has a boat ramp and kayak area that is a short walk from the sites and there’s plenty of trails along the way if you want to experience nature on your way to the beautiful lake.
There’s an archery area on the way to the boat ramp too, you will have to inquire with the staff on how utilize the archery range, being a state park I imagine rigid safety protocols are in place. Back up towards the entry point there a few cabins across from a wide open park and concession stand/store. There is some distance between the campground and the dedicated beach area, most people will want to hop in a vehicle to make the trek over to a great, sandy beach area. Along the route to the beach you will see another boat ramp and picnic area, then the disc golf course in the woods.
The entire park is full of fun outdoors activities, if you are local and just want to spend a day hiking or biking, definitely stop in the park and enjoy the great job done by the state park staff. Just north of the park is the town of Wellington that has shops, bars, and food for everybody, but remember, if you need camping supplies and don’t want to leave your relaxation zone, click on www.taapoutdoors.com and take advantage of our same day deliveries Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays. Tank chemicals, chairs, propane, and just about anything else you could need for your stay is literally just a few clicks away. Enjoy!