OHIO — It’s the 75th anniversary of Ohio’s state parks.

What You Need To Know

  • This year is the 75th anniversary of Ohio's state parks

  • This is also the 75th anniversary of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources

  • A 76th state park called the Great Council State Park will be added this summer in Greene County between Xenia and Yellow Springs

Ohio also happens to have 75 state parks.

“Well Ohio is unique,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who declared 2024 as the Year of Ohio State Parks.

“So there’s just something really for everybody, whether it’s fishing or hiking or just being outside,” said DeWine.

An outdoorsman himself, the Governor said many people may not know about Ohio’s state parks.

“It’s a hidden secret about these parks,” DeWine said. “But, you know, if you look at the map, there’s a state park near virtually everybody.”

Officials at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are proud of the 75 state parks, which is why they pride themselves on keeping them preserved and clean. One of the ways they do this is through their call-to-action plan called ConServe Ohio.

“It celebrates the ways that we’re practicing sustainability in our parks,” said Lindsay Deering, spokesperson for Ohio state parks. “So we ask visitors to carry in and carry out their supplies in their trash, recycle and pick up extra litter and just make sure that you’re being responsible when you’re visiting our parks.”

In addition to marking 75 years of state parks, 2024 also marks 75 years since ODNR was created.

“We’re really a state of city states. You think about all the cities, major cities that we have and we have the arts. We have professional sports. We have so many things in these cities. And yet, you know, within a short drive of everybody in Ohio or a visitor who comes in, there’s a state park that’s going to be close to them,” said DeWine. 

The future of Ohio’s state parks continues to grow. This summer a new park will be added, bringing the number to 76 state parks. It will be called the Great Council State Park and will be located in Greene County between Xenia and Yellow Springs. It will be the first park in Ohio to memorialize the indigenous people who lived there first.

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