Really nice facility!! It has everything a dog park needs--shade, water, waste bags, separate areas…read moreby dog size. Even kiddie pools the dogs can cook off in. You need to pull in the entrance of the Health Department, and then you can drive down behind and park right at the gates!

Hocking Hills State Park is simply magical. Once you step onto the trails, it does not even feel…read morelike you are still in Ohio. We are so used to the rolling hills, corn and soybean fields of the Midwest. It truly feels like stepping into another world. We visited on a Wednesday - after the busy summer season - school back in session. I was surprised to still see quite a few people around the main attractions, especially Old Man's Cave, Devil's Bathtub and Cedar Falls, but once we moved farther along the trail, it became quiet and very peaceful. We hiked approximately for seven miles. The trails are marked with color codes on the trees but what I was missing where clear signs along the trail. It was difficult at times to determine if we where still on the right one. We ended up taking a wrong turn at one point and ended up on the purple trail instead of the red one we originally wanted to hike. But still - it was honestly one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done. Hiking always recharges my soul, and this place certainly did that. The rock formations, caves, waterfalls, moss and forest scenery are absolutely breathtaking. That being said, some portions of the trail can be challenging. There are steep climbs, uneven ground and areas that can become slippery from the moisture and moss. At times, we had to steady ourselves on rocks or trees while climbing. Good hiking shoes are an absolute must, and be sure to bring a snack and plenty of water, especially on a warm day.

Wow is this a beautiful state park!…read more We went hiking on a Saturday which was crazy packed, but it was still stunning to home through gorges. Everything was beautiful! One downside is that they had stinky compost toilets even at the visitor's center.

This disc golf course is situated on Lobdell Reserve, sharing some areas with the hiking paths…read more Very serene, though I've found that Sunday mornings we do not seem to be the only people that want to spend our family time there! Trash receptacles and benches at every other hole, with pro and regular tees for most. Some long shots with gorgeous views of open grass/prairie and short technical shots in the woods. Users of the course seem to be good about using the honor system to pay $2/round and picking up their own trash. VERY nice and clean portapotty at the lot - course is mowed regularly. Help keep it that way and pay :) We call this course "church" because it is the most peaceful/inspiring way I can imagine to spend our Sunday mornings. We've met nothing but good people out there!

From the owner: Licking County park systemread more

The best part about having a dog, is, well, the pure fact that you have a dog. Sometimes the worst…read morepart is feeling guilty when you're tired after a long day and you come home to a dog who hasn't done much. That's the beauty of dog parks. You sit, relax, and watch your dog tear the fur off another dog's back. FIDO'S is spacious, with plenty of seating areas. It's wooded but well maintained with a fence that goes around the perimeter. The grass is always kept short, and isn't isn't littered with piles of dog poop everywhere. I will say it's on a slope, so mud is a problem, but dogs love mud. Note, keep driving up the walk way/road, you'll literally run into it, and there is a little bit of a parking area on the gravel. The park closes at dark, which makes the summer days long. Overall, I was pretty impressed. For a dog park in Fairmont I wasn't expecting much but I really love the view, atmosphere and space this dog park has to offer. There's a separate area for big dogs and little dogs. They also provide doggy-poop-bags at the entrance.

Doesn't exist. Driving cross-country with my dog and wanted to stretch her legs. It's a city…read moreparking lot.

This trail was super cool! There was a significant portion (probably about 3/4 of the length of the…read moretrail) was accessible... but if you are able continue on to the end (you have to climb on some rocks) definitely do so!!! We were easily able to park our stroller and carry our baby and the 8&10 year old handled the rocks easily. This is an amazing hike for kids - IF YOU STAY ON THE GROUND. Do *not* do the rim trail with kids... there are severe cliff drops offs. This was peaceful and beautiful and slightly less traveled than typical Hocking hills trails. There was an abundance of wildlife and the views are phenomenal! The water level on the waterfalls was low when we went, so it was more like 1 trickling fall rather than three falls. Worth. It.

This was such a peaceful way to start the day. We chose this path because it's kid-friendly (and…read morewheelchair accessible). We arrived by 9am and there were only a few other cars in the lot. This location also offers bathrooms (no guarantees on toilet paper though ). The half mile trail was filled with shade and beautiful views from start to finish. They also offer an upper trail thats more challenging and apparently not ideal with little kids due to the rim. Highly recommend this spot while in Hocking Hills!

My dog and I started this years Winter Hike series here. We had a great time walking the pet trail…read moreand the park roads. We easily found a ranger to stamp my winter hike series log card. Mission accomplished!

