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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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

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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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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Cowan Lake State Park

Wilmington · Clinton County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
1,775acres
4trail miles
1950established
1750 Osborn Rd, Wilmington Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

This was Miami and Shawnee country, and it stayed that way until the Battle of Fallen Timbers broke Native resistance in the Northwest Territory. Settlement followed almost immediately after.

The first settler here arrived in 1797, and his story is stranger than most. William Smalley was captured by Native people as a small child and raised among them — he was forced to live with them until he was twenty years old. When he finally got out, he fought in General Wayne's army, was recaptured, and escaped with his life a second time. Then he came back to this valley and started clearing land for a home along the creek that would eventually be dammed to make this lake. Whatever he thought about the country he'd settled in, he knew it from both sides.

Cowan Creek itself is named for John Cowan, the area's first surveyor. The dam was completed in 1950, and Cowan Lake was dedicated as a state park in 1968. What makes it distinctive now is botanical: the shallow inlets fill with American lotus, a native water lily with leaves up to two feet across, and the mile-long Lotus Cove Trail leads to the colony. Combined with a 10-horsepower limit that keeps things quiet, it's one of the more genuinely peaceful lakes in southwest Ohio — and a sailing lake, which is uncommon here.

Things to do in the park

  • Lotus Cove Trail to the American lotus water lily colony
  • Sailing — genuinely popular here thanks to the 10-hp limit
  • 1,000-foot swimming beach on the south shore with changing rooms and showers
  • Boat camping and boat swimming in the northern portion of the lake
  • Camp store with hand-dipped ice cream, bait, and seasonal bike and kayak rentals
  • Winter: ice fishing, sledding, cross-country skiing

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Cowan Lake State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Wilmington, 9 miles north
  • Caesar Creek State Park, a short drive northeast
  • Spillway Lodge, an out-of-the-way steakhouse near the dam
  • Easy access from I-71 between Cincinnati and Columbus

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
Cowan Lake State Park, 1750 Osborn Rd, Wilmington
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

About 4 miles of hiking trail through mature woodlands. The mile-long Lotus Cove Trail leads to the American lotus colony; the Spillway Trail is the longest at over 2.5 miles.

Wildlife you might see

  • American lotus colonies in the shallow inlets — the park's signature sight
  • Waterfowl and wading birds among the lotus beds
  • White-tailed deer in the mature woodlands
  • Spring wildflowers along the trails

Birding

Cowan Lake 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.

  • Bobolink
  • Bald Eagle
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Dickcissel
  • Spotted Sandpiper
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Grasshopper Sparrow
  • Tree Swallow
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Field Sparrow
  • Purple Martin
  • Downy Woodpecker

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

  • Cowan Lake (700 acres): muskie, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish and bluegill, all described as plentiful. An accessible fishing pier is located near the Pine Tree picnic area.

Hunting

Permitted in designated areas with a valid Ohio license.

Getting on the water

700 acres with a 10-horsepower limit, which is the whole character of the lake: sailing, canoeing, and quiet fishing rather than skiing. Scenic inlets fill with American lotus in summer.

Launches & facilities

Three boat ramps
Spread around the lake for easy access. Seasonal docks available for rent.
South Shore Marina
Boat and canoe rentals, plus fishing and picnic supplies.
Boat swimming and boat camping
Both located in the northern portion of the lake.

Good to know

  • 10-horsepower limit — this is a sailing and paddling lake, not a ski lake.
  • Paddle into the inlets in mid-to-late summer for the lotus; the leaves can span two feet.
  • Carry In / Carry Out at the marina and ramps. No trash cans anywhere there.

The Settler Who Knew the Country From Both Sides

The first settler in this valley arrived in 1797, and his story is stranger than most. William Smalley was captured by Native people as a small child and raised among them, and he was made to live with them until he was twenty. When he finally got free, he fought in General Wayne's army, was recaptured, and escaped with his life a second time. Then he came back to this valley and started clearing land along the creek that would one day be dammed to make Cowan Lake.

Whatever he thought about the country he had settled, the story goes, he knew it from both sides.

Behind the legend

Smalley's is the valley's best-known pioneer tale: a boy taken young, a man who lived in two worlds, and a settler who came back to clear land here. The frame around it is documented. This was Miami and Shawnee country until the Battle of Fallen Timbers broke Native resistance in the Northwest Territory, and settlement followed almost at once. The creek is named for John Cowan, the area's first surveyor.

The lake came much later. The dam was finished in 1950, and Cowan Lake was dedicated as a state park in 1968. Today the shallow inlets are full of American lotus, a native water lily with leaves up to two feet wide, and the mile-long Lotus Cove Trail leads to the colony.

If you go

Walk the Lotus Cove Trail in summer for the lotus, and think about the man who cleared land along this creek. Cowan is also a rare sailing lake in the area, with a 10-horsepower limit that keeps it quiet.

Mounds & earthworks near Cowan Lake State Park

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

Fort Ancient

Oregonia · Warren County · Southwest Ohio
A hilltop ringed by walls, and not a fort at all.
Can visitUNESCO World Heritage Site (2023)
About 10 miles from this park · About 100 BCE to 500 CE

Stubbs Earthworks (lost)

Morrow · Warren County · Southwest Ohio
A once-massive Hopewell enclosure near Fort Ancient, now mostly gone.
National Register of Historic Places
About 14 miles from this park · About 100 BCE to 500 CE

Waterfalls near Cowan Lake State Park

Falls inside or within reach of this park. Stay behind railings and on marked trails; wet rock is slick in every season.

Horseshoe Falls

Waynesville · Warren County
A wide, low horseshoe falls on Caesar Creek, reached by a lakeshore hike and a 103 foot suspension bridge inside a 3,741 acre state park.
3 ftModerate hikeLegend
About 11 miles from this park

Campsites

Electric site
237 electric sites; 4 are ADA accessible. Pets permitted on all sites
$35–39/night
Non-electric site
17 sites
$25–29/night
Boat camping
In the northern portion of the lake
Varies

Cabins

Cabin
Park cabins near the lake
$120–170/night

On site

  • Showerhouses, flush toilets, laundry, dump station
  • Camper's beach, boat launch ramp, basketball court
  • Camp store with bait, snacks, hand-dipped ice cream and a grill
  • Seasonal bike and kayak rentals
  • Accessible fishing pier near the Pine Tree picnic area
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 "Cowan Lake State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?937-289-2105

The marina and boat ramps are Carry In / Carry Out — there are no trash cans. Bring your own bags.

Restaurants nearby

Spillway Lodge
Steakhouse out in the middle of nowhere near the dam — salad bar included. Closed Mondays
Directions
Capricorn Inn
Close to the lake, huge portions, open daily
Directions
73 Grill
Reliable burgers and pizza on the way in from town
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Speedway
24 hours in Wilmington
Directions
Duchess
24 hours on the east side of Wilmington
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.