Cowan Lake State Park RV & Campground Guide

In the depths of the lake live saugeye, crappie, largemouth bass, catfish, and bluegill. Fish from the wooded shore, a boat, or the accessible fishing pier near the Pine Tree picnic area. A youth pond is also available for the young ones to cast a line.

An easy Lamp Post cache sits hidden at Cowan Lake State Park.

Whether perched at a picnic table overlooking the lake or hiking through the trails, nature moves all around. Look above for songbirds, over the lake for waterfowl, or throughout the woods for small mammals scurrying around.

To get a good glimpse at the sky above, you'll have to move away from the canopy of the wooded park. Along the lakeshore gives you the best look at the starry nights.

Majestic beech and maple trees fill the wooded areas of the park with wildflowers like bloodroot, wild ginger, spring beauties, and trillium covering the open spaces. American lotus water lilies grow abundantly in the shallow areas of the lake. Ducks, geese, herons, and bald eagles hang out on or near the lake. Songbirds such as eastern bluebirds, house wrens, and catbirds provide amusing birdwatching. Frolicking through the forest lands, you may see white-tailed deer, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits, and woodchucks. If you watch closely, you might even spy a muskrat or beaver.

More than eight miles of trails wind through the park, ranging from easy to moderate. In the campground, you'll find the starting points for the Beechnut and Lakeview Trails. Near the main office, the Dogwood and Oldfield Trails are available for hiking. On the south side of the lake sit the Spillway and Emerald Woods Trails. For the little ones, check out Storybook Trail at the nature center, an easy and flat 0.5-mile trail that tells a children's story in segments as you walk.

The lake’s 700 provide great boating, sailing, and kayaking adventures. Three boat ramps and an accessible kayak launch give access to the lake. The South Shore Marina rents boats and canoes, and the camp store rents kayaks and standup paddle boats.

Take a dip in the lake from the 1000-foot designated swimming beach on the south lake shore. A public changing house and restrooms are available.

While there are no designated biking trails in the park, there are plenty of paved surfaces for you to pedal through, especially from the campground to the beach.