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.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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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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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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117 parks in 7 regions

Lake Hope State Park

Zaleski / McArthur · Vinton County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
2,983acres
20trail miles
1937established

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 Hope State Park, 27331 OH-278, McArthur
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Not inside the park proper, but the surrounding Zaleski State Forest is open to hunting — deer, turkey, squirrel, grouse — with a valid Ohio license. Zaleski is one of the larger contiguous public hunting tracts in southeast Ohio.

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

There was a town here called Hope, and it was built around fire. The Hope Furnace smelted iron ore dug out of these hills, part of the Hanging Rock Iron Region that ran on charcoal made from the surrounding forest — which is why the woods you hike through now are all second growth. A post office called Hope Furnace opened in 1865 and closed in 1890, which brackets the boom fairly precisely.

When the lake was impounded on Big Sandy Run, the town went under. Hope still lies beneath the water, flooded right up to the side of a cliff — and that cliff is now the swimming area. Two buildings from the town survive above the waterline: the one-room Hope Schoolhouse, renovated into a visitor center and meeting space with exhibits on the area's history, and an old church on Wheelabout Road south of it, in poor condition. The furnace stack itself still stands in the park, stone and silent in the trees.

The park was established in 1937 as Lake Hope Forest Park and became a state park in 1949. What makes it unusual now is the dark. Vinton County is the least populous county in Ohio, and with Zaleski State Forest wrapped around the park there is very little light for a long way in any direction — this is among the better stargazing spots in the state. A new lodge opened in 2013 after the original burned. The Moonville Rail-Trail passes close by, leading toward the old Moonville Tunnel, and a Zaleski backpacking trailhead sits at the Hope Schoolhouse.

Things to do in the park

  • Walk to the Hope Furnace stack, still standing in the woods
  • Swim off the cliff area — directly above the drowned town of Hope
  • Pontoon, kayak and canoe rentals at the boathouse
  • Lake Hope Dining Lodge, rebuilt and reopened with a lake view
  • Stargazing — among the darkest accessible skies in Ohio
  • Mountain biking and the Moonville Rail-Trail nearby

Trails

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

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Moonville Tunnel, a long-abandoned railroad tunnel with a heavy dose of local ghost lore
  • Hope Schoolhouse visitor center and Zaleski backpack trailhead
  • Zaleski State Forest Backpack Trail — multi-day loop
  • Athens and Hocking Hills each about an hour away

Hiking trails

Roughly 20 miles of trail inside the park across a dozen routes, plus the adjoining Zaleski State Forest Backpack Trail — a well-known 23–29 mile loop with primitive camps, one of Ohio's classic backpacking routes. The Moonville Rail-Trail runs nearby.

Wildlife you might see

  • White-tailed deer and wild turkey
  • Bobcats — Vinton County is core Ohio bobcat range
  • Barred owls and whip-poor-wills at night
  • Spring wildflowers through the ravines
  • Exceptional dark skies for stargazing

Fishing

  • Lake Hope (120 acres, electric motors only): largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish. Pontoon, kayak and canoe rentals at the boathouse.

Hunting

Not inside the park proper, but the surrounding Zaleski State Forest is open to hunting — deer, turkey, squirrel, grouse — with a valid Ohio license. Zaleski is one of the larger contiguous public hunting tracts in southeast Ohio.

Getting on the water

Lake Hope is 120 acres, electric motors only, wrapped in forest on all sides. It's a paddling and small-boat lake, and one of the quieter pieces of water in the state park system.

Launches & facilities

Boathouse and dock
Pontoon, kayak and canoe rentals; staff are well regarded for helping first-timers get set up.
Carry-in access
Dock access for canoes, kayaks, and small fishing boats.
Swimming area
At the cliff — the town of Hope lies flooded directly below it.

Good to know

  • Electric motors only, so it stays quiet even on summer weekends.
  • Campsites sit on a long ridge at tight angles — long trailers are genuinely difficult here.
  • Bring a headlamp and stay up. The stargazing is the underrated reason to camp at this park.

The Lantern at Moonville Tunnel

A few minutes from the park, on the rail-trail, stands a brick tunnel with MOONVILLE carved above each portal. The town it served is gone — the last family left in 1947 — but the ghost stories multiplied instead of fading.

The best-known is the lantern. A railroad man is said to walk the old bed at night swinging a light, and some claim you can smell the kerosene. Versions differ on who he is: a brakeman crushed under the wheels, an engineer killed in a head-on collision in the 1880s, a conductor cut in two. There are others — the Lavender Lady, the Bully, and a drunk named Baldie Keeton murdered near the tunnel after a tavern fight, a crime nobody was ever arrested for.

Behind the legend

The deaths were real, which is what gives this one its weight. The McArthur Democrat reported on March 31, 1859 that a brakeman had been fatally injured when the wheels passed over his leg. At least four other people are reported to have been killed at or near the tunnel over the years.

And the ghost made the papers. On January 23, 1895, a newspaper ran a sighting as a straight news item: a figure in a white robe with a flowing beard and eyes like balls of fire, swinging a lantern across the track. Engineer Washburn blew the whistle and stopped the train, and the apparition stepped off into the rocks. A rival railroad's men grumbled in the same paper that they'd have to scare up a ghost of their own rather than let the B&O have all the glory. Whatever you make of the ghost, the 1890s publicity war over it is documented.

If you go

The Moonville Rail-Trail is a public trail and the tunnel is open to walk through. Go in daylight your first time — the approach is uneven, the tunnel is genuinely dark, and the trail gets muddy. Moonville Cemetery is nearby and is a real cemetery; treat it accordingly. Vinton County is the least populous in Ohio, so if you do go at night, know that help is a long way off.

Historic sites near Lake Hope 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 20 miles from this park · 1852–1894

Oddities near Lake Hope State Park

Roadside curiosities, legends and giant things within reach of this park.

Moonville Tunnel

Zaleski · Vinton County
An abandoned railroad tunnel in Zaleski State Forest, said to be haunted by a lantern-carrying ghost.
Ghost story
About 5 miles from this park

Mothman Museum and Statue, Point Pleasant

Point Pleasant · Mason County, West Virginia
The world's only Mothman museum, across the Ohio River from Gallipolis, beside a 12-foot steel Mothman.
Cryptid museumJust over the line
About 45 miles from this park

Waterfalls near Lake Hope State Park

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

Ash Cave Falls

South Bloomingville · Hocking County
Ohio's largest recess cave, with a thin seasonal waterfall spilling 90 feet from its rim.
90 ftEasy walkAccessible overlook
About 11 miles from this park

Campsites

Electric site
Paved sites on a ridge; long trailers not recommended
$31–35/night
Rustic / non-electric site
Quieter, more primitive loops
$21–25/night

Cabins

Rustic cabin
Original wood cabins, some with 3 bedrooms
$120–165/night
Standard cottage
Full kitchen, near the lake
$140–180/night

On site

  • Range of restrooms from flush to vault, depending on loop
  • Boathouse with rentals
  • Dining lodge (typically Thu–Sun; check seasonal hours)
  • Swimming beach
  • Nature programs
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 Hope State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?740-596-5253

Restaurants nearby

Lake Hope Dining Lodge
In the park with a deck over the lake — smoked meats and the obvious choice
Directions
Main Eatery
Order a 'veal' — a local breaded pork shoulder sandwich — and a milkshake. Closed Mon & Sun
Directions

Gas stations nearby

McArthur Express
Hometown stop with a good deli; biscuits and gravy have a following
Directions
Bud's One Stop
The only 24-hour option in McArthur
Directions

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