Field Notes Ohio

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117 parks in 7 regions

Pymatuning State Park

Andover · Ashtabula County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
3,512acres
5trail miles
1933established

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
Pymatuning State Park, 6100 Pymatuning Lake Rd, Andover
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. Note the protected gameland on the Pennsylvania side east of the spillway is a refuge — different rules apply there, and licenses don't cross the state line.

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

Pymatuning is a Iroquois word, probably Seneca, meaning roughly 'crooked-mouthed man's dwelling place.' Before the dam this was swamp — a vast wetland straddling what became the Ohio–Pennsylvania line, and remnants of that original swamp still survive around the edges of the modern lake.

In 1933 an earthen dam went up three miles north of Jamestown, Pennsylvania, to regulate flow on the Shenango and Beaver rivers. It was Depression work, and it did Depression work's job: employment when there wasn't any, and a shift for the whole region from struggling agriculture toward water management and tourism. Ohio bought the western shore in 1935 and began developing its state park in 1950. Three quarters of the lake sits in Pennsylvania and one quarter in Ohio, connected by a causeway across the middle.

The thing Pymatuning is genuinely famous for is across the state line. At the Linesville spillway, decades of visitors throwing bread have concentrated carp in numbers that beggar description — so dense that ducks landing to compete for the bread end up walking across the fishes' backs to get it. The spot is officially signed as 'The Place Where the Ducks Walk on the Fishes' Backs,' and it draws an estimated 300,000 people a year. North and east of there, a protected gameland winters colonies of 20,000 Canada geese and far more ducks. The Ohio side is the quieter half: fewer crowds, more cabins, more shoreline to yourself.

Things to do in the park

  • 51 cabins on the Ohio side — one of the largest cabin operations in the state park system
  • Swimming beach and multiple boat launches
  • Year-round fishing, including serious ice fishing
  • Quieter, more natural shoreline than the Pennsylvania side

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Pymatuning State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • The Linesville spillway, about 20 minutes east — feed the carp, watch the ducks walk on them
  • Pennsylvania Fish Commission hatchery and Wildlife Learning Center on the causeway
  • Jamestown Deer Park
  • Andover's public square

Hiking trails

Over 5 miles of mostly easy hiking trail on the Ohio side, winding through woods with lake views. Across the line, the Pymatuning Spillway Trail runs 3.2 miles on an abandoned Erie and Pittsburgh rail bed — good for hiking and mountain biking.

Wildlife you might see

  • Wintering colonies of roughly 20,000 Canada geese and many thousands of ducks in the protected gameland
  • Bald eagles and osprey
  • Remnant swamp habitat around the lake edges
  • Heavy spring and fall waterfowl migration

Fishing

  • Pymatuning Lake: walleye (the headline fish), muskellunge, largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, perch, and famously abundant carp. Year-round fishing, with strong ice fishing in winter.

Hunting

Permitted in designated areas with a valid Ohio license. Note the protected gameland on the Pennsylvania side east of the spillway is a refuge — different rules apply there, and licenses don't cross the state line.

Getting on the water

About 17,000 acres across two states, which makes this one of the largest lakes in either. The Ohio quarter is the quieter side. Horsepower rules differ by state and have historically been restrictive — confirm current limits before hauling a big boat.

Launches & facilities

Multiple Ohio-side ramps
Spread along the western shore near Andover.
Causeway
A roughly 3-mile causeway crosses the lake between Ohio and Pennsylvania near the center.
Pymatuning State Park Beach
The Ohio-side swimming beach.

Good to know

  • Fishing licenses are state-specific. A Pennsylvania-Ohio reciprocal arrangement has existed for this lake — check current rules before fishing across the line.
  • Walleye is the fish people come for; ice fishing is a real season here, not an afterthought.
  • The Linesville spillway is in Pennsylvania, about 20 minutes from the Ohio campgrounds. Worth the drive once.

The Crooked-Mouth Man's Dwelling Place

Pymatuning is a mouthful, and the meaning that everyone repeats is stranger: the dwelling place of the crooked-mouthed man. The story is that the crooked mouth is not a deformity at all. It is a reputation. Before the Iroquois came, the swamp was the home of the Erie people, who were ruled by a queen with a talent for strategy and a crooked way of dealing. The name, in this telling, stuck to the swamp long after the Erie were gone.

It was a good name for a swamp. Before the dam, this was a vast, boggy forest of towering white pines, full of bears and wolves, and nearly impenetrable. Trappers came first, in search of beaver, and then lumbermen who cut the pines for ship masts.

Behind the legend

Every source agrees on the words and disagrees on the story. ODNR and the Pennsylvania park both give the meaning as roughly the crooked-mouthed man's dwelling place. The Pennsylvania account says the name is Iroquois, probably Seneca, and that 'crooked mouth' refers to deceit, and it is the one that tells the tale of the Erie queen. Wikipedia instead says the lake is named for a Lenape chief, Pihmtomink, who lived here when Europeans arrived. Both can be partly true, since names shift as peoples do, and neither can be checked against the original speakers.

Some of the history is beyond argument. The first known inhabitants built mounds, and two of them are under the lake. The dam went up in 1933, and Ohio bought the western shore in 1935 and began developing its park in 1950. The 'ducks walk on the fishes' backs' spillway at Linesville is real, and it is on the Pennsylvania side.

If you go

Stand on the causeway at sunset and imagine the white-pine swamp under the water. Then drive over the state line to the Linesville spillway to see the ducks and carp for yourself. Ohio's side is quieter, with the marsh edges and eagle country.

Campsites

Electric site
Multiple campgrounds totaling 350+ sites on the Ohio side
$35–39/night
Non-electric site
Wooded and lakeside options
$25–29/night

Cabins

Cabin
51 cabins in the Andover area, ranging from rustic to modern
$110–190/night

On site

  • Showers and flush toilets
  • Multiple boat launches
  • Swimming beach
  • Camp store
  • 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 "Pymatuning State Park" there to finish reserving.
Prefer the phone?440-293-6030

Restaurants nearby

Andover Diner
Classic small-town diner on the square, locally sourced bacon. Breakfast/lunch only, closed Wed
Directions
Los Venados
Genuinely good Mexican for a remote location — the burritos are enormous
Directions
Country Side Family Restaurant
Across the line near the spillway; the smoked specials menu is the draw. Closed Mondays
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Gulf
On the square; Pennsylvanians drive over for the cheaper Ohio gas. Good pizza
Directions
Shell
Large clean store with Krispy Krunchy Chicken inside
Directions

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