Kenisee Lake RV Campground - Thousand Trails

We do not rate many RV parks as 5 stars, but this had everything we would want.

The campsites were huge in terms of the length and width. We stayed in B7 in the pull thrus and it was at least 70 feet long but to our surprise it was 30-40 feet wide. We had so much space and we not on top of the people next to us. Quite a few other really large rigs were around and all comfortable in the spaces. Full hookups with 50 amp power was great.

The facilities were well kept and met all our needs as well. We really enjoyed the full timers who were there, regulars who came in for the holiday weekend and some other people just passing through like us. The staff was very friendly with everything we needed.

Amenities were also really nice. The parks were a bit old, but they were maintained and our kids had plenty to do.

Only negative is the surrounding cites do not have a lot to do. Jefferson had a few places to eat and basic shopping but it was about 15 miles to get to a little larger town. About 1 hour away was Cleveland where we went for a day also.

We did not try to use wifi on our trip so I cannot comment about the quality.

We would definitely stay here again and look forward to our next trip in the area.

Kennisee Lake was one of our second Thousand Trails Campground we stayed at. We were not members at this point but these campgrounds had lower prices than most. We did use our Passport America membership, on Sunday, to save a little money. We spent a weekend during the offseason in September. They had many RVs but very few people were in them. They placed us in the very back, a field that had been mowed and had full hookups. No trees and rather dusty when people drove by. We played a round of mini golf and biked the grounds. They have a lot of space and the grounds are well kept. I doubt we would choose to stay here again unless we had to and if we did I would make sure we were not in the field. It took us 5 mins just to drive out of the place we were so far back. Site was small and not very impressive. If you do need a place to stay, this will work. Just ask to not be placed in the field.

Kenisee Lake RV Campground is located outside Jefferson, Ohio, and is a great basecamp to explore Geneva-on-the-Lake, Geneva State Park, and Lake Erie. This Thousand Trails campground comes with a heated pool, mini golf, and plenty of room to roam on the property. Complimentary WiFi in the lodge was not sufficient for streaming or uploading photos. AT&T cellular service clocked in at 20.9 Mbps download speed and 1.33 Mbps upload speed. Verizon cell service clocked in at 2.88 Mbps download speed and 0.26 Mbps upload speed. There is a 25 mile paved walking/biking rail trail, the Western Reserve Greenway, operated by Ashtabula County Metroparks, and a trailhead is located nearby in Austinburg Village next to the ice cream shop and State Route 307.

This report if for a TT campground called Kenisee Lake in Jefferson OH which is the northeastern side of the state up near Lake Erie. While in route to the campground we saw signs for a bike trail crossing less than a mile from the campground. Quit interesting as it appears there is a 30 plus mile trail that runs north and south called the “Western Reserve Greenway”.. a nice benefit and close to the campground with info at the office.

We have been seeing a lot of old rail lines being turned into hiking/bike trails in our travels. this is another example that excellent usage of the old rail lines. We plan to hit them up at some point during the 9 days we are here..

The check in was smooth as usual. We arrived around 1pm on a Monday so it was quiet for sure. (this was after a loud july 4th I was told by the ladies in the office) We were assigned a site, which is not the case in most TT, and it was the one right beside the bathhouse and under a nice large shade tree.. (the week we were here the afternoon temp got into the mid 90 for a bunch of days so the tree was a bonus especially as it was starting to shade back half of unit around 1 pm and by 4 almost total shade on unit.:) ) Site A-21 by bathhouse.

The bathhouse in section A was set up with some of the nicest shower head systems I have seen at a TT park.. (see pictures) the Bathhouse in other section was not as nice but both were older and clean for the most part. The controls were good and water hot. :)

this is a large campground with a lot of gravel roads in the camp sites areas. the road coming in and to camping areas was paved. the 5 MPH speed limit was enforced and you signed a paper stating you understood that.

This, like a lot of other TT parks has a fair share of “annuals” on some of the better sites in the park. the spaces along the lake front spaces in A section 1-41 Odd number are mostly not available. The even side is hit or miss on site availably .. In the B, C, and D section site on the left side of road looking north do get nice afternoon shade. Most all sites had Elec Water and Sewer.

The lake has a dock and you can use your own kayak or canoe. (non motorized) Pool was open with COVID precautions in place. The baseball field was overgrown, the putt putt course was in need of some maintenance.

The location is close to Geneva and Lake Erie with boating and other water sports to do. The town of Jefferson was 10 mins away with a nice dinner, Jefferson Diner, and a grocery store, gas station and hardware all in one..

We stay there for a week and would return in the future.

