Park Office Location & Mailing Address:

Camping  

• 123 electric sites
• 2 wheelchair accessible sites 
• Dump station 
• Playground is also located at the campground
• Camp office loans games and sporting equipment to registered campers
• Pet camping is permitted on designated sites
• 27 electric equestrian sites
• Horse washing station
• Accessible mounting ramp
• Group camping is "first come, first served"
• Download the Campground map

Getaway Rentals  

• 3 Rent-A-Camp units
  
  • Consist of a tent with dining canopy
  • Amenities & equipment include cooler, cookstove, and other equipment
  • Linens, dishware, & cookware is not provided
  • Daily housekeeping is not available
• 2 Deluxe Camper Cabins
  
  • Amenities & equipment include bunks plus a microwave, refrigerator, two-burner stove and ceiling fan
  • Wheelchairs can access the Camper Cabins, but there are no accessible amentities on the site 
  • Linens, dishware, & cookware is not provided
  • Daily housekeeping is not available

Boating

• Boats with electric motors only are permitted on 117-acre Belmont Lake
• Seasonal boat tie-ups are available
• 1 launch ramp provides access to the lake
• Swimming from your boat is NOT allowed
• Check for water quality advisories

Fishing

• Anglers will enjoy good catches of bass, blue gill, crappie and trout
• A wheelchair accessible area allows all persons to test their skill at fishing
• Check out the lake map
• Valid Ohio fishing license is required

Swimming

• 700-foot beach provides enjoyment for swimmers and sunbathers
• Swimming is permitted during daylight hours only
• Swim at your own risk & be sure to keep an eye on the kids
• Pets are NOT permitted on swimming beaches
• Check for water quality advisories

Picnicking  

• 8 picnic areas are scenically located around the park
• Each area provides tables, grills, water and latrines
• 3 picnic shelterhouses are available and can be reserved online or by calling 866-644-6727

Trails and Interpretive Area

• 4 hiking trails
  • Lakeview Trail • 2 Miles • Moderate 
  • Woodchuck Nature Trail • 1/2 Mile • Easy 
  • Hawthorn Trail- Hiking • 0.6 Miles • Moderate
  • Hawk Trail- Hiking • 1/2 Mile • Easy • Handicap Accessible
• Bridle/Snowmobile Trail • 24 miles • Moderate
• A special paved trail winds through the pioneer village, enters the adjoining mature woodlands and provides access to the Antique Barn • Interpretive signs are placed along the route explaining the cultural and natural history of the park
• A bit of American history is preserved in the camp area • The Antique Barn was built in the 1800s by Solomon Bentley, an orchardman of renown • One variety of apple that he marketed was the "Bentley Sweet" • The barn is now home to summer naturalist activities and historical displays
• A resurrected log cabin and other pioneer structures near the barn take visitors back to an even earlier era
• Download the Trail map

Winter Recreation (conditions permitting)

• Sledding
• Snowmobiling
• Ice skating
• Cross country skiing
• Ice fishing
• Ice boating

Hunting

• Hunting is permitted in designated areas
• Squirrel hunting is popular here
• Valid Ohio hunting license is required

More To Do

• Volleyball and basketball courts, as well as horseshoe pits, can be found at the campground and in day-use areas of the park
• An archery range is available to the public
• Nature center offers programs during the summer months

Area Attractions

• The rich history of the Barkcamp area can be experienced at the Belmont County Museum on State Route 800 in Barnesville • This spectacular Romanesque-style mansion was built in 1888 and has 26 rooms • The museum houses a quilt collection, a collection of antique farm implements and many other interesting relics of the "Gay 90's" period • The museum is open May through October
• The Friends Meeting House, operated by the Ohio Historical Society and located in Mount Pleasant, is a restored meeting place of early Quakers • Built in 1914, it was one of the largest in the United States
• Dysart Woods, an outdoor land laboratory managed by Ohio University, preserves a 50-acre tract of old-growth forest • Dysart Woods is south of the park off State Route 147
• For more information on area attractions, visit
  
  • Belmont County Tourism Council website or call 800-356-5082
  • Ohio Tourism Division website or call 800-BUCKEYE (800-282-5393)

Nature of the Area

The sandstone hills of the Barkcamp region are part of the Appalachian highlands which envelop the southeastern part of Ohio • In the sandstone bedrock can be found layers of coal which were formed by decaying swamp vegetation millions of years ago during the Pennsylvanian geologic period • Barkcamp State Park lies in the heart of the coal-mining region of Ohio

The hills and valleys of the area are clothed with a second-growth forest • Today, southeastern Ohio is one of the most extensively forested in Ohio, and only a few areas remain which suggest the magnificence of these original forests

The woodlands of Barkcamp support a variety of plant and animal life • The observant visitor may find a wealth of woodland wildflowers including wild geranium, hepatica, bloodroot and spring beauties • The woodlands explode with flowering dogwood and redbud blossoms in spring

Songbirds, squirrels, skunk, opossum, raccoon, white-tailed deer and the wild turkey take up residence in the park's varying habitats

History of the Area

This area was first inhabited by the Moundbuilders, then later by Wyandots, Delaware and Shawnee • Belmont County was one of the earliest areas settled in Ohio, and the scene of several bloody conflicts between settlers and Indians • Prior to the Treaty of Greenville of 1795, the nearby Ohio River was the accepted boundary between Indians to the north and settlers to the south of the river • Conflicts arose as land-hungry settlers began encroaching on Indian lands • The celebrated Indian fighter, Lewis Wetzel, was often through this region • Wetzel instigated many of the conflicts as Indians were the object of his mortal hate • A large boulder near the park's Antique Barn bears an inscription carved by Wetzel

The Society of Friends (Quakers) established the first church in the area. Benjamin Lundy, a Quaker who lived in St. Clairsville, became known as the "Father of Abolitionism" • He formed an anti-slavery society here in 1815 called the Union Humane Society • At one point, there were 120 miles of the Underground Railroad in Belmont County • Lundy helped produce the abolitionist paper, The Philanthropist at nearby Mt. Pleasant

As years passed, coal was discovered and became the foundation of the area's economy • Belmont County is now the state's leading producer of coal with an estimated 5,668 million tons of coal available below the earth's surface

Land acquisition began for the park in 1955, and a dam was completed in 1963 resulting in the 117-acre Belmont Lake • The park derives its unusual name from Barkcamp Creek, the former site of a logging camp where logs were stripped of their bark in preparation for delivery to the mill