|
Camping
- 384 electric sites
- 5 full-hookup sites
- The campground offers showers, flush toilets, drinking water, a camper's beach, and boat ramp.
- Pets are permitted in designated areas.
- A 17-site horsemen's camp is also available
Getaway Rentals
- 4 Spacious Cedar Cabins with all the amenities of a fully-equipped RV are available for daily or weekly rental
- 4 camper cabins may also be rented spring through fall
- Pets are not permitted in the Getaway Rental units or area
Trails
- Backpack Trail traverses approximately 10 miles of scenic park areas, offering a 20-mile round trip for hikers and backpackers
- 32-mile Steven Newman Worldwalker Perimeter Trail circles the park and is available for hikers, backpackers, and horsemen
- 4 primitive campsites are located along these trails
- Permits for their use are available through the park office
- For those less adventuresome, shorter trails are easily accessible
- 8 mile mountain bike trail begins just west of the park entrance on State Route 125
Boating
Fishing and Hunting
- The lake offers quality fishing with excellent catches of largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, and crappie
- For the sport fisherman, East Fork is stocked with the Hybrid Striper
- Hunting is permitted in designated areas only
- Hunting blind accessible to persons with mobility-impairments
- Valid Ohio hunting and fishing licenses are required
Picnicking
- Picnic areas with tables, grills and drinking water are located around the park.
- Two picnic shelters are available.
- The Turkey Ridge shelter is reservable.
 Swimming
- A 1,200-foot swimming beach features change boots with showers, restrooms and a vending area
- Check for water quality advisories
More To Do
- The campground features a mini-golf course, bike rental, basketball and horseshoe courts, and playgrounds
Expanded Information
- East Fork State Park is leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District at William H. Harsha Lake provides plenty of information to make your visit more enjoyable.
Area Attractions
- Overlooking the Ohio River, the town of Point Pleasant is birthplace of President Ulysses S. Grant. The one-room cottage where the 18th President of the United States was born is located at U.S. 52 and S.R. 232 just south of East Fork
- Stonelick State Park is located to the north of East Fork at State Routes 727 and 133 • Camping, fishing, hiking and swimming are just a few of the activities available at Stonelick
- East Fork's close proximity to the city of Cincinnati makes it easy to combine the best of the outdoor life with the many activities available in the "Queen City." Major sporting events, fine dining, shopping, many cultural events and festivities invite the park's visitors to spend a day in this bustling urban area.
- For more information, contact the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (513) 732-3600
Nature of the Area
Clermont County's rolling hills and meandering river valleys provide a colorful backdrop for spacious East Fork State Park. Shaped by the forces of the Illinoian and Wisconsinan glaciers, the East Fork region is characterized by beautiful hill country scenery and is noted for the occurrence of remnant prairie habitats. Illinoian glacial deposits are not common in Ohio but can be observed at East Fork and the surrounding area.
East Fork's diverse landscape includes dry-forested hills, rocky cascades, abandoned farmlands, thickly grown floodplains, marshy grasslands and swamp forests. This diversity lends well to an abundance of plant and animal life. Woodlands are composed of beech, sugar maple, red and white oak, shagbark hickory, and wild black cherry. The swamp forests contain silver maple, American elm, sycamore, and black gum. The meadows and remnant prairies contain big bluestem grass and purple coneflower among others.
Animals of the area include eastern plains garter snake, fence lizard, red fox, deer, raccoon, Canada geese, song sparrow, eastern meadowlark, and the barn swallow.
History of the Area
The Little Miami River basin in which East Fork State Park is situated has been home to many generations of man, dating back to nearly 3,000 years ago. Moundbuilders, the Adena and Hopewell Indians, occupied this area. The mound near Elklick Road is thought to have been built by the Adena. The Erie Indians also lived here much later, though by 1655 this nation was completely destroyed by the powerful Iroquois. The area was virtually uninhabited through the remainder of the 17th century.
As the new state of Ohio began to be settled in the early 19th century, the East Fork region attracted settlers from the east. Grist mills, sawmills, blacksmith shops, tanneries and stagecoach depots were among the early commercial activities.
In 1869, two gold mines operated in the vicinity. One mine was located near Elklick and consisted of a flume for washing gravel containing flakes of gold. The mine near Twin Bridges tunnelled underground to reach gold deposits encased in bedrock.
Not far from the present park office, the "Old Bethel Church" on Elklick Road dates from 1867. It occupies the site of a log church built about 1807 by Reverend John Collins. Some of the hand-hewn timbers secured with wooden pegs and hand-forged nails used to construct the 1818 church are still present in the existing church.
More recently, the area has taken on a new appearance due to the creation of East Fork Reservoir in 1978. As part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control program, East Fork Lake and the surrounding region comprise one of southwestern Ohio's largest recreational areas.
Directions
From Cleveland, Ohio:
I-71 South to I-275 East at Cincinnati. I-275 East East to Exit #63 ( State Route 32), East- Batavia (Campground) or Exit #65, Beechmont Avenue East- Amelia ( Day Use) Come East 11 miles and follow signs.
From Columbus, Ohio:
I-71 South to I-275 East at Cincinnati. I-275 East to Exit 63 (State Route 32), East- Batavia (Campground) or Exit #65, Beechmont Avenue East- Amelia (Day Use), come East 11 miles and follow the signs.
From Cincinnati, Ohio:
From Downtown: take I-471 South into Kentucky to I-275 East. I-275 East to Exit #65, Beechmont Avenue East - Amelia ( Day Use) or Exit #63
From Toledo, Ohio:
I-75 South to I-275 East at Cincinnati. I-275 East to Exit #63 ( State Route 32), East- Batavia (Campground) or Exit #65, Beechmont Avenue East- Amelia (Day Use) Come East 11 miles and follow signs.
From Lexington, KY:
I-75 North, to I-275 East (Near Erlanger, KY) to Exit #65, S.R. 125 - Beechmont Avenue East- Amelia ( Day Use) or Exit 63, S.R. 32 - East Batavai (campground). Come East 11 miles and follow signs.
|