Strouds Run State Park is a well-known and visited hub of nature and outdoor recreation about a 10-minute drive from Baker University Center.
There are trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The beachfront on Dow Lake offers a place to tan or build sandcastles. In the water, locals and visitors fish and swim while others paddle, pedal or float in boats.
Shelly Rex has been the manager at The Boathouse & Campground at Strouds Run State Park for about 20 years. She sees local families, Ohio University students and alums, outdoor enthusiasts and other visitors to the area pass through the park.
“I have taken many pictures of folks who visited Strouds Run when they were dating in high school or college,” Rex wrote in an email.
Summertime is the busiest season for Strouds Run, especially for activities such as swimming, paddling and boating. Rex said the water activities are more enjoyable when Dow Lake isn’t at its coldest temperatures. Philip Melillo, the assistant park manager for Strouds Run, said for the warmest swimming water, the best time to venture off your towel is from June to August in mid- to late afternoon.
“In the early summer, it's just starting to get warmer, people want to go to the beach and people want to get outside, and the students are still here,” said Melillo. “The students leave, and the locals take back over because the community loves that park to death . . . then in the fall, students come back, so it gets busy again. Aside from deep in the winter, it stays fairly busy.”
While waterfront activities aren’t ideal all year long, visitors in all seasons can take to the many trails at Strouds Run. There are 10 bridle trails meant specifically for horseback riding and 20 trails allow mountain biking. Only the Blackhaw Accessible Trail is designated as hiking only, but hikers are allowed on both the bridle and mountain biking trails. Melillo said all the trails are fairly popular, although some are preferred by visitors.
“The Hickory and the Lakeview trails probably get the most use just because they're the most accessible,” Melillo said. “They're right there along the lake; you kind of can't get lost because you have the lake on one side of you. You have nice views because you're walking along the lake.”
On top of the scenic hiking the park hosts an annual Thunderbunny trail race, which Melillo said brings in runners from all over. The Thunderbunny Trail is one of Melillo’s favorites at Strouds, featuring wildflowers and challenging hills.
“Athens folks are pretty active, and they love every inch of those trails,” Melillo said. “People come from all over the country to come running here at Strouds Run because the running is just that good. We don't have mountains, but by God, we sure do have hills.”
It is important though, Melillo said, for visitors to stick to the defined paths when going through the woods. Using the marked trails helps in the case of an emergency or getting lost and it also prevents accidental trespassing onto neighboring properties.
Abree Aschliman, a sophomore studying business, didn’t hear about Strouds Run until her second semester at OU when her friends invited her out on a Sunday afternoon.
“One time after spring break I got invited to go,” Aschliman said. “I went, and it was super awesome … People were just talking about going or paddle boarding there, and I was like, ‘I've never been.’”
Her first visit to the park was a hot day, but the water was still in its colder, early-season temperatures. Even without venturing into the water, Aschliman and her friends spent time on the beachfront reading, playing Spikeball and just hanging out with one another.
On another trip, Aschliman and her friends rented canoes and paddle boards to take on the lake. She plans to return next semester to try hiking at Strouds and for more water recreation when the water and weather are both warm.
Aschliman specifically mentioned wanting to try one of the Boathouse’s pedal boats, boats powered by pedaling like on a bicycle. Rex said the two swan shaped boats are popular with families and mentioned there will be a swan naming contest soon for families to participate in.
“It's hard to get through a summer day driving by Strouds without seeing somebody out there in one of those goofy looking Swan-shaped pedal boats,” Melillo said.
Aside from the pedal boats, The Boathouse offers pontoons, canoes, kayaks and paddleboard rentals. Prices range from $15 an hour to $110 an hour depending on the type of boat. For paddling and pedaling vessels, a punch card is available. After renting for five hours, the sixth hour is free.
If a boat ride seems lackluster, Melillo said Dow Lake is also a good place to fish.
“If you go to Strouds Run on a day fishing, you most likely will catch a large mouth bass, crappie and bluegill, of course. I know they used to stock Saugeye in there; I don’t know if they do anymore, and catfish, of course, everybody likes to catch them because they’re big as well.” Melillo said. “The bite’s good. If you like to catch fish, you'll definitely catch fish if you go there.”
Strouds’ opportunities for recreation aren’t ending any time soon, and neither are the long, hot summer days. Melillo said he appreciated the volunteer work from the community that helps them and their mission to engage the community and preserve the environment.
“The community around there loves that park, and it's impossible to walk through Strouds on a summer day and not see a local,” Melillo said. “I love seeing the community out all summer long, enjoying the park.”