So we went to Chestnut Ridge Park in Carroll this weekend to take Apollo for a nice nature walk…read more The park is fairly close to us, and absolutely gorgeous. However, we couldn't be more disappointed. They have several long trails through the woods where you've got these gorgeous ridge climbs. Problem is, they don't allow dogs on any of them. They have one small trail called Milkweed, that is dog-friendly. But it was barely half a mile, and a large part of that was just on mowed grass. Once we got into the woods, we loved it, but it was basically over as soon as it began. That isn't nearly enough for a dog or a person to have a nice walk. It's insulting when they have several miles of gorgeous trails they could open up for people like us. I understand some people don't like dogs, and they try to have a place for them to hike. But why reserve multiple trails for these people? They're surely in the minority. Most people like or at least are tolerant of dogs. Yes this park seems to cater to them, when I'm certain most people in or near Carroll have dogs. I wish there was a petition or something we could do to get them to open up a serious trail that's dog friendly. One non-dog trail is enough. Open the rest for those of us who love nature and our pets. Shame on Chestnut Ridge for this bias against dog owners.

The USDA Forest Service website is really confusing for this recreational area, which apparently…read moreconsists of several unlinked areas across southeastern Ohio. The address for this listing is for the Marietta Unit, which was the closest official address I could find. I'm still not totally sure where the trailhead was (obviously, I was not the one who drove up), but the trail we took was the "Scenic River Trail." There wasn't much of a view due to all of the trees still being leafy, but it was a good challenging hike. We actually did not make it to the end of the trail, and I'm not really sure how far we went since the trail did not seem to have mile markers. There were the yellow diamond trail markers and some posts in the ground, but neither were labeled. It would be lovely to take the trail again when the leaves start to change, and again when the leaves are down and you can actually see the "Scenic River."

This is a very cool park! My children tend to gravitate toward parks and playgrounds where there…read moreare open-ended and tactile features available, and this park has that. There are boulders to climb, outdoor musical instruments to play, a treehouse to play pretend in (and is wheelchair accessible!), a merry-go-round, swings, a traditional playground structure with slides, and lots more. The playground area is lined with wood chips. There is also lots of space to run around, and lots of trees. Like the name of the park suggests, this is a very sensory-friendly park, and there are nature stations set up all around where you can use your senses to explore. There is also a short, paved trail that goes around the park, which is wide and smooth enough for strollers and wheelchairs. The trail goes by a creek, which is nice. As of right now, this is the only sensory-friendly park in the state of Ohio! It's definitely worth a visit.

This is a really neat and wonderfully inclusive park. This features a short, paved path that is…read morewheelchair and walker accessible. Along the path are a variety of interactive stations that are also designed to be accessible. If you start near the entry sign, you'll find a Little Free Library, which, on our recent visit, was loaded with a lot of great kids options. Just ahead is a variety of benches and a little music garden, featuring musical instruments that can be played, and you can also interact with the Rough Bark Tactile Display to learn more about different tree barks. A little further down are the cutest animal looking instruments that can also be used. As you continue down the path, you find a swingset with a variety of swings that include both traditional and accessible options. There's a nice little shaded bench area with information about the creek, Fetter's Run, that can be seen from the location. As you proceed along, a very exciting find is the Treehouse, which is built within the forest trees as opposed to up in one, which allows a wheelchair ramp to make it accessible. This overlooks the creek and has things to explore, like neat nature art and a second floor (not accessible) with a fire pole. At the end of the path is a shelter house with picnic tables and nearby grills. Most, if not all, of the signage included Braille translations, as well. There is a large parking lot here, but I do note that this is located behind a school, so I'm not sure how that would affect parking for a visit during a school day.

The Muskingum River system of locks and dams is the oldest of its kind in the USA. No wonder. At…read morethe business end of the river is the town of Marietta, the oldest settlement in the Northwest Territory. But during the 1800s and early 1900s, the river flooded terribly in the spring and dried up in the summer. Starting in 1836, Ohio built 11 hand-operated locks and dams that made the Muskingum navigable from Marietta to the Ohio and Erie Canal. But the locks and dams deteriorated to useless until about 1960 when the state took ownership again. Today it's managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Thankfully! Today the 11 locks are: #11 Ellis, #10 Zanesville, #9 Duncan Falls/Philo, #8 Eagleport, #7 McConnelsville, #6. Stockport, #5 Luke Chute, #4. Beverly, #3. Lowell, #2. Devol's, and #1 Marietta. You can see the engineering of #2 in this video of the Valley Gem in lock #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F764XLNZaI I have been on the Valley Gem in the lock. The engineering is stunning in its simplicity in controlling the better part of a million gallons of water. On my visit to #2 way back in the fall of 2018, I got to meet the manager of the lock, who showed us around. Free tour. It's one those places where you can sense the awesome power even when it's quiet.