Stayed 5 nights for free as part of our Thousand Trails membership. We stayed in site B2 in the larger pull-through sites. Full hookups. 50amp, water at 56psi, sewer.

The campground isn't really close to much but it's also not too bad to use as a basecamp to explore hikes and Lake Erie for day trips.

We went fishing in the lake and caught some fish. We also rode our bikes around the campground trails. It's a large campground with lots of fields and space between the different camping sections.

The registration process was ridiculously long as we read a long list of rules, but the front office was very understanding and allowed us to stay an extra night when our truck was having problems and needed to be towed to a shop.

Google Maps has the address out in the street a little down the road from the entrance. That was confusing when we arrived but just keep driving. You'll see the entrance.

We stayed mid-week in mid-September and the place seemed so empty though full of RVs. We didn't mind that at all. A little bit of a challenge to find as our cell signal kept cutting out. A little farther from Cleveland than I thought, but close enough to Lake Erie and we liked Geneva-on-the-Lake for a lot of reasons. Big props to Harvey's RV in Andover several miles down the road as we had tire issues and he gladly hooked us up with the tire place across the street who fixed us up with courteous, timely service.

Kenisee Lake RV Campground is a wonderful place to work from remotely if you have an external antenna to cellular internet. The campground is clean with plenty of open space and trails. The staff was wonderful. I called because I was going to arrive late past closing hours. They checked me in over the phone and left all of my site information on the outside of the building. Great Staff!

Overall, this is a very nice park, but there are a few dings against it. Kenisee Lake is about 10-12 minutes from I-90; the approach from Austinburg was fine though the road leading up to the park entrance is a bit narrow and winding.

Upon check-in we were put in a 50-amp site and told we would be charged $3 per day. We hadn't seen this anywhere on the Thousand Trails booking site and didn't specifically request a 50-amp site, but went ahead and paid it. There are MANY seasonal/annual sites where we were (over 50%), but those we met were friendly, helpful, and did not make us feel like intruders like at some other parks.

As far as the sites go, most are wide and landscaped with gravel. The roads, however, were narrow and we had trouble backing into our site while trying to avoid a short light at the end of the site across from ours. The road is also very rough with potholes; they did try to grate the road while we were there, but the incessant rain was working against them.

There is plenty of green space between sections and by the lake to walk dogs. We also used the small yet effective laundry room at the front of the park; coin-operated machines were $1.75 to wash and $1.50 to dry.

We would stay again on our way through the area, but would not make this a destination park.

Overview: We found good staff, clean bathrooms and roads, pretty views, nice neighbors, well maintained and clean campsites plus internet that was very workable with a little effort on our part.

Internet: At the front of our camper we got strong signal in our spot. At the opposite end (back) of our camper we got horrible signal in our spot. Using some apps we have to identify tower location and what we were connecting to, we realized that at the back of the camper our hotspots switched to an entirely different tower, which was not performing as well. SO -- we setup our best hotspot with a MIMO antenna suction cupped to the window that was facing in the direction of the fastest tower and we got speeds in the 20-40 down/4-12 down range with AT&T. Tmobile was barely there at all, .3/.2 for instance. Verizon struggled as well. I feel confident saying most people can get AT&T here decently depending on the exact location in the park. We needed to be pointing away from the park entrance to get the tower that worked best for us. This may also explain some of the variable reports of internet speeds even on the same carrier in this particular location. If you are willing to finesse your equipment, you can probably make the signal work here especially with an antenna or perhaps (although we didn't have) a booster.

The sites are nice gravel sites in A. Some are bigger than others. We had a nice view to the small fishing pond at the back of A and the dumpsters were just near the pond. Big new-ish looking picnic table was at our site. Our spot was a hike to the bathrooms though, which are halfway down the loops from us. Staff was super helpful the few times we interacted with them.

The location for us was ideal as a stopover for a short time when we were waiting out a storm in our next location (hurricane). Now we are boondocking, making our way slowly there once things have dried out. They didn't have enough space for us to stay longer at this park, which is absolutely OK. We were last minute reservations here and just glad to have the opportunity to stay at all.

I would kind of call this park a gem and definitely be back.

Kenisee Lake RV Resort Thousand Trails in Jefferson, Ohio is a another great Thousand Trails park! This park is very large and has a park-like setting with 2 lakes. There is fishing on the lakes and the campground has rowboats available to use. They have all the amenities a family could want such as swimming pool, playground, mini-golf, and more! The staff is friendly and very accommodating. Kenisee Lake has 30 and 50 amp FHU back-in and pull-through sites. The only downside is the internet which is lacking in this area. We have really enjoyed our stay here and will be returning! 👍🏻😬

For videos on this campground and others, check out our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.