1
Pull-thru
USFSWayne National Forest · Ohio
Iron Ridge - Lake Vesuvius
Overview Iron Ridge is one of two campgrounds in the Vesuvius Recreation Area in southeastern Ohio's Wayne National Forest.
Sites3432 reservable
Elev.801ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rig58 ft1 pull-thru
Electric222×50-amp
From Columbus2h42real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 801 ft, Iron Ridge - Lake Vesuvius has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 28°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 34 sites total: 32 reservable and 2 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 1 pull-through, 11 walk-in, 2 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 58-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 10 named hiking routes, 2 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Mar-Nov
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
72%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 17
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 4.
68°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Columbus
112 mi
2h42
02
Cincinnati
149 mi
3h05
03
Cleveland
257 mi
5h18
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 1.8 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 34 SITES
Color byShow only
34 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
11
Walk-in
2
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
34
Sites
★ The standout
Site 009
IRON RIDGE LAKE VESUVIUS · walk-in · shaded.
To neighbor
238 ft
Type
Walk-in
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
10
Trail segments
116
Peaks
2
Viewpoints
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
1.8 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.