Stonelick State Park Camping
It has been quite awhile since we camped at Stonelick State park so we decieded to head out. I really do love my Ohio State Parks! All the Ohio parks that we have stayed in are so clean and camper friendly and Stonelick is no different. We stayed at site #14 which is in the pet section in a cud-le-sac, right next to the campground host. We envied his job there and can't wait to get started on our fulltiming adventure ourselves.
Stonelick has several premium sites which are right on the lake where u can fish and dock your canoe for your convience. These sites are hard to comeby however and the best way to get them is thru the Ohio state parks reservation site, 6 months in advance of your stay. It amazed me how peaceful it was there. I don't know if its because we were off the main drag or just plain quiet! Maybe I am used to Cowan lake where alot of families usually stay.
The following was copied from the Ohio State Park website and tells alot about the park and the area.
Activity Facilities Quantity
Resource Land, acres 1058
Water, acres 200
Activities Fishing yes
Hunting yes
Hiking Trail, miles 7.0
Picnicking yes
Swimming Beach, feet 500
Summer Nature Programs yes
Boating Boat Limits EMO
Launch Ramps 1
Winter Sledding yes
Cross-Country Skiing yes
Sledding yes
Ice Skating yes
Ice Boating yes
Ice Fishing yes
Camping Non-Electric Campsites 6
Campsites with Elec. 108
Pets Permitted yes
Showers yes
Flush Toilets yes
Dumpstation yes
Group Camp, capacity 200
Camper Cabins 1
Tucked away in the rolling highlands of southwest Ohio, Stonelick State Park offer a quiet retreat for visitors. The still waters of the lake and stately woodlands provide the setting for a host of outdoor recreational pursuits.
Camping
Stonelick's family campground has 114 camp sites, 108 with electric. The campground is equipped with showers, flush toilets and a dump station and also offers a camp store and laundry facilities. Pet camping is permitted on designated sites.
A primitive group camp area is available for organized groups on a reservation basis. Pit latrines are found at the group camp.
Getaway Rentals
A deluxe 14' x 20' camper cabin, with all the comforts of home, is available from April through October. The 14' x 8' covered front porch has a "glider" swing. The cabin can comfortably sleep four adults on a bunk bed (full size bottom bed and twin sized top bed) and a sofa sleeper that pulls out to a double bed.
Amenities include air conditioning, mid-sized refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, television with a VCR, a dining table and chairs, and a picnic table, waist high grill and fire ring for outdoor enjoyment. Linens and cooking supplies (pots, pans and utensils) are not provided. Pets and smoking are not permitted inside the camper cabin.
Boating
Boats with electric motors only are permitted on Stonelick Lake. One launch ramp provides access to the lake.
Hunting and Fishing
Hunting is permitted in designated areas. The lake is well known for catches of bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. A valid Ohio hunting and/or fishing license is required.
Swimming
A nice public beach provides enjoyment for swimmers and sunbathers on the lake's south shore.
Picnicking
Picnic areas complete with tables and grills are located at many secluded and well shaded areas around the park. A shelterhouse is located in the campground.
Trails
Over five miles of hiking trails provide opportunities for exercise and nature study. Hiking trails are also open to mountain bikes.
More To Do
Volleyball and basketball courts are offered at the campground, along with horseshoe pits and tetherball. There is playground equipment for younger campers and the camp office has games and sporting equipment to loan to registered campers. Bike and boat rental are also offered at the camp office. A basketball court is also available at the beach.
Nature of the Area
By studying the bedrock layers in Ohio, we can find clues that reveal ancient seas, marshes or swamps covered all or portions of the state at various times in the past. Remains of plants and animals that lived in those waters littered the sea's floor and became entombed as lime precipitated to the bottom. Eventually, the lime and other sediments solidified into stone and uplifted forming dry land.
An arch formed in Ohio, during the time the Appalachian Mountains were formed, known as the Cincinnati Arch. This dome-like feature of uplifted bedrock passes through Stonelick. Several areas of the arch have been exposed from erosion uncovering some of the oldest rocks (350-500 million years old) in Ohio. The once entombed fossils are now exposed giving Stonelick one of the richest fossil records in the state. The rocks of the arch contain so many fossils of such diverse species that they have become very famous and have attracted people from all over the world since the early 1800s. Trilobite, brachiopods and cephalopods provide excellent finds for fossil hunters.
Another interesting feature of the Stonelick landscape is the significant stand of sweet gum trees. Normally, sweet gum is a subordinate tree but co-dominates the woodlands of Stonelick with beech and maple. Substantial colonies of dense flying star, purple fringeless orchid and Virginia mountain mint--all uncommon wildflowers in Ohio--can be found in the park.
History of the Area
Stonelick State Park lies within Clermont County, the eighth county established in the Northwest Territory. Settlement of the area began in 1798 when the towns of Bethel and Williamsburg were laid out. A considerable amount of the early settlers came from Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Several clashes between the settlers and Indians occurred here as the area was situated between the Kentucky settlements south of the Ohio River and the Indian villages along the Little Miami River. Legendary frontiersmen, Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton, were among those involved in the conflicts.
The town of nearby Milford was the site of the first Methodist church in Ohio. Francis McCormick, a pioneer Methodist preacher, organized the church in his cabin.
Clermont County was a vital link in the Underground Railroad as it was just across the river from the "slave owning" states of Kentucky and Virginia. The position of Clermont on the border made it the first place of refuge for fleeing slaves. The county was also the birthplace of Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant at Point Pleasant on the Ohio.
