1750 Osborn Road,
Wilmington, OH 45177

Reserve online:        

Park Map | Campground Map | Cottage Area Map | Local park website

Cottages  

• 27 cottages
• Each cottage is heated and air-conditioned, sleeps 5 with 2 private bedrooms and rollaway beds, and offers a bath with shower, furnished living area, complete kitchen, dining area and screened porch
• Linens, towels, cooking and eating utensils are provided
• 2 premium cottages have gas fireplaces and wooden decks with gas cooking grills
• Pets are allowed in select cottages, please call 866-644-6727 for more information

Camping  

• 237 electric sites
• 17 non-electric sites
• 4 sites are wheelchair accessible.
• Showerhouse, flush toilets, laundry facilities, dump station, camper's beach and a boat launch ramp
• Commissary is equipped with snacks and camping items
• Pet camping is offered on designated sites
• Bike rental, volleyball and basketball courts, and miniature golf available to campers

Boating

• Ten horsepower limit on Cowan Lake
• South Shore Marina offers boats, canoes, and motors for rent, as well as fishing and picnic supplies for sale
• 4 Launch ramps, fuel and dock rentals are also available
• Sailing is very popular on the lake
• Marina and boat ramps are Carry In Carry Out areas • No trash cans are available • Please bring your own trash bags

Fishing

• Muskie, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish and bluegill are plentiful
• Accessible fishing pier is located near the Pine Tree picnic area
• Fishing pier is a Carry In Carry Out area • No trash cans are available • Please bring your own trash bags
• A valid Ohio fishing license is required

Swimming

• 1,000 foot public beach is located on the south lake shore.
• Bathhouse, showers and a snack bar are available for public use
• The beach is a Carry In Carry Out area • No trash cans are available • Please bring your own trash bags
• Check for water quality advisories

Picnicking  

• 6 Picnic areas with tables and grills are located in many tree-shaded areas overlooking the lake
• 2 shelterhouses and dance pavilion are reservable online or by calling 866-644-6727
• Shelterhouse and the dance pavilion near the beach are Carry In Carry Out areas • No trash cans are available • Please bring your own trash bags
  

Trails

• 6 hiking trails
  • Beechnut Loop Trail • 1/2 Mile • Easy
  • Dogwood Trail • 0.7 Miles • Easy
  • Emerald Woods Trail • 1.8 Miles • Easy
  • Lotus Cove Trail • 0.7 Miles • Moderate • Offers a boardwalk view of an American Lotus (water lily) colony
  • Oldfield Trail • 0.8 Miles • Moderate
  • Lakeview Trail • 1.1 Miles • Moderate
• Mountain Bike Trail • 1 Mile • Easy-Difficult

Hunting

• Hunting is permitted in designated areas during scheduled hunting seasons
• A valid Ohio hunting license is required

More To Do

• 2 scenic parking areas are offered near the dam
• Scenic parking area at the dam spillway is a Carry In Carry Out area • No trash cans are available • Please bring your own trash bags
  

Area Attractions

• Stonelick State Park, located 13 miles southwest of Cowan on State Route 727, and Caesar Creek State Park, situated 18 miles northwest of Cowan on State Route 73, both offer swimming, boating, fishing and camping
• Caesar Creek Gorge, a state nature preserve is located adjacent to Caesar Creek State Park
• Other attractions include Kings Island Amusement Park; the outdoor drama, Blue Jacket and the U.S. Air Force Museum near Dayton
• For more information on area attractions, visit the Clinton County Convention & Visitors Bureau or call 877-428-4748

Nature of the Area

It has been said that Ohio's history can be found written in the rocks • By studying the bedrock layers in Ohio, we know that ancient seas, marshes or swamps covered all or portions of the state at times over the past 500 million years • Sediment deposited by those ancient waters solidified into rock and eventually uplifted forming dry land • Animals and plants were embedded in the sediment, and today, these fossils reveal the different life forms that existed in Ohio's past

Cowan Lake lies near the Cincinnati Arch, an uplifting of bedrock that occurred during the Appalachian Mountains' building process • The erosion of this arch in the Cowan region exposes fossil-rich limestone • The limestone near Cowan and other parts of the exposed arch are some of the most famous fossil hunting fields in the world

A fine stand of beech-maple forest can be found around the lake at Cowan • These woodlands contain beautiful wildflowers including bloodroot, wild ginger, spring beauties and trillium • The woods, fields and lake provide habitat for a variety of animals, including ring-neck pheasant, ducks, geese and herons • Songbirds such as eastern bluebirds, catbirds, house wrens and many others inhabit the fields and bushy areas of the park • Mammals include white-tailed deer, raccoon, opossum, woodchuck, skunk and others

American Lotus, a brilliant water lily, is abundant in the lake's shallow areas • It is unusual to find such a large colony of lotus on an inland lake • The plant's leaves grow up to two feet in diameter supporting large yellow flowers

History of the Area

The Cowan Lake region was once a stronghold of the Miami and Shawnee Indians • After their defeat at the hands of General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the Indian threat subsided and settlement began here • In 1797, the first settler in the area, William Smalley, began clearing land for his home along the river which was later dammed to form Cowan Lake • Smalley had been captured by the Indians when he was a small child and was forced to live with them until he was twenty years old • He later fought in General Wayne's army and was recaptured, but luckily escaped with his life

Cowan Creek was named for the area's first surveyor, John Cowan • A dam was completed across Cowan Creek in 1950, and in 1968, Cowan Lake was dedicated as a state park