Camping offers s’more fun for all
Claire Merrick, Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Whether it’s to enjoy a night under the stars or to connect from nature, camping is a popular activity for all ages during northeast Ohio’s warmer months. From the campground at Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park to naturalist-led programming, visitors have enjoyed a wonderful season camping with Summit Metro Parks!
New this year, the park district launched its Camping for All initiative to help local families access the joys of camping. For a beginner, camping can be an expensive investment. In an effort to eliminate the financial barrier of camping, SMP provides free camping kit rentals for those participating in camping programming with the park district. Camping kits include a four- or six-person tent, sleeping pads, a lantern and a pie iron. These kits have been a popular asset to SMP programming.
Throughout the summer, visitors participated in workshops with specific camping skill instruction, such as packing appropriately, pitching a tent and cooking over a campfire. Visitors were offered the chance to practice those skills with a series of overnight camping programming with park staff. Activities included guided hikes, campfire cooking, paddling and yard games.
For those near and far, there’s exciting news for returning and first-time campers at Nimisila Reservoir! Summit Metro Parks is finalizing plans to upgrade Nimisila Campground by converting 12 non-electric sites to electric, tripling the number of electric sites available. Once the project is complete, there will be 18 sites with electricity. Additional improvements include running electric to four restroom facilities and the shelter by the lake.
These improvements have been commonly requested by visitors. Exact dates for site closures due to construction will be determined once the bid process is complete, but is expected to run primarily during the off season (November 2022 to May 2023).
The park district looks forward to welcoming a new and exciting camping season for all, coming in 2023!
Editor’s Note: The improvements at Nimisila Campground were postponed due to issues with the supply chain. The campground will be closed for construction and electrical upgrades on October 1, 2024 through June 1, 2024. Dates of the closure are subject to change. Visit the park district’s alerts page for updates.
