Madison Lake State Park (Blog Hike #153)

Trail: Sugar Maple Trail

Hike Location: Madison Lake State Park

Geographic Location: east of London, OH (39.87199, -83.37746)

Length: 0.5 miles

Difficulty: 0/10 (Easy)

Dates Hiked: July 2004, July 2016

Overview: A short, easy walk along the west shore of Madison Lake.

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

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940178
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From London, go east on SR 665 for 3.3 miles to Spring Valley Rd. and turn right on Spring Valley Rd.  Take Spring Valley Rd. south 1.25 miles to the state park entrance on the left.  There is no state park sign, but a green highway sign says “State of Ohio” to mark this road.  Turn left to enter the park.  Where the park road forks, bear left and proceed to the last blacktop parking area, which is located by a picnic shelter overlooking the lake.  Park in this lot.

The hike: The land at Madison Lake State Park lies in the flat fertile Darby Plains, which is on the very eastern edge of the vast Till Plains.  Although you could not tell this now, most of central Ohio was forested before the arrival of white settlers in the area.  Needing wood for shelter and ground for cultivation, the forests of central Ohio were quickly leveled and, eventually, turned into the agricultural center that you see today.

            The park came into being in 1946 when a dam was built along Deer Creek, which flows south and then east into the Scioto River.  In case you are wondering, this is the same Deer Creek that was dammed to create Deer Creek State Park, located only 20 miles south of here.  At only 186 acres, over half of which comprise the lake itself, Madison Lake State Park can hardly be considered a hiking destination by itself.  However, this short trail can make for a good leg stretch on your way back from Deer Creek or John Bryan State Parks, or while driving home from Columbus.

Trail enters woods at picnic area

            From the parking area, look for the trail entering the woods near the picnic shelter.  The trail enters a shrubby area and almost immediately crosses a thick, sturdy wooden bridge.  Ignore side trails that lead left onto private land, following the faint yellow blazes.  At 0.1 miles, come to a fork that marks the beginning of the loop portion of this trail.  I will suggest turning right to get more lake views earlier, but you could go either direction here.

Hiking the mowed-grass trail

            The trail now parallels the lake, which is on the right, and some openings in the trees allow you to view across the small lake.  Fishermen may appear on the opposite shore, as will picnic areas and a small, sandy beach.  At 0.25 miles, you reach the farthest point of the trail, where the yellow blazes turn left away from the lake and head uphill into the dense forest.  The hardwood forest here is young and dominated by maples and osage orange trees.

Madison Lake

            The wide dirt trail curves left, then curves left again at a yellow blaze on a wolf tree, a larger tree with limbs very close to the ground.  A slight descent will close the loop at 0.4 miles.  Another 0.1 mile will return you to the parking area and complete the hike.