Hooray-Ohio updated their winter camping page

[W8IZ]

Up to the last few days, Ohio had not updated their Department of Natural Resources web page for winter camping. This was then confused by a number of VIPs suggesting the park campgrounds would close over the winter. Now it appears they will be open.

Hooray.

Hooray for Ohio!

Still free parks! No charge to watch the trees. I am proud.

Ohio State Parks - Winter Camping

Steve
Wolf's Words under the motorhome link

[NLOVNIT]

YAY!!! Great news! There ya go, Jim (Superslif), book those winter campsites & rack up those points towards your free night!

On a thought slightly but still relating to the above post, I'm REALLY glad OH SP's are still free & hope they stay that way. After visiting MI SP's this past fall & having to pay a non-resident $8 per vehicle, per day fee on top of the site reservation fee (& the parks weren't any better than OH's, IMO), I'm thankful OH SP's don't charge an entrance fee.

Lori-

[Superslif]

Yes, I'm looking at when they open up in the spring. Usually I like to hit Findley SP. in early April. I noticed some of the parks are closed till April 10th. where in past years they stayed open. Looks like one park in each zone will stay open for the winter. With Ohio's budget problems, we'll just have to make due....

[W8IZ]

Geneva is one of the parks that are closed in the winter. When all the parks remained open I'd sometimes camp at Geneva in mid-winter. In the snow belt, Geneva spent a lot of resources to keep the grounds open for so few people. I can understand there is a balance between cost and return on some of these parks. In like manner, parks like Great Seal, Muskingum, Malabar Farm, South Bass and Kellys probably don't have enough visitors to justify the work.

But what of Blue Rock and Jefferson? I bet there are statistics showing no campers for weeks at a time. They've been closed winters for a few seasons. When they first closed, I was worried ODNR would whittle away by adding a park or two each year to that closed list. That has not happened. Well done.

What is this "when they open in spring" stuff in the below quote? Get your rear out there on Martin Luther King weekend! There isn't anything quite like a freshly made butcher shop brat slow cooked over an open fire when it's eighteen below zero F outside! Those fantastic sledding hills at Punderson are calling!

Punderson employees are fantastic. Punderson is often snowed over as it is in the very heart of the snow belt. When I arrive I often have to find a maintenance working and ask (plead/beg) him or her to plow a particular site. A level site at Punderson is sometimes hard to find. Those employees have always helped me out and every time I try to offer them a tip they refuse. Having to drive all the way to the other side of the park for a thirty second plow job has to be a royal pain for them. But they do it. ODNR does needs to upgrade the power at Punderson.

Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superslif Yes, I'm looking at when they open up in the spring. Usually I like to hit Findley SP. in early April. I noticed some of the parks are closed till April 10th. where in past years they stayed open. Looks like one park in each zone will stay open for the winter. With Ohio's budget problems, we'll just have to make due....

[Superslif]

Quote:

ODNR does needs to upgrade the power at Punderson

We were at Pundeson a few weeks before Thanksgiving. And yes, the power is bad. I had the site across the street from the showerhouse. I had to plug the trailer into my site, and run a extention cord over to another sites 20 amp service to run a small heater. I don't know how the big rigs handle 20 amp service. You would think with being the one park open for the winter, Punderson would have better power to run heaters in the off season. there were actually about 20 campers that weekend. It got down to the upper 20's at night, but in the upper 50's during the day.

09' pixs Punderson pix's
06' Thanksgiving weekend picks. 06' Pixs

The park mananger stopped by to give us our site tag and I asked him if a electricial upgrade was in the cards. We said he got a quote for $800,000 to upgrade to aluminum wire 30 amp service () and $1,800,000 to upgrade to copper 50 amp service. With Ohio in it state of money shortage, it's not going to happen. All summer long he has to replace burned up outlets.