At some of Ohio's State park it's hard to be a human powered vessel when so many boats are zooming…read moreby. You are almost relegated to smaller coves as you try to escape the waves caused by power boats. Not at Lake Hope State Park as boaters are restricted to electric motors only. My wife is all about the well maintained mountain bike trails. We were both all about the small camping pads and many non electric sites. This meant that as tent campers we were not back to back with massive RVs. And our dog was all about all of it, especially since a state park means that he gets to hang out with his pack!  On the down side, there was only one water spigot, one near the check in, that was marked as potable. Perhaps the others throughout the campground are and are not marked. However, we chose to only get water from that spigot. The spigot that was closest to our campsite was way too close to the pit toilet for me to feel comfortable drinking without filtering/boiling.  While we didn't get the chance to actually take our boats off the car, thanks to thunderstorms, we did drive around and find some spots that would work perfectly as put ins. There's a space just off the main road that would work for those who are kayaking, canoeing, or SUPing. The drive to and from LHSP was beautiful, with the visual elevation changes. I loved that it was almost in the HHills area but lacked all the folks (and the restrictions on dogs)! Lake Hope State Park is a place that we will hands down visit again. Although, our first visit there was filled with thunderstorms- we managed to stay dry and camped anyway!

Have you wanted to have a family day on the lake? Lake Hope has the paddle boats and paddle boards!…read moreAffordable, relaxed and fun family day!

Currently is having construction in some areas but was very beautiful!!! The trails were nice!!!read more

I am a little hesitant in writing this review. I have been coming here for over 30 years, and the…read morelast thing I want to see is more people, but it is better to share. It started with our grandmother bringing us here to burn off energy, and to get some background in nature. what was good intentions has now blossomed into a full fledged love affair with nature. granted I am from southern ohia, (ohio for yall not along the Ohia river, I have grown up in nature. There are no restrooms (to my knowledge), so you will need to empty your bladder in the city of Jackson or use a bottle or bag (remember to clean up after yourself please). there are approx. 5 1\2 miles of trails, moderate in traversing. All trails start and end at the parking lot. the pine ridge trail takes you along the lake, and the salt creek trail takes you along salt creek and along sandstone cliffs. In autumn, the foliage is outstanding and smell of hemlock is inspiring. On a side note, due to state budget cuts, park rangers need our help in cleaning up after unruly visitors. just yesterday, I removed two bags of refuse consisting of shirts, socks, a diaper, soda pop cans, and a pair of shoes. this is a nature preserve, lets keep it that way.

Neat little place. Hike can be difficult if you're out of shape. I had never seen these before.read more

Definitely a nice hike but a little challenging for super small kiddos. The glyphs are cool but…read moresome have been vandalized.

What a beautiful state park. Drive by the entrance off 23 while on a foodie road trip and decided…read morewe'd stop by on our way back home. Glad we did, the park is so pretty. Curvy roads, lots of trails and an absolute win for us as it they were having their Halloween event at the campgrounds so got to stop, talk to some of the nicest folks and check out the decorated campgrounds. Lots of space for campers left which surprised me but the park is a bit off the beaten path here in beautiful Ohio. My favorite part was climbing up the old watch tower. The top isn't open to get in to the box at top but high enough to have a lovely view of the countryside.

Scioto Trail State park has become one of our favorites after only our second camping adventure…read morethere. It's the perfect distance from Columbus to make it a doable drive after work on a Friday so that we're able to set up camp before too late in the evening. It's also just enough topography to help you forget for a moment that you're in relatively flat Ohio. (I know I mentioned the forestry service/state forest roads in my previous review but they are well worth the drive in the fall. Especially this fall where the cold snap in September lead to gorgeous colors.) On this past adventure, while it was exceedingly rainy, we still found time to take a hike. We walked around the lake which was lovely as most of the maples still had their leaves. Hiked the Friendship Trail which picks up in the offshoot of the campground and ends on the road at the end of the activities field. We also hiked part of the Church Hollow trail which made for some great mushroom finds. I even saw my first ever wild yam plant (identified later as there is NO cell service within the campground area)! We were pretty much self contained camping, in the same spot as last time. I recommend checking out the sites on the off shoot of the campground. The sites are a bit wider and most of the sites are shaded. I visited the pit toilets once when we first arrived and found them to be clean as far as Ohio state park pit toilets go. They weren't being sanitized at the same rate they were a couple of months ago however, I am sure they are used far less when it starts to get chilly and more and more campers are in RVs.

