Gorgeous, spacious park! We stopped with our students after…read morea field trip to Vern Riffe Center. We had lunch, and then the kids had a great time enjoying your playground equipment. Tennis court, splash pad, great walking path. Up keep on the park is phenomenal. It's was a beautiful day with the Kentucky Hills in the distance and the rock formations to our north! Thanks for allowing us to enjoy such a great spot. The kids, teachers and parents all enjoyed the afternoon.

Not a bad little park with tennis courts, basketball courts, swings, water splash pad, play area…read morefor kids, Fit Trail plus a 9 hole disc golf course.

This state park has so much to offer! The trails are well maintained and easily accessible, the…read morelodge is beautiful with a delicious restaurant inside, and there are even cave tours! Some caves only run seasonally, but I took two tours on a Sunday, and it felt like a good amount at a time. Tickets for tours are purchased at the Welcome Center, day of. There's a self explore cave, too, but you need two adults minimum in your party and each with a flashlight. The arches and natural bridges in this park were amazing sites, scattered along the park. I took on the challenge of hitting each arch / bridge, and it was doable in under 5 miles if you move between accesses.

I started visiting Carter Caves State Park when I was young. Fast forward to 2024. I planned a…read morevisit with my nieces and their kids when I was in town. None of my great nieces and nephews had been inside a cave. We arrived at roughly 11:15 AM. I purchased tickets at the Welcome Center for everyone to tour Saltpetre (AKA Saltpeter) Cave at 11:30 AM. It was $54 for three adults and four children. We followed our tour guide across the street, up a hill, then down the stairs and into the earth we went. This cave was used in the War of 1812 to make gunpowder. We got a history lesson from our tour guide who was so patient with the kids. This cave was the driest of all the caves at the park, so no stalactites hanging from the ceiling. But bonus was, no water on our shoes. If you want to see bats, this is not the cave. The cave used to have thousands of bats. The park conservationists are working to increase bat living in this cave. After the tour, we had to turn up our feet, one at a time, so the tour guide could spray the bottom of our shoes with soap and water. He told us this was done to prevent carrying germs/bacteria out of the cave that could harm the bat population at the park. The tour lasted roughly 45 minutes. It was worth the time and money! The kids had a blast. Only one was scared when the lights were turned off momentarily so we could experience total darkness and silence. My nephew Cooper lasted about 3 minutes, then, in his little whimpering voice, he asked if the lights could be turned back on. I can't say enough great things about our cave guide. We left the Welcome Center and headed to the public pool. The pool was free for those camping and staying in cabins. We went on a Monday, so everyone was $3. Pretty good deal! The pool was clean. Only light snacks available, icecream, chips and soda. I highly recommend you add Carter Caves to your summer fun list!

Explored the lovely Alexandria Point Park on the west side of Portsmouth, OH. This hidden gem is on…read morethe Ohio riverbank. You can see two bridges from the corner of the park. Amazing view! The grounds were very well manicured with lots of beautiful flowers and plants. There were many benches and a few shaded picnic tables. There were stairs leading to the riverbank. The park is nestled at the end of a residential street. You can't see it from the main road. If you would like a peaceful place to eat lunch or just relax, check out the river and meditate this is a great place!

This state park that very much centers on the lake of its name, which offers both boating and…read morefishing opportunities. There's a boat launch area, where they are also currently constructing what looks like a boat house, and a couple of piers. Across the street from the boat launch are two parking areas and two picnic shelters, one uphill and one downhill. The downhill shelterhouse also has a nice playground nearby. Unless you are in a boat, this park feels a bit smaller than others, as there's not a lot to do on land. The views are very nice, however. It was foggy on our visit, which made for some fun photography!

Place is amazing. Family owned. Members are super nice also. Weekdays are quite with lots to do…read moreduring the week. Cabins are basic but have everything you need to be comfortable. Beds are comfy. Cafe serves food on the weekends and is affordable & delicious. Worth a visit. We came here for our first time nude and this place is why we are booked to the lifestyle

The good is that the hike through the beautiful woods was great, and the pool area well kept. The…read morepool table area needs improvement. I really enjoyed my hike.

