Cowan Lake State Park — Attraction in Vernon Township

First, the cottages. I have stayed at the cottages here 4 times since 2004 and it is always quiet, clean and pleasant.

Campgrounds. I have camped at the campground every year from 2004-2018, always during the fall camp out and trick o treat. We would stay for two weeks (4-5 families) and it was always a blast. Grounds are kept clean. Bath areas kept clean.

Finally, my main forte, all of the trails.

SPILLWAY TRAIL—is a out and back trail a little over 5 miles (round trip). Well marked accept the entrance is confusing. Mostly dirt with several hills and a couple shallow ravines.

EMERALD TRAIL—is an out and back trail on the other (southern) side of the lake. It is well marked and easy to follow. The trail is about 1.25 miles (round trip)

DOGWOOD TRAIL—is behind the admin building at the entrance of the park. This is another out and back trail. Well marked. Follows a good portion of Cowan Creek. It is my favorite trail. Ive walked it over a dozen times. Some hills. The trail is about 1.25 miles (round trip)

LOTUS COVE TRAIL: is still confusing and marked poorly. Most of it is clear and single wide.

OLD FIELD TRAIL: is well marked and easy to follow. However, you have to hike part of Old Field trail to get to lotus cove trail. Or you can park back at the maintenance lot and hike either one. I hiked both these trails on 4/25/23

This of course doesn’t include the greenery growing for other wildflowers yet to bloom like the yellow trout Lily, and most rare WHITE FAWN LILY (foliage only right now) but I will be making frequent trips to see this rare flower bloom.

LAKEVIEW TRAIL: Last year when I hiked this trail it was a mess. Very difficult to follow, trails cluttered and narrow. Yesterday I hiked them again and now are very well marked, cleared, and Easy to follow. This is Approximately a one mile loop

BEECHNUT TRAIL: Has always been a nice trail. Easy to follow, clear and well marked. Approximately a 1.5 mile trail that is shaped like a pair of lungs.

There were huge areas of white trillium, spring beauty, purple, yellow and striped cream violets, cleavers, early meadow rue, false Solomon’s seal, smooth Solomon’s seal, black haw, shepherds purse, area full of wild geranium, hillside full of Atlantic camas(never see before), jacobs ladder, Violet woodsorrel, ramps, garlic mustard, yellow rocket, dwarf larkspur, little leaf butter cup, (ONE) yes, one single jack-in-the-pulpit, chickweed, woodland stonecrop.

This of course doesn’t include the greenery growing for many, many other wildflowers yet to bloom like the yellow trout Lily, and rare WHITE FAWN LILY (foliage only right now)

All in all, great place for family putting, walking, hiking, pictures, camping, and boating. Even has a couple swimming areas.

Nature...

Recently we completed our first visit, 3-days, 2-nights, mid-week in mid-June 2023, with grandsons age 3 & 6. The rental cabin was cozy, comfortable, and very clean. Grounds were pretty well kept. Staff that we encountered were friendly and accommodating. RV campers were present in abundance, but the sites were not crowded; one area was closed off. Tent campers were scarce. We did some hiking and visited both the north shore and south shore beaches. The sand is rather gravely, don't expect fine, ocean sands, but kids enjoyed digging in the sand and limited water time. Canada geese by the score and then hundreds with their prolific droppings detracted markedly, but they are protected, so what can be done? The lake is sizable and we saw limited numbers of people fishing, kayaking, and boating. The 10-horse power limit keeps the lake quiet. The park is nicely wooded. No single road circumnavigates the park; one has to use county and state roads to go from the north shore's camping area to the marina and beach on the south shore where boat, canoe, and kayak rentals are offered. The archery range had several wooden support structures, but no hay bales -- not sure how that is supposed to work, but the single deer we saw grazing behind the targets seemed well at ease. Several areas with playground equipment dotted the park. Public restrooms were clean and plentiful. There are no tennis or pickleball or bocce courts. We saw children enjoying their bicycles and scooters, enabled by very limited traffic and a 20 mph speed limit. We hope to return again in the fall and winter. It is a lovely park with a sizable lake and well-kept boat launches, peaceful and serene for the most part. As noted, outdoor activities rather than recreational games are the main draw. The large but largely empty parking lots and campsites indicate that the park is currently underutilized. There is ample evidence that Ohio underfunds this park; it has a sense of struggling to recapture a more splendent heyday. If you have some extra disposable funds, consider contributing to the restoration of the once elaborate stone and brick amphitheater. In the meantime, Cowan Lake State Park is well worth a visit in the rolling...

I walked some trails (dogwood, beechnut, lakewood) and thought it was a nice enough walk. I did enjoy seeing the sizeable area of beautiful yellow water lillies and some herons. I also saw a small snake with a colorful pattern. I wish there was more connection or signage for getting from one trail to the next. I ended up wandering through the campground area for 5+ minutes trying to find the beechnut or lakewood trail after walking the dogwood trail, and same when finding my way back to dogwood to get back to my vehicle. Each trail has signage showing that specific trail's route but it's not clear how it relates to other trails. The trail signs use letters (like you are at point "K") but the park map available online doesn't include those letters. There are also splits in the trail without signage that made me unsure if I was going the way I intended. Overall, I found my way okay, but I prefer to have more confidence that I'm going the intended direction and walking the intended trail. In some areas the trail is a little narrow and crowded with plants. I understand this is a normal aspect of walking in the woods at times but I prefer a little more clearance for less risk of spider webs in...