Ohio’s Tranquil Lake State Park Features Scenic Interactive Trails for an Enchanting Nature Getaway

If you’re looking for the perfect afternoon adventure for the entire family, filled with gorgeous nature views, wildlife spotting, and a unique interactive trail that brings a beloved childhood story to life, you’re in luck. Just a two-hour drive away from busy bustling Columbus, Ohio, Adams Lake State Park and State Nature Preserve has it all despite its small size. At just 50 acres, this park is pretty tiny compared to other Ohio state parks, like the over 3,250-acre Hocking Hills State Park with its towering trees and waterfalls or even the underrated 2,337-acre Deer Creek State Park — but you’ll be impressed at just how natural and beautiful this little oasis is.

This area is a rare patch of Ohio prairie, a holdout from a bygone age before the land was shaped by glaciers. In the springtime, this park is the perfect place to spot blooming wildflowers and the lotus water lilies on the lake starting to bloom. However, the park is also beautiful in any season. When you come, you’ll see the shorebirds hunting along the lake’s edge, butterflies flitting over the prairie, and walk in the shade of a small forest of towering oaks and maples.

The scenery at Adams Lake State Park is certainly beautiful enough to justify a trip there on its own, but if you have kids traveling with you (or just enjoy a whimsical adventure) you won’t want to miss the Storybook Trail. Thanks to Dolly Parton’s Ohio Imagination Library — an organization that sends children from babies to age 5 free books monthly — you’ll find these surprising trails around the state of Ohio. The purpose of these trails is to help make reading fun for kids. Following an anonymous donation in 2022, Adams Lake State Park got its own Storybook Trail.

As you walk the paved path surrounding Adams Lake, you’ll see plenty of pretty water lilies and ducks, but you’ll also find signs with pages of a book for kids along the way. As you walk, you’ll find the next pages, combining the experience of being outside and in nature with the joy of hearing a good story. Kids will love running along this safe, even trail in search of the next page. Don’t be disappointed if you live nearby — the story featured on the trail rotates regularly, so even if you come a few times a year there will likely be a new story for you to experience as you explore this familiar route.