Great Seal State Park, just a few miles north of Chillicothe, takes its name from the hills, fields and valleys depicted on the state seal that are part of the park's geography. More than 20 miles of trails, open to hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians, range in length from the short Rock Garden Trail to a strenuous 6.4-mile trail along the ridge of Mount Ives. The park’s day-use areas have picnic tables and sports courts. The campground, open from March through December, has 15 primitive sites, some with picket lines for horses, vault toilets and drinking water.
Twelve miles south of Chillicothe, Scioto Trail State Park covers 9,000 acres in the Scioto Trail State Forest. The park has two small lakes open to anglers, canoes and boats with electric motors, an unguarded swimming beach, and a little more than 5 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. The Buckeye Trail, a 1,444-mile hiking route that loops through Ohio, dips into the state forest. Scioto Trail State Park has two camping areas. Most of the campsites at the campground at Caldwell Lake have electrical hookups. Tent campers can pack in to a primitive campground on Stewart Lake. The campgrounds are open year-round, but some park facilities close in the winter.
Slightly more developed than Scioto Trail and Great Seal state parks, Paint Creek State Park, 28 miles west of Chillicothe, has a 1,190-acre lake where unlimited horsepower boating is allowed. The lake has three launches and a marina with boat rentals and fuel. An unguarded beach has a bathhouse, and the park has a miniature golf course and a disc golf course. Hikers, cyclists and equestrians share miles of trails. All of the sites at the park’s large campground have electrical hookups, and modern bathhouses have hot showers and laundry rooms. Like Scioto Trail, the campground remains open year-round with limited facilities in the winter.
A gorge, caves and a large lake where unlimited horsepower boating is allowed are the highlights of Rocky Fork State Park, 8 miles west of Paint Creek State Park. A marina and six launches provide access to the lake for boaters, and sites are designated for boat camping and swimming from watercraft. Two unguarded swimming beaches, picnic areas, an accessible fishing pier, a disc golf course and two short hiking trails give non-boaters ways to satisfy their pursuits. The park’s large campground has primitive sites, sites with electrical hookups and sites with full hookups. Wi-Fi is available at the campground office, where campers can borrow sports equipment. Rocky Fork State Park’s campground closes from December through March.
