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| Hueston Woods State Park, located in Butler and Preble counties, is nearly 3,000 acres of natural resources for outdoor recreation, such as hiking, fishing, canoeing, and unique to this region -- fossil hunting.
The park surrounds 625-acre Acton Lake, with campsites, cabins, and a resort lodge to entice the overnight visitor.
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Resort Lodge 
- 94-room Hueston Woods Lodge is situated on a bluff overlooking Acton Lake
- Open year ‘round
- Amenities include a dining room, snack bar, gift shop, meeting rooms, lounge, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, game room, and lighted tennis court.
Cottages 
- 25 Family Cottages sleep six people
- Each has two bedrooms, bath, kitchen, living room, and screened porch
- 2 Premium Cottages include a master bedroom suite
- 10 Efficiency Cottages have a living-dining-sleeping area for four people, and private bath
 All cottages are equipped with cooking and eating utensils, towels, and bedding- Pets are permitted in select cottages, call 800-282-7275 for details
Camping 
- 252 campsites with electrical outlets
- Showers, flush toilets, laundry, and trailer waste station
- 236 non-electric campsites, with vault-type latrines
- Equestrian camp area offers 20 electric and 5 non-electric sites, available on a "first come, first served" basis only • Riding arena is available for practice or horse shows
- Group camp areas for youth and adult organizations are available for reservation
- Pets are permitted on any site
- Free WiFi access is available at the camp store to registered campers
Getaway Rentals 
- 3 camper cabins have built-in bunks, electric, A/C, heat, refridgerator, outdoor gas grill,
- 1 yurt with electric, heat, refrigerator, TV and outdoor grill
- Linens, dishware, cookware and housekeeping service is not provided
Picnic Areas
- 10 areas complete with tables and grills
Trails
- 12 hiking trails
- Sycamore Trail • 0.8 Miles • Easy
- Cedar Falls Trail • 0.9 Miles • Moderate
- Pine Loop/Cabin Trail • 1.3 Miles • Moderate
- Mud Lick Trail • 2.2 Miles • Moderate
- West Shore Trail • 6 Miles • Moderate
- Sugar Bush Trail • 0.8 Miles • Moderate (0.5 Miles Handicap Accessible)
- Blue Heron Trail • 0.7 Miles • Moderate
- Big Woods Trail • 0.7 Miles • Moderate
- Hedge Apple Trail • 0.7 Miles • Moderate
- Indian Mound Trail • 0.8 Miles • Moderate
- Galion Run Trail • 0.7 Miles • Moderate
- Equisetum Loop • 1 Mile • Moderate
- Bridle Trail • 18 Miles • Moderate
- Mountain Bike Trail • 12 Miles • Easy to Difficult
- The American Discovery Trail also passes through the park
Swimming
- 1,500-foot swimming beach
- Concession stand
- Bathhouse
- 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
Boating
- 625-acre Acton Lake is restricted to boats with motors of 10-hp or less
- 1 Launch ramp
- 132 docks are available for seasonal rental
- Boat rentals and fuel are available
- Boating laws and information
 Golf
- 18-hole, 7,005-yard, par 72 golf course, see the course layout
- Driving ranges are open from March until November
- Call the pro shop for tee time at 513-523-8081
Fishing
- The best fishing includes largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, saugeye, and bluegill
- Fishing pier on the west shore is wheelchair accessible
- Valid Ohio fishing license is required
Disc Golf
- 36 holes
- Bring your own equipment, rental equipment is not available
- No fee is charged to play
- See what other parks have disc golf courses
Hunting
- Deer hunting with bow and primitive weapons is allowed in season
- Waterfowl and raccoon hunting is allowed by permit
- Valid Ohio hunting license is required
Winter Recreation (weather permitting)
- Sledding
- Cross country skiing
- Ice skating
- Ice fishing
- Ice boating
More To Do
- Full paintball field and target range, group reservations are available • Bring your own equipment, or you can rent or buy it here
- Volleyball court
- Horseshoes
- Miniature golf
- Archery range
- Playground
- Basketball court
- At the Nature Center, you can attend bird and flower walks, slide talks, and fossil hunts • Birders can enjoy watching for some of the park's 150 species
- Lake access for dogs offers a place for your pets to frolic and swim
Area Attractions
- In nearby Oxford, visit the McGuffey House and Museum, showcasing the personal articles of William McGuffey, author of McGuffey Readers
- Miami University's Natural Areas offer many types of outdoor recreation
- Hopewell has a church, founded in 1808, with the first public cemetery in the township
- Hopewell was an important stop and staging area for the Underground Railroad
- Hamilton County Park District has Newberry Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharon Woods Gorge, and Trillium Trails
- Within the park is Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve and National Natural Landmark -- 200 acres of old-growth forest, with stately beech and sugar maple trees, an abundance of ferns, and wildflowers
- Preble County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural heritage, as well as artifacts, memories, and ideas of Preble County • Come and walk one of the many trails, view the progress of the prairie conversion efforts, see the newest bridge - an engineering marvel built as an Eagle Scout project, and find the old mill race
- For more information about area attractions, visit
Nature of the Area
Hueston Woods State Park located in southwest Ohio has an enormous wealth of natural resources • The limestone bedrock of the area is evidence of an ancient shallow sea that once covered Ohio • Much of the limestone is the magnesium-bearing type called dolomite • Fossilized remains of ancient marine animals are so abundant that people from all over the world come to Hueston Woods to collect them
The rich soils of the area are part of the glacial till plains of western Ohio • Early settlers cleared the dense woodlands to farm the fertile soil • Nearly all of Ohio’s original forest has since vanished • However, one unique stand of virgin timber remains at Hueston Woods • Over 200 acres have been protected and provide visitors with a glimpse of Ohio’s primeval forest • Stately beech and sugar maple tower above the abundance of ferns, wildflowers and other woodland species • In 1967, the 200-acre forest was designated a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service
History of the Area
Millions of years ago, a shallow sea covered Ohio, depositing fossil-rich limestone and dolomite bedrock • Fertile soils, left behind by glaciers thousands of years ago, created a productive land that attracted early Native Americans, including the Miami people, and settlers
In 1797, Matthew Hueston, after serving with General "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Indian wars, bought land for a farm in Butler and Preble counties • He left a remnant of the woods standing for his descendants
When the last of the Huestons died in the 1930s, Morris Taylor, a conservationist, purchased the woods and held it in trust, while Cloyd Acton, a Preble County legislator, influenced the state legislature to buy the land in 1941 • Hueston Woods was designated a state forest, and in 1945, money was appropriated to buy additional land
In 1952, the Oxford Honor Camp was located here, housing honor-status inmates for 12 years • In the summer of 1956, an earthen dam was completed across Four Mile Creek, creating Acton Lake • Hueston Woods became a state park in 1957 • The old-growth forest was added to the National Registry of National Landmarks in 1967, and became a state nature preserve in 1973
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