Hocking Hills State Park Primitive Camping
Sunday, October 11th, 2009I love primitive camping.
No, not the type of camping where you have to bring sticks and spears and wear animals skins…the kind where you actually set your tent up out in the woods instead of 15 feet behind the concrete slab where you’ve parked your car.
That’s one of the things I love about camping at Hocking Hills State park. They have an actual primitive (also known as walk-in) camping available.
Reserve Your Campsite Online
The trail from the parking lot to the primitive camp sites at Hocking Hills State Park
The great thing about Ohio’s State Park system is their online reservation system. Camp grounds fill up fast on holiday weekends and good sites can even be sparse on your average summer weekend. While the system tacks on an $8 fee to reserve your spot ahead of time, it’s a small price to pay to make sure you don’t end up with one of those teeny, tiny spots that butts right up to the trail and let’s every other camper know exactly what you’re having for dinner.
The fact you can now reserve one of Hocking Hills State Park’s primitive camp sites online as well. (You didn’t used to be able to reserve walk-in sites.) The key to reserving your spot online is to take the time to read the descriptions they provide for each space.
If, for example, the site description includes “857 FEET WALK-IN FROM GATE” you might be ok with reading the site is only 15 feet by 12 feet and will barely fit your two man tent and a picnic table. On the other hand, a closing line like “1490 FEET WALK-IN FROM GATE” may not phase you if you know that site is not only ginormous, but is also very secluded with spot for up to three 7 or 8 person tents.
If you don’t want to take the system’s word for it, take mine. I’ve camped on sites 9, 27 and 17 in this campground. Each have their pros and cons, depending on what you’re looking for in a camp site.
Site 9 – Flat, Large, but Little Privacy
Site 9 is the first spot I ever camped on at Hocking Hills. It’s about a 7-10 minute walk from the parking lot if you’re hauling gear and it’s on a bit of a ridge above the trail. It’s got a nice open clearing and is very flat, but the trees around it are sparse and unless it’s the thick of spring growth, people will mostly be able to see you as they pass on the trail. It’s a good site for groups because there’s plenty of space to set up multiple tents. It’s also a short walk to the latrines (though far enough you don’t have to smell them.)
Site 27 – Medium Distance, VERY private
Site 27 is directly across the trail from site 9, so it’s the same distance from the street and the latrine. The difference is you walk down the side of a hill to get to site 27 instead of walking up it. The site is about 70 yards off the trail and is made up of a small clearing in the midst of a bazillion trees. It’s the most secluded spot I’ve stayed at that campgrounds, making it one of the quietest. You could easily set up two to three large tents on this spot as well, but there are some slight sloping issues you’ll need to take into consideration.
There’s potential issue with site 27 if you’re a big fraidy cat. The opening in the trees is just large enough to set up the tents…other than that, it’s pretty dense in there. The trail to get down to site 27 off the main path is pretty narrow and has quite a few major roots running across it. That makes for some fun night time walking if you aren’t the one carrying the flash light and it makes for a challenge if you rely on a wagon to get your gear to your site. We dumped our wagon at least twice on the way down the path…though that was mostly because we’d piled it too high and there was no one walking along side it offering support.
Site 17 – Long Haul, Great for Groups
Primitive Walk-in Site 17 at Hocking Hills State Park
Site 17 is probably my favorite site at Hocking Hills. It’s one heck of a hike to get there (about 30 minutes round trip from the car if you’re taking a load of supplies) but it’s absolutely beautiful.
The site itself sits back off the trail a good 150 yards or so and is one of the largest, flattest sites I’ve seen. I have no doubt you could fit four 7-8 person tents on that site without feeling cramped.
We had our giant condo tent, a smaller supply tent, plus chairs for five people, the fire pit and a picnic table and we barely made a dent in the space on this site.
It’s a large enough clearing the trees aren’t overhanging the site, so on a good night, you can look up and have a wonderful view of the stars. That said, it’s completely surrounded by woods, so it’s easy enough to take a 10 minute hike to pick up plenty of kindling for the fire.
What it Costs
While camping costs you a heck of a lot less than a cabin or a hotel, it’s prices keep creeping up as the years go by. Rates are $20 a night for up to six people on a camp site. You’ll get two free parking passes with your camp site, but you’ll have to pay a small fee if you need any more than that. If you reserve online, they’ll tack on a one time fee of $8 for the security of knowing there will be a space there when you show up.
The season runs from April 1st through October 31st and includes a maximum stay of two weeks at a time. There are no showers at the primitive sites, but you do have a ability to drive over to the main campgrounds and take a shower there.
How to Get There
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