Questions we hear most.
Hours, rates, camping, festivals, pets, alcohol, swimming — the answers our gate staff gives a hundred times a season, all in one place.
Your first half hour here.
Most questions at the gate are about one of these: what to bring, what to expect, and where to go first.
If you’re camping on a non-festival day, pay at the gate on arrival. If you bought festival passes online, have them ready. Every patron needs a valid photo ID and a screenshot of the NLQP waiver confirmation. Single-occupancy vehicles are charged a $10 solo-rider fee. No glass bottles, hatchets, machetes, saws, or weapons of any kind.
Day passes cover hiking, biking, swimming, and cliff diving. Camping passes add overnight stays. Festival passes add live entertainment on top of everything else. See all passes and pricing.
Gate opens 8 AM weekends, 10 AM weekdays. Water is open 10 AM–7 PM weather permitting. Day passes valid until 8 PM. Camping passes valid until 8 PM on departure day. Weekends the gate is open 24 hours, but you must arrive before 8 AM to avoid being charged for the night before.
During festivals, visit one of the safety stations posted throughout the park. Otherwise, go to the front gate or call (440) 548-2716.
Yes — two public showers near the main gate.
Yes — located near the showers at the front gate.
Yes — at the front gate. You’ll need to prove the item is yours. Call (440) 548-2716 to check.
Tents, fires, and where to park.
Eight hundred sites, a few simple ground rules, and a fire ring at every one.
Just show up and pay at entry. NLQP has 800+ campsites, typically only crowded during events.
Each festival has its own event page with a direct ticket link. See all events. Single Pass and Group Pass options are offered per event — Group Pass lets you pick your site, Single Pass sites are first-come, first-served.
Only festival attendees with a Group Pass (reserved site) choose their own site. All other sites are first-come, first-served — arrive early for a prime spot.
Yes — a fire ring is provided at every site. Fires must stay within the ring.
Seasoned firewood only, stacked no larger than 2 ft high and 3 ft wide. No wet or unseasoned wood, no treated wood, no garbage, no plastic.
Yes — $25 per wheelbarrow load. Bring your own if you prefer, provided it’s seasoned and dry.
Up to 3 tents. Each must be at least 5 ft apart and 10 ft from the fire pit. This is a state law and is checked in every campsite.
Yes — typically 2 vehicles per site, depending on available room. Do not encroach on the roadway or on neighboring sites.
No. You must bring or have access to proper camping gear — tent, RV, camper, or van. Sleeping in a passenger car is not permitted by law.
Yes — designated area for pull-behinds and RVs with a dump station. Many sites have electricity (first-come, first-served). No water hookups.
Yes. In addition to regular admission, festival guests bringing a camper or RV must purchase one of: All-Weekend Pop-Up Pass ($50), All-Weekend Camper Pass ($75), or All-Weekend RV Pass ($100). Parking is limited at larger festivals, so buying your Camper/RV pass in advance is recommended.
The quarry’s open hours.
Spring-fed, lifeguarded, and weather-dependent — here’s what to know before you grab a tube.
Show up and pay at the gate. Outside of peak hot-and-sunny weekends or festival weekends, we have room for everyone. See current day-pass rates.
Swim hours are 10 AM to 7 PM during the regular season. No swimming when the lifeguard is off duty — anyone caught in the water outside posted hours is immediately expelled from the park.
Yes — in the green Quonset hut by the front gate.
Tickets, parking, and re-entry.
Ten-plus music weekends a year — the operational stuff that trips people up.
Day passes generally aren’t sold during larger festivals, except occasionally on the last day after live acts have ended. See the Rates page for current day-pass pricing.
Only during the smallest festivals — a handful each year. Otherwise, day passes are limited to weekdays and weekends with no festival.
Parking fills before campsites do, so NLQP asks everyone to carpool to festivals. Vehicles arriving with only one occupant are charged a $10 solo-rider fee. Applies to special events and live-music events only.
On regular camping nights, the gate is closed from 2 AM to 8 AM — no re-entry during those hours. During large festivals the park runs at maximum capacity: if you don’t sign out at the gate, there’s no re-entry until Sunday morning. Always sign out at the gate if you need to leave and return.
The non-negotiables, briefly.
Pets, alcohol, prohibited items, quiet hours. For the full list, see the Rules page.
No pets are permitted. Per health department rules, only certified service animals are allowed, and service dogs must show proper certification plus proof of rabies vaccination on arrival. Because service-animal certification is easily faked, staff use extra scrutiny — please bring documentation. Local kennels are available for those who need them.
No glass bottles or containers, no hatchets, machetes, saws, or weapons of any kind, no firearms, no fireworks, no illegal substances. Prohibited items are confiscated at the gate. Full rules list.
No one under 21 may possess or consume alcohol. Excessive alcohol use is not permitted. Alcohol is not allowed on the beach, which is a children’s area.
No loud music past 11 PM. Campsites are close together and a Portage County noise ordinance also applies — please be mindful of volume after 11 PM.
Still have a question?
Our gate staff knows the park inside and out. Call us, email, or just come on out and book your stay.