Cowan Lake

1750 Osborn Road

Wilmington, Ohio 45177

Camp Office: (937-383-3751)

Reservations: (866) 644-6727

http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/cowanlake

 

Pros: Nice hiking trails. Wooded sites. Excellent pizza and ice cream at the commissary.

Cons: No full hookups. Some parts of the campground were affected by the Ash Borer. The lake has a 10 horsepower limit.

 

Cowan Lake is 1,075 acre park located near Wilmington, Ohio. The campground contains 237 electric sites, 17 no-electric, and 27 cottages. Four sites are wheelchair accessible. There are flush toilets scattered throughout the campground and two shower houses. The campground also includes a dumping station and a boat launch.

There are two types of cottages. The regular cottages include two bedrooms and have the capacity for air conditioning or heating.  In addition, there is a living area, kitchen, and bathroom/shower. A color TV and roof antenna are provided. The premium cottages have gas fireplaces and wooden decks with gas cooking grills. There are three cottages that are pet-friendly (C2, C3, and C4).

Winter camping is available, however, the shower houses close 11/1. There is one porta-potty available during the winter months. There is a very nice commissary with camping supplies, food items and gifts.  Slab firewood is available but the burn quality is not always the best.

 

Appearance

The roads are pretty well manicured and all roads and campsites are paved.  We have camped here several times and can say how disappointing the effects of the Ash Borer has been to this park..  Scores of trees – many that provided nice shade for campsites have been cut down.  Unfortunately, many sites that are listed as full-shade on the park website no longer have shade.  There is a public beach but it is fairly shallow and made up of small pebbles.

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Activities

1. 700 acre lake (10 HP maximum)
   1. Boating
   2. Fishing
2. Beach and swimming
3. Hunting is permitted in designated areas during scheduled hunting
4. Bike rental.
5. Volleyball and basketball courts
6. Miniature Golf
7. Three playgrounds

 Nearby Attractions

1. King’s Island (35 minutes)
2. City of Wilmington

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Family and Pet Friendly

The campground is fairly large and offers plenty of paved roads for children and families to ride bikes.  There are three playground areas in addition to a basketball court, and very nice and lengthy hiking trails.  The commissary has bike rentals and a very good ice cream shop. Unfortunately, there is no fenced in dog park, and dogs are not permitted on the beach.  The trails are dog friendly and offer great opportunities for dogs to enjoy exercise and even go down to the water.

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Restrooms

The shower houses and restrooms are decent but not anything great.  there are toilet houses throughout the park, so there is never much of a walk from any campsite.  There are two showerhouses that have several shower stalls.  The water is not overly hot, but do have continuous flow (no push button).

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