Lake Hope State Park
Encyclopedia
Lake Hope State Park is a 3000 acres (12.1 km²) state park located in Vinton County
, Ohio
, United States
. It is entirely surrounded by the Zaleski State Forest
. The park is centered around Lake Hope, a 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) lake on Big Sandy Run.
The park and lake are named after the former mining village of Hope, Ohio. The old one-room Hope School still stands nearby, in the state forest, and has been renovated for use as a community meeting place. The Moonville Rail-Trail
passes close by. Within the park is the old Hope Furnace
, which once smelted iron ore mined out of the area's hills.
The lodge at Lake Hope burned to the ground in February, 2006. It is hoped that it will be rebuilt soon. In the meantime, visitors can stay in the large campground or in a number of rentable cottages. There is also a rentable lodge that can sleep up to 22 people.
There are many miles of mountain-biking trails in the park, both around the lake and away from it. There is also an affiliated Friends of Lake Hope organization.
Vinton County, Ohio
Vinton County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,435. , the least populous in the state. Its county seat is McArthur. The county is named for Samuel Finley Vinton, a 19th-century United States Congressman from...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is entirely surrounded by the Zaleski State Forest
Zaleski State Forest
Zaleski State Forest is the second-largest state forest in the U.S. state of Ohio, located primarily in Vinton County, with areas in Athens County as well. The 28,000 acre forest surrounds Lake Hope State Park in Vinton County, and extensively borders the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station in...
. The park is centered around Lake Hope, a 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) lake on Big Sandy Run.
Moonville Rail-Trail
right|thumb|King Switch TunnelThe Moonville Rail-Trail is a sixteen-mile rail-trail in southeast Ohio, located in Vinton and Athens Counties. It is largely embedded in the Zaleski State Forest and passes close to Lake Hope State Park...
passes close by. Within the park is the old Hope Furnace
Hope Furnace
The Hope Furnace is a historic blast furnace in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located along State Route 278, approximately northeast of the village of Zaleski, it is one of two extant iron furnaces in Vinton County. Between 1854 and 1874, the furnace was used to smelt iron...
, which once smelted iron ore mined out of the area's hills.
The lodge at Lake Hope burned to the ground in February, 2006. It is hoped that it will be rebuilt soon. In the meantime, visitors can stay in the large campground or in a number of rentable cottages. There is also a rentable lodge that can sleep up to 22 people.
There are many miles of mountain-biking trails in the park, both around the lake and away from it. There is also an affiliated Friends of Lake Hope organization.
Nearby public lands
- Zaleski State ForestZaleski State ForestZaleski State Forest is the second-largest state forest in the U.S. state of Ohio, located primarily in Vinton County, with areas in Athens County as well. The 28,000 acre forest surrounds Lake Hope State Park in Vinton County, and extensively borders the Waterloo Wildlife Research Station in...
- Lake Alma State Park
- Turkey Ridge Wildlife Area
- Waterloo Wildlife Research StationWaterloo Wildlife Research Stationright|thumbThe Waterloo Wildlife Research Station is a Ohio state wildlife area located in western Waterloo Township, Athens County, Ohio. Purchase for the area was begun in 1944 . The area was greatly expanded in 2005 when 945 acres were added. It was originally named the Waterloo Wildlife...
- Tar Hollow State ParkTar Hollow State ParkTar Hollow State Park is a state park located in Laurelville, Ohio, United States. It is part of a larger protected complex with Tar Hollow State Forest. Surrounded by the rugged foothills of the Appalachian Plateau, Tar Hollow's twisting park and forest roads pass through deep ravines and dense...
- Tar Hollow State ForestTar Hollow State ForestTar Hollow State Forest is a state forest in Hocking, Ross, and Vinton counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of an area of protected land that also includes Tar Hollow State Park....
- Hocking Hills State ParkHocking Hills State ParkHocking Hills State Park is a non-contiguous state park in the Hocking Hills region of Hocking County, Ohio, United States; it is contiguous with the Hocking State Forest...
- Hocking State ForestHocking State ForestHocking State Forest is a state forest in Hocking County, Ohio, United States. The forest adjoins Hocking Hills State Park and three nature preserves including Conkle's Hollow State Nature Preserve....
- Wayne National ForestWayne National ForestThe Wayne National Forest is located in the south-eastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, Ohio, on US Route 33, overlooking the Hocking River.The forest...
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- Moonville Rail-TrailMoonville Rail-Trailright|thumb|King Switch TunnelThe Moonville Rail-Trail is a sixteen-mile rail-trail in southeast Ohio, located in Vinton and Athens Counties. It is largely embedded in the Zaleski State Forest and passes close to Lake Hope State Park...