Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
Try:
The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
›
Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
›
Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
›
Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
›
Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
›
Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
›
Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
›
Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
›

Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

117 parks in 7 regions

Deer Creek State Park

Mount Sterling · Pickaway & Fayette Counties
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
3,617acres
—trail miles
1968established

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
Deer Creek State Park, 20635 State Park Rd 20
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Hunting for pheasant, rabbit, squirrel and deer is NOT permitted in the state park itself, but is permitted in the adjacent 8,662-acre Deer Creek Wildlife Area, which has both a shooting range and an archery range. Waterfowl hunting on the lake is excellent: fourteen blinds are issued each season by lottery, and the lake and shoreline open to waterfowl hunting only from October 15 to March 1.

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.

The story of this land

On a long ridge overlooking Deer Creek and its valley, researchers found the remains of a camp used around 2,000 B.C. The people who stayed here were hunters and gatherers, not farmers, so they came back periodically and moved on when the plants and game in one spot ran low. Burial sites near the camp suggest they used this ridge over a long span of years — the same high ground with the same view that the lodge looks out from now.

Much later, a different kind of retreat. Harry M. Daugherty, attorney general under President Warren G. Harding, kept a cottage overlooking this valley — a rustic one-and-a-half story place built in 1918. Daugherty was one of the central figures in the Harding administration's corruption scandals, which gives the quiet cottage on the ridge a slightly different flavor.

The Army Corps of Engineers dammed Deer Creek in 1968 for flood control. ODNR established the park in 1974 and built the campground, the marina followed in 1978, and the lodge opened in 1981. What it became is central Ohio's resort park — golf course, cottages, a big beach — but the fishing reputation is more specific than that suggests: the water below the dam is locally famous for early spring saugeye.

Things to do in the park

  • 350-acre 18-hole golf course with 10 ponds and 46 sand traps
  • 1,700-foot swimming beach — one of the largest in central Ohio
  • Free 18-hole disc golf course near the campground check-in, with rental equipment at the camp store
  • Boat-swim areas, including a cove next to the lodge
  • Modern lodge and cottages
  • Winter: snowmobiling and ice fishing

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Deer Creek State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Tri-County Triangle Trail — 32 miles of rail-trail
  • Mount Sterling's small downtown
  • Columbus, about 40 minutes northeast
  • Deer Creek Wildlife Area shooting and archery ranges

Hiking trails

Seven hiking trails within the park, ranging easy to moderate, plus equestrian trails and an equestrian camp. The 32-mile Tri-County Triangle rail-trail runs nearby, connecting Washington Court House, Frankfort, and Chillicothe.

Wildlife you might see

  • White-tailed deer
  • Waterfowl — the lake is a significant migration stop
  • Meadow and woodland songbirds
  • Pheasant and quail in the adjacent wildlife area (stocked)

Fishing

  • Deer Creek Lake (1,277 acres, max depth ~55 ft): saugeye — the tailwater below the dam is famous for early spring runs — plus channel catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, and bluegill.

Hunting

Hunting for pheasant, rabbit, squirrel and deer is NOT permitted in the state park itself, but is permitted in the adjacent 8,662-acre Deer Creek Wildlife Area, which has both a shooting range and an archery range. Waterfowl hunting on the lake is excellent: fourteen blinds are issued each season by lottery, and the lake and shoreline open to waterfowl hunting only from October 15 to March 1.

Getting on the water

1,277 acres reaching about 55 feet deep — unusually deep for a central Ohio reservoir, which is part of why the fishery works. Two boat launch ramps and a marina, and boaters can swim from their boats in designated boat-swim areas.

Launches & facilities

Two boat ramps
Plus a marina, which opened in 1978.
Boat-swim areas
Designated zones where you can swim from your boat — one is in the cove next to the lodge.
Tailwater below the dam
The early spring saugeye spot; bank access.

Good to know

  • Early spring below the dam is the saugeye window locals plan around.
  • Fourteen waterfowl blinds are issued by lottery each season — the lake is open to waterfowl hunting only, Oct 15 to Mar 1.
  • The 1,700-foot beach is separate from the boating areas and rarely crowded on weekdays.

The Cottage on the Ridge

Two retreats look out over this valley, thousands of years apart. The first was a hunters' camp on a long ridge above Deer Creek, used around 2,000 B.C. by people who came back season after season and buried their dead nearby. The second was a cottage, a rustic story-and-a-half place built in 1918 and kept by Harry M. Daugherty, President Warren G. Harding's attorney general.

Daugherty was one of the central figures in the scandals that dogged the Harding administration, which gives the quiet cottage on the ridge a different flavor than its view suggests. It looks out on the same high ground, with the same view, as the camp before it.

Behind the legend

The camp and the burials are archaeology, and the cottage is documented local history. Daugherty's role in the Harding scandals is well known, and the cottage is the piece of it that ended up in a park. The park itself is newer than either. The Corps of Engineers dammed Deer Creek in 1968 for flood control, ODNR established the park in 1974, the marina followed in 1978, and the lodge opened in 1981.

The lodge now sits on the same high ground with the same view. Below the dam, the water is locally famous for early spring saugeye.

If you go

Look out from the lodge or the ridge and picture both retreats. In early spring, fish below the dam for saugeye if you are an angler.

Mounds & earthworks near Deer Creek State Park

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

Luthor List Mound (Burning Mound)

Circleville · Pickaway County · South-Central Ohio
A ridge-top burial mound south of Circleville whose two nicknames both suggest fire.
National Register of Historic Places
About 16 miles from this park · Adena period (about 800 BCE to 100 CE)

Arledge Mounds

Circleville · Pickaway County · South-Central Ohio
A rare pair of conjoined mounds hidden in a Pickaway County field.
National Register of Historic Places
About 20 miles from this park · Unexcavated; attributed to the Adena

Campsites

Full hookup site
Electric, water and sewer
$35–52/night
Electric site
Large modern campground
$35–39/night
Equestrian site
Separate equestrian camp
$19–23/night

Cabins

Cottage
Two- and three-bedroom cottages near the lodge
$150–200/night
Lodge room
Resort lodge with restaurant and pools
$130–200/night

On site

  • Heated showers, flush toilets
  • Camp store with disc golf rentals
  • Nature center
  • Golf course
  • Marina
  • Sports courts
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 "Deer Creek State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?740-869-3124

Restaurants nearby

Hammer Time Pub
Campers repeatedly call this the best meal near the park — burgers and fresh-cut fries
Directions
Two Hands Coffee
Opens 6 a.m. weekdays; homemade donuts. Closed Tue & Sun
Directions
Rafter's at Deer Creek Lodge
In the lodge with lake views; service can be slow — reserve on weekends
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Sunoco
24 hours in Mount Sterling
Directions
Sterling Crossings
Well-stocked with groceries, deli and air compressor
Directions

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