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

Lake Alma State Park

Wellston · Vinton County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
292acres
—trail miles
—established

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
Lake Alma State Park, 422 Lake Alma Rd, Wellston
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Limited within this small park. The surrounding Vinton 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

Lake Alma began life as a private amusement park. A local coal and railroad magnate built it around the turn of the twentieth century and named it for his wife — a resort with a dance pavilion, boats, and an electric railway running out from Wellston to bring people in. For a while it was the social center of the region.

The resort era ended, as they generally did, and the property eventually came to the state.

What it is now is smaller and gentler than most of what surrounds it. Vinton and Jackson counties hold some of the most rugged terrain in Ohio, and Lake Alma sits in the middle of it as a soft spot: a quiet 60-acre lake with a gentle creek meandering through a wooded valley, a gazebo out on an island, walking trails and scenic views. ODNR describes it as a friendly community park, which is exactly right — it functions more like Wellston's backyard than a destination.

Things to do in the park

  • The island gazebo — the park's signature feature
  • Easy walking trails around the lake
  • Swimming beach
  • Paddling on the quiet 60-acre lake
  • Camping in one of the more rugged corners of Ohio

Trails

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

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Jackson Lake State Park, a short drive south
  • Lake Hope and Zaleski State Forest to the north
  • Wayne National Forest units nearby
  • Hocking Hills, about an hour northeast

Hiking trails

A few miles of easy walking trails around the lake and through the wooded valley. Gentle terrain throughout.

Wildlife you might see

  • White-tailed deer and wild turkey
  • Waterfowl on the small lake
  • Appalachian hardwood forest along the creek valley
  • Woodland songbirds

Fishing

  • Lake Alma (60 acres): bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. Small, quiet water.

Hunting

Limited within this small park. The surrounding Vinton County hill country and nearby Wayne National Forest units offer substantial public hunting.

Getting on the water

Sixty acres of quiet water with an island in it. This is canoe and panfish territory, set in a wooded valley.

Launches & facilities

Boat launch
Small-craft access to the lake.
Swimming beach
Designated beach separate from boating.
Shoreline fishing
Accessible around much of the lake.

Good to know

  • Bring a kayak or canoe — this is small water.
  • The island gazebo is the picture everyone takes here.
  • Nearby Wayne National Forest has the rugged hiking this park doesn't.

The Resort With Its Own Electric Railway

Lake Alma began as a private amusement park. Around the turn of the twentieth century, a local coal and railroad magnate built it and named it for his wife. It had a dance pavilion, boats and an electric railway that ran out from Wellston to bring the crowds. For a while it was the social center of the region.

The resort era ended, as they generally did, and the property came to the state. What is left is a soft spot in some of Ohio's roughest country: a quiet 60-acre lake, a gentle creek, a gazebo on an island and walking trails.

Behind the legend

This is a local memory more than a written history, and the details in the retelling are simple ones: the magnate, the wife's name, the dance pavilion, the electric railway from Wellston. ODNR calls it a friendly community park, and that is how it works. Vinton and Jackson counties hold some of the most rugged terrain in Ohio, and Lake Alma sits in the middle of it more like Wellston's backyard than a destination.

Lake Alma is also part of a larger pattern. Lake Milton and Indian Lake had amusement parks of their own, and each one faded when the resort era did.

If you go

Walk to the gazebo on the island and imagine the dance pavilion and the electric cars from Wellston. Then walk the trails, which are gentler than anything around them.

Historic sites near Lake Alma 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 6 miles from this park · 1852–1894

Road trips through Lake Alma 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 small lake park in Wellston.
Scenic byway34 miles
Half a day · Jackson County to Gallia County

Waterfalls near Lake Alma 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 9 miles from this park

Campsites

Electric site
Small campground near the lake
$31–35/night

On site

  • Showers and flush toilets
  • Swimming beach
  • Boat launch
  • Picnic areas and gazebo
  • 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 "Lake Alma State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?740-384-4474

Restaurants nearby

Happenings Bistro
Family-owned, open daily, and the owner will tell you the history of the local 'veal' sandwich
Directions
The Patio Grubs & Suds
Pizza in Wellston. Closed Sundays; reviews are mixed
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Wellston 1st Stop
24 hours, clean, with hot food
Directions
Sunoco
24 hours in town, makes subs and pizza
Directions

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