Located just 30 minutes southwest of Toledo, the Bluegrass Campground plays host to The Eco Camp ($129-$149 per night), a fully sustainable camping experience. Nestled between the sprawling Maumee State Forest and the 6,000-acre Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, The Eco Camp offers visitors life in luxurious 16-foot-wide Lotus Belle yurts, made from renewable materials. Each one comes with a queen-sized mattress, carpeted flooring, nightstands, heating and a battery pack to power electronics. In fact, everything in The Eco Camp is solar-powered to limit the strain on the environment.
“We kind of try to emphasize a careful stewardship of nature while people are at the camp, so there are little signs that remind people of the impact that their actions are having,” says owner Alex Wrege. While nearby Oak Openings offers hikers, bikers and horseback riders more than 65 miles of trails, picturesque Mallard Lake and sand dunes, The Eco Camp itself offers four-hour paddleboarding trips along the Maumee River.
The amount of nearby natural fun reinforces Wrege’s goal of minimal environmental impact. “I didn’t cut down a single tree to place the campsite because I just found natural clearings in the woods,” he says. “Nature is something that we have to preserve for future generations to enjoy.”
5751 Waterville Swanton Road, Swanton, 419-482-8406, theecocamp.com
Camping Cleveland: The Eco Camp Merges Luxury And Sustainability
This off-the-grid campsite near Toledo offers up one guilt-free travel destination.
