UPDATED: Ohio's Hocking Hills State Park named nation's "Best Campground."

Ohio can now boast of having the country's best campground, Hocking Hills State Park finishing ahead of such other go-to camping destinations as Yellowstone National Park.

The honor was awarded by Tripleblaze.com., an Internet camping/hiking portal that features campground reviews, caving reviews, camping equipment reviews, and other related subjects.

Tripleblaze.com. listed the 2,356-acre Hocking Hills State Park in southeast Ohio's Hocking County as the best of the best of 100 public and private campgrounds in the U.S.

Thus, Hocking Hills' camping features and amenities climbed over a host of national parks for the coveted Number One spot. Such national treasures as Yellowstone, Mt. Rainier, and  Glacier all ranked below Hocking Hills.

Specifically, Hocking Hills State Park has 156 campsites with electricity and 13 without, 40 deluxe cabins, three rental “camper cabins” with fewer amenities, nine hiking trails of various lengths and difficulties, two mountain bike trails, a dining lodge, along with five picnic areas.

Among the park’s famous features is Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave Gorge, several waterfalls while the 9,238-acre Hocking State Forest is adjacent to the park.

Also included in its Top 100 Campgrounds, Tripleblaze.com listed Indian Lake State Park (Lakeview) in 42nd place, Paint Creek State Park (Hillsboro) in 44th place, and Tappan Lake (Cadiz/Deersville) in 45th place.

Tappan is owned and operated by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District while the other three locations are owned and operated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Division of Parks and Recreation.

"We've ranked the best places to camp in the United States using our unique campsite popularity algorithm that accounts for the average rating and number of reviews for a campground, the number of people who have camped or wish they could camp at that campground," says Tripleblaze.com.'s web-site lead-in to its Top 100 Campground listing.

In describing its selection of Hocking Hills, Tripleblazer.com. is quoted by digitaljournal.com. (http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/819609#ixzz22XhgPuty) thusly:

"Located in the heart of Ohio's stunning Hocking Hills region, the campground beat out hundreds of camping sites across America, including the famed Yosemite National Park, which came in second, and Mt. Rainier National Park, which is ranked  Number 14.

"Tripleblaze.com describes Hocking Hills State Park Campground as offering 'a variety of recreational opportunities in a splendid natural setting. Towering cliffs, waterfalls and deep hemlock-shaded gorges lure the hiker and naturalist and serve as a backdrop to popular facilities and accommodations.' "

No one agrees more with Tripleblaze.com.'s assessment than does Ohio's Natural Resources Department.

 This award is no surprise; we've always known that Hocking Hills is the best campground in the nation," said James Zehringer, the Natural Resources Department's director. "I am proud of the dedicated men and women who work to make our state parks a national treasure. They have worked countless hours helping visitors and showcasing Ohio’s natural beauty."

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 Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com

Twitter: @Fieldkorn