Cowan Lake State Park: Oldfield and Lotus Cove Trails (Blog Hike #51)

Trails: Oldfield and Lotus Cove Trails

Hike Location: Cowan Lake State Park

Geographic Location: southwest of Wilmington, OH (39.38519, -83.88361)

Length: 1.6 miles (but see update in comments below)

Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)

Dates Hiked: August 2002, July 2016

Overview: Two easy trails featuring one of the largest collections of water lilies in Ohio.

Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/cowan-lake-state-park

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=797253
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Wilmington, take US 68 south about 3 miles to McGuinn Road.  Turn right on McGuinn Road and go a very short distance to Dalton Road.  Turn left on Dalton Road.  Take Dalton Road about 1.6 miles to where the road makes a sharp right hand turn.  Take a soft left onto the park entrance road and go a short distance to the blacktop parking lot on the left.  Park here.

The hike: After several hundred years of occupation by the Miami and Shawnee Indians, the land that currently makes up Cowan Lake State Park was settled in 1797 by farmer William Smalley, a veteran of the Indian Wars.  Some 150 years later, the land fell into state hands, and a dam was constructed across Cowan Creek to form the lake we see today. 

            In 1968, the land became a state park.  The park is named after John Cowan, the first surveyor in the area.  Today, located in rural southern Clinton County, the park is most famous for the huge colonies of American lotus (water lily) flowers that reside in the shallow east end of the lake.  Come between July and September to see the peak of the lotus’ blooming season. Despite the awe-inspiring display of lilies, the park is not heavily visited due to its location.  Thus, with 5.6 miles of well-marked trails, this park provides an excellent destination for the experienced or novice hiker.

The hike described here on the north side of the lake is one of the more popular in the park, as it features the aforementioned lotus colony.  The trails form a figure-eight with the shared parking lot as the pinch.  The 0.8 mile Oldfield Trail starts across the road, while the 0.7 mile Lotus Cove Trail starts at a large wooden sign downhill to the right of the parking lot.  The trails can be hiked individually, but combining them forms this excellent 1.5 mile hike.

Trailhead: Oldfield Trail

            To save the best for last, start with the Oldfield Trail, which begins beyond a gate across the road from the parking lot.  This trail is marked with an occasional green hiker symbol painted on small metal circles.  The narrow dirt trail enters the forest and quickly comes to a fork.  I usually hike this trail counter-clockwise by turning right at this split and using the left trail as the return route. 

Hiking the Oldfield Trail

            The trail going right stays in the second-growth forest and dips through a steep-sided ravine.  On the other side of the ravine, the trail passes an old wire fencerow and enters the old field for which this trail is named.  The trail here changes to grass and passes through a pair of intersections.  Stay left at each one.  This portion of the trail is bordered on the right by the field and on the left by the forest.

            After passing a couple of tulip poplars, the trail comes to a confusing intersection with a long wooden bridge going left.  There are no markers, but the trails going straight and right are wild trails while the official Oldfield Trail turns left to cross the bridge.  Back in the forest, the trail climbs slightly and angles left to close the loop.  Follow a sign that directs the hiker to the right to arrive at the Lotus Cove Trail.  This turn will return you to the parking lot where your car is parked, thus completing the first of the two loop trails on this hike.

Trailhead: Lotus Cove Trail

            Next, enter the Lotus Cove Trail, which begins beside a large wooden sign just to the right of the parking lot.  This trail is marked with an occasional yellow arrow on small wooden posts.  The trail begins as a wide mulch path and gradually descends toward the lake.  The forest is mostly young second-growth hardwoods with some maple, oak, beech, walnut, and poplar with an occasional dying red cedar and juniper. 

Hiking the Lotus Cove Trail

            While meandering toward the lake, the hiker gets a nice view of a cattail marsh in a small inlet of the lake on the right.  After crossing a narrow wooden bridge, the trail narrows a bit before coming to a split that forms the loop portion of the trail.  For no particular reason, I turn right here and use the left trail as the comeback portion of the loop.

            Turning to the right, the trail climbs gently through a more mature forest to reach a bluff overlooking the lake.  After circling to the left, the trail comes to a wooden staircase that descends to the lake on the right.  Do not take it, as it leads to an abandoned pier.  Instead, continue straight and soon arrive at another trail that goes off at a sharp angle to the right.  Turn right here and descend to a bench perched beside the lake.  

Pier at lotus colony

Water lilies at Cowan Lake

            From July through September, the view from the bench is simply awe-inspiring.  Large, white lotus flowers sit about two feet above the water and cover the lake all around you from one bank to the other on all four sides.  I have not seen any lotus colony near the size of this one anywhere.  This is truly one of the great natural attractions in greater Cincinnati.

            When you are done viewing the lotus, climb back to the main trail and continue the loop.  The trail soon takes a sharp left turn for a view of the creek valley forest, which contains some sycamore and black walnut trees.  After completing the loop, stay to the right and retrace your steps uphill to the parking lot to complete this hike.