Touring - 2 day biking/camping trip near Cincinnati

Help! Myself and two other friends wanted to bike somewhere about 50-80 miles from Cincinnati and camp out under the stars bringing only sleeping bags, food, and water. However, we have run into a problem. We can not find anywhere good to camp. I looked up a few different state parks in Ohio and they are all upwards of $20 a night for primitive campsites and also they have a rule that on the weekends you must pay for a minimum of two nights. So basically for us to stay at any of these campsites it would cost us upwards of $40 just to be able to lay down a sleeping bag somewhere for one night which is pretty ridiculous. After realizing how expensive it would be to stay at any of the Ohio state parks I decided to check out Indiana however I ran into another problem. In Indiana you need to be at least 18 years old to rent a campsite and I am only 17 and my friends are both 16. There is also the option of Kentucky but after Ohio and Indiana I become to discouraged to even look so I decided to come here to ask for help. If anyone knows of any good campsites within 50-80 miles of Cincinnati that aren't a complete rip off and don't discriminate against those under 18 years old could you please let me know. Thank you.

hey,

earlier this summer my buddy and i ran into a similar problem, we had ridden up to mifflin ohio, which is near mansfield, and we set up camp for 25 dollars at a campsite.

needless to say, the next morning we decided that we weren't going to blow money like that again, so the next night we found a good spot about 50 yards off the side of the road. it's pretty risky, considering it's illegal, but hey we survived and it made for a much more memorable and exciting night than the previous one.

i'm not saying that you should just go ahead and do this, so don't blame me if you get into trouble

by the way, you should check out this website if you need a good route: http://www.outdoor-pursuits.org/main/forsale/routes.htm

Instead of a state park, consider riding to a national forest (http://www.fs.fed.us/) where you can just ride up a forest road and camp wherever you like for free. You might also look for a national park (www.nps.gov). Also, the Army Corps of Engineers manages campgrounds near lakes (http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm).

Finally, you could look for commercial campgrounds like KOA, but they will likely be more expensive than you want to pay.

One of these should help you out.

The only problem with the suggestions of going to the national forests, national parks, and army corp lakes is I do'n't think there are any within a day's bike ride of Cincinnati.

Howdy -

Since they finished the AA Route in northern Kentucky, Highway 8 to Maysville is really quiet. You could make a loop in combination with some back roads north of the Ohio River - but I wouldn't take US 52. Maybe take the old bridge, then back roads up to Sardinia, then Old 32 to Batavia. It's been a long time since I camped there, but I remember an Army Corps of Engineers site on the river nearby.

From the City of Maysville Website - -
The River Park is open from April 1 through October 31. The park has a dock and launching ramp for recreational boaters on the Ohio River. Picnic tables, a playground and primitive & RV camping facilities are also available.

For more information, call 606-564-2520 or 606-564-9419.

Hope you have good weather and a good time.

Best - J