Photographs on this page marked with an "R" are the property of Dennis Reinhart. They may be used only by permission.

Clear Creek
Metropark
Clear Creek Metropark at a Glance
Date established:1974
Acreage (total):5,390 acres (2,182 hectares)
Lake Acreage (Lake Ramona):5.4 acres (2.2 hectares)
GPS Coordinates
Creekside Meadows Picnic Area:39.588999, -82.577620
Fern Picnic Area:39.588357, -82.594371
Valley View/Ironwood Picnic Areas:39.600093, -82.631609
Park Office:39.594171, -82.622026
Miles of trails:13.5 miles (22 kilometers)
Hunting:No hunting allowed
Nearby open-space areas:Hocking Hills State Park
Hocking State Forest
Rockbridge State Nature Preserve
Christmas Rocks State Nature Preserve
Rhododendron Cove State Nature Preserve
Wahkeena State Nature Preserve
AOA Demonstration Site and Gosnell Preserve
Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve
Lake Logan State Park
Official park website:www.metroparks.net/ParksClearCreek.aspx
Nature preserves website:http://naturepreserves.ohiodnr.gov/clearcreek
Park phone number:614.891.0700
5,080 acres in Good Hope Township, Hocking County and Madison Township, Fairfield County. 4,769 acres of the park area dedicated as a state nature preserve, making the park Ohio's largest state nature preserve. This is a park area owned by Columbus-Franklin County Metro Park District, on the northwest fringe of the Hocking Hills, north of Cantwell Cliffs. The bluffs are lower than in the core of the area, but the park is nonetheless quite beautiful and worthy of at least a day’s outing in its own right. A Campfire Girls camp borders the park. The park has a nice hiking trail system. Off-trail use of the park is prohibited except within 50 feet of Clear Creek itself.

Clear Creek is near the wesward fringe of the Hocking Hills area. It is well worth the investment of a day or more, with reasonably good trails and many rock features. This area is not as heavily impacted as many of the other components of the Hocking Hills. Of particular interest is the immense rock, Leaning Lena, split off from the adjacent bluff, that overhangs the entry road.

There is a small lake, Lake Ramona, open for fishing, in the northwest area of the park. It is easily reachable from the main road or from the Ironwood Picnic Area. The park headquarters are in a restored and attractive historic farmhouse, the Starner House, in the western area of the park on the main road.

There are no trails in the entire southwestern area of the park, south of Clear Creek.

Trails at Clear Creek

Central Area (Fern and Creekside Meadows Picnic Areas)

  • Cemetery Ridge Trail: 2.5 miles
  • Creekside Meadows Trail: 2 miles
  • Fern Trail: 2.1 miles
  • Hemlock Trail: 1.5 miles

Western Area (Ironwood and Valley View Picnic Areas)

  • Lake Trail: 1 mile
  • Prairie Warbler Trail: 0.6 mile
  • Tuliptree Trail: 0.75 mile

Other Trails:

  • Chestnut Trail: 3 miles - connects the two above areas
  • Pet Trail: 1 mile; on a portion of the Chestnut Trail

Directions to Clear Creek

To reach Clear Creek Metro Park, take US-33 west 32 miles from OH-550 at Athens to Clear Creek Road, County Road 116 (there is a Sunoco station on the corner on the left). Turn left, and go a short distance to enter the park. Go about 2 miles for the Creekside Meadows Picnic Area, about 3 miles for the Fern Picnic Area, and about 5 miles to the turnoff on the right for the Ironwood and Valley View Picnic Areas. Total distance from downtown Athens: 35 miles.