Metroparks Toledo has announced that it is in the planning stages of a new urban campground at Glass City Metropark on the East side, to open in 2026. Metroparks Toledo owns land between the National Museum for the Great Lakes and the Craig Memorial Bridge, which will be the location of the new campground.
It will be a relatively small campground, but the plan is to have a full hookup for Recreational Vehicles, as well as sites for tents and cabins. There will be a pavilion and the campground will also be next to The Glass City Marina which Metroparks Toledo also owns, so it will be convenient for boaters and campers.
A grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund will fund the building of an access road to the campground as well as campsites.
Another grant of about $1 million from the Lucas County Land Bank, which was awarded $3.2 million from the State of Ohio, will fund the cleanup of the campground site.
“There is a demand for urban camping, particularly among RV travelers who want to be near attractions,” says Matt Killam, Chief Outreach Officer for Metroparks Toledo, “the campground at Glass City Metropark will be part of the larger Glass City Riverwalk project, which will be an attraction in itself and will connect numerous destinations on both sides of the river. Nearby destinations include the National Museum of the Great Lakes, Promenade Park, Middlegrounds Metropark, Imagination Station, Fifth Third Field, Glass City Center and Huntington Center. Riverwalk is a complete makeover of the Toledo riverfront and will include accommodations such as a marina and transient boat docks, and, when it is completed in a couple years, a campground.”
Glass City Metropark is the first part of the enormous Glass City Riverwalk project to open, and it has already seen more than 500,000 visitors since the second phase was completed in June 2023.
This new campground at Glass City Metropark will add to Toledo Metroparks’ already substantial portfolio of campgrounds, which includes: Oak Openings, featuring the White Oak Campground, the Springbrook Campground, Caretaker’s Cottage, The Pine Ridge Chalet, and the Cannaley Treehouse Village; Cannonball Prairie offers a primitive campground with 3 campsites available; Farnsworth allows tent camping along the banks of the Maumee River, May through end of October; Wiregrass Lake offers a primitive campground for tent camping where you can kayak or fish; Granger Island offers a cabin and tent platforms; Blue Creek Metropark offers 3 campsites; Bend View Metropark has camping platforms with scenic views of the Maumee River. Reservations need to be made 24 hours in advance.
