John Bryan State Park

John Bryan State Park is a 752-acre state park in Yellow Springs, Ohio, built around a limestone gorge cut by the Little Miami River, which is designated a state and national scenic river. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes it as the most scenic state park in western Ohio, and its main draw is the gorge itself rather than a broad slate of amenities.

The park suits hikers, anglers, mountain bikers, and climbers looking for a compact but varied landscape. Camping is available at the John Bryan State Park Campground, with non-electric and electric sites near the trails and four group camps where RVs are not permitted.

Plan your visit

Trails

26 named routes 36.49 mi of walkable ways mapped within 2 km

3.59 Powerline Trail
3.59 Frankenlight Loop
2.79 Abracadabra Trail
2.62 Hamilton Loop
2.29 Upper Great Scott
1.65 North Rim Trail
1.32 South Gorge Trail
1.31 Pittsburgh-Cincinnati Stagecoach Trail

Camping & lodging

5 mapped camping locations

The John Bryan State Park Campground offers non-electric and electric sites close to the park's hiking trails. Pets are permitted on all sites. The park also offers a four group camps. RVs are not allowed in group camp s…

Know before you go

Address: 3790 State Route 370, Yellow Springs, OH, 45387
Phone: (937) 767-1274
Official site: ohiodnr.gov
Managed by: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Hours: The park is open one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset. Visitors are permitted to actively engage in legitimate recreational activities outside these hours. If you have questions, call the park office.

On the ground

Much of the park's story is written in the rock itself: entering the gorge at Clifton, at 980 feet above sea level, the Little Miami River drops 130 feet through stacked layers of limestone and shale. Softer shale layers erode faster than the surrounding dolomite and limestone, undercutting the cliff faces that define the gorge. This stretch of river once powered water-driven industries built by early European settlers, and the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh stagecoach road once served the area; that route is preserved today as the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati Stagecoach Trail, 1.31 miles long. The Orton Memorial and the Stone House stand as the park's named historic features, with the Stone House Trail, 0.22 miles, tracing part of that ground.

On foot, the park's longest named routes are the Powerline Trail and the Frankenlight Loop, each 3.59 miles, followed by the Abracadabra Trail at 2.79 miles and the Hamilton Loop at 2.62 miles. Shorter walks include the North Rim Trail (1.65 miles), where a public rock climbing and rappelling area is established, and the South Gorge Trail (1.32 miles). The Furnace Trail, 1.03 miles, and the Upper Birch Creek Trail, 1.27 miles, and Lower Birch Creek Trail, 0.52 miles, round out the network of routes tracing the river and its side ravines.

Practical notes

The park is open one half hour before sunrise to one half hour after sunset, though visitors may continue legitimate recreational activities outside those hours. The park office can be reached at (937) 767-1274, and the address is 3790 State Route 370, Yellow Springs, OH, 45387. Campground reservations may be made up to six months in advance online or by calling (866) 644-6727.