Dexter Run Farms and Lodging

While you can spend hours hiking, fishing and kayaking on the campsite, if you want to see something of rural Ohio, grab your boots and get out into the trails in Vinton Furnace State Forest (35 minutes’ drive). Kids travelling with you? Introduce them to walking on the gentle Moonville Rail Trail (45 minutes) along an old railway line and through forest, or take them horse riding in Zaleski State Forest (40 minutes). Combine a family hike with some local history in Buckeye Furnace State Park (half an hour), where you’ll come across a scattering of ages-old mills, and a reconstruction of a charcoal-fired iron blast furnace last used in 1894. Driving a bit further afield brings you to Hocking Hills State Park (55 minutes), where you can go wild swimming in pristine pools at the foot of waterfalls, take a tour of dramatic Old Man’s Cave and scramble through river gorges.