The new Appalachian Hills Visitor Center at Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Jesse Owens State Park and the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area have opened several new upgraded features to the recreational area with a new RV campground, cabins and a visitor center.

I have written about Jesse Owens State Park and the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area before (see Jesse Owens State Park, Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area abundant with outdoor opportunities, June 6, 2023).

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources recently celebrated upgrades to the state park and wildlife area located in Guernsey, Morgan, Muskingum and Noble counties. So I had to take a drive down to the area to see for myself what is now available.

Click on the link above to view my drive-through video of Jesse Owens State Park. If the link above does not work please use this one — https://youtu.be/_IKKEwzgeHE

The big news is that Jesse Owens State Park now offers a new fee-based campground, Big Muskie Campground, that is open year-round, and 10 new very stylish cabins available by reservation.

Big Muskie Campground, open year-round, offers 50 full hookup RV sites along with a shower house, flush restrooms and playground. Four ADA-compliant RV sites are located near restroom facilities for added accessibility. Game courts and a new camp store/office are at the entrance to the campground. Reservations and fee payment are required and may be made up to six months in advance online or by calling (866) 644-6727.

The park also offers four no-fee campgrounds. Campers should follow a self-registration process for the no-fee campgrounds — Hook Lake, Maple Grove, Sand Hollow and Sawmill. Kiosks are located at each campground to explain the registration process.

All four campgrounds offer limited amenities (no water, no electric, no RV pad, pit latrines). Campsites may be occupied on a first-come, first-served basis with a two-week maximum stay.

The state park’s 10 new cabins reflect architectural styles inspired by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Each 900-square-foot cabin accommodates up to six people and includes a master bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a second bedroom with twin bunk beds and a full-sized bed. Three cabins are fully ADA compliant and two cabins are pet-friendly.

Across State Route 83 from the new campground is the new Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area Visitor Center. The center offers a striking two‑story timber design with floor-to-ceiling windows and engaging exhibits that highlight the region’s landscape, history, and conservation efforts.

Outside, guests can enjoy a 360‑degree observation ramp and take in one of the center’s most popular features — a viewing deck overlooking the Appalachian Hills bison herd, a powerful symbol of restoration in Ohio.

For more than six decades, American Electric Power cared for an impressive 60,000 acres of land known as AEP Recreation Land, offering camping, fishing, hiking and canoeing. The property has 24 continuous miles of the Buckeye Trail traversing the area and includes 350 lakes and ponds and six campgrounds. AEP’s commitment to maintaining the land made it a treasured spot for locals and visitors.

In 2018, the State of Ohio agreed to purchase thousands of acres from AEP, continuing the environmental stewardship that has been in place since AEP began reclaiming what was once mined land back in 1947.

AEP transferred the first 13,000 acres to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2018. Since then, the entire 60,000 acres has been transitioned to ODNR. Now named Jesse Owens State Park and the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area, the property spans parts of Morgan, Muskingum and Noble counties.

This vast area is adjacent to The Wilds, a 10,000-acre wildlife conservation area on former surface mining land that was restored and then donated by AEP in the 1990s. The Wilds offers a wide variety of safari tours, camping, lodging and adventure touring, and was recently named Best Safari Park in Ohio in a USA Today poll.

Jesse Owens State Park is also home to Miners’ Memorial Park and the Big Muskie Bucket, a monument to the achievements of American Electric Power and its subsidiary Central Ohio Coal Company. The park features the bucket from the Big Muskie dragline machine, which operated at the mine from 1969 to 1991. During its operation, Big Muskie was the largest dragline in the world ever built. Visitors can view and stand inside its massive bucket at the park, which also includes a picnic area and restrooms.

Jesse Owens (1913-1980), born in Oakville, Alabama, was a Black American track and field athlete who was a star competitor for The Ohio State University and the U.S. Olympic track teams. In 1936, he won four Olympic Gold Medals in one day competing at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. He set Olympic records in each event. In addition, at the 1935 Big 10 Track and Field Championships, he won four events, set five world records and tied another — all in less than an hour.

Known as the “Buckeye Bullet,” Owens grew up in Cleveland. In addition to the state park, The Ohio State University’s track and field stadium is named in his honor.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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