Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Barkcamp State Park

Belmont · Belmont County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
1,005acres
20trail miles
1955established
65330 Barkcamp Park Rd, Belmont Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

Belmont County was among the earliest parts of Ohio settled, and it was violent ground. Before the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, the Ohio River was the accepted line — Native nations to the north, settlers to the south — and the trouble started when land-hungry settlers pushed across it. The Moundbuilders were here first, then the Wyandot, Delaware, and Shawnee.

Lewis Wetzel ranged through this country. He was a celebrated frontier Indian fighter and, by any honest reading, a man driven by hatred who instigated much of the bloodshed himself rather than merely responding to it. A large boulder near the park's Antique Barn still bears an inscription he carved. Not long after, the Society of Friends — Quakers, whose entire theology pointed the other direction — established the first church in the area. Both are part of the same county's history.

The park's name is more prosaic and more literal. Barkcamp Creek ran through here, and on its banks stood a logging camp where crews stripped the bark off logs before sending them to the mill. ODNR began buying the land in 1955 and developed it as a fishing and game reserve. The dam was completed in 1963, creating Belmont Lake and cutting the creek's outflow. The park marked sixty years of operation recently, and Ohio's park system was named the best in the country in 2025.

Things to do in the park

  • The Antique Barn and the Lewis Wetzel inscription boulder nearby
  • A historic Mail Pouch Tobacco barn, recently renovated
  • Storybook Trail — a half-mile with a children's story along the way
  • Mountain bike trails and 24+ miles of bridle trail, with a horse washing station and accessible mounting ramp
  • Beach, mini golf, and playgrounds
  • Kayak launch on Belmont Lake

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Barkcamp State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • St. Clairsville and the National Road (US 40) corridor
  • Wheeling, West Virginia, under 30 minutes east
  • Wayne National Forest units to the south
  • Barkcamp's own antique and historical displays

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Barkcamp State Park, 65330 Barkcamp Park Rd, Belmont
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Permitted in designated areas with a valid Ohio license.

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

Hiking trails

Over 20 miles of trail, from the half-mile Storybook Trail to the 7.4-mile Blue Trail, plus the Pioneer Trail and Woodchuck Nature Trail. Separately, more than 24 miles of bridle trail — hikers occasionally share the tread with riders. Mountain bike trails as well.

Wildlife you might see

  • White-tailed deer across the mature woodlands and open meadows
  • Strong birding — the park is well regarded for it
  • Wild turkey and small game
  • Secluded meadow and woodland mix

Birding

Barkcamp State Park's lake and wooded shoreline draw both forest songbirds and lake-edge waterbirds — scan the open water for waterfowl and raptors, and the treeline for songbirds.

  • Eastern Meadowlark
  • Canada Goose
  • Acadian Flycatcher
  • Bobolink
  • Mallard
  • Great Crested Flycatcher
  • Dickcissel
  • Wood Duck
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Grasshopper Sparrow
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Blue-headed Vireo

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Belmont Lake (117 acres): bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, saugeye and trout. A wheelchair-accessible fishing area is provided.

Hunting

Permitted in designated areas with a valid Ohio license.

Getting on the water

Belmont Lake is 117 acres and restricted to hand-powered boats and electric motors — quiet water for fishing and paddling. Note that swimming from your boat is not allowed; use the beach.

Launches & facilities

Launch ramp
One ramp provides access to Belmont Lake. Seasonal boat tie-ups available.
Kayak launch
Dedicated paddling access.
Accessible fishing area
Wheelchair-accessible shoreline fishing.

Good to know

  • Hand-powered and electric motors only — no gas engines on Belmont Lake.
  • Swimming from your boat is prohibited; swim at the designated beach.
  • The lake holds trout as well as the usual warmwater species, which is less common in this part of Ohio.

The Stone Lewis Wetzel Signed

Near the park's Antique Barn there is a large boulder, and the story is that it carries an inscription carved by Lewis Wetzel. Wetzel was one of the region's best-known frontiersmen, celebrated by settlers as an Indian fighter and remembered by others as a killer, and the ground here saw a lot of bloodshed before the Treaty of Greenville in 1795. The Ohio River was the accepted boundary then, and land-hungry settlers kept crossing it.

The county has a very different second story. Quakers arrived even before Belmont County was formally created in 1801, and because it bordered slaveholding Virginia and the busy river town of Wheeling, it became a hub for people working to end slavery. Benjamin Lundy, a Quaker in nearby St. Clairsville, became known as the 'Father of Abolitionism' and formed an anti-slavery society here in 1815. By one count there were 120 miles of Underground Railroad in the county.

Behind the legend

ODNR's account attributes the carved boulder to Wetzel and does not say how it is dated. Like most inscription stories, it lives on as local lore, and Wetzel's reputation depends on who is telling it. ODNR itself says he held a mortal hate for Native people. The abolition history is much better documented. Lundy's anti-slavery society, the Union Humane Society, dates from 1815, and he helped produce the abolitionist paper The Philanthropist at nearby Mount Pleasant.

Even the park's name has competing explanations. One says Barkcamp Creek ran past a logging camp where bark was stripped from logs before they went to the mill, and another says bark camps were used to gather bark for tanneries. The lake, Belmont Lake, was finished in 1963. Zane's Trace, the pioneer road that ran from Wheeling to Maysville, passed just north of the park.

If you go

Find the boulder near the Antique Barn and read what is carved on it, and enjoy the story that comes with it. Then go to nearby Mount Pleasant to learn about the Quakers and the Underground Railroad.

Mounds & earthworks near Barkcamp State Park

Ancient earthworks within easy reach of this park. Tap one for its history, legends and visiting details.

Grave Creek Mound (Moundsville, W.Va.)

Moundsville · Marshall County, West Virginia · Just over the line
A 62-foot Adena burial mound in the middle of Moundsville, beside a free museum, about 15 minutes over the river from eastern Ohio.
National Historic Landmark
About 18 miles from this park · Built in stages about 250 to 150 BCE

Campsites

Electric site
120 of 146 sites have electricity; some full hookup and ADA-compliant
$31–35/night
Equestrian site
27 designated equestrian sites with horse washing station
$31–35/night
Group tent camping
One reservable site for up to 66 people, 11 picnic tables
Varies

Cabins

Sherman cabin
Cozy cabins in the park
$55–80/night

On site

  • Newly constructed shower house
  • Dump station
  • Mini golf course and playground
  • Basketball courts
  • Horse washing station and accessible mounting ramp
  • 3 ADA-compliant sites
  • Pet camping on designated sites
Continue to ReserveOhio →
Field Notes Ohio isn't connected to ReserveOhio, so it can't hold a site or take payment. Tapping through opens it in a new tab — search "Barkcamp State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?740-484-4064

Restaurants nearby

Mehlman's Cafeteria
An Ohio Valley institution — cafeteria-style home cooking and famous pie. Closed Mon & Tue
Directions
West Texas Roadhouse
Local steakhouse, big portions, open daily
Directions
Barton Trap
Small local bar with cheap, good burgers
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Pilot Travel Center
24 hours off I-70, showers and EV fast chargers
Directions
Love's Travel Stop
24 hours with dedicated RV spots — power and water, no dump station
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.