Lake Hope State Park
| Lake Hope State Park | |
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Lake Hope
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 Location within Ohio
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| Location | Vinton County, Ohio |
| Nearest city | Zaleski |
| Coordinates | 39°20′16″N 82°21′12″W / 39.3377°N 82.3534°WCoordinates: 39°20′16″N 82°21′12″W / 39.3377°N 82.3534°W |
| Area | 2,983 acres (12.07 km2) |
| Established | 1949 |
| http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/lakehope | |
Lake Hope State Park is a 2,983-acre (12.07 km2) state park located in Vinton County, Ohio, United States. It is entirely surrounded by the Zaleski State Forest. The park is centered on Lake Hope, a 120-acre (0.49 km2) lake on Big Sandy Run.
The park and lake are named after the former mining village of Hope, Ohio. The original town of Hope still stands under the waters of Lake Hope. The town was flooded up to the side of a cliff, which is now used as the swimming area. There is still one original building standing, The old one-room Hope School still stands nearby, in the state forest, and has been renovated for use as a community meeting place. The Moonville Rail-Trail passes close by. Within the park is the old Hope Furnace, which once smelted iron ore mined out of the area's hills.
The lodge at Lake Hope burned to the ground in February 2006. The lodge was later rebuilt and serves locals and tourists with area information, a gift shop, and full service restaurant. Visitors can stay in the large campground or in a number of rentable cottages. There is also a rentable lodge that can sleep up to 22 people.
There are many miles of mountain-biking trails in the park, both around the lake and away from it. There is also an affiliated Friends of Lake Hope organization.
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Wikipedia