Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
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  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Sycamore State Park

Trotwood · Montgomery County
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
2,389acres
—trail miles
—established
4675 Diamond Mill Rd, Dayton Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

The Adena were here first, living in Ohio from roughly 800 B.C. to 700 A.D., and they left a ceremonial mound that still stands in the park. That's a long stretch of occupation to consider while walking a trail — several thousand years of people using this creek bottom before anyone thought to name it.

By the mid-to-late 1700s this area was a stronghold of the Miami and Shawnee. The same pressures that emptied the rest of western Ohio emptied it here, and the land became farms along Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Great Miami.

What exists now is unusual for its setting. Sycamore is the only state park in Montgomery County, sitting immediately west of Trotwood with Dayton just down the road, and its 2,389 acres are given over largely to meadow, restored prairie, creek corridor and woodlot rather than a lake or a lodge. There is no campground and no reservoir. It's a day-use park built for trails — hiking, bridle and bike — and for the quiet of open ground on the edge of a metro area.

Things to do in the park

  • Find the Adena ceremonial mound
  • Miles of flat, easy multi-use trail through prairie and meadow
  • Horseback riding — the bridle system is a main draw
  • Mountain biking on gentle terrain suited to beginners
  • Picnic areas and open space close to Dayton

Trails

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

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Dayton — the Air Force Museum, Carillon Park, and the Wright brothers sites
  • Englewood MetroPark and the Stillwater River
  • Brookville and the western Montgomery County countryside
  • Germantown MetroPark

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
Sycamore State Park, 4675 Diamond Mill Rd, Dayton
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Permitted in designated areas with a valid Ohio license. Given the suburban setting, check the current park map carefully before hunting here.

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.

Hiking trails

An extensive multi-use network across the park's 2,389 acres, with hiking, bridle and mountain bike trails threading meadow, prairie and the Wolf Creek corridor. Trails are mostly flat and easy.

Wildlife you might see

  • Restored prairie and meadow habitat supporting grassland birds
  • White-tailed deer along the creek bottoms
  • Sycamores along Wolf Creek, the tree the park is named for
  • Wildflowers through the open meadows in summer

Birding

Sycamore State Park's forest cover holds the common woodland birds found across Ohio's hardwood parks.

  • Eastern Meadowlark
  • Barred Owl
  • Bobolink
  • Pileated Woodpecker
  • Dickcissel
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Grasshopper Sparrow
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Field Sparrow
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Song Sparrow
  • Eastern Wood-Pewee

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Wolf Creek runs through the park — small-stream fishing for panfish and smallmouth. No lake.

Hunting

Permitted in designated areas with a valid Ohio license. Given the suburban setting, check the current park map carefully before hunting here.

The Mound in the Meadow

Sycamore is the only state park in Montgomery County, and it is quiet in a way parks near cities rarely are. There is no lake, no lodge and no campground, only meadow, restored prairie, creek and woodlot on the edge of Trotwood. In the middle of that open ground, a ceremonial mound still stands. The Adena, who lived in Ohio from roughly 800 B.C. to 700 A.D., left it, and it is one of the reasons the park feels older than it looks.

Walking these trails, you are walking through several thousand years of people using the same creek bottom before anyone thought to give it a name.

Behind the legend

By the mid-to-late 1700s the area was a stronghold of the Miami and Shawnee, and the same pressures that emptied the rest of western Ohio emptied it too. The land became farms along Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Great Miami.

What exists now is a day-use park of 2,389 acres, built for hiking, bridle and bike trails, and for open ground on the edge of a metro area with Dayton just down the road.

If you go

Find the Adena mound and walk out through the restored prairie. Come in the evening when the meadows are quiet.

Mounds & earthworks near Sycamore State Park

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

Miamisburg Mound

Miamisburg · Montgomery County · Southwest Ohio
A giant earthen cone on a river bluff with 116 steps to the top.
Can visitNational Register of Historic Places
About 10 miles from this park · About 800 BCE to 100 CE

Carlisle Fort (Twin Creek MetroPark)

Germantown · Montgomery and Warren Counties · Southwest Ohio
A marked MetroPark trail passes through a 2,000-year-old Hopewell gateway on a hilltop above Twin Creek.
National Register of Historic Places
About 15 miles from this park · About 2,000 years old (about 1 to 300 CE)

Waterfalls near Sycamore State Park

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

Cedar Falls

College Corner · Preble County
A short, quiet trail past small limestone cascades in Hueston Woods State Park, next to one of Ohio's last stands of uncut beech maple forest.
Low fallsModerate hike
About 26 miles from this park

Day-use park with no campground and no lake. It's trails, prairie and history rather than a destination for an overnight stay.

Where to camp nearby

Buck Creek State Park Campground
State campground on Buck Creek Lake, about 45 minutes east
Directions
Caesar Creek State Park Campground
Big state campground on Caesar Creek Lake, about 50 minutes south
Directions

Restaurants nearby

Brookville Grille
1950s-style diner, opens 7 a.m., cheap and good. Closed Sundays
Directions
Home Sweet Home Cafe
Exceptionally well reviewed home cooking. Closed Mon & Sun
Directions
O'Riley's Tavern
Hometown bar with a big menu and late hours
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Sunoco
24 hours in Brookville
Directions
OM Oil
Clean, well-run local station, opens 6 a.m.
Directions

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

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