This is the first time we've been camping and have run into someone we know. That was fun. Owners were very helpful and friendly. Everyone followed quiet hours while we were there. Owner's cat was not friendly to our child, she was scratched on the hand, but the owner apologized and quickly dressed her wound. The sites are very close together, but we were fortunate to not have a neighbor on one side. We were also right next to the park which was great for our child, however the teens like to hang out there and they are way too old to be playing on the equipment. One boy was swinging way too high and hit my child in the head. He never stopped or asked if she was all right. Also whoever had the site before us did not clean up so I was picking up garbage and cigarette butts. The pool was nice, they also have a gem mine. We are going back in October, but probably won't go back after that, we like things a little calmer. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We have stayed here many times and are very pleased with this campground and their staff. They always have activities, and are very friendly and helpful. The bathrooms and showers are always clean and taken care of. The times that we have stayed there the pool was very clean, and the permanent people that stay there are always nice and helpful, and they always make you feel welcome. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We arrived a few days before the "season" started so we got the lower rate, normally 40. We just stayed the night so the rate was OK, but 40 for an overnight seems high. Its high probably because it sits on a popular lake. Everyone was helpful and its obvious they have lots of activities for people who stay for more than a few days. You do have to pay for showers, but they were hot and clean. Since out class B has no bathroom, it was good to get a space right next to them so it was any easy walk. We even ordered in pizza after a long day of driving. We camped here in a Motorhome.
I have just read the review of this park dated July 07, with a 3 out of 10 rating!!!!! Well I think my husband & I must have been staying at another campground that weekend. We are well-traveled RV owners we have camped East coast to West Coast / North to South & the places in between, and have stayed in campgrounds that would be deserving of this family's opinions. But not so Beechwood Acre's, this campground and the husband and wife team who run it with a very small number of staff, do not fall into this category, my husband & I have been camping there the whole month of July 07, and found it to be the one of the most friendliest and cleanest campgrounds we have stayed at through the whole of America and Europe. We have a 40 ft class A diesel pusher, there are plenty of level or near level sites for us to park in easily with room to set up camp ect. Yes the sites are all gravel with some grassy areas, but we had heavy rain most of July, gully washers to be exact. But we had no trouble with flooding as gravel allows for better draining. We have stayed on campgrounds that have only grass and have had to buy bales of straw as they become so muddy, and we have stayed on sites that were black top or concrete with no shade and we ended up staying inside our RV with the AC running as it was so hot on this surface. As for the noise factor, this campground has a very good web site with a very well explained list of events that are planned for the year for our entertainment. What my husband and I do if we are going to any campground to stay we check what the calendar of events has to offer for our particular length of stay, and if we feel that it's not quite our thing we don’t go, but we find somewhere that suits us better for that time, but we will return to our original choice at a later date. We have never found the owners of this campground /staff to be rude or offensive but the complete opposite. On one particular occasion when camping at Beechwood, we had parked our motor home and was leveling when one of the springs on the level slipped. My husband tried to correct this but it nearly cut his finger off, If it wasn’t for the swift help of the campground owners on helping me to tend my husbands damaged finger, he could have lost it. The owner also got under our motor home and fixed the level for us with only our thanks as payment. Yes there are some slopes and gullies but they are mainly where the seasonal campers are sited, yes if you do have small children do the responsible thing, (don’t let them wander by themselves). The traffic question? It’s a campground with people coming and going!!!! No more or less than any other campground we have stayed at. Yes the planes do fly over that’s progress for you!!!! Lastly dog owner’s of which we are one, take responsibility for them, we were walking our little dog (the weekend in question) when we got to the pool area, sitting by a camper was a miniature Schnauzer it went totally ballistic and screamed and barked wildly at us and our dog with no response from the owners, who was sitting there, to stop this behavior. Yes we will be coming back to this campground, and a big thank you to the owner’s and staff for making our stay there so nice. A home away from home. