Kelleys Island State Park

This state island campground is more than expected! worth the ferry travel, a paradise kept secret. We stumbled upon this island by accident along our travels after Labor Day and we totally fell in love. The water front camping, swimming, boating, kayaking, historic sites, attractions and facilities are superb. Everything you need and more than you expect. We traveled in with our 34’ trailer. The ferry cost was a bit high, around $200 round trip for us, truck and camper….but it was worth it!! The campground is immaculate, quiet during the week especially after Labor Day, the weekend brings a larger crowd. Walking trails, sites, boating and swimming all available from campground. Sandy shallow beach with beautiful view. Ice, firewood and a store conveniently located at campground. The campground is small and sites a bit tight but spaced accordingly and comfortable. Two waterfront cabins and two yurts available for rent as well. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the island overall. The glacial grooves, limestone crusher, north loop trail, beach and boat launch all withing walking distance. We rented bikes downtown to explore rest of island, including winery, cantina and local bars. Counting the days to go back.

This is my favorite of the 3 islands. The grooves alone are ridiculous. However, I do think this island has the best nature preserves and a good amount of food options without feeling too touristy.

The Island itself is great for those that love nature or wine. Not a party island so take your alcoholism elsewhere. The State park is also great if you enjoy true camping with plenty of nature and water access to lake Erie. Trails and a beach highlight the access.

The Glacial grooves are definitely worth seeing and makes you feel like you are taken back to a different time seeing all of the layers of rock.

Tried to walk one of the trails but it’s not marked at all and lots of other trails going off from the path. Very confusing and we had to just turn back the way we went to get back. It was supposed to be a loop but with all the random trails and no signs we never found the right trail. The maps in the few spots we found were definitely not accurate, google maps definitely doesn’t have the trail. Sign said soon to come and finished in 2025 and that it’s only 1.6 mi trails. We walked at least 2 mi and definitely wasn’t close to coming back around the loop.

Great camping grounds and pretty clean bathrooms. Really enjoyed the beach and tons of trails to explore. Not too rowdy and more relaxed than expected. Came wait to go back.