Barkcamp State Park

by Ben ·

Barkcamp State Park encompasses over one thousand acres of land in southeast Ohio. Located near Belmont, Barkcamp has rolling hills that make up much of this area of the Buckeye State. Day visitors and overnight guests will all find Barkcamp to be a wonderful place to spend time enjoying the great outdoors.

Water Activities

Barkcamp State Park encompasses Belmont Lake, which has boating, fishing, and swimming available for visitors. With fishing, there are a variety of types of fish available. These include bluegill, bass, crappie, and trout.

Swimming is also available at Barkcamp. A beach that measures seven hundred feet is open to visitors. However, pets will need to be left at home because they are not allowed on the beach. Of course, common sense safety precautions should be taken when preparing for swimming in a lake.

Hunting

There are areas available at Barkcamp State Park for hunting. Squirrels are plentiful in southeast Ohio, and hunting them is popular at Barkcamp. Many white-tailed deer and wild turkey are in the area as well. Be sure to research specific guidelines for the state park, and abide by hunting seasons.

Hiking Trails

There are four (4) trails at Barkcamp State Park for hikers. These are mostly easy to moderate in terms of the difficulty of the trails. All hiking trails are two (2) miles long or shorter, with a couple of the trails only being a half-mile long.

Barkcamp also has one trail available for horse riders or snowmobilers (depending on the season) that is twenty-four (24) miles long.

Nature Center

Barkcamp is one of the twenty-three (23) state parks that has a nature center available for visitors that give options for activities during the warmer months of the year.

Educational activities at the center focus on the outdoors, animals in the area, and plants that can be found in the area in and around the state park.

In addition, Barkcamp offers some history with a pioneer area. Old log cabins and barns make up the area. These add a different dimension to a visit to Barkcamp.