Iron Ridge - Lake Vesuvius

The park and campground are pretty. The management of the campground appears non-existent. No one is available for any questions or help campers with potential issues. Traveled to several places around to area to find firewood and there were no business which had any, (park or otherwise) which is an issue because we all know the restrictions about bringing your own firewood to places. This might all be early camping season problems, however.

Beautiful park. We did not get to meet the camp host but the park rangers were very nice.

Always a good time and experience at Iron Ridge Camp Ground. Fishing was good and so we’re the trails.

The area was well clean and ready when we arrived!

I had a great time at the Iron Ridge campground! The site was clean and well-marked. The host, Jody, was friendly, engaging and full of good information. The setting was gorgeous with well-marked trails (Jody also gave me some good tips about which trails offer the best views). My site didn't have electricity, but those that did looked like they were well-maintained. The bathrooms and showers were a welcome respite from a few days of camping. This campground seemed to attract an older set of campers and the evenings were quiet. I would definitely recommend staying here if you have the opportunity. One thing to note: you'll have to collect deadfall for a fire unless you want to pay a fairly steep price at the nearby "market". I think it was $10 (don't recall exactly) but in my experiences elsewhere I was able to get the same amount of wood for $6. There was plenty of deadfall around but to make use of it, you'll need a saw to cut it into smaller pieces.

Site was easily accessable, and plenty of space

Very clean and well maintained bathrooms, staff was friendly and we overall had a great experience. My family packed up early and had to leave because we were infested with ticks.
My children, despite having bug guard on, had multiple tiny baby ticks embedded.

We were constantly pulling them off us and the kids. We were tent camping and didn’t have a way to keep them away successfully.

Overall, we’ll be back but more prepared.

Overall the campsites were nice and the restrooms were kept clean. You will need your own hand soap as that isn't provided in the restrooms, you will also need your own mirror if you need it. The couple of hiking trails that we used were fun and nice, including the one from the campground to the lake. Only drawback for me was site I was in at #8, is it did start to get muddy some when it started to rain, and could possibly be a problem for other tent campers if it rains heavily, but other than that it was a nice site for me. Might be more enjoyable for someone with a camper but still ok with a good tent on the right spot.

We love Iron Ridge Campground. The sites are pretty large and spread out, and it’s very shady. The cost is amazing, and the hosts do a great job of cleaning them of debris and anything people leave behind. Speaking of hosts, Mark and Kelli go above and beyond to make sure campers have the best possible experience. They have helped us so much over the past few years. We camp at Iron Ridge pretty often because we have family in the area. Mark and Kelli always go the extra mile to stop by and say hello. Our dog absolutely loves them and knows them by name. Mark even did some dog sitting for us one day when we had a family member in the hospital. They keep the restrooms clean and know the area very well. Mark always helps the Wayne National Forest rangers with maintenance issues. We were visiting Mark just a few weeks ago when a big storm blew up. The wind was terrible and the electricity flickered a few times. As soon as the storm passed, Mark was in his truck driving the loop to check on everyone. That night he helped cut three trees at a nearby campground. A few weeks earlier, he helped cut trees that had fallen across the road to Oak Hill Campground. I cannot say enough good things about Mark and Kelli. Iron Ridge has become a home away from home for us. It’s just a short drive to Lake Vesuvius and many trailheads. Ironton is just a few minutes away. We wish the campground could be open year-round because we would certainly use it.