Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, Ohio Makes for a Great Golfing Getaway

Salt Fork State Park is a sprawling resort near the intersection of Interstates 70 and 77 in Eastern Ohio. Hiking, golfing, boating and fishing are just some of outdoor activities that abound in this beautiful setting.

Salt Fork Lake is the centerpiece of the park. It was formed by damming both the Salt Fork and Sugar Tree Fork. The surrounding 20,000 odd acres feature a variety of terrain: woodland, marsh and meadow. The lake has two separate marinas for boaters and includes a beach.

The golf course is considered to be both the most aesthetically pleasing and most challenging of all the Ohio State Park golf courses. It's been a while since I've teed it up (other than in videogames), but the course sure did look inviting while driving past it.

The rustic lodge is the largest in the Ohio State Park system. We didn't stay there in this, our first trip to Salt Fork, but stopped by to check out the digs and eat at the restaurant. Expect an update on the lodging once we actually stay. Salt Fork also features lakeside cottages; some of them, called "Chalets", feature hot-tubs and fireplaces.

The interior of the lodge is very warm, with exposed wood and stone giving off an almost medieval feel. That or maybe I re-read The Silmarillion too recently.

We stopped by the Timbers Restaurant at the lodge for an early lunch before heading out to hike. The food was good (we sampled a Santa Fe Chicken Wrap and Fish Sandwich), but not quite the top rank quality of Rafter's Restaurant at Deer Creek State Park. Still, Timbers beats pretty much all fast food options.

The Kennedy family (the Ohio Scots, not the Massachusetts Irish) originally owned the land that formed the core of Salt Fork. Family patriarch, Benjamin Kennedy had a stone house built around 1830 in the middle of his land. Recently this stone house was renovated and now is a museum at Salt Fork. The museum has very limited hours, so contact Salt Fork to find out when it is open. Even if the museum itself isn't open, the stone house is worth checking out, especially by hiking there on the Stone House Trail, one of Salt Fork's best hiking trails.

A park's hiking trails are pretty much its most important attribute in my mind. Salt Fork's trails definitely do not disappoint. While the Salt Fork area isn't the geologic wonderland of the Hocking Hills, there is enough interesting scenery to make for an enjoyable hike or three.

The aforementioned Stone House Trail follows an arm of Salt Fork Lake to the Kennedy Stone House. It is about a two-mile round trip, and well worth the excursion with nice views of the lake and the surrounding forest.

The Hosak's Cave Trail follows a moderately treacherous half-mile path a recess cave similar to those in the Hocking Hills. Some of the books I've read about Salt Fork claim that the ODNR labels Hosak's Cave as dangerous to keep amateur rock-climbers from rappelling off of the cave facings. Those books were published before Aubrey Parsons, a local teenager, fell to her death from the top of the cave. When walking along the Hosak's Cave Trail, just keep to the right on the way in; keep to the left on the way out, and be careful. A stone memorial to Aubrey lies at the trail head.

Ohio's statewide Buckeye Trail transverses through the park on its northeast side. There are other trails nearer to the campground that we will check out on future trips. I do have to throw some props out to the Morgan's Knob trail, which features a trail head underneath a canopy of pine trees. To me, there is not much cooler than standing underneath a canopy of pine trees. Morgan's Knob itself offers a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside, including the lake during the winter when the trees are bare.

Our trip to Salt Fork State Park was highly enjoyable, and we are sure to be coming back time and time again.