Between Pittsburgh And Columbus Is Ohio’s Lakeside State Park To Enjoy A Swimming Beach, Fishing, And Hiking

Whether you are visiting Pittsburgh or Columbus, you might really feel the necessity at one level to discover these cities’ surrounding nature. If so, you are spoilt for alternative within the Ohio countryside with locations like Clendening Lake, a scenic lake with fishing thrills and cute cabins. But Clendening is not the one lake price visiting in Ohio. Another good spot for swimming and fishing is Belmont Lake, situated within the 1,005-acre Barkcamp State Park, the place you may also encounter wildlife and discover nature on numerous mountaineering trails.

The state park’s lakeside setting is an enormous draw for water lovers in the course of the hotter months. The 700-foot-long Barkcamp Beach is the place many guests head for a refreshing dip within the placid lake. It’s situated on Belmont Lake’s jap shoreline and has ample parking simply again from a shoreline comprising gentle sand and grass. Spread out on the sand for a little bit of sunbathing, paddle within the shallows, or take pleasure in a leisurely float on inflatables. The seashore additionally has picnic tables close by for beachgoers eager to make a day of it. “The Barkcamp Beach is a beautiful small beach area. It is very clean and [well] maintained,” one customer wrote in a assessment on Google.

If you favor to get out on the water, you may launch your motorized or non-motorized vessel from the state park’s ramp. However, solely electrical motors are allowed, which preserves the lake’s peace and cleanliness. Many folks take pleasure in a paddle on the 117-acre lake, whereas others deliver fishing gear in hopes of reeling in bass, bluegills, catfish, and different species. You might not catch the identical number of fish as Tappan Lake, Ohio’s best-kept secret haven for fishing, however Belmont Lake continues to be thought-about an ideal spot for saugeyes and different species in Ohio’s southeast.

If you favor to embrace nature on dry land, you may discover the corners of Barkcamp State Park on numerous mountaineering trails. The Lakeview and Woodchuck trails mix to create the park’s highest-rated route on AllTrails. The 1.7-mile loop leads off from an unnamed street simply north of Barkcamp Beach. Give your self round 45 minutes to finish this comparatively simple route, which treats you to lovely lake views via the bushes alongside its shoreline.

Anyone searching for an extended hike ought to contemplate the Barkcamp Ohio Blue Loop. This reasonably tough route traverses 7.6 miles across the state park, circumnavigating Belmont Lake within the course of. It’s open to each hikers and horse riders, although, so you might must share the path at sure factors. This lengthy hike allows you to expertise virtually all of the lakeside and woodland surroundings the state park has to supply. Bring meals alongside so you may cease and picnic beside the water sooner or later.

You do not essentially must stroll a protracted solution to spend a while beside the water. The 0.5-mile Barkcamp State Park Hawk Trail ought to solely take 15 to twenty minutes to traverse, getting you to the lake’s edge with little effort. “Super short and simple, gorgeous in the fall for peak leaves,” one hiker wrote on AllTrails. It additionally has picnic tables and benches alongside it for anybody desirous to linger over lunch. These are removed from the one trails within the state park, which has over 20 routes for hikers, bikers, or horse riders on its official map.

Many folks go to Barkcamp State Park in the course of the hotter months, when it is simpler to take pleasure in Belmont Lake. However, you may also go to throughout winter, when it turns into a preferred spot for cross-country snowboarding. People additionally go ice fishing and ice skating on Belmont Lake, if the ice is thick sufficient.

Barkcamp State Park is one and a half to 2 hours’ drive from Columbus, Ohio, or round one and a half hours from Pittsburgh one state over in Pennsylvania. Barkcamp, like most Ohio state parks, tends to be open from 6 a.m. until 11 p.m. for day guests, whereas the seashore closes at nightfall. If you wish to keep greater than at some point, you may pitch a tent, pull up an RV, or hitch your horse at round 150 websites simply again from Belmont Lake. The websites are pet-friendly and powered. They additionally provide you with entry to water, restrooms, showers, a playground, and a horse washing station.

If you favor to not camp, you might realistically base your self in Pittsburgh or Columbus and make the state park a day journey. Otherwise, there are motels and motels nearer handy in close by cities and cities. You might, for instance, keep in a budget-friendly motel simply exterior of St Clairsville. It’s solely a 15-minute drive away from the state park and is Ohio’s “Paradise on the Hill” with a vibrant downtown.