Land acquisition for Stonelick State Park began in 1948. A dam across Stonelick Creek was completed in 1950. This beautiful park was originally created to provide a wildlife area for Ohio's sportsmen. Now the area is operated by the ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation and offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities.
Stonelick has several premium sites which are right on the lake where u can fish and dock your canoe for your convience. These sites are hard to comeby however and the best way to get them is thru the Ohio state parks reservation site, 6 months in advance of your stay. It amazed me how peaceful it was there. I don't know if its because we were off the main drag or just plain quiet! Maybe I am used to Cowan lake where alot of families usually stay.
The following was copied from the Ohio State Park website and tells alot about the park and the area.
Activity Facilities Quantity
Resource Land, acres 1058
Water, acres 200
Activities Fishing yes
Hunting yes
Hiking Trail, miles 7.0
Picnicking yes
Swimming Beach, feet 500
Summer Nature Programs yes
Boating Boat Limits EMO
Launch Ramps 1
Winter Sledding yes
Cross-Country Skiing yes
Sledding yes
Ice Skating yes
Ice Boating yes
Ice Fishing yes
Camping Non-Electric Campsites 6
Campsites with Elec. 108
Pets Permitted yes
Showers yes
Flush Toilets yes
Dumpstation yes
Group Camp, capacity 200
Camper Cabins 1
Tucked away in the rolling highlands of southwest Ohio, Stonelick State Park offer a quiet retreat for visitors. The still waters of the lake and stately woodlands provide the setting for a host of outdoor recreational pursuits.
Camping
Stonelick's family campground has 114 camp sites, 108 with electric. The campground is equipped with showers, flush toilets and a dump station and also offers a camp store and laundry facilities. Pet camping is permitted on designated sites.
A primitive group camp area is available for organized groups on a reservation basis. Pit latrines are found at the group camp.
Getaway Rentals
A deluxe 14' x 20' camper cabin, with all the comforts of home, is available from April through October. The 14' x 8' covered front porch has a "glider" swing. The cabin can comfortably sleep four adults on a bunk bed (full size bottom bed and twin sized top bed) and a sofa sleeper that pulls out to a double bed.
Amenities include air conditioning, mid-sized refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, television with a VCR, a dining table and chairs, and a picnic table, waist high grill and fire ring for outdoor enjoyment. Linens and cooking supplies (pots, pans and utensils) are not provided. Pets and smoking are not permitted inside the camper cabin.
Boating
Boats with electric motors only are permitted on Stonelick Lake. One launch ramp provides access to the lake.
Hunting and Fishing
Hunting is permitted in designated areas. The lake is well known for catches of bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. A valid Ohio hunting and/or fishing license is required.
Swimming
A nice public beach provides enjoyment for swimmers and sunbathers on the lake's south shore.
Picnicking
Picnic areas complete with tables and grills are located at many secluded and well shaded areas around the park. A shelterhouse is located in the campground.
Trails
Over five miles of hiking trails provide opportunities for exercise and nature study. Hiking trails are also open to mountain bikes.
More To Do
Volleyball and basketball courts are offered at the campground, along with horseshoe pits and tetherball. There is playground equipment for younger campers and the camp office has games and sporting equipment to loan to registered campers. Bike and boat rental are also offered at the camp office. A basketball court is also available at the beach.
Nature of the Area
By studying the bedrock layers in Ohio, we can find clues that reveal ancient seas, marshes or swamps covered all or portions of the state at various times in the past. Remains of plants and animals that lived in those waters littered the sea's floor and became entombed as lime precipitated to the bottom. Eventually, the lime and other sediments solidified into stone and uplifted forming dry land.
An arch formed in Ohio, during the time the Appalachian Mountains were formed, known as the Cincinnati Arch. This dome-like feature of uplifted bedrock passes through Stonelick. Several areas of the arch have been exposed from erosion uncovering some of the oldest rocks (350-500 million years old) in Ohio. The once entombed fossils are now exposed giving Stonelick one of the richest fossil records in the state. The rocks of the arch contain so many fossils of such diverse species that they have become very famous and have attracted people from all over the world since the early 1800s. Trilobite, brachiopods and cephalopods provide excellent finds for fossil hunters.
Another interesting feature of the Stonelick landscape is the significant stand of sweet gum trees. Normally, sweet gum is a subordinate tree but co-dominates the woodlands of Stonelick with beech and maple. Substantial colonies of dense flying star, purple fringeless orchid and Virginia mountain mint--all uncommon wildflowers in Ohio--can be found in the park.
History of the Area
Stonelick State Park lies within Clermont County, the eighth county established in the Northwest Territory. Settlement of the area began in 1798 when the towns of Bethel and Williamsburg were laid out. A considerable amount of the early settlers came from Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Several clashes between the settlers and Indians occurred here as the area was situated between the Kentucky settlements south of the Ohio River and the Indian villages along the Little Miami River. Legendary frontiersmen, Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton, were among those involved in the conflicts.
The town of nearby Milford was the site of the first Methodist church in Ohio. Francis McCormick, a pioneer Methodist preacher, organized the church in his cabin.
Clermont County was a vital link in the Underground Railroad as it was just across the river from the "slave owning" states of Kentucky and Virginia. The position of Clermont on the border made it the first place of refuge for fleeing slaves. The county was also the birthplace of Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant at Point Pleasant on the Ohio.
Land acquisition for Stonelick State Park began in 1948. A dam across Stonelick Creek was completed in 1950. This beautiful park was originally created to provide a wildlife area for Ohio's sportsmen. Now the area is operated by the ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation and offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities.
posted by Sharon & Dennis Fulltime Wannabees! at 9:23 AM
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