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Guide to Free Campgrounds, West
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Ohio Turnpike

State:	Ohio
Nearest City:	Unknown
Nearest Town:	Unknown

Cost:	Unknown
Number of Campsites:	10 or less
Max days allowed:	Unknown

Road:	Paved
Miles from paved road:	Unknown

Scenery Rating:	3 out of 5
Noise Level:	3 out of 5

Amenities: Water, Electric, Dump Station, Restrooms
Status: Official
Months Open: Year Round

Description
Several of the rest stop plazas on the turnpike have parking for RVs up to 40'. For a donation of $15, you can hook up to electric and spend the night. They have a dump station and fresh water. Restrooms are in the plaza itself.
Contributor: Bob Kutzler Phillipsburg NJ Added: 8/5/2005

Comments (9)

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Stayed at the Middle Ridge Service Plaza (westbound) last week and it was great. Had electricity and dump station available. Temps were minus 20 windchill and we ran out of propane in our truck camper, so we were very happy to have the electrical hookup so we could run our strip heater and microwave. For $15 we got a great deal.

Posted: 1/3/2010 Deborah Grand Rapids Michigan

I have stayed at the Ohio Turnpike truck/rv stops. We perfered to stay in the open lot because the rv lot is next to the exit ramp. The trucks come rolling in using the jake brake making it too noisy to sleep there. If it were at the exit ramp area it would be very nice to have water and electric for $15 bucks.

Posted: 9/4/2009 Tony Chicago Illinois

Stayed at M.P. 76.9 Westbound. For $15.00 was well worth it. Well lit and close to travel plaza. Used dump station and refilled water tanks in morning as well. Pull thru sites was convienant but 40 foot limit can be hard for most rigs. We managed to squeeze our 45 foot length by slightly turning our tow vehicle to stay within the lines. We highly recommend and will use again

Posted: 11/2/2008 Jeff and Tami Butler Pennsylvania

I have not camped in any of these, but have checked out 5 of the 6 by driving in. They are NOT at every plaza but one eastbound and one westbound at each of the following mileposts: M.P.76.9 , M.P. 139.5 and M.P. 197. Overnight camping is NOT noted on the turnpike signs. When you enter the "offramp," the camping area is marked "RV PARKING," so the campers stop there to go into the plaza. The sites are set up for overnight, not for simple parking, so it is confusing when you first enter. The signage should be corrected to read "overnight stop," not RV parking. There is a brochure available at the plazas titled "Ohio Turnpike Map" or information is also available at the Ohio Turnpike Commission's website http://www.ohioturnpike.org/services.html Briefly, the rules are one night stay between 4:00 PM and 10:00 AM, first come, first served. Each site has an electric hookup. There is one dumps tation and one water tank fill station per plaza. The dump and water fill seem to be free to use anytime at no charge. There is a $15. overnight fee paid to an automatic vending machine in the camping area. It accepts $1, 2, 5, and 10 dollar bills, and dispenses a permit which you lay in your (left I believe) windshield area. The two (east and westbound) at M.P. 76.9 have 12 sites EB and 12 sites WB, and are laid out in a double herringbone, meaning when you leave the plaza entrance ramp and enter the camp area (RV parking), you drive into a center driveway and have pull-through sites both left and right off the center. When you leave you, continue through and exit on either the left or right side campground exit drive. Also the length limit is 40 feet, and while you MIGHT squeeze in a slightly longer combination, the length is tight and not really much slider room. I did not look closly at the electric hook-ups. The ones east and west at M.P. 139.5 and M.P. 197 are back-ins. They are also short but are 25 feet wide, so while harder to get in, there is plenty of slider room. However, every other electric hook-up is 30/50 amps or 20 amps, so before you settle on a site, check the electric box if you need 30 or 50 amps. Small boxes are 20 amp only. These 6 plazas are all remodeled and very nice. I am not sure about showers. If there are any, they would be in the "truckers lounge" area of the plaza. But most people needing a hook-up would have their own. I believe while noisy, these campgrounds are quite an acceptable overnight stop for the traveler. However, they are probably too noisy and of questionable safety for canvas pop-ups and have no grass for tents. If you have a LONG outfit and do not need a hookup or put out a slider, the semi truck parking on the far side of the plaza is available for free. These 6 plazas and a couple others offer Wi-Fi for $4 for 2 hours, if you need that.

Posted: 7/7/2007 Keith Orrville Ohio

Where exactly is this? Anywhere around Mason?

Posted: 5/15/2007 PJ Oxford Ohio

We travelled through Ohio on our way to and from Michigan. We did not have our camper with us but were thrilled at the accommodations offered at the rest areas. You can get a map from the rest areas that shows what is available at each rest facility. We were very impressed with the cleanliness. There is also at least one of the resaurants open 24 hours at each stop. We are planning to use this service in the near future and are planning a trip just to enjoy this feature. P.S. There is a great restaurant just off the pike at Borea, Ohio called The Station. It is an old sandstone train station that has been turned into a restaurant. Do yourself a favor and try their Pecan Crusted Orange Blossom Honey Chicken Breast: it was great. The staff was very helpful and friendly.

Posted: 5/19/2006 M.K. Huedepohl Norfolk Virginia

Note that the 40-foot length is total length. If you are towing anything, the chances of having to unhitch are very good!

Posted: 5/11/2006 CamperNJ New Jersey

It's $15 to plug in at their fenced-in area at two of the rest plazas the last time I checked. As always, parking in the main lot is free all night long.

Posted: 2/14/2006 John Butler Pennsylvania

How much do I have to pay for the camp?

Posted: 11/6/2005 Phyllis Hoepfl Holland Ohio

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