Van Buren State Park: Lakeshore Trail (Blog Hike #1031)

Trail: Lakeshore Trail
Hike Location: Van Buren State Park
Geographic Location: north of Findlay, OH (41.13213, -83.63169)
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2024
Overview: A loop around the west section of Van Buren Lake.
Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/van-buren-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=973991
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 25)

Directions to the trailhead: In northwest Ohio, take I-75 to SR 613 (exit 164).  Exit and go east on SR 613.  Drive SR 613 east through the village of Van Buren, then turn right on Township Road (TR) 218.  Drive TR 218 east 0.8 miles to TR 229 and turn right on TR 229.  The signed park entrance is 0.4 miles ahead on the right just after crossing a bridge over Van Buren Lake.  Park in the paved parking lot near the picnic shelter.

The hike: Consisting of 296 acres in northwest Ohio between Toledo and Findlay, Van Buren State Park sits on what was once a private wildlife preserve.  The preserve was established in 1939 when a dam was built on Rocky Ford Creek to enhance the land's wildlife appeal.  The lake created by that dam is presently known as Van Buren Lake, and the land was transferred to the State of Ohio to form the state park in 1950.  The lake, park, and nearby village are named for Martin Van Buren, the 8th President of the United States, even though he has no obvious personal connection to this area.

            Despite its small size, Van Buren State Park offers many of the expected state park amenities.  On point, the park offers a 50-site developed campground, the usual aquatic recreation on Van Buren Lake, several picnic areas, a disc golf course, 4 bridle trails, and 4 hiker-only trails totaling 7 miles.  This hike describes the Lakeshore Trail, which many experts regard as this park's best trail.  The Lakeshore Trail forms a loop around the lake's western section, and it combines nice lake views with nice woods to create a nice loop.

Picnic area trailhead

            No less than 5 trails start at this parking lot, and each trail is marked with a different color of paint blazes.  The Lakeshore Trail is marked with orange blazes as opposed to beige, blue, green, or white blazes, and the first orange blaze can be found on a wooden information kiosk located behind the restroom building.  The trail briefly heads into the woods before intersecting the group campground service road.  Turn right to head west on the two-track gravel road.

Leaving the gravel road

            At 0.2 miles, the Lakeshore Trail leaves the service road; a sign stating "Scarlet Hawk Nature Trail" marks this junction.  Turn right to continue the Lakeshore Trail.  In fact the green, blue, white, and orange trails all head west to the lake's dam area, so you could use any of those trails for this part of the hike.  True to its name, the Lakeshore Trail stays closest to Van Buren Lake, and therefore it offers the most scenic route.

Bridges over ravines

            The single track dirt trail has numerous short but steep ups and downs as it passes through many shallow but steep ravines.  Most of these ravines are crossed without the aid of bridges, but the last couple of ravines feature some nice wooden bridges to help you cross.  The forest is a mature mixed broadleaf forest that features maple, oak, and black walnut trees.

Fording Rocky Ford Creek

            Near 1 mile into the hike, you reach the dam that forms Van Buren Lake.  Angle right to head out the earthen part of the dam, then descend the west/downstream side of the dam to reach Rocky Ford Creek.  There is no bridge over Rocky Ford Creek, so you will have to ford the creek to continue this hike.  The rocks in the creek bed are slippery, and I would not attempt this ford if the water was more than knee-deep or had significant current.  The creek had only a few inches of water when I hiked here in early October, which is the driest time of year.  Do not attempt to cross using the railroad bridge you can see above you: it is an active rail line, and walking on the railroad tracks is both illegal and dangerous.

Dam area view from parking lot

            After fording the creek, climb steeply to reach the disc golf and picnic area parking lot at 1.1 miles.  This parking lot offers the best view of the dam area, and I did some good wildlife viewing here that included a heron and a flock of Canada geese.  To continue, turn right and walk east through the mowed-grass picnic area, then angle left to continue walking east on the main park road.  For the next 0.5 miles the trail goes on and off the park road; watch for the orange blazes to stay on track.

Hiking along the lake

            At 1.8 miles, the trail turns right to leave the road for the final time; a sign that says "Haiku Trail" marks this turn.  As the sign foreshadows, signs bearing haiku poems enliven this section of trail.  The trail heads back to the lakeshore, where it stays for the duration.  Some turtles plopped into the water as I approached, and the lake views remain excellent.  2 miles into the hike, you come out at a parking lot on TR 229.  Turn right and use the road bridge to cross the lake and return to the picnic shelter parking lot, thus closing the loop and finishing the hike.