The landscape looks much different now, but there are still plenty of trails that lace Alum Creek State Park, including those for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. In fact, the nearby community of Africa was home to several safehouses on the Underground Railroad, providing crucial shelter on the way to Canada. The stands of hardwoods lining the creek included ghostly white sycamore trees, which were easy to follow even in the dark, while the creek itself provided cover from tracking dogs.

Before the Civil War, Alum Creek was an important branch of the Underground Railroad. There’s a lot of history here that predates when Alum Creek became a state park, however. Thanks to the newly formed Alum Creek Lake, the state park quickly became a destination for weekend boaters and picnickers, as well as campers looking for a quick getaway. ĭesignated in the 1970s after Alum Creek was damned as part of a flood control project, this state park is just thirty minutes outside of downtown Columbus, and even closer to the suburbs of Dublin, Westerville, and Worthington. And at just $32 a night at Sawdust Farm Camp, this is a getaway that won’t break the bank, either. And You’re in prime territory for bird watching, boating, fishing, and cycling. There are also the 19 beautiful covered bridges Ashtabula County is famous for. A short drive away are dozens of vineyards and tasting rooms on the Lake Erie Vines & Wines Trail. There’s even more to do in the broader Geneva On the Lake area. Just down the hill is a creek, as well as trails throughout the preserve. This cozy one-room cabin is equipped with a wood cookstove, ENO hammocks, cooking utensils, propane Colman camp stove, and sleeping space for 4. You can rent the Moonshine Cabin at Sawdust and soak up that second-growth magic for yourself. Klein for the sawdust that used left behind by logging operations before the 1960s and 70s, now this spot is a 400 acre nature preserve created in conjunction with the Natural History Museum of Cleveland.

Named by naturalist and writer Isabelle H. Get a taste of life in farm country close to Grand River and just thirteen miles from Lake Erie at Sawdust Farm Camp. Photo from campground owners Adrienne & Morgan S.Īgriculture has always been a big part of Ohio culture, and that tradition is still true today. Here you have a home base from which you can drive in any direction from the city center and arrive in a very different landscape just a few hours later. population lives within 600 miles of Columbus, and it sits within a day’s drive of not only Lake Erie, the Allegheny Mountains, and a variety of rivers, but also Atlanta, New York City, and Chicago.Īnd though Columbus might not have the varied, vertical terrain of other outdoor playgrounds, thanks to the enormous glaciers that ground central Ohio down two million years ago until it was pancake flat, it’s absolutely a fantastic place to get outside. In fact, Columbus might just be one of the best kept secrets not only of the Buckeye state, but of the whole midwest and beyond. Close to half the U.S. There is ‘So Much to Discover’ When Camping Near Columbus, Ohio What we discovered are the same qualities cultural critic Chuck Klosterman observed when he called Columbus, Ohio “a low-altitude Denver.” This apt, if unexpected, description that captures the city’s topography (minus any proximity to the front range of the Rockies), its proclivities for beer, higher education, and its reputation as a rapidly growing millennial magnet.

Outdoor recreation wasn’t on our radar as much as getting out of the car and grabbing a bite at Max & Erma’s.Īs my cousins and I grew up, though, we started exploring further and further outside the suburban neighborhoods surrounding CBus (as the locals affectionately call it) proper. Back then I associated the Buckeye State strongly with orange barrels and endless highway construction, with peculiar foods like Skyline chili and comforting treats like Graeter’s ice cream. Park towne place pool membership.This guide to camping in Columbus Ohio is brought to you by Primus, the makers of camping stoves that suit every adventure- from weekend car camping jaunts to longer treks into the backcountry.Īt least once a year since the late 1980s, my family and I have racked up countless hours traveling up and down I-75 from my hometown in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains to Columbus, Ohio.

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