All campsites are similar, but none are the same.
For the purposes of this post we’ll only rank the sites that both Aaron and I (the two dudes) have camped at together. So far, we are at seven.
I’ll start with the worst and work up to the best. I think that’s the way the “influencers’ do it, right? Gotta rope you in and make you wait to get to the best part?
(All reviews are made for entertainment purposes only. I am in no way trying to speak bad about any of these campgrounds. I would recommend every single one of these to a friend. Camping is camping, it’s a tent on the ground.)
#7-Farmer Johns Campground (Bristol, Tennessee)
I want to preface this by saying Farmer John’s Campground is a perfectly great campground. The workers were friendly and more than accommodating. This ranking is based more on our experience as a whole, and their piece of it was not the problem.
Out trip to Farmer John’s was primarily for the purpose of going to the Bristol Speedway Motor Classic. The Reds played the Braves and it rained on us the ENTIRE time we were there.
The venue ran out of food and beer by the time the game started, and they ended up postponing the game until the next day.
Our tents got put to the test. Despite the rain fly and all precautions, water still ended up in both of our tents.
The neighbors played music until nearly two in the morning, and there was no fire pit. We resorted to half-roasted hotdogs on the small jet-boil burner.
It was rough.
Campsite (5/10) Experience (2/10)
#6-The Narrows (Beavercreek, Ohio)
I really hate to put this at number six, but unfortunately, I must.
This is local, and it is a great spot to go when you impulsively decide to camp.
To get to the site, you have to backpack in about two miles. This means you are limited to only what you can carry. After your hike you come to a clearing. It is not very big, but for two guys it is more than enough space.
If you happened to camp with others you would have to get real familiar, real fast.
The grass is often very high, which is fine but not ideal. You can cut your own wood which is a plus, but there is nothing there but a fire pit. No picnic table or anything else. We have folding tables which is great, but you can’t lug a table two miles.
We mostly stand around the fire, talk about life, smoke cigars, and eat something pre-packaged…
I will say the isolation is great. You aren’t too far from society in the grand scheme of things, but it sure feels like you’re out there.
The river runs nearby with places to swim, fish, or hangout.
Campsite (5/10) Experience (5/10)
#5 Buck Creek State Park (Springfield, Ohio)
I’m putting this one in a lower spot because it felt very commercial. I don’t mean that in a bad way… but also I sort of do.
We camped here on the Fourth of July, and there were kids everywhere. This is fine, but that also means parents are constantly screaming at them. Drinking, and screaming.
One couple made sure everybody in the campground knew they were upset with each other.
All that aside the site itself was good. There was a place to park the car, and our strip was decently wide and quite long. There was a picnic table, a fire pit, and electric hook up. While I love having electric, camping doesn’t feel the same surrounded by RV’s.
We did enjoy three or four fireworks shows from across the lake from our site.
Campsite (7/10) Experience (5/10)
#4-John bryan State Park (Yellow Springs, Ohio)
This one falls into pretty much the same category as the last one. The campsite was fine, but the experience felt too RV-ish. We were two of the only people sleeping in camps.
We did get to ride our bikes to town from the campground, and Yellow Springs is a great place to spend the day.
The site we were given was on a hill, and there were very few spaces to place a tent flat. We figured it out, but bearly. I say bearly not barely, because we are pretty sure there was a bear outside of our tents that night. It tore through all of the food that we had, and wrecked an entire cooler.
Our fault for leaving the food out but I blame that last beer…
The other campers were close and it just didn’t vibe with me like it could have.
Campsite (5/10) Experience (6/10)
#3-Cowan Lake State Park (Wilmington, Ohio)
This one is a weird one.
I don’t really know what to say about it, so I guess it gets put at number three.
We didn’t think we were going to end up camping because the weather was awful, but it broke and we got lucky. Unfortunately, the fire pit that we were given was flooded. I had to dig a trench and empty it using a pickleball paddle I just happened to have in my car.
We did have plenty of isolation since we were the only ones on our side of the parking lot, but it did sort of feel like we just pulled into a parking lot and put up tents.
The reason this ranks as high as it does, is because of the lake, and the beach that was nearby. There were actual toilets which is always appreciated.
The public beach was great, and we ended up throwing frisbee for almost an hour when we woke up in the morning. The night before we sat on the dock and experienced the quiet of the lake with the stars unblocked by clouds. (Pause.)
I guess this one gets three.
Campsite (6/10?) Experience (7/10)
#2-Daniel Boone National Forest, Twin Knob Campground (Morehead, Kentucky)
The campsite here was great, and I’m not just saying that because I was relieved to be off the road.
We stopped here on our way to Bristol (see #7-the worst) and it was honestly great. The issue was, we didn’t bother to book anything ahead of time, we just started driving.
After four hours on the road, and two other failed campgrounds, we ended up here.
There was a picnic table, a nice fire pit, and bathrooms close by.
More importantly, we could cut our own wood, which is Aaron’s favorite activity, I think. Also, it is cheaper than buying wood. I do think the site itself was a little expensive though. Not crazy, but slightly higher than usual.
This one ranks as high as it does because the lake nearby was majestic as a motherfucker. I found plenty of rocks to skip out into the water, and we arrived just in time to watch the sunset on the lake.
I would visit this site again in a heartbeat, and I hate that we didn’t get to stay for a longer visit.
Campsite (8/10) Experience (8/10)
#1-New River Gorge National Park (Beckley, West Virginia)
It’s convenient that this gets put at number one, seeing as it is the first camping trip we went on together.
This trip was amazing. The campground was mostly empty, as in 4/100 spaces, and we picked a spot near the river where the downed wood was a plenty. The site was laid out like the blueprint of a house, and we had our own drive way, picnic table, grill, firepit, and yard.
The vibe here was immaculate. We stayed for two nights, but I would have stayed a year if I could have.
To get to the campsite you have to cross over an active railroad track, and you are basically pinned in-between the tracks and the river. The hills surround you, and throughout the day you get to watch the trail go rolling by.
The sound of it going by at night was like white noise, but better.
This is where we both decided that we wanted to really dig into the camping thing, and now here we are.
Sidenote-It was so cold when we went in April that I genuinely thought I was going to freeze. I was shivering throughout the night despite having on two to three layers of clothing, a blanket, and a sleeping bag.
(Campsite 10/10) Experience (9/10)
Thanks for Reading!
I hope this is a good look at the journey we have been on so far. Maybe you learned something, or maybe it was just a fun read. Either way, thanks for coming.
We hope to bring you more great content soon!
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