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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117 parks in 7 regions

Scioto Trail State Park

Chillicothe · Ross County

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

218acres

1trail miles

1922established

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
Scioto Trail State Park, 144 Lake Rd, Chillicothe
Check current conditions: Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets: ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits: The surrounding Scioto Trail State Forest supports strong populations of deer, wild turkey, squirrel and grouse and draws many hunters. Spring mushroom hunting has become increasingly popular here too. Valid Ohio license required; check park-versus-forest boundaries.

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

The park is named for a road that predates the state. The Scioto Trail was a Native path running alongside the Scioto River from northern Ohio down to the Kentucky hunting grounds — Route 23 essentially follows it today. Settlers coming upriver from Portsmouth to Chillicothe used the same route. Before them, the Mound Builders left extensive earthworks all through this valley: Mound City, Seip Mound, Spruce Hill, Fort Hill. The Adena culture is actually named after Thomas Worthington's estate near Chillicothe, where the first mound excavation attributed to these people took place.

Then there's the strangest chapter. During World War I, the ground that is now Scioto Trail State Forest was used as an artillery range for Camp Sherman. Seventy-five millimeter guns and six-inch howitzers were set up at the mouth of Stoney Creek on the Scioto River and fired at targets in the general area of what is now Caldwell Lake. You are camping, quite literally, on a former impact zone.

Ohio began buying the land in 1922 and had most of the present forest by 1937 — the first 9,088 acres averaged $7.70 apiece. The real work came in the 1930s, when the CCC's Camp Stoney Creek operated here from 1933 to 1937 and built most of the roads, the recreational facilities, and Caldwell Lake itself. Two things worth finding in Caldwell Lake Hollow: a replica of Chillicothe's First Presbyterian Church, a plain log structure whose congregation dates to 1797, and near it a monument to William Hewitt, a hermit who lived in a nearby cave until his death in 1838.

Things to do in the park

The replica log church in Caldwell Lake Hollow and the William Hewitt hermit monument
Caldwell Lake for small-boat fishing and swimming
Scenic vistas and overlooks along the forest roads — outstanding in fall color season
The fire tower and picnic area in the state forest
Buckeye Trail access

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Scioto Trail State Park.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and Mound City
Great Seal State Park just north of Chillicothe
Adena Mansion, Worthington's estate
Tar Hollow, about 30 minutes east

Hiking trails

Several short trails in the park including the 1-mile 3-C Trail, plus roughly 4.5 miles of the Buckeye Trail crossing the surrounding state forest and an extensive network of forest roads and bridle trails through the 9,600 acres.

Wildlife you might see

White-tailed deer, wild turkey, squirrel and grouse
Occasional bobcat and black bear sightings
Flowering dogwood and redbud in spring, with abundant woodland wildflowers
Sandstone outcroppings throughout

Fishing

Caldwell Lake, built by the CCC: bluegill, bass and panfish. Small, quiet water. There's also nearby Stewart Lake in the forest.

Hunting

The surrounding Scioto Trail State Forest supports strong populations of deer, wild turkey, squirrel and grouse and draws many hunters. Spring mushroom hunting has become increasingly popular here too. Valid Ohio license required; check park-versus-forest boundaries.

Getting on the water

Caldwell Lake was dug by CCC crews in the 1930s. It's small, quiet, and ringed by forest — a paddling and panfish lake, not a powerboat destination.

Launches & facilities

Caldwell Lake access

Boating, fishing and swimming on the CCC-built lake.

Stewart Lake

A second small lake in the surrounding state forest.

Good to know

Bring a canoe or kayak; this is small water.
The forest road overlooks are worth a slow drive, especially mid-October.
Spring morel hunting draws a crowd to the state forest.

The Hermit of Caldwell Lake Hollow

In the hollow near Caldwell Lake there is a tiny log church and, close by, a monument to a man who chose to live alone. He was William Hewitt, a hermit who lived in a nearby cave until his death in 1838. The little log building is a replica of the plain log church of Chillicothe's First Presbyterian congregation, whose members first gathered in 1797.

The ground has another story, stranger still. During World War I, this land was an artillery range for Camp Sherman. Guns and howitzers were set up at the mouth of Stoney Creek and fired at targets in the general area of what is now Caldwell Lake. Anyone camping here is, as the park's own history says, camping on a former impact zone.

Behind the legend

The hermit and the church are marked on the ground, which is what makes them lore rather than rumor. The artillery range is documented too: seventy-five millimeter guns and six-inch howitzers, aimed from the mouth of Stoney Creek. The forest itself came together slowly. Ohio began buying the land in 1922 and had most of it by 1937, and the first 9,088 acres averaged $7.70 an acre. In the 1930s the CCC's Camp Stoney Creek, from 1933 to 1937, built most of the roads and recreation facilities and Caldwell Lake itself.

The park is named for a road older than the state. The Scioto Trail was a Native path along the river, and Route 23 essentially follows it today.

If you go

Find the log church replica and the hermit's monument in Caldwell Lake Hollow. Then walk the shore of the lake and remember the guns that once fired across it.

Mounds & earthworks near Scioto Trail State Park

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