Camping returns to Nimisila Reservoir
Got camping? Summit Metro Parks officials can finally answer “yes.”
Beginning Friday, July 7, primitive camping will be possible at Nimisila Reservoir Metro Park in Green. Details and the link to online reservations are available at summitmetroparks.org.
Twenty-nine individual sites are available at the campground, located near the eastern banks of the 800-acre reservoir, at 5550 Christman Rd. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table, and six sites have electricity. Three are ADA accessible.
Sites with electricity will cost $30/weeknight, and $35/night on weekends (Friday-Sunday) and holidays. Non-electric sites will cost $25/weeknight, and $30/night on weekends (Friday-Sunday) and holidays. A flat processing fee will apply to each reservation. The maximum stay is 10 consecutive nights in a 30-day period. Camping will be possible this year through October 31.
Reservations may only be made online and in person at the park district’s administrative offices, at 975 Treaty Line Rd., Akron, during regular hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Permits will only be issued to individuals 18 and older. Alcohol is prohibited. The campsites accommodate a tent or tents with combined floor space under 200 square feet, or a camper, RV or truck camper and a tent. There are no showers or drinking water at the campground.
Camping has not been allowed at Nimisila Reservoir since 2015, when Summit Metro Parks leased the former state park from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
“We’ve been asked about camping since the first day we assumed management of Nimisila,” spokesperson Nathan Eppink said. “We had several things we needed to do first.”
In the two years since the lease was signed, the local park district has increased patrols and committed to regular maintenance, and made numerous upgrades to boat launches and a playground. The number of campsites has been reduced from about 90 to the current 29. Several graywater stations and a new campground office were added this season.
In 2018, camping at Nimisila Reservoir will be possible May 1 through October 31.
