20635 State Park Road 20
Mt. Sterling, OH  43143

Park Office	740-869-3124
Campground (seasonal)	740-869-3508
Golf Course	740-869-3088
Lake Conditions	740-869-2243
Camping/Getaway Rental Reservations	866-644-6727
Reserve online:

Located in the heart of Ohio's agricultural country, Deer Creek State Park is central Ohio's vacation showplace. A collage of meadows and woodlands surround the scenic reservoir. This resort park features a modern lodge, cottages, campground, golf course, swimming beach and boating for outdoor enthusiasts.

Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center
22300 State Park Road 20 (Location)
PO Box 125  (Mailing)
Mt Sterling, OH 43143-0153

Lodge Front Desk	740-869-2020
Lodge Front Desk Fax	740-869-4059
Lodge/Cottage Reservations	877-678-3337
Reserve online:

Lodge 

• 110 guest rooms, many with a panoramic view of the lake.
• Lodge features include indoor and outdoor pools, sauna, whirlpool and exercise room.
• A restaurant, lounge and meeting rooms provide additional accommodations
• Tennis courts are available for lodge and cottage guest use

Cottages 

• 25 cottages each with two bedrooms, bath with a shower, living room with a sofa bed, complete kitchen, dining area and screened porch
• The cottages sleep up to six people
• The historic Harding Cabin offers a unique lakeside setting and sleeps 7-9. Read more about this historic lodging experience.

Camping   

• 227 electric sites
• Features include showers, flush toilets and a dump station
• Pets are permitted on designated sites
• Campground attractions include a fitness center, volleyball and basketball courts, horseshoe pits, a playground and miniature golf
• Bicycles can be rented from the camp office for a fee
• Group camp is also available by reservation
• Equestrian camp provides primitive overnight facilities for riders and a primitive group camp offers an area for youth groups

Getaway Rentals 

• 2 Camper cabins available April 1 through October 31
  
  • Each unit sleeps up to 6 people
  • Features include electric outlets, A/C, heater, refrigerator, microwave, cook stove, porch with charcoal grill
  • Linens, dishes and cooking utensils are not provided
  • Daily housekeeping is not available
• 3 Rent-A-Camp units available April 1 through October 31
  • Each unit consists of a large tent on a wooden platform with dining fly
  • Sleeps up to 4 people on 2 cots with sleeping pad
  • Equipment provided include a exterior electric outlet, camp light, cook stove, cooler, picnic table and fire ring
  • Linens, dishes and cooking utensils are not provided
  • Daily housekeeping is not available

Boating

• Unlimited horsepower boating is permitted on the 1,277 acre Deer Creek reservoir
• 2 launch ramps provide access to the lake
• A fully equipped marina offers fuel, boat rental and seasonal dock rentals

Fishing

• Deer Creek Lake is famous for its early spring saugeye fishing below the dam
• Excellent catches of catfish, largemouth bass and crappie also entice the angler
• Valid Ohio fishing license is required

Swimming

• 1,700-foot public swimming beach
• A concession area and changing booths
• Boaters may take advantage of a boat-swim area
• Check for water quality advisories

Picnicking

• 10 picnic areas are situated in scenic locations around the park
• 3 picnic shelters are available on a first come-first serve basis

Trails

• 7 hiking only trails
  • Adena Ridge Trail • 3/4 Mile • Easy
  • Waterloo Trail • 1/4 Mile • Easy
  • Van Horn Trail • 2 Miles • Easy-Moderate
  • Meadow Trail • 1 Mile • Moderate
  • Rolling Hills Trail • 2.5 Miles • Moderate
  • Marsh Walk Trail • 1 Mile • Moderate
  • Ridge Trail • 1.5 Miles • Moderate
• Mountain Biking Trail • 1 Mile • Easy
• Bridle Trail that also allows hiking • 18 miles • Moderate

Golf

• A 350-acre, 18-hole public golf course near the lodge is a challenge for golfers with its 10 ponds and 52 sand traps
• Get more information about the course

Hunting

• The lake provides excellent waterfowl hunting
• 12 hunting blinds are issued each season on a lottery basis
• Hunting is permitted in the state wildlife area adjacent to the park for pheasant, rabbit, squirrel and deer
• Valid Ohio hunting license is required

Winter Recreation

• Snowmobiling is permitted on the 18 mile bridle trail when conditions permit
• Sledding, ice fishing, and ice skating when conditions permit

More To Do

• Volleyball and basketball courts, playgrounds, and a baseball field offered in select day-use areas
• Dog park with lake access offers a place for your pets to frolic and swim without a leash

Area Attractions

• East of Deer Creek near Circleville is A.W. Marion State Park which offers fishing, camping and picnicking
• Stage's Pond, a state nature preserve, is located five miles north of Circleville • This 178-acre glacial, kettle lake is a waterfowl refuge and a prime observation area for birdlife
• Deer Creek Wildlife Area which is adjacent to the park is operated by the ODNR Division of Wildlife and managed for upland game
• In nearby Chillicothe, visitors can witness the living drama of Tecumseh at the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre
• Adena State Memorial, the restored home of Thomas Worthington is one of The Ohio Historical Society's premier sites • It includes Worthington's newly-restored 1807 mansion and a 13,000 square foot Museum/Visitor Center
• For additional information on area attractions, visit the Pickaway County Visitors Bureau

Nature of the Area

Deer Creek State Park lies on the eastern edge of the great till plains of Ohio • These plains receive their name from the glacial debris, or till, which is a mixture of sand, silt and gravel that was deposited by the glaciers • As glaciers advanced across the northern two-thirds of Ohio, most hills and valleys were covered and filled in by the till, leaving this part of Ohio relatively flat

Today, these rich plains in the park's region support corn, soybeans and wheat • The first settlers to the area did not find these open fields • Except for a few small prairie openings, the region was covered by dense woodlands • A regrowth of the original woodlands can be found scattered along the ridge tops and creek bottoms of the park

Wildflowers abound in the fields and woodlands of the till plains • In spring, common flowers are Dutchman's breeches, rue anemone, trillium, spring beauty and bloodroot • Summer months produce thimbleweed, wild lettuce, jewelweed and daisy fleabane • In autumn, the most abundant flowers are aster, goldenrod and chicory, whose roots were used by settlers to make a coffee-like beverage

The best known animals of the Deer Creek area include amphibians such as the chorus frog, spring peeper and American toad • Reptiles include box and painted turtles, black rat snake and eastern garter snake • Numerous mammals inhabit the park • Most of them are small and include the red fox, raccoon, opossum, woodchuck, skunk, rabbit, deer mouse and white-tailed deer • Deer Creek is known for its population of ring-necked pheasant • Other birds of the area include eastern meadowlark, song sparrow, cowbird, eastern bluebird, barn swallow and woodcock

History of the Area

On a long ridge that once overlooked Deer Creek and its valley, researchers have discovered evidence of a camp of an ancient Indian tribe • The nomads who camped here around 2,000 B.C. were hunters and gatherers and used this camp periodically throughout the year • Since agriculture was not practiced by the nomads, they moved on after they depleted the plant or animal food supplies in a locale • Burial sites near the camp indicate it was inhabited over a period of time

In more recent years, a cottage owned by Harry M. Daugherty, the attorney general under President Warren G. Harding, overlooked the valley • The rustic one and one-half story cottage was built in 1918 • The President was said to have visited this cottage which now bears his name

The completion of the dam in 1968 created the lake with the park officially opening in 1974