In my opinion this park is going way down hill and fast compliments of the the current management. I feel they are making poor decisions to add more pavilions and playgrounds. There is a place for playgrounds in a park but how many do you really need? It would make much more sense to either refurbish/replace the playgrounds that they currently already have.

It used to be a great sight to see the park in it's truest form coming down the hill before crossing the GAP trail. There were just trees, the river and a field what a park should be. They proceeded to dig up paradise and put the eyesore of another playground, parking lot and a new pavilion there. You are also met with a huge pot-hole at the aforementioned road which I'm hoping they will fix after they finish the construction in that area. Did anyone actually think that one through? The campers in the dedicated camp site next to it aren't going to feel so immersed in nature now that that's there. I feel like it was just someone's bright idea for a money grab with one more pavilion that they can rent out in the summer.

Trash is another problem in the park. Look just outside of where the grass gets cut by most of the pavilions and you will see a ton of it. Maybe they should re-direct some of the funds they are getting to hire or pay someone a little more to actually get off of a tractor to clean some of it up. They remove the dumpster by the boat ramp during the off season and people just pile up trash and dog leavings where it typically sits during the peak season. They need to least put a smaller trash can there on that end of the park while the dumpster is gone.

There is currently caution tape around the lower entrance to the gorge trail where the retention wall eroded away. It's been an issue of it sliding for more than a year now. Why wasn't a safety issue made a priority to fix before using funds on other things? The drainage along the trail itself has been a problem too just after you cross the first suspension bridge. I'm sure it could be easily fixed with a couple of well placed culvert pipes.

As someone in another review stated I am also not a fan of the park police there. I was out working on some training with my dog in an empty field near pavilion 3 I believe. It was a cold afternoon and nobody was around. Yes, I had my dog off leash for a short while to work on his stay command while fetching. I had him back on leash when I was done and was walking back to my car when the park police officer stopped and told me that the law is to always have your dog on a leash on county property. I very politely explained to him I was just doing a bit of training and didn't want the distraction of the other dogs in the dedicated dog park. He very rudely and forcefully repeated "I know there isn't anyone around but it's the law to have them on the leash on county property" Well, all I can say is you said it yourself buddy, there isn't anyone else around. The only person being bothered there was me.

I don't want this review to be totally negative as there are some great things this park has to offer. The boat ramp is top notch! There isn't better access to the river for many miles in either direction. It is well kept, includes a small dock and there is ample free parking that is super easily accessible to vehicles with trailers. They even have a bait machine there which is very convenient for any fisherman. They put bike maintenance stations along the GAP trail which I'm sure is very welcomed for those in need. Aside from the few trouble areas the gorge trail offers some great scenery and historical information along the way so it's well worth visiting.