My husband and I sort of spontaneously decided to camp at Wayne National Forest this past weekend…read morebecause 1) it was going to be 90+ degrees all weekend 2) we were seeking an adventure for our 3rd anniversary From northeast Ohio, this has got to be the farthest you can go without leaving the state, yet all four hours of this drive were worth it. Due to our last minute decision to to make this trip, reservations online were unavailable. We were left with the non-reservable walk-in only sites. When we got there, I assumed the Pine Knob Loop was where we would stay since it was, according to the website, first come-first serve tent only sites. But when we got there, all the sites were already reserved and all had campers! What??? The nearby Oak Hill campground was also taken. Feeling discouraged, I tried Iron Ridge campground. Only at the very end of the campground where cars turn around, we found our spot! There were only a handful still available. The site we chose had a parking spot on the road with stairs descending into your site. Actually, it was the perfect little spot for us. We proceeded to stuff $30 in an envelope ($15/night) and into the drop box to pay. For those of you who aren't used to camping, this is how you reserve a walk-in site. Luckily we had cash when we usually do not! Once we got settled in, we went to the beach which was in the most beautiful wooded setting. The water was the perfect temperature for cooling down and even on this hot weekend, the beach never felt overpopulated. There were many families there enjoying themselves, playing with floats and cooking out. But please be aware of the long winding road to get there. You'll fall off a cliff if you don't stay on the road. Also, there was a sign saying you have to pay $3 to access the beach (you're supposed to put money in an envelope like with camping) but we didn't because we already had a hang tag permit on our car from the campsite. The next day we braved the 8 mile Lakeshore Trail. This trail takes you around the entire perimeter of Lake Vesuvius. The views are stunning and the hike isn't too strenuous (unless of course you're me and decide to hike in the blazing heat). Take several bottles of water and some food! Even with the aid of the woods shading us, it took us four hours to complete. It was so rewarding though. My husband and I usually opt for several shorter hikes as opposed to one big one, but when I read about Lake Vesuvius, this trail kept coming up as one of the popular things to do, and I gave in to curiosity. The beach is even on the trail for a cool off spot. We saw many kayakers enjoying themselves as well. Before I close this out, I want to say that this is the first time that camp nazis didn't bother us on a camping trip. The park does have county sheriffs patrolling it so don't be alarmed. The negatives, why was Pine Knob falsely advertised? Why doesn't the website say cash-only for walk-ins? Why was there a glass vial in the fire pit? I disposed of it...but still. I won't even take stars off because I had such a fantastic weekend and would return again. There are trails we haven't hiked yet and I would return to that beach in a heartbeat. PS there is a helpful ranger station just around the corner for maps and tips, as well as a couple corner stores for camping needs!

Trails were not bad. The lake was empty due to repairs on the Damn. Parking was easy. The trails…read moreare marked but not well. No map at trail head to indicate trails and highlights of the area.

Highly recommend. Absolutely gorgeous grounds! Wedding parties, say "YES!!!" This is a perfect…read morevisit for families, friends or romantic partners and a serene walk in the park! Get away from the hustle and relax in serenity! *Cheers

Absolute jewel! We were traveling through with our dog and were looking for a great place to hang…read moreout, walk, and run. The grounds were clean and beautiful. The trails are wide and they have community dog water fountain. Lots to look at and smell .

Good community park, only could use more connected trails to even more of the city, for cross city…read morehooks that can help connect to a mobile-city feel. Some maintenance issues and reinvestment in older space rehabilitation also needed, and curation tied to local entities to expand and do more with some of the open space that is aged out. Great updates to the kid park a few years ago, now they just need to keep it going.

This park looks wildly different from anything else in Huntington, with various stone features, an…read moreample playground, paths running along a stream, and some roses. Not many roses, mind you, but you can get some cool views. The aesthetic is much more upscale than the waterfront parks, and this area is usually crowded on a nice day. While there's some parking inside the park itself, the surrounding streets are free as well. And there's really no reason not to head on over if you're in the area.

We hiked the fern valley trail. It was pretty easy. Well suited for little ones and adults. There's…read morea few spots near the lake where you might have to help smaller kids but our daughter and her friend managed well enough. Saw a lot of little toads on the trail. Lots of butterflies and squirrels. We managed to see a Heron fishing and flying. That made the trip in my opinion. We walked around the lodge. Not too much to see in there. Looks like a decent enough place to stay. Staff wasn't very friendly but I guess you can't expect much out of government employees having to work a holiday.

I've been going to Greenbo Lake since I was a kid. I've camped, boated, stayed in the lodge, ate at…read morethe restaurant, and this week, I went to the community pool for the first time. The lodge has several rooms available. Nothing fancy, but clean and affordable. The restaurant has never disappointed me. There used to be a pretty good buffet, but not sure if that is still available. It's been too long since I've camped, so I can't speak of the campgrounds. I enjoyed an afternoon at the community pool, $8, adult admission. The pool was clean and had plenty of lifeguards on duty. The water slide looked fun. There are several lockers if you want to store anything. On the road close to the pool, there are several picnic shelters you can reserve with grills, restrooms and a playground. There is also an outdoor pavilion where concerts are held. There is lots to do at Greenbo, and it is a gorgeous Kentucky State Park.

I finally made it back to tackle this challenging hike, 140 flights of stairs over 12 miles in 4.5…read morehours. The scenery was beautiful on a perfect day!

Headed out on the Hope Furnace Trail to Yosemite Falls and a few other offshoots and loved the…read moreelevation changes and different trail options to accommodate how many miles you want to hike. Take a picture of the trail map before you head in it will help with the navigation. Extensive trail network and can easily do 20+ miles if you want. Have fun it's a great group of trails!