Ohio Day Hikes: Deer Creek State Park

Deer Creek State Park did an excellent job of dressing up for the autumn season!

Deer Creek State Park in Mount Sterling Ohio and near Columbus Ohio is known for everything but hiking. All the more reason to day hike there!

Deer Creek State Park near Columbus Ohio is primarily known for boating, camping, fishing, and summer family fun but the park also boasts several miles of hiking trails that are basically unused during the shoulder and offseason in Ohio.

Autumn on weekday will lead to cool temperatures, zero crowds, and epic fall foliage!

Our Ohio Day Hike Series continues to hope to highlight different regions of the state with hiking options that many people don’t think or turn to when picking a place. Deer Creek State Park is accessible from much of the state.

I had driven by the “Deer Creek State Park This Exit” off of I-71 a thousand times in my life but just in October of 2022 did I actually make the turn to exit. (Actually that’s not true, I went down 104 on a back road from a dog park but I did finally head to Deer Creek!)

Deer Creek State Park has a bit of everything! Dog friendly hiking trails, kayaking, fishing, hunting, and tent camping. It also has a resort with indoor rooms and cabin, 18 hole golf course, 9 hole disc golf course, RV Campsites, snow mobile trails, and a pretty awesome Halloween display if you visit in October!

I went on a chilly Wednesday in mid October and had the trails all to myself with my dog Cotopaxi. There were way more RV campers there than I imagined but the hiking trails were left to us and a group of four with a small dog that we ran into.

We hiked the Rolling Hills Trail (complete with a halfway and “you are done” point signs on it! We also went on the Hawk View Meadow Trail which did a littler overlapping on the disc golf course for us.

Both trails are well maintained, easy to follow with yellow markers, and also used as bridle trails in the winter. I would say if you are looking for a hiking spot near Central Ohio without the crowds in the spring, winter, and fall there’s so much to do here people don’t think of the trails.

I don’t think there’s a need to drive several hours to hike here but if you are looking to do other activities here at the park or you live near Mount Sterling don’t sleep on Deer Creek!

We did 4.5 miles of trails and had a picnic lunch all to ourselves over looking the lake and beautiful leaf foliage since we were here in October.

This was another great find for a day hike in Ohio that I hadn’t done even though I have lived in Ohio 36/39 years!

There’s always another nook and cranny of this beautiful planet to find an outdoor adventure in if you like hard enough.

Thanks for reading friends, share your other favorite Ohio Day Hikes in the comments below.

Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R