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We were very displeased with this campground. People overall were rude including one of the owners. This seemed like more of a campground for people who liked to sit around and drink alcohol for a majority of the day which reminded my wife and I of high school or college. My wife and I grew out of that phase shortly after graduating. Not a very good campsite for young children. We have a 3 month old which was fine for him but this site would not be good for toddlers as there are many rocks around the site as well as drop-offs into ravines so you can imagine what may happen with a little one stumbling around. Also owners were not at all concerned with campers coming in for the weekend. They were only concerned with the permanent campers, drinking and were not friendly at all. They did nothing to make our stay nice. Other places we have been to, owners asked us if everything was okay, did we need any help etc. Common courtesy we felt in running a business. The sites overall were nice as most if not all are wooded. However we were on top of our neighbors as there was not much room at all between us. Had a cabin beside us and they allowed them to pitch a tent halfway on to our site and they said that they allowed that. The pool was the only thing this site had going for it. Our kids loved it. Also, on the kids note, they had a few activities for them but not as much as some other campgrounds provide. Quiet hours of 11pm to 8am were not enforced at all. In fact, one of the owners had a group of people out in front of their place drinking and being very loud well after 11pm on Friday evening. There was also a ton of car traffic and campers as well all weekend. More than we have seen at other campgrounds. Also had jets from the nearby DHL terminal taking off and flying directly overhead so it was very noisy especially Friday evening late into the nighttime. Overall, this would not be too bad of a campsite if you had older children, say teenage years. We will not return to this campsite. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We camped here for two nights. Smaller campground but it has a cozy feel, several "permanent" campsites--all kept up very well. Great play area for kids and great pool area! We were on Lot 44--very roomy, backs up to the woods. Aside from some unruly kids up way past their bedtime (1 a.m. or so), we had absolutely no problems! The owners are still running it solo until their summer staff gets on board. Park is already in excellent shape. Bathrooms and showers were very clean and convenient--just a short walk from our campsite. Small office/store, but has the essentials. Wilmington is just a short drive (10 mins or less) if you forget anything. We especially loved the late check-out option--only $1 per hour til 4 p.m. ($4 extra). Had time for breakfast, went fishing at Cowen Lake, and went swimming (heated pool)--all before packing up! We will definitely camp here again and will definitely recommend to family and friends. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
August 2006
$33
The good: heated pool, friendly staff, shaded. The bad: small uneven tight sites and hilly terrain. Trailers medium or big will have difficult time pulling into the campsites. I bent my rear jack due to the uneven roads. Also needed to engage 4WD to back into my site. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Been camping here for 4 years. Owners always make you feel welcome, and make sure you have the best camping experience possible. The pool is great, clean restrooms & showers. Numerous activities offered throughout the camping season. Ranging from live bands, to hay rides and train rides for the children. We always have a great time when we come here,as do our teenage children. Would, and have recommended this camp ground to all of our friends. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 6 / 10 ]
July 2005
$30
The sites we were in were very close. About 4 feet from my neighbors slideout to my awning. Paying $30 a night and they had pay showers. Swimming pool was great. Big screen TV in the shelter house was nice. Management was working hard on improvements. Lots of bugs! Management handled some rowdies fairly well. When it was quiet time they had them pretty well shut down. If there was a little more room on the sites and you didn't have to pay for the showers, I would have rated it higher. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Tried this campground due to it being near King's Island and because of the photos on their website. We were very pleased with the park. Shade is great and the pool is only several years old and maintained well. Park overall was very clean!! Carla and Todd are some of the nicest hosts I have ever dealt with. They do what is needed to make your stay a pleasant one. Whether staying for just a few nights, or for weeks, stop in and see them, and enjoy their park. The only reason the rating wasn't a ten was due to the lack of sewer hookup. If they trenched in sewer they would probably kill quite a few trees. They will come around and pump out your tanks for a reasonable fee. The kids told me as we were leaving "We wanna come back here!" We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2002
$25
Park that we camped in years ago and didn't go back. On a whim decided to try and see if it had improved over the years. New owners in 1998 and they have done a lot to upgrade the facilities. Beautiful new heated pool this year. Seems they are really trying to make this a top rated CG. Also a great restaurant nearby the Spillway that is a must visit. We will go back! We camped here in a camper.
