OH

Dillon Lake Zanesville, OH

The Dillon State Park hosts this popular 1,376-acre lake and offers numerous opportunities to enjoy the great out-of-doors. Bicyclists travel the campground and area roads or hit the mountain bike trails. There is unlimited horsepower on the water and water sports like skiing, sailing, pleasure boating and fishing are popular. There’s no shortage of things to do on Dillon Lake.

Delaware Lake, Delaware, OH

Delaware Lake is one of central Ohio’s best picks for outdoor recreation and water sports. The lake is located in Delaware County just north of Columbus and covers 1,017 acres of wide-open unlimited horsepower water.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the dam in 1951. The dam impounds the Olentangy River and Whetstone Creek with a rolled earth fill structure that extends for 3 ½ miles and reaches a height of 92 feet. Lake levels can vary by as much as 20 feet.

Deer Creek Reservoir, Mt. Sterling, OH

Most of the activity on this U.S. Corps of Engineers impoundment centers around the excellent fishing opportunities. Deer Creek is just the right size for smaller boats and not too big to take advantage of. The dedicated group of local anglers don’t want the secret out but this is a destination worthy of the drive to get here. The electric-motor only restriction keeps a lot of visitors off the lake and the peace and quiet soothes the soul. Other than a quiet day on the water there isn’t a lot to do around the reservoir.

Charles Mill Lake, Lucas, OH

Charles Mill Lake has a prominent place in the region as a great recreational fishing and boating lake. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District manages the water and surrounding land for a variety of visitor uses that include fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, boating and other outdoor pursuits.

The dam was constructed in 1935 to impound 1,350 acres of water. The shoreline stretches for 25 miles. The fishing is, of course, excellent.

Beach City Lake, Beach City, OH

Beach City Lake isn’t a particularly well-known U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake but it’s definitely worth the visit. The dam was constructed in 1936 for flood control purposes on Sugar Creek, a Tuscarawas River tributary, in Tuscarawas County about 9 miles above New Philadelphia. The dam is an impressive 5,600 feet in length and the embankment is 64 feet high with a crest width of 35 feet. The lake covers 420 acres in Stark County.

The Corps offers outdoor enthusiasts plenty of opportunities to enjoy the Beach City Lake area.

Clendening Lake, Tippecanoe, OH

Clendening Lake is best known as Ohio’s largest undeveloped lake. Most Ohio lakes are well developed with cottages and tourism facilities but that’s not the case with Clendening. The shoreline trees and natural beauty extends for over 40 miles and there is little sign of civilization along any of the lake’s nearly 1,800 acres.

Clendening was originally formed when the 750-foot dam was constructed on the Brushy Fork of the Stillwater Creek about half a mile east of Tippecanoe. The resulting lake is a fisherman’s paradise.

Atwood Lake, Mineral City, OH

Atwood Lake Park is managed by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District and a great place to enjoy a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. It’s an easy drive from Cleveland and Akron but the sailboats and fishermen come from further away than these cities. The lake combines the region’s natural beauty with wonderful sporting opportunities for serious outdoorsmen and amateur sportsmen alike.

Alum Creek Reservoir, Lewis Center, OH

 

Alum Creek Lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created Alum Creek Lake for flood management, with recreation planned as a part of its benefits. The practical result is a popular unlimited horsepower destination that serves the central Ohio area. In fact Alum Creek Reservoir is one of central Ohio’s most popular fishing, boating and camping destinations. The lake was created in 1974 through the construction of an earth-filled embankment 10,000 feet long and 93 feet high. The lake formed behind this berm is 3,387-acres at bank full.

 

Ohio Public Lands

There are quite a number of lakes scattered across the state of Ohio. The following list is those lakes that are maintained by the US Corp of Engineers. I have left off those so called lakes that are either flood control projects that are often dry land, or those Corp projects that have lakes that are small and/or have very little public access. The later usually have no recreational facilities because they have little to offer most lake recreationists.

a bird wading along the shore of a lake

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