Love this place! Long trails with lots to see. The bike path is spacious and has amazing views.read more

Great place to bring family or just hang out with friends. Bring your kayaks for some fun and see…read morethe guys singing in the rocks. Pack you lunch and or snacks.

A lot more strenuous hike to get to the lower falls, but gorgeous. You have to take this option…read moreversus going to the cave/regular exit.

This particular section of the Hike in Hocking Hills State Park near Old Man's Cave is actually…read morecalled MIDDLE FALLS not the Lower Falls, I put in for an edit and I hope they correct it. If you take the path straight over the hillside in front of the OLD MAN CAVE VISITORS CENTER, you immediately drop down beside this fall. This stream is not a huge stream but after the heavy rains lately, it is flowing full. Once in the gorge, if you look up at the rock cliff across the creek line you will see this jagged edge of the rocks sticking out near the rim like a perch. I would be scared to death to stand out there on that ledge, but can you imagine the adrenaline rush???!!!!???? I love hiking in this gorge. If you take the entire trail you will go through 2 tunnels, see several caves and visit three falls in addition to the water swirl known as the Devils' Bathtub. What do I love most about this adventure..? The trails down in the gorge are wide and easy to traverse, but mainly my biggest pleasure it is all FREE. I highly recommend if you are in the area and have about 2 good hours to enjoy this outdoor wonderland .....STOP HERE and ENJOY but be safe...high cliffs, steep steps, crowds and breathtaking views can be a hazard!!!

Leith Run Campground Absolutely the worst camping experience…read morewe've ever had. We booked a riverfront site months in advance, but the host gave it away to someone else. Even though she was responsive, that should never have happened. The people occupying our site were rude and refused to leave despite us showing our confirmation--resolving that mess took two exhausting hours. The toilet was disgusting, clearly hadn't been cleaned in ages. We had to hold it all night and left first thing in the morning. Other sites might be better, but Leith Run was a nightmare. Never again.

We enjoy hiking in the Wayne National Forest. This lovely wayside location is not only the office…read morefor the foresty division but also a lovely little roadside museum, visitors center and restrooms There are picnic tables and lovely gardens of wildflowers to meander in while people are taking a health break This location is free to visit and very useful if you want literature, need assistance finding something in the area or the bathroom Visitors Center is small but very nice and friendly staff

Great all around destination for a hike. Trails are well maintained, and the Buzzardroost Rock…read moretrail was a good out and back with some variety, about 4.5 miles overall. Glad we arrived early in the morning due to the Summer heat, but also because once we arrived at the overlook, the fog was moving through the mountains and valleys creating an even more scenic experience. Anxious to return in the Fall! And my husband thoroughly enjoyed the curvy driving roads we took to get there!!

DO NOT GO ALONE! Well I did but I wouldn't suggest it! This trail is way out there on an…read moreAppalachia mountain. Not an easy trail to find or to hike! Storms that have came through have left trees blocking path. Going over the trees is not that difficult but there was this one tree trunk that came to a sharp point. I don't think very many people travel this path (hence why there's a box so that if you're never heard from again someone some day might find your name in the box). I went in the trail at 7pm figuring I could get a good hike in in an hour (but that didn happen barely made it out before dark). but because the trail is long i just wanted to keep going; however, definitely remember the BEARS - something I wasn't expecting either. Oh, and FYI when you do sight a bear you are supposed to let the local ranger know - which I'm not even sure where a ranger would be up there?... Again nice hike but don't go alone. I survived but I also came across a bear and almost broke my ankle (high ankle sprain) and I could still be out there hoping someone would travel this path.

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."