Pike County: Lakes, Trails, and History

Pike County combines river and lake activities with forest areas, trails, and regional history. The Scioto River runs through the county from north to south. Nearly 165,000 acres of forest and 3.7 square miles of open water are also part of the landscape. If you’re looking for a hotel for your stay, your reason for traveling can be a good place to start: events, water activities, trails, or historic sites each offer a different focus.

Lakes, River, and Water Activities

Lake White covers 337 acres and offers opportunities for boating, paddling, and fishing. There are no horsepower restrictions for motorboats there. At Pike Lake State Park, the 13-acre lake was dug by hand by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The two lakes therefore differ in both their size and their described uses and origins.

On the Scioto River in Pike County, Adventures on the River offers kayaking trips. Check the provider’s current booking details before planning. At Long’s Retreat, offerings include a splash pad, a tube slide, and diving boards. Operations and opening hours may vary by season and weather.

Forests, Trails, and Parks

Pike State Forest has 33 miles of bridle trails and hiking trails on the Buckeye Trail. The Sinking Spring section of the Buckeye Trail runs through Pike County as well as Highland and Adams counties. Both details refer to named sections of the trail and provide different geographic reference points for your planning.

Canal Park is located along the route of the former Ohio-Erie Canal. The park includes a shelter, a playground, and a veterans’ memorial. This combination of a site with canal history and the listed facilities adds another specific destination in Pike County to the trail and water themes.

Places and History

Mound Cemetery near Piketon is home to the most significant burial mound in Pike County. A county museum features exhibits and artifacts from different periods of its past. The model railroad exhibit at the Railroad Museum in Bristol Village also includes an outdoor extension with tracks and operating trains. The three places offer different ways to explore history: a burial mound, exhibits on the county’s past, and a model railroad exhibit.

Online, you can view photos of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, watch interviews with current and former employees, and browse old newsletters dating from the early 1950s onward. A bus tour circles the Portsmouth Site and includes a stop at the Plant Control Facility, the center of the gaseous diffusion plant. Tours are offered on select dates; check current registration details in advance.

An Old Order Mennonite community lives and works in and around the rural community of Cynthiana. Shops along narrow, two-lane country roads attract many visitors from Ohio and beyond. The community and the shops are distinct aspects of the rural travel experience.

Events and Travel Planning

The Pike County Fair has been held during the first week of August for more than 100 years. The SamJam Bluegrass Festival is an annual five-day event held in the days leading up to Labor Day at the Pike County Fairgrounds in Piketon. The Lake White Boat Parade takes place on Independence Day at Lake White State Park. Before planning a trip around any of these events, check the dates for the year in question; for SamJam, you should also check the lineup.

Discover more destinations: Piketon, Hamilton, Lucas County, Coshocton County, Jefferson, Pickaway County, Guernsey, Wyandot County

For the broader travel overview: Ohio.