We camped in the pet-friendly area so it was highly wooded. We thought we were getting a "lake-view" spot but the numbering on the sites is similar to the cabins so we were mistaken. We went to the front office and picked another site (near restrooms) as the corresponding site number was undesirable and they were very helpful. This is a state park so we had no water/sewer, but knew this in advance. The restrooms near us were clean-ish, meaning "usable" but bring a flashlight. The showers were warm and fairly clean. Make no mistake, you won't get "commercial"-quality amenities but it's good for a state park. The campground was very spacious, the store well-stocked, neighbors were quiet, good roads, beautiful lake and large, ample play areas for our 4 kids. We will stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We go here alot because it is close to home. The price creeps up every year but no improvements are made. The airplane traffic has gone down significantly since DHL has laid off the entire town of Wilmington. This place is alot of fun for the Halloween weekend. The same park ranger is always there but you don't see him much. Watch out for raccoons and skunks. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Second time we've camped at this park, this site was very small, pad listed as 66 feet, but a 28 foot trailer and an Expedition wouldn't fit on the pad. Bathrooms needed some work, paint and cleaning. The Showers were OK, but hot water lasted 3-5 minutes, and we tried for a hot shower at three different times throughout the day. The Dump station was very nice, near the trash, and easily accessible. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We have camped at Cowan Lake on several occasions, so we knew what to expect. Large sites with plenty of tall, established trees provide good shading. Showers and restrooms are a bit dated, but have always been clean during our visits. Weekends during the summer they show a "family oriented" movie - a nice touch for those camping with children. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We love our local state park campground! We camp here frequently every summer. We camped for a week on site # 172 which is right beside a water spigot and a grey water dump basin. This allows us to stay and not have to use the dump station to get rid of our grey water. This is a beautiful campground and is perfect for bike riding and just plain walking! It is always clean and well kept. Never have had any problems while staying here. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
The sites at this campground are fairly large and well spaced with lots of shade trees. I don't know if things would be better farther into the season, but we were disappointed that the campground store was not open, and the bathrooms were in desperate need of a good cleaning including putting working locks on the doors, a new paint job to cover all of the peeling paint and removing the numerous cobwebs and dead bugs. The playground equipment was in poor repair and the beach was in need of a good round of weed killer and perhaps a few loads of new sand. We stayed for two nights and the restrooms were not cleaned at all the entire time that we were there, which made them pretty nasty by Sunday morning. Also, the shower house was fairly clean in comparison to the restrooms, but all of the windows were still locked shut for the winter which made showering on an 80 plus degree day rather hot and miserable! We would consider staying here again maybe later in the season to give it another chance, but have stayed at much nicer state campgrounds so would return to them before returning to Cowan Lake. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
My wife and I camped in our 28' Trailer, in the Pet area. We had a site listed as 'Slight Slope', and 'Afternoon Sun'. The slight slope was exactly right, not enough to be a problem, if you had a few blocks for the jacks. The site had lots of trees, very tall, and provided lots of shade, there was some afternoon sun, but not much. The bathrooms were a little dated, and I cleaned the shower head to improve water flow! Otherwise, the bathrooms and facilities were in good shape, pretty clean, and the wife was even happy with the showers. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
My wife and I stayed at Cowan Lake at the end of October and we were fortunate to literally have the campground to our selves. Yes, it rained and was cold but the beautiful fall foliage more than made up for the climate. I will agree that since this is directly below the path of planes landing and taking off from the Cincinnati airport (60 miles away), it was somewhat disturbing, but that was only because a plane woke me up at 5:00 AM and with all the rain I wondered if it was a tornado. However, after I figured out what it was, the sounds did not bother me at all. I did not have any problems with the camp ground hosts.They came by a couple times on their routine tour of the camp. The campground is right beside a beautiful lake with nice walking trails through the woods. I do plan to go back and given the close proximity to my home this will definitely become our weekend get-a-way site. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 10 / 10 ]
