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🌲 Explore the rugged beauty of southern Ohio's Appalachian foothills near the banks of the Ohio River at Shawnee State Park! 🏞️
Once the hunting grounds for the Native American Shawnee tribes, this 1,095-acre park is nestled within the 63,000-acre Shawnee State Forest and is often referred to as the "Little Smokies." The scenic trail system, in conjunction with the state forest, offers a plethora of options for nature enthusiasts and outdoor lovers alike. 🚶♂️🌳
You'll find two serene lakes and access to the Ohio River, providing opportunities for boating, fishing, and swimming. Whether you prefer the rustic charm of resort lodge rooms, modern vacation cabins, or camping by the Ohio River, Shawnee State Park offers a range of overnight accommodations. 🏡⛺
Activities abound at this natural haven:
🏹 Archery Range: Practice your skills with static targets at various distances. 🎒 Backpacking: Explore the Shawnee Backpack Trail, covering over 40 miles through wilderness areas and featuring backcountry camping. 🦜 Birding: Birdwatching is a treat, especially in late April and early May, with numerous migratory bird species. 🚤 Boating: Enjoy Roosevelt and Turkey Creek lakes for boating, fishing, and more. 🏞️ Hiking: Discover numerous hiking trails, each offering unique experiences and breathtaking views. 🏇 Horseback Riding: Explore over 70 miles of bridle trails in the adjacent Shawnee State Forest. 🎣 Fishing: Cast your line in well-stocked lakes for a chance to catch bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie, and trout. ⛳ Disc Golf: Challenge yourself on the Black Bear Disc Golf Course. 🚴♀️ Mountain Biking: Recently completed mountain biking trails offer thrilling rides. 🐾 Nature Center: Learn about native flora and fauna, insects, fossils, and more at the Nature Center. 🍔 Picnicking: Enjoy picnics in scenic areas throughout the park. 🏊 Swimming: Take a dip in public beaches at Roosevelt Lake and Turkey Creek Lake (unlifeguarded). ❄️ Winter Recreation: When conditions permit, have fun sledding near the park office.
Shawnee State Park offers an array of outdoor adventures for all to enjoy. So, plan your visit to this natural gem in southern Ohio's Appalachian foothills and discover the beauty of the "Little Smokies"! 🌄🌿🏞️ #ShawneeStatePark #OhioAdventures...
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This is a review of the park lodge. We stayed there on a Friday and Saturday night in June 2021.
The room was large and clean. The bed comfortable. It wasn't at all quiet. We were in room 201 and in the early evening had lots of loud adults and kids in the hall outside of our room. Had the tell some to move on. Things got quiet after ten pm.
On Saturday night were had lots of problems with the shower losing pressure and temperature fluctuations up and down. We still managed to get out shower's in but we didn't have the shower problem on Friday night.
The room door looked liked it has been forced open in the past and not properly repaired.a good shove would have opened the door even with the dead bolt and security chain latched.
The lodge has an indoor pool with jacuzzi and a much larger pool outside. The jacuzzi was drained while we were there. We enjoyed the pool. The lodge also has a restaurant and bar. We didn't try the bar but what we had at the restaurant was ok...not bad but certainly not great. You won't starve.
There's a guest laundry and we took advantage of it. It's a nice no cost perk but if you want to use it give yourself lots of time as the dryer especially takes forever to dry your clothes. We eventually just gave up and strung a line on our room deck to air dry our clothes.
The room deck was private with a nice view of the woods with birds singing and fireflies at dusk but there was this constant cloud of cigarette smoke. Except for drying out clothes the cigarette smoke made the deck...
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I went backpacking here with my brother and my son a few weeks ago and had a pretty good time. The trails are well marked with blazes and it was easy to find the camp seven where we stayed the night. Registration was a super easy self serve kiosk.
Once we got to the campsite it had plenty of room to set up and had established fire rings. Having access to water, even in the winter months, was also very helpful.
We only hiked from the trail head to camp seven, about four and a half miles out and then back the next morning. I'd like to return again to try and do the whole forty mile trail and maybe even explore the wilderness trail on the west side of the loop.
The only reason I gave this trail three stars is that there isn't much to see. It's just miles and miles of trees and trails as far as I could tell. I didn't see any interesting rock formations or overlooks or anything. It's quite possible that I just didn't see that part of the trail. And if that's the case I will amend my review at that time.
Overall a good trail for backpacking. I definitely plan to return to explore more...
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