Buckeye Lake / Columbus East KOA Holiday

We've been coming to Buckeye Lake KOA for years when visiting Columbus, and for the most part, it’s been a nice place to stay. Curious about the upgrades they’ve been promoting in emails all year, we stopped by this winter to check out the new opportunity for cold-weather—or should I say winter—camping. Well, turns out the office isn't open on Mondays, and there’s no way to book a site online. After stopping by to check in and finding nobody working, with no way to check in online, we decided not to stay. But for curiosity’s sake, we took a look around. There were a couple of envelopes assigning sites in the $70–$80 range, conveniently located in a mud pit—despite other, seemingly better spots sitting empty. Classic. And about those better sites? They all have meters on them, which makes it pretty clear where this KOA is headed. It seems the focus is shifting toward long-term stays and homesteaders rather than short-term campers or travelers looking for a premium site. As for the full-time and long-term winter camping they now offer—let’s just say it’s an experience. The scenery was less “KOA campground” and more “survival mode,” with insulation, foil, and all kinds of makeshift winterization efforts surrounding the long-term setups. If you're looking for a place to park long-term, this might be for you. But if you're expecting a typical KOA camping experience, well... you might want to keep looking. If this setup is your thing, great—you’ve found your spot. If not, let’s just hope this is a winter-only transition and not the direction this KOA is permanently headed.

The KOA campground was very nice! Lots of shade, nice walking and loved the dog park!!! We stopped overnight on our travels but wish we had more time to hang out and visit the brewery!! We will definitely plan more carefully next year!!

While traveling we had the pleasure of staying here. Could not rate the room category as we were camping. The staff were friendly and welcoming. The property was well maintained and easy to access. Would recommend and stay again.

Ok, the "rooms" (campsites) are well kept, level, and utilities are easily accessible. The location is great, with walking distance to beautiful walking trails around buckeye lake, lots of restaurant options, and small stores. There are lots of things to do at the campground (kiddie activities, organized seasonal activities, camper engagement activities...the whole 9 yards. Now that THAT is out of the way...the service is top notch. Sure,come for the amenities and other stuff I wrote, but Tamara, Mia, Ray, Pam, Joe, and Dan go ABOVE AND BEYOND to make this place the best it could ever be. Truly the best campground experience I've EVER had, and we camp nearly every weekend. These folks that run this place truly pour their heart into what they do. They communicate everything you could need to know without being bothersome. They are proactive when it comes to propane refills, packages at the camp store, new office hours,or anything else. When and if any one of this team ever moved on to other things, backfilling their presence will be impossible. They're ALL truly great!

Excellent KOA! Our first time staying here and to Buckeye Lake. We brought our pop-up camper. Quiet campground with shade and mature trees; clean bathrooms and shower facilities (with A/C!); cute amenities for the kids and friendly staff. The cabins looked really nice as well from the outside. Cute porches. Great gift shop/ check-in office. Nicely manicured grounds. We will be back!

5 stars All The Way. The Buckeye Lake KOA had the friendliest, helpful staff. EVERYONE went out of their way to make our stay at the KOA an excellent experience. The staff offers delivery of fire wood, ice, & anything you might want or need from their store. The shower facilities and bathrooms were safe & clean. The camping lots were spacious & level, easy to pull in & out of your lot. There was no trash anywhere to be seen. We will definitely stay here again. Thank you!

Stayed one night during a long road trip. The staff were so friendly! Everyone I encountered was helpful in some way. The bathrooms and showers were clean, and the tent site was maintained. The whole campground was quiet on a Saturday night, which was greatly appreciated after a long day of driving. I'll be back!

This KOA was amazing We stayed in a cabin that was clean, comfy beds, and an outside area including a Weber propane grill, picnic table, outside seating and a fire pit They deliver firewood to your site !! Too good They had a bounce pad, mini golf and a game room All in great condition The staff was amazing and shall go back!!

Passing through on our way to Washington thought this might be a good place to stay, quoted price over the phone, when we got our credit card notification we were charged quite a bit more. Got somebody on the phone to try to get it figured out and they were very rude. Talked over me. The site was very unclean and needed raked. If you’re passing through drive all by this one.