Salt Fork State Park

Salt Fork State Park, located in eastern Ohio near Lore City, is Ohio's largest state park, encompassing 20,181 acres, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Of that total, 17,229 acres are land and 2,952 acres are water, and the park includes a resort lodge. It is managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and is reachable at (740) 439-3521.

The park suits a wide range of visitors, from lodge and cabin guests to campers, boaters, anglers, and horseback riders. Salt Fork Lodge and Conference Center offers views of the lake and rolling hills, with 148 Guest Rooms and 53 Cabins, including Chalet Cabins, Lakeside, and Hillside, and lodge meeting areas that can accommodate up to 450 people. Salt Fork State Park Campground provides sites for RVs of all sizes.

Plan your visit

Trails

6 named routes 41.38 mi of walkable ways mapped within 2 km

10.38 Purple Bridle Trail
6.95 Blue Bridle Trail
6.67 White Bridle Loop A
4.67 White Bridle Loop B
1.48 Green Bridle Trail
1.14 Orange Bridle Trail

Camping & lodging

15 mapped camping locations

Site types & reservations: see the official site.

Salt Fork Lodge and Conference Center is a spacious retreat offering impressive views of the lake and rolling hills. Lodge meeting areas can accommodate up to 4…

Know before you go

Address: 14755 Cadiz Road, Lore City, OH, 43755
Phone: (740) 439-3521
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.

On the ground

The park's namesake lake spans 2,952 acres and supports boating, with 8 boat launch ramps and combined speed/ski zones marked by buoys. Anglers fish for largemouth bass, crappies, bluegills, walleyes, and muskellunge, with hotspots including small bays and an artificial reef on the north branch of the lake. Hosak's Cave is the park's named cave feature, and Hosak's Cave Trail, a 0.1 Mile, moderate route, leads to it. The Kennedy Stone House, built in 1837 by early Guernsey County resident Benjamin Kennedy from locally-quarried stone, overlooks Sugar Tree Fork and stands as a reminder of the area's pioneer settlement, when routes like Zane's Trace brought settlers into the region before it became part of the National Road, now U.S. Route 40.

For riders, the park's bridle trail network includes the Purple Bridle Trail at 10.38 miles, the Blue Bridle Trail at 6.95 miles, White Bridle Loop A at 6.67 miles, White Bridle Loop B at 4.67 miles, the Green Bridle Trail at 1.48 miles, and the Orange Bridle Trail at 1.14 miles, all of moderate difficulty. All bridle trails are open to the public, and all begin and end at the horse camp except for the Red Loop and White Loop B, with tie lines, water, and picnic tables available to both overnight horse campers and day use riders. The park also maintains historic cemeteries, including Ford's Cemetery, Glenview Cemetery, McCleary Cemetery, and Pleasant Hill Cemetery, along with a dam and spillway.