London Trailside Camping – FMCPT

London Trailside Camping

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Holding maps at PG Trail

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Prairie Grass Trailhead shelter interior

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Trailside camping in London, OH, is available at the Prairie Grass Trailhead located at 262 West Hight Street just south of the Madison County Senior Center. The Trailhead, which includes the London Trailside Camping Area, offers a pleasant rest stop for trail travelers. Basic amenities are provided (see below) in a well-maintained and pleasantly landscaped setting.

Launch
We were very happy to announce this facility opened on April 16th, 2016, in celebration of the RTC (Rails-to-Trails Conservancy) Opening Day For Trails.

Use
This trail respite is intended as a service for long-distance trail users. Please remember:
• Campsites for trail users only
• Camping will be on a first come, first served basis
• Camping is free – donations (gratefully!) accepted, though not required
• No car camping
• No RVs
* Sorry, NO overnight parking

Amenities
Visitors to the Prairie Grass Trailhead will be greeted by numerous amenities, including:
• A large covered shelter
• Several picnic tables (sheltered)
• Primitive camp sites (3) with raised platforms
• Ample parking
• Electricity
• Free, secure Wi-Fi
• A generously-sized brick-and-mortar restroom, open year-round
• Water fountain (with dog fountain!)
• An information rack with maps and brochures
• A scenic rest stop with a beautiful flower garden
• NEW! “Rustic Rinse” – a primitive body rinse-off station

WARNING: Any laundry that needs to dry MUST be hung only in the campground area. If it is hung elsewhere, it may be confiscated.

Everyone Welcome
The Ohio to Erie Trail, of which the Prairie Grass Trail is a part, is a collection of multi-use trails that provide exercise and adventure to anyone who’s willing to leave the automobile behind. Bicyclists, equestrians*, skaters, hikers, families with strollers, bird watchers, walkers and nature lovers are a common sight. In the winter, the trail becomes a snowshoe and cross-country ski path. And, for those with mobility impairments, construction designs call for full compliance with ADA guidelines so that everyone has the opportunity to explore the natural beauty of Ohio as the trail weaves its way across the state.

*Currently the Madison County Park District does not allow horses on the Madison County trails.

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Around 2009, an idea first developed during a conversation between Wayne Roberts with FMCPT and Van Viney, CEO of MATCO Services. It took a while, but in 2019 work began in earnest to begin construction of a "welcome" area on the east side of London. This was envisioned to compliment our beautiful "welcome" on the west side of town, the Prairie Grass Trailhead with its camping area, shelter house, and many other amenities. The original vision to create a multi-panel mural using the bricked-in windows of the old tile factory building that MATCO now owned was expanded upon to include a mini-park, a respite with benches, pleasant landscaping, and more.

Many local people have contributed many, many hours of brain power and sweat equity to bring this project from an old factory wall and overgrown grounds to the trail highlight it has become. We have kept costs extremely low though all of the in-kind donations and almost innumerable hours of donated labor. But also, we received great support support for the funding we required, all from Madison County-area companies and people. It was, and is, a true "community" project.

An added benefit was realized a couple of years ago when we found that we could easily create access to Roberts Pass for MATCO clients and employees. They previously had found handicapped-friendly trail access difficult if not downright impossible. For the first time, they are able to safely access their next-door neighbor, the Roberts Pass section of the Ohio to Erie Trail!

Further value was gained when Michele Bouquet and Sue Cline joined our efforts bringing the wisdom of the Madison County Master Gardeners with them. They, and many of their cohorts, contributed tons of time developing and implementing a gorgeous native plants garden in our mini-park, along with several pollinator plant zones. We hope to build on the value of this by adding educational kiosks throughout the mini-park. We also plan to work with area groups, including the OSU Extension Center, on educational opportunities for local schools, seniors, etc.

Our group (FMCPT) takes a little get-away ride for a week once per year (for many years now) and we have experienced first-hand the need for camping facilities near trails. In 2014, we were seriously looking at purchasing additional land for the purpose of building a campground. That did not work out, but at our annual meeting in January 2015, Chris Haydocy gave a presentation about a platform camping facility from a concept created by an Ohio State University students' design group. Well, that idea didn’t become a reality either... but it did help open the door to an experiment for us. That is, we began building a primitive camp area near the existing Prairie Grass Trailhead. The Madison County Senior Center (which owns part of the land at the trailhead) wanted to see the heavily-brushed area cleared anyway, and we were able to get the approval from the local Health Department to build a primitive 3-4 campsites area.

We built two platform tent sites and leveled another tent site. We developed “Camping Rules” and “Camping Check-In” procedures. We built a brick-and-mortar outdoor restroom near the Senior Center. The restroom locks in the evening, so we put in a code lock for the door. As part of the Check-In procedures, the camper calls the police dispatcher and they get the code for the restroom for that night. The camper is happy because he/she knows the police know that someone is camping. The police are happy for the same reason, and often send a cruiser there in the evening to check and see that everything is okay.

Camping is free to keep the overhead for trail users down. We did provide a local "pipe safe" where campers and trail users can donate if they wish. (To date, these donations have paid for all construction and maintenance of the camping area – then some!)

Since April 2016 when the camping area was opened during the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy “Opening Day for Trails,” we have had hundreds of campers that have filled out our Guest Card. Most are from Ohio... all over Ohio. However, we have also had cyclists and hikers stay from 31 other states, and from 11 other countries. In 2017, five people from Australia said they knew about our camping area before they left home and planned to stay there. They saw an article about the camping area in a blog from a cross-country cyclist that stayed there earlier. The Adventure Cycling Underground Railroad Tour has stayed at this camping area for the last two years. We have a “greeter” that loves to go and talk with the traveling campers. We have many wonderful stories from adventurers who come from all over the world. Sharing this experience, plus the comments from the Guest Cards, has been a treat for our community that would not have happen if not for the trail and this camping area.

One of our most common comments on our Guest Cards is “we need more camping areas like this!”

We're pretty proud of our little campground and are always thinking about ways to make it better. If you stop over on your travels, we hope you enjoy!

Wayne Roberts, Executive Director
Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails