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Dillon State Park encompasses 2,285 acres along the Licking River in Nashport, Ohio. [1] Black Hand Sandstone in Dillon State Park has resulted in the park having a wide variety of natural features, including wooded hills and scenic valleys. [2] One of the attractions in Dillon State Park is Dillon Lake, which covers 1,560 acres and offers a wide range of activities, including boating and fishing. [1] In addition, the park has many trails popular for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. [2] The park is also used for sight-seeing due to its wildlife.
Dillon State Park was named after Moses Dillon, who is known for constructing the original Y-Bridge in Zanesville. He purchased the land where the park now stands in 1803. [3]
Between 1811 and 1834, the National Road was constructed, which passed near the Dillon region. The road connected central Ohio to the east coast, extending from Maryland to Illinois. The road passed through Zanesville, the town directly next to Dillon State Park. Furthermore, the road significantly boosted local economic activity as traffic increased. As the traffic along the route grew, Zanesville became a major stopover along this road.[ citation needed ]
In 1961, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated flood control projects across Ohio. The project created the Dillon Dam, designed to control and manage the waters of the Licking and Muskingum Rivers, which had caused major floods in the past. This flood control reservoir ultimately resulted in the creation of Dillon Lake, which the park now surrounds. [2] The addition of the dam and the creation of the lake transformed the area's landscape, necessitating the construction of new roads to provide people with access to the park.
The park was officially established as a public recreation area in 1968 by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Since then the park has significantly developed to accommodate visitors by implementing various activities and multi-use trails.
Evidence of geological features that formed over millions of years ago can be found in the park today. The sand from the eastern mountains eroded and collected around the ancient sea of this region hundreds of millions of years ago. The Black Hand Sandstone in the park dates back to the Early Mississippian Period, around 300 to 350 million years ago, when the area was a coastal plain and surrounded by shallow seas. Sand eroded from nearby mountains to the east, compressed over millions of years to form this sandstone. Unique to the Ohio area, Black Hand Sandstone is coarse, durable, and massive in nature. [4]
The park includes a wide variety of plant and animal species. White-tailed deer and Wild turkey can be spotted along the park's trails, while the migration of ducks, geese, and swans can be observed on Dillon Lake. Bald eagle sightings have also been reported by visitors. [2] Inside the lake, there are populations of Bluegill, Catfish, Hybrid striped bass, Largemouth bass, Saugeye, and Crappie for fishing. [5] The park's plants include a variety of Hardwood trees like Oak and Maple. Shield lichen can also be found around the park growing on trees. [6]
Dillon State Park offers boat and dock rentals. The park also provides hiking and mountain biking trails across many different terrains. The trails are between half a mile and 18 miles in length. [1]
An accessible swimming beach is also available at this park. The facilities located nearby include showers, lockers, a snack bar, a bathhouse, and a wading pool for children. For entertainment, there are various games and activities for residents to enjoy, such as: tennis, horseshoes, paddleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard and a playground.
The Park has 195 campsites and 29 cabins in total. [7] The campground includes a family campground, equestrian campsites and vacation cabins.
Hocking Hills State Park is a state park in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County, Ohio, United States. In some areas the park adjoins the Hocking State Forest. Within the park are over 25 miles (40 km) of hiking trails, rock formations, waterfalls, and recess caves. The trails are open from dawn to dusk, all year round, including holidays.
Brown County State Park is located in the United States in the center of the southern half of the state of Indiana. The park is by far the largest of 24 state parks in Indiana, and occupies 15,776 acres (63.84 km2)—making it one of the larger state parks in the United States. It is among Indiana's most visited state parks with about 1.2 million visitors annually. Although Bloomington, Indiana, is the closest city, the park is closer to the small town of Nashville in Brown County. Brown County is named for General Jacob Brown, who fought in the War of 1812 and became Commanding General of the United States Army.
Curecanti National Recreation Area is a National Park Service unit located on the Gunnison River in western Colorado. Established in 1965, Curecanti National Recreation Area is responsible for developing and managing recreational facilities on three reservoirs, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Morrow Point Reservoir and Crystal Reservoir, constructed on the upper Gunnison River in the 1960s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to better utilize the vital waters of the Colorado River and its major tributaries. A popular destination for boating and fishing, Curecanti offers visitors two marinas, traditional and group campgrounds, hiking trails, boat launches, and boat-in campsites. The state's premiere lake trout and Kokanee salmon fisheries, Curecanti is a popular destination for boating and fishing, and is also a popular area for ice-fishing in the winter months.
Beaver Creek Valley State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, featuring a steep, narrow valley carved by East Beaver Creek. This spring-fed stream is a fishing destination for its native brook trout, and introduced brown trout. The park rests on a heavily forested valley, up to 250 feet (76 m) deep in places, amidst the farmland of southeastern Minnesota. Located near the town of Caledonia, the park was developed in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration. The parkland exhibits the highly stream-carved terrain characteristic of the Driftless Area.
Rice Lake State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, just east of Owatonna. Park lands entirely surround Rice Lake, an important stopping point for migrating waterfowl. The lake covers 750 acres (300 ha) with an average depth of three feet (1 m).
The Licking River is a tributary of the Muskingum River, about 40 mi (65 km) long, in central Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.
P. H. Hoeft State Park is a public recreation area on the shores of Lake Huron, four miles (6.4 km) northwest of Rogers City on US 23 in Presque Isle County, Michigan. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Onaway State Park is a public recreation area covering 158 acres (64 ha) on the southeast shore of Black Lake in North Allis Township, Presque Isle County, Michigan. The state parks sits at the end of M-211 five miles north of Onaway. It contains sand and cobblestone beaches, large rock outcroppings, a campground, and nature trail highlighting a diversity of trees. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
The Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve is a 4-mile-long (6.4 km) sandstone formation through which the Licking River flows in Licking County, Ohio, United States. Located 12 miles (19 km) east of Newark near the tiny town of Toboso, 957 acres (387 ha) along the gorge were designated an Ohio Nature Preserve in 1975. The gorge is a capsule of Ohio transportation history, having hosted canal boats, steam railroads, electric interurbans, and automobiles through the years. It is named for the black hand petroglyph that was found on the cliff face by the first settlers to the area. Black Hand Sandstone is a resistant rock that also forms the backbone of the Hocking Hills region.
Lake Wissota State Park is a 1,062-acre (430 ha) Wisconsin state park near the town of Chippewa Falls. The park is situated on the northeast shore of Lake Wissota, a reservoir on the Chippewa River. Camping, boating, and fishing are the most popular activities. Park lands are covered in a mix of pine/hardwood forests and prairie. Visitors can access the Old Abe State Trail and bike or hike 17.5 miles (28.2 km) to Brunet Island State Park.
Mill Bluff State Park is a state park in west-central Wisconsin, United States. It is located in eastern Monroe and western Juneau counties, near the village of Camp Douglas. A unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve, the park protects several prominent sandstone bluffs 80 feet (24 m) to 200 feet (61 m) high that formed as sea stacks 12,000 years ago in Glacial Lake Wisconsin. As a result, these bluffs are steep and angular, dissimilar to the rounded terrain more typical of the eastern half of the United States. The bluffs served as landmarks to both early pioneers and travelers today on Interstate 90/94, which passes through the park.
Mirror Lake State Park is a 2,179-acre (882 ha) Wisconsin state park in the Wisconsin Dells region. The process of establishing the park began in 1962 and the park officially opened on August 19, 1966. It contains Mirror Lake, a narrow reservoir with steep sandstone sides up to 50 feet (15 m) tall. The lake has a surface area of 137 acres (55 ha) and an average depth of 10 to 14 feet. Recessed out of the wind, the water of Mirror Lake is usually calm and often as glassy-smooth as a mirror, hence the name. Situated in a major tourist area, the state park has an extensive campground and other visitor amenities. Also located within the park is the Seth Peterson Cottage, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building available for public rental.
Rocky Arbor State Park is a 244-acre (99 ha) Wisconsin state park in the Wisconsin Dells region. The park was established in 1932 to protect sandstone outcrops eroded into picturesque walls and ledges.
Pinckney State Recreation Area is a Michigan state recreation area in Dexter, Sylvan and Lyndon Townships, Washtenaw County and Putnam and Unadilla Townships, Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park is 11,000 acres (4,500 ha) and sits at an elevation of 922 feet (281 m). The park is connected to the nearby Waterloo State Recreation Area by the 35-mile (56 km) Waterloo–Pinckney Trail. Pinckney State Recreation Area is open for year-round recreation including hiking, fishing, swimming, hunting and a variety of winter sports.
Brushy Creek State Recreation Area is a state park in Webster County, Iowa in the United States. With an area encompassing over 6,000 acres (24 km2), the facility is one of Iowa's largest public outdoor recreation areas.
Lake Hudson State Recreation Area is a public recreation area located within southwestern Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With its main entrance located along M-156, it is mostly located within Hudson Township and a very small portion extending south into neighboring Medina Township.
Mohican State Park is a 1,110-acre (450 ha) public recreation area located on the south shore of Pleasant Hill Lake, five miles (8.0 km) south of Loudonville in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The state park is located along Ohio SR 3 and Ohio SR 97 and is surrounded by the 4,525-acre (1,831 ha) Mohican-Memorial State Forest. The Clear Fork of the Mohican River flows through the park carving a narrow gorge and joins the Black Fork about a half-mile east of the park to form the Mohican River. The park is open for year-round recreation including camping, hiking, boating, mountain biking, fishing, and picnicking.
Alum Creek State Park is a 4,630-acre (1,870 ha) Ohio state park in Delaware County, Ohio, in the United States. Alum Creek Lake was constructed from 1970 to 1974 as part of the Flood Control Act of 1962. Alum Creek Dam was constructed on Alum Creek, a tributary of Big Walnut Creek, which drains into the Scioto River. Alum Creek Reservoir holds 3,387 acres (1,371 ha) of water and is open to fishing, boating, ice fishing, ice boating, and swimming. The park is just north of the state capital of Columbus and contains the remnants of a settlement by freed slaves that arrived in Ohio from North Carolina.
Deam Lake State Recreation Area is an Indiana State Recreation Area in Clark County, Indiana in the United States. The park is 1,300 acres (530 ha) and sits at an elevation of 535 feet (163 m). Deam Lake State Recreation area is open for year-round recreation, however the campground closes each year from the Sunday before Thanksgiving to March 1 of the following year. Much of the recreation is centered on Deam Lake. It is named for Charles C. Deam, the first state forester of Indiana.
Mira River Provincial Park is a provincial park situated on the Mira River in Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia, 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Sydney and 17 kilometres (11 mi) from the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada. Opened in 1967, the 87.49 hectares property offers camping sites and a range of opportunities for outdoor recreation, including picnicking, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, biking, front-country hiking, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and geocaching.