Cowan Lake State Park

Cottages

• 27 cottages
• Each cottage is heated and air-conditioned, sleeps six with two 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 concession offers boat, canoe and motor rental as well as fishing and picnic supplies.
• 4 Launch ramps, fuel and dock rentals are also available.
• Sailing is very popular on the lake

Fishing and Hunting

• Muskie, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish and bluegill are plentiful.
• Hunting is permitted in designated areas
• A valid Ohio hunting and/or 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
• 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 each reservable online or by calling (866)-644-6727

Trails

• Lakeview Trail- Hiking- 1.1 Miles, Moderate
• Beechnut Loop Trail- Hiking- .5 Miles, Easy
• Dogwood Trail- Hiking- .7 Miles, Easy
• Lotus Cove Trail- Hiking- .7 Miles, Moderate- provides a boardwalk view of an American Lotus (water lily) colony
• Oldfield Trail- Hiking- .8 Miles, Moderate
• Emerald Woods Trail- Hiking- 1.8 Miles, Easy
• Mountain Bike Trail- Mtn Biking- 1 Miles, Easy-Difficult

Winter Meeting Rooms

• The camp commissary building can be rented during the off season for meetings, receptions or business retreats. It features a woodburning fireplace, restrooms and scenic view of the lake.
• Tables and chairs are provided.
• Contact the park office for details.

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. Ring-neck pheasant, ducks, geese and herons are found here. 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, 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