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.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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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

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117 parks in 7 regions

Jackson Lake State Park

Oak Hill · Jackson County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
106acres
—trail miles
1938established

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
Jackson Lake State Park, 921 Tommy Been Rd, Oak Hill
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Check current park regulations. The surrounding Jackson County hill country and nearby Wayne National Forest units offer substantial public hunting.

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

Southern Ohio ran on iron. The Hanging Rock Iron Region had furnaces scattered across these hills through the nineteenth century, and they burned charcoal — which meant the forests around them were cut down, hauled in, and turned into fuel. The woods you see here are all second growth for that reason.

Remnants of the Jefferson Iron Furnace stand in the park. The furnace was one of many, and its story is the region's story in miniature: enormous labor, real prosperity for a while, and then the ore and the market moved on and the hills went quiet.

A dam went up on Black Fork in 1938, creating Jackson Lake, and the ground became a state reserve — a park with less development. There was a small camping area and a beach. In 1979 the facilities were expanded and it became a full state park. It remains modest: a lake, a campground, a beach, and a stone furnace in the trees.

Things to do in the park

  • Visit the remnants of the Jefferson Iron Furnace
  • Swimming beach
  • Boating and fishing on the 242-acre lake
  • Quiet camping in the Appalachian foothills

Trails

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

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Lake Alma State Park, a short drive north
  • Wayne National Forest units nearby
  • Jackson's downtown and the county's iron-furnace history
  • Lake Hope and Zaleski, about an hour east

Hiking trails

Limited formal trail mileage. This is a small fishing and camping lake rather than a hiking destination; the nearby Wayne National Forest has far more.

Wildlife you might see

  • White-tailed deer, wild turkey, skunks and opossums
  • Waterfowl on the lake
  • Second-growth Appalachian hardwood forest
  • Woodland songbirds

Fishing

  • Jackson Lake (242 acres): largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish.

Hunting

Check current park regulations. The surrounding Jackson County hill country and nearby Wayne National Forest units offer substantial public hunting.

Getting on the water

242 acres in the Appalachian foothills — a quiet fishing lake with a beach and a launch, and not much else competing for the water.

Launches & facilities

Boat launch
Access to Jackson Lake.
Swimming beach
Separate from the boating area.
Shoreline fishing
Bank access around parts of the lake.

Good to know

  • The Jefferson Furnace remnants are worth finding while you're here.
  • This is a small, quiet lake — bring modest tackle and expectations.
  • Nearby Wayne National Forest has the hiking this park lacks.

The Furnace in the Trees

Southern Ohio ran on iron, and the iron ran on trees. The Hanging Rock Iron Region had furnaces scattered through these hills all through the nineteenth century, and they burned charcoal, so the forests around them were cut, hauled in and turned to fuel. The woods in this park are all second growth for that reason.

The Jefferson Iron Furnace still stands in the park, a stone stack in the trees. It was one of many, and its story is the region's story in miniature: enormous labor, real prosperity for a while, and then the ore and the market moved on and the hills went quiet.

Behind the legend

The furnace is a remnant of a much larger industry, and the region's other furnaces tell the same story. Lake Vesuvius and Vinton Furnace are the same kind of stack from the same era. The lake is a later addition. A dam went up on Black Fork in 1938, and the ground became a state reserve, with a small camping area and a beach. In 1979 the facilities were expanded and it became a full state park.

It remains modest: a lake, a campground, a beach and a stone furnace in the trees.

If you go

Find the Jefferson Iron Furnace among the trees and picture the forest that was cut to feed it. Then camp by the lake, where the second-growth woods have had a century to come back.

Historic sites near Jackson Lake State Park

Forts, villages, furnaces and lighthouses within reach of this park. Tap one for its story and visiting details.

Buckeye Furnace

Wellston · Jackson County · Southern Ohio
A reconstructed charcoal blast furnace with its original stack, showing how pig iron was made in the 1800s.
National Register of Historic Places
About 12 miles from this park · 1852–1894

Road trips through Jackson Lake State Park

Scenic byways and heritage drives that pass this park or run close to it.

Welsh Scenic Byway

Southeast Ohio (Gallia and Jackson counties)
A furnace-country lake and camping park.
Scenic byway34 miles
Half a day · Jackson County to Gallia County

Waterfalls near Jackson 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.

Rock Run Falls

Jackson · Jackson County
A quiet cascade fed by Lake Katharine's spillway, crossed by a footbridge on the Pine Ridge Trail.
Small cascadeModerate hike
About 13 miles from this park

Campsites

Electric site
Small campground near the lake
$29–33/night

On site

  • Showers and flush toilets
  • Swimming beach
  • Boat launch
  • Picnic areas
  • Dump station
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 "Jackson Lake State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?740-682-6197

Restaurants nearby

Rowdy's Smokehouse
Excellent barbecue with a big patio. Thu–Sat only
Directions
Arch and Eddie's
A converted house with several dining rooms. Closed Sundays
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Bud's One Stop
24 hours in McArthur, about 25 minutes northeast
Directions

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