June 2005
$23
We have camped at this campground since our kids were little, and they are now 21 and 23. My husband camped there as a child also with his family of 8. We have never encountered any bad CamperHosts (remember they are volunteers, not paid employees). By far this is the best state campground we have been in. We have always said that once you have been to Cowan Lake, you are spoiled for anywhere else. When our children were little, they participated in all the camp sponsored events and were thrilled with the attention they received. They have very fond memories of camping. Maybe some people's children need more of mom and dad's attention and not be allowed to freely wonder the park. I hope your next visit to Cowan Lake Park is a great one. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 1 / 10 ]
May 2005
$21
We agree with previous post... Our first trip to Cowan lake; and while on a trail with the dogs; wandered into the no-pet section...we got yelled at by the camperhosts to get the dogs out of there now! without even a chance to explain...We did explain to the office and the park ranger who were exceptionally friendly...but between that and the planes from the airborne central hub shaking the ground from 3am on we will not go back...The park is nice; but not worth all that. This is the first state park in Ohio we have encountered and have not liked. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This campground was a nightmare. The campground HOST'S are RUDE! RUDE! If you are looking for a great family place to relax and enjoy yourself this is not the place. I suggest that the hosts retire and soon. They should be in a retirement community not a state park. I have vowed that I would NEVER return to this park and would do what ever it takes to get the word out about the worst camping exerience I have ever had in the 30 plus years that I have been camping. PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THIS PARK IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
This is a very quiet campground for the most part. On holiday weekends it books ups way in advance. You may make reservations, but they charge you from that date. It has a pet section and a non pet section. Actually the pet area is more shaded and better campsites. Water is available and so is a dump station. It sits on a lake (HP limit 10 HP) and you can rent pontoons, canoes etc. Also a nice hiking trail. Campground has private beach area. Pets are $2.00 extra a night. We camped here in a camper.
This is a very clean and well kept park. The staff is very friendly and helpful. It is easy access from the Interstate. Will definitely stay here again. From site 27, I was able to use the park's wifi from my trailer. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a nice Thousand Trails park. Our phone worked but not our computer EDVO card however we managed to get a site close enough to the Welcome Center (where the wireless is located) to pick up the signal in our rig. Good activity schedule in the park and quite a bit nearby--flea market, pioneer park less than ten miles. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A nice Thousand Trails campground. Typically clean and reasonably maintained. Convenient to freeway, but not a lot of activity in the immediate area. Wilmington, OH is not much for a college town. Very pleasant, helpful staff. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A well secured private park (membership only) just two miles from the interstate. Plenty of weekend activities plus a few daily activities during the week. Restrooms and showers were spotless. Friendly campers throughout the reserve. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a membership resort, we were invited to visit and listen to the sales pitch. I remember this CG from the 60's when it was called Hillside Haven. It is larger then I remember, but for the most part, still the same. I gave it a low overall rating over the pool. We have small kids, under 10, and they did not know about the "Adult Swim" times. They were told to leave the pool. I had to listen to kids complain that they were not allowed to swim. I did not buy into Thousand Trails, and may never do so now. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Many on-site storage units, but many sites available on a first come basis. Quiet peaceful well maintained park. Large indoor pool. Convenient to Dayton and Cincinnati. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a Thousand Trails Preserve between Wilmington & Waynesburg. Large sites, only 2 pull-thrus but back-in sites are spacious. Indoor pool, 2 lakes, clean laundry facilities. Store did not seem as big as it could have been. Grass needed cut. There were workers doing grass and trimming but they seemed to be shorthanded. Would go there again. Nice park. We camped here in a camper.