OHIO — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said the Division of Parks and Watercraft is one of three finalists for a national award.

Ohio, Florida and Wyoming are the three finalists for the 2025 National Gold Medal Award Program for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The award is presented by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.

“Ohio’s State Parks are truly a crown jewel of our state,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. “We welcome visitors to come and see all our parks have to offer in Ohio, the Heart of it All.”

Seasoned park and recreation professionals evaluated the agencies on long-range planning, community engagement, environmental stewardship and the ability to be innovative and adaptive.

“Being named a Gold Medal Finalist is a testament to the extraordinary efforts of our parks staff, volunteers and partners who work every day to make the outdoors more welcoming, more accessible, and more enriching for all,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “From pioneering programs for the visually impaired to providing free entry and hosting thousands of educational experiences, we are committed to creating parks that reflect the best of Ohio.”

Ohio offers free entry to all 76 state parks, providing more than 9,300 campsites, 1,200 miles of trails, 10 lodges and more than 7,100 educational programs each year. In 2024, more than 150,000 visitors came to the parks last year for the total solar eclipse. 

Great Council State Park is Ohio’s 76th park, and is a collaboration with the Shawnee, Eastern Shawnee and Absentee Shawnee Tribes. In the first five months of the park’s operations, more than 21,000 visitors have come in and nearly 4,000 people have attended programs.

The 2025 Gold Medal winners will be announced in September at the NRPA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida.

For more information about Ohio’s state parks, visit ohiostateparks.gov.