We're Traveling - Shawnee State Park

 In late October, we spent a few days at Shawnee State Park...by accident. Accident?

We had seen photos from Shawnee Lookout Park near Cincinnati, and wanted to spend a few days there before all the leaves were gone. It was one of those late-night internet research things, looking for a campground nearby. I booked our site and went to bed. The next morning, I realized the address was southeast and not southwest--115 miles from our intended destination. Oops! How the heck did that happen?

So the first thing I learned from this trip was to not book late at night...

...unless we're ready for adventure!

After looking at the map and photos from the park, we decided to go there anyway. The 1,095-acre park is deep in the middle of 63,000-acre Shawnee Forest--the largest forest in Ohio, and the trails are along the edge of 51-acre Turkey Creek Lake. The hiking trails take you completely around the lake, with a side trail leading to the hilltop lodge and conference center.

The park has a very welcoming camp office.

 The campsites weren't as secluded as 

some state parks, but their sites 

were all a nice size.

Across the lane, the sites backed

up to a beautiful stream.

The weather was perfect!
The skies were clear and blue!
Ray was more than ready to explore!

The trail head was pretty.

We hiked from our campsite (D) around the north side of the lake (C to B) up the hill to the 

lodge (A) back down and around the south side of the lake, past the campground and back.

I mentioned in my last post
about the lousy camera.

A new one is on my
shopping list.

But trust me, this
creek was pretty!

I spotted this creature

just ahead of me

on the trail.

They are very rare.

 Even though a lot of the leaves had already fallen, there were plenty of colorful trees remaining.

The lake was so inviting!

(Note to self: take the 

rowboat next time.)

Electric motors only.

Just like when we go shopping,

Ray finds a bench and

waits patiently...

...and waits...

...and waits...

I love that this side of the lake has a few places to sit and enjoy the view.

 

At the end of the lake,

we found a stretch of moss

laid out like a pathway

to the Emerald City.

I was tempted to slip off my sneakers!

It felt like the cushiest carpet.

I could really bore you 

with tons of photos of  

trunks, leaves, rocks, 

roots, bark, fungi, etc.

I'll spare you.

But I had to share this photo!

Isn't this so cool?

There is an advantage to 

being a late riser...

By the time we reached

 the end of the lake,

the sun was at a

nice angle for

reflections.

After hiking up the hill to the lodge, we were ready for the downhill hike back to camp.

The reflections of color on the surface of the water were amazing.

Imagine these scenes in peak color!

I really loved the way

this lone pine stood

on the point.

I'm not a hunter,

but looks like a nice

spot for that blind.

I imagined throwing

a sleeping bag there,

and counting the stars...

This branch hung so far

out over the still water,

and then decided to

shoot for the sky!

Imagine peak color here...

It was late in the afternoon and the sun was getting low in sky.

It made for beautiful pictures from that side of the lake.

But there was a downside to our timing...

It turns out that the trail on that side weaves up and down the hills,

away from the shoreline in many places. Even though it was not yet

late in the day, it was growing darker in the woods. The trail was

rougher on that side, and I was growing anxious to reach the end!

The dog got so tired that Ray had to carry him up a few hills.

I started to worry about getting lost. You hear those stories...

We didn't know it would take us so much longer on that side.

I don't know if we passed a fork in the dimming light,

but we ended up past the campground.

I was quite relieved when we looked

down and saw the tops of campers!

I was tempted to leave the trail

and head straight down the hill.

Next time, we will start out on

the other side of the lake, while

the sun is bright in the sky!

After we're tired from hiking,

we can take the easy route

back to camp.

But we will go again.

Note to campers: the electric on these sites was by the road instead of at the back of the pad.

If you're newbies, make sure you have extra length on your power cord.
We now carry 75 feet! Next time we can get farther off the road.