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David - My inlaws introduced me to this park in 1997, and we've camped there every June since.

Campground Review

If you're looking for a great family camping getaway, this is the place. Situated in the woodlands of central Ohio, this park accommodates 214 campsites along the west shore of Delaware Reservoir. Although not among the larger of Ohio's State Parks, Delaware has plenty of space for enjoying a variety of outdoor activities.

I was impressed with this park from the moment we arrived. Everywhere we went the grounds were expertly manicured and exceptionally clean. I later discovered that much of the gardening and landscaping is (was) done by VIPs, senior citizens who are members of Ohio's Volunteers In Parks program. And speaking of gardening: Iris, Peony, Wild Rose, and Daisy were growing everywhere.

Arriving at the camground on Wednesday, we found no lines at the checkin office. However, we saw quite the contrary on Saturday as we passed the office several times during the day. It's always a good general rule that you will encounter fewer crowds and lines by arriving in the middle of the week. Choosing a campsite was easy, since all were level, spacious, and clean.

After setting up our camper we had to try some of the great crappie fishing we had heard so much about. Sure enough, we got that fish smell all over us, but there were clean, hot showers waiting to remedy that too. After cleaning up and beginning to fix dinner, we were soon greeted by the local clan of raccoons.

Fortunately, we had no visits from their woodland friends, the skunks, which (supposedly) are plentiful here too. Over the next few days, we saw Canadian Geese and Blue Heron whenever we fished. We saw no deer, but did see plenty of fresh hoof marks along the paths. Come Friday the campground started filling up, and by Saturday noon the campground was full. Most campers were families with kids. Everyone was friendly and seemed to really enjoy coming to this park. I certainly recommend this park to families with kids. There are 4 playgrounds, a swimming beach (btw, the water was quite warm), easy access to fishing from all the campground loops, a nature center, and well groomed nature trails, which connect each of the campgrounds with the lake.

Delaware State Park
5202 US Route 23 North
Delaware, OH 43015

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