The "indigo Lactarius", species Lactarius indigo (Schwein.) Fr. Specimen photographed in Strouds Run State Park, Athens, Ohio, USA.
The "indigo Lactarius", species Lactarius indigo (Schwein.) Fr. Specimen photographed in Strouds Run State Park, Athens, Ohio, USA. Dan Molter · CC BY-SA 3.0

Strouds Run State Park

State Park · Ohio · Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Strouds Run State Park is a 2,767-acre state park in Athens, Ohio, managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The park holds 2,606 acres of land and 161 acres of water. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources describes the terrain as uninterrupted hardwood forest sprawling over the hills and coves of the park, offering what the agency calls a wilderness escape in southeastern Ohio. The park sits on the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau of Athens County, and the agency notes that although the ice sheets themselves never reached this ground, the deep ravines and high hills were shaped by torrents of glacial meltwater that carved the valleys and hillsides.

Boaters use the 161-acre lake under a 10-horsepower limit, launching from a ramp at the northeastern edge of the lake, while a 700-foot sand beach on the east shore is open for swimming in summer. This is a place for hikers, paddlers, and anglers working largemouth bass and crappie, rather than a quick roadside stop.

Plan your visit

Trails

22 named routes 40.51 mi of walkable ways mapped within 2 km

  • 6.11 Sundown Trail
  • 3.14 Hollowpoint Trail
  • 2.71 Pete Smith Trail
  • 2.67 Thunderbunny Trail
  • 2.64 Hickory Multi-Use Trail
  • 2.17 Athens Trail
  • 1.98 Lakeview Trail
  • 1.71 Cliff Trail

Camping & lodging

4 mapped camping locations

Strouds Run State Park Campground offers first-come/first-served Primitive camping, two Camper Cabins, and a Group Camp. Please visit Strouds Run Rentals or call (740) 594-2628 for more information.

Know before you go

Address
11661 State Park Road, Athens, OH, 45701
Phone
(740) 767-3570
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

11661 State Park Road, Athens, OH, 45701

Directions on Google Maps →

On the ground

Early settlers found mounds and ancient fortifications here that point to the Adena people, and the land was later part of Shawnee Nation territory until the Treaty of Greenville forced them from southern Ohio. European settlement of the Athens County region began in 1796, after the Ohio Company set aside two townships of land in 1795 for the benefit of a university, a venture that led to the founding of Athens and Ohio University, the first college in the Northwest Territory. Traces of that longer history remain scattered through the park, including the Gillette Farmstead, the Gillette Pioneer Cemetery, and a stretch of the old Marietta-Chillicothe Stage Road. Turtlehead Cave and the Ames Limestone mark the park's rockier corners, and a dam and spillway are also among the park's named features.

Ohio Department of Natural Resources trail notes describe a network built around Blackhaw Accessible Trail, Broken Rock Trail, Lakeview Trail, and Vista Point Trail, among others. The Blackhaw Accessible Trail is surfaced in limestone and closed to bicycles, making it the park's option for visitors who need a hard, level path.

Photos

Practical notes

Camping options include first-come, first-served primitive sites, two camper cabins, and a group camp, run through Strouds Run Rentals. Park hours run from 6am to 11pm daily, and the park office can be reached at (740) 767-3570 for questions.

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88 parks mapped in Ohio

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Sources: State agency, Wikimedia Commons / editorial, OpenStreetMap contributors, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12