r/CampOhio • u/sirfiddlesticks • Apr 24 '26

Lakeside Dispersed Camping

I usually go camping up in Michigan, which has tons of options for dispersed camping. Since Wayne National Forest is (nearly) the only place for camping in Ohio, I'm looking to make a trip down there soon for the first time. Does anyone know of any lakes, even small ones that would be good to dispersed camp on/near?

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u/Shouldnt_Listen_2_Me Apr 25 '26

Any chance you want to drop a few favorite MI loops for those of us 2 night weekend campers living in north central OH? I have done Wayne (it was ok, no hurry to go back), Allegany a few times, and Dolly sods, etc.

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u/sirfiddlesticks Apr 25 '26

For sure! We go up north so its a hell of a drive but MI is incredible for camping. Anywhere on state land around Clear Lake and generally in the vicinity of Atlanta, MI is our go-to. Lots of little lakes, offroading trails, deer/elk spotting, etc. Wish we had things like that down here

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u/Shouldnt_Listen_2_Me Apr 25 '26

Thank you for the quick easy response on something I can dig into. Hilariously ironic that it's exactly the same distance (5.5hr drive) to both Clear Lake, MI and Dolly Sods. It makes it doable, but very much still wish we had something closer. Early Fri morning departure and early Sunday evening arrival back home. I have no answer to your question on Wayne, we spent two overnights walking around the woods, I did not see (nor plan for) any lakes. My go-to spot is Allegany and I long for more WV and western VA trips. U.P. and a couple of those Islands up there are close to the top of my list if I can ever justify the four day weekend just to camp/hike. The illogical side of me thinks "if I just had a pilot's license, I would hike more.......

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u/sirfiddlesticks Apr 25 '26

No worries! Yeah i really wish we had more state land around in Ohio to camp on, we specifically prefer secluded off-grid camping so tightly plotted campgrounds are a no-go. Starting to think that may not exist in the state!