Ohio State Park Improvements Announced

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) today announced that Ohio State Parks will be receiving improvements through funding approved by the Ohio Controlling Board. Using capital budget funding:

Pre-construction design services that pave the way for renovations of 34 cabins: eight cabins at Buck Creek State Park in Clark County; eight cabins in Cowan Lake State Park in Clinton County; eight cabins at Pymatuning State Park in Ashtabula County; five cabins at Pike Lake State Park in Pike County; and five cabins at Dillon State Park in Muskingum County.

Three new restrooms will also be built at both Beaver Creek State Park in Columbiana County and Jefferson Lake State Park in Jefferson County. “Visitors today want to enjoy more modern amenities, such as updated cabins and restrooms,” ODNR Director James Zehringer said. “These improvements will provide our day-use visitors and overnight guests with a better experience as they explore Ohio State Parks.”

The Ohio State Parks capital improvement projects, and others like them around the state, are made possible through the support of Governor John Kasich and the Ohio General Assembly. Ohio State Parks received an unprecedented $88.5 million for capital improvements to strengthen the infrastructure and modernize facilities in the previous capital budget. An additional $38 million from the current capital budget was awarded to Ohio State Parks, and that funding will continue to be invested in park improvements.

More capital projects are scheduled or nearing completion across the state. Ohioans are encouraged to offer suggestions about where they would like to see improvements by filling out the capital project survey on the ODNR website at parks.ohiodnr.gov/improvements.

Ohio has 74 state parks, 56 with campgrounds and nine with lodge and conference centers. The Buckeye State is one of only seven states in the nation where admission and parking at state parks are free. Many Ohio families and out-of-state residents turn to Ohio State Parks for hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, camping, biking, disc golf, horseback riding and much more. Last year, there were a total of 2.5 million overnight stays in Ohio’s state park campgrounds, cabins and lodges.