Deer Creek State Park
State Park · Ohio · Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- 13 named trails
- Camping
- 3,614 acres
Deer Creek State Park sits in Pickaway and Fayette Counties in Ohio's agricultural country, near Mt Sterling. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes it as "central Ohio's vacation showplace." The park covers 3614 acres in total, including 2337 acres of land and 1277 acres of water. The lake formed when a dam was completed in 1968, and the park opened soon after.
The park draws boaters, anglers, campers, and golfers, along with families staying at the lodge or campground. Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center is one of Ohio's largest state park resorts, and its cabins are joined by a historic cabin that sleeps 7-9 guests. Visitors looking for a quiet lake weekend, an equestrian trip on the bridle trails, or a round of golf will find the infrastructure built around all three.
Plan your visit
Trails
13 named routes 22.24 mi of walkable ways mapped within 2 km
- 5.89 Orange Bridle Trail
- 3.93 Blue Bridle Trail
- 2.58 Red Bridle Trail
- 1.67 Rolling Hills Trail
- 0.98 Green Subloop West
- 0.92 Green Bridle Trail
- 0.86 Van Horn Trail
- 0.86 Ridge Trail (0.9mi)
Camping & lodging
14 mapped camping locations
Deer Creek State Park Campground offers 202 Electric sites and 30 Full-Hookup sites, both shady and sunny. Pets are permitted on all sites. Five primitive Equestrian Camp sites and two primitive Group Camp sites are also…
Resort Lodge & Cabinsclick to expandOne of Ohio's largest state park resorts, Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center offers well-appointed guest rooms, many with …
Know before you go
- Address
- 20635 State Park Road 20, Mt Sterling, OH, 43143-9501
- Phone
- (740) 869-3124
- Official site
- ohiodnr.gov
- Managed by
- Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Hours
- 6am to 11pm daily. Visitors are permitted to actively engage in legitimate recreational activities outside these hours. If you have questions, call the park office.
Getting there
20635 State Park Road 20, Mt Sterling, OH, 43143-9501
Directions on Google Maps →On the ground
That cabin was built in 1918 as a retreat for Harry M. Daugherty, attorney general under President Warren G. Harding, and Harding himself was said to have visited. Long before that, a ridge above the Deer Creek valley held a seasonal camp used by hunter-gatherers around 2000 BC, along with nearby burial sites, evidence of a much older presence on the land the lake now covers. A Dam/Spillway stands as the park's named historic feature.
Bridle trails make up much of the park's mileage, led by the Orange Bridle Trail at 5.89 miles and the Blue Bridle Trail at 3.93 miles. The Rolling Hills Trail and Storybook Trail offer shorter, hiking-only walks, with the Storybook Trail featuring a Free Little Library at its start. The Deer Creek Nature Center sits near the campground, with displays, archery, a Gray Rat Snake, and an outdoor box turtle enclosure, giving walkers a stop between trail segments.
Photos
Practical notes
Park hours run 6am to 11pm daily, and visitors engaged in legitimate recreational activities may remain beyond those hours. The campground offers 202 electric sites and 30 full-hookup sites, along with five primitive equestrian camp sites and two primitive group camp sites, and pets are permitted on all sites. Boaters can use unlimited horsepower on the 1,277-acre lake, launching from two ramps or the marina, and anglers come for early spring saugeye fishing below the dam, along with catfish, largemouth bass, and crappie. The park office can be reached at (740) 869-3124.
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Browse all Ohio parks →Sources: State agency, Wikimedia Commons / editorial, OpenStreetMap contributors, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12