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Camping
- 114 camp sites
- 108 electric sites
- Equipped with showers, flush toilets and a dump station
- Camp store and laundry facilities
- Pet camping is permitted on designated sites
- Volleyball and basketball courts, horseshoe pits and tetherball
- Playground equipment for younger campers
- Camp office has games and sporting equipment to loan to registered campers
- Bike and boat rental are also offered at the camp office
- Primitive group camp area is available for organized groups on a reservation basis.
- Pit latrines are found at the group camp
Getaway Rentals
- Deluxe 14' x 20' camper cabin
- Available April through October
- 14' x 8' covered front porch has a "glider" swing
- Comfortably sleeps four adults on a bunk bed (full size bottom bed and twin sized top bed) and a sofa sleeper that pulls out to a double bed
- Amenities include: air conditioning, mid-sized refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, television with a VCR, a dining table and chairs, and a picnic table, waist high grill and fire ring for outdoor enjoyment
- Linens and cooking supplies (pots, pans and utensils) are not provided
- Pets and smoking are not permitted inside the camper cabin
Boating
- Boats with electric motors only are permitted on Stonelick Lake
- One launch ramp provides access to the lake
Hunting and Fishing
- Hunting is permitted in designated areas
- The lake is well known for catches of bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish
- A valid Ohio hunting and/or fishing license is required
Swimming
- Public beach is located on the lake's south shore
- A basketball court is also available at the beach
Picnicking
- Picnic areas complete with tables and grills are located at many secluded and well shaded areas around the park.
- The picnic shelter at the beach can be reserved by calling East Fork's park office.
Trails
- Over five miles of hiking trails provide opportunities for exercise and nature study.
- Hiking trails are also open to mountain bikes.
Area Attractions
- The village of Point Pleasant on the Ohio River is the birthplace of President Ulysses S. Grant. Visitors can view the one-room cabin where the 18th President and Civil War general was born. The cabin is located at U.S. 52 and State Route 232.
- Cowan Lake State Park, north of Stonelick, offers camping, cabins, boating, fishing, hiking and swimming opportunities
- Crooked Run State Nature Preserve is a river estuary that attracts a variety of rare or unusual birds including bald eagles, ospreys and great blue herons
- Kings Island amusement park and The Beach water park are located less than 30 minutes from the park. Stonelick also affords easy access to many attractions within the Greater Cincinnati area. Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati Zoo, Museum of Natural History, Cincinnati Reds and Bengals are all within easy driving distance of the Stonelick campground.
Nature of the Area
By studying the bedrock layers in Ohio, we can find clues that reveal ancient seas, marshes or swamps covered all or portions of the state at various times in the past. Remains of plants and animals that lived in those waters littered the sea's floor and became entombed as lime precipitated to the bottom. Eventually, the lime and other sediments solidified into stone and uplifted forming dry land.
An arch formed in Ohio, during the time the Appalachian Mountains were formed, known as the Cincinnati Arch. This dome-like feature of uplifted bedrock passes through Stonelick. Several areas of the arch have been exposed from erosion uncovering some of the oldest rocks (350-500 million years old) in Ohio. The once entombed fossils are now exposed giving Stonelick one of the richest fossil records in the state. The rocks of the arch contain so many fossils of such diverse species that they have become very famous and have attracted people from all over the world since the early 1800s. Trilobite, brachiopods and cephalopods provide excellent finds for fossil hunters.
Another interesting feature of the Stonelick landscape is the significant stand of sweet gum trees. Normally, sweet gum is a subordinate tree but co-dominates the woodlands of Stonelick with beech and maple. Substantial colonies of dense flying star, purple fringeless orchid and Virginia mountain mint--all uncommon wildflowers in Ohio--can be found in the park.
History of the Area
Stonelick State Park lies within Clermont County, the eighth county established in the Northwest Territory. Settlement of the area began in 1798 when the towns of Bethel and Williamsburg were laid out. A considerable amount of the early settlers came from Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Several clashes between the settlers and Indians occurred here as the area was situated between the Kentucky settlements south of the Ohio River and the Indian villages along the Little Miami River. Legendary frontiersmen, Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton, were among those involved in the conflicts.
The town of nearby Milford was the site of the first Methodist church in Ohio. Francis McCormick, a pioneer Methodist preacher, organized the church in his cabin.
Clermont County was a vital link in the Underground Railroad as it was just across the river from the "slave owning" states of Kentucky and Virginia. The position of Clermont on the border made it the first place of refuge for fleeing slaves. The county was also the birthplace of Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant at Point Pleasant on the Ohio.
Land acquisition for Stonelick State Park began in 1948. A dam across Stonelick Creek was completed in 1950. This beautiful park was originally created to provide a wildlife area for Ohio's sportsmen. Now the area is operated by the ODNR Division of Parks and Recreation and offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities.
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