Hitting the Trails: Beaver Creek State Park, East Liverpool, Ohio
If you’re looking for a place with some interesting history and beautiful trails, Beaver Creek State Park is a wonderful place to visit!
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Beaver Creek State Park’s beautiful scenery is accompanied by interesting history.
Little Beaver Creek, the creek that runs through the park, is the only creek in the United States where all four major glaciations can be found. This park was home to the Wyandot and Mingo Native American tribes and became a good through-way for river traffic.
Once the railroads moved into the area, river traffic declined and the water was used for Gaston’s Mill which was built in 1837. Since then it has been restored and continues to function.
This creek is also used for its rich clay, allowing the area to grow in the pottery industry. The area was able to make so much pottery it became known as the Pottery Center of the United States.
If, after reading the neat history of Beaver Creek State Park, you think you’d like to make a trip to trail ride, here are the pros and cons of the overall experience.
Pros
The Scenery is on Point
There is a nice mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. Several areas lead you to water crossings where you cross Little Beaver Creek. The scenery is different in each location of creek bed, making each point stunning in its own way. Some of the sites have narrow streams with large rocks while others are large crossing where you can see the creek as far as your eyes would let you.
There are tall grasses to ride through. The sun shines on these areas, making them a lot warmer than the trails covered by the trees. These stretches were perfect for a nice canter.
Other areas feature more rocky, mountainous terrain. These are more challenging trails as they require you to navigate up and down the mountains. The varied scenery and terrain make it a beautiful place to visit.
Optimal Access to Water
It doesn’t matter which direction you go or which trail you decide to turn on, you will end up finding your way to a creek bed where the horses can enjoy the water.
If you make it back to the campground and feel your horse needs a drink when you return, the Horseman’s Camp has a large trough for horses to drink. There are also hand pumps that are available to fill buckets.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Trails are Well Marked
Each trail is marked by a different color. These colors are marked on signs that indicate which way takes you to which trail. The trees are also painted which a specific color to make it easy for riders to continue on the same trail if they like the trail or want to stick to one path.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak.
Camping Access is Plentiful
The Horseman’s Camp has approximately 100 primitive camping spots. The camping area is big enough to comfortably park and turn around bigger rigs.
There are high lines to tie your horses at the camp and throughout the trails. The campsite has toilets and access to non-potable water for the horses.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Cons
Trails are Limited
Within the 2,722 acres of land Beaver Creek State Park has to offer, only approximately 30 of the acres have trails that are accessible for horseback riding. If you’re a rider that rides all day long and covers a lot of ground, this may not be the spot for you. You may end up hitting the same trail more than once.
Camping is Primitive
If you prefer more of a glamping type trip where you have air conditioning and can watch television in your trailer, bring a generator because there are no electric hookups at this location. You also need to bring your own source of water as this location does not have water that can be consumed by humans.
Photo by Marcella Gruchalak
Creek Crossings Can Not Be Avoided
Little Beaver Creek runs all through the trails at this location. The creek crossings come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are rocky and shallow while others can be wider and deep. If your horse refuses to cross water, this is not the best location to trail ride.
Overall, if you want to see some really lovely scenery and you don’t mind hitting some of the trails more than once, Beaver Creek State Park is a great place to spend the weekend. We experienced these trails when the leaves were already off the trees and it was still beautiful. It’s probably just as pretty, if not prettier with the greens of summer or the mixture of colors in the fall.
As long as your horse doesn’t mind crossing water, these trails give you the opportunity to ride different terrains at different paces. You can even stop at the high lines throughout the trails to have your packed lunch!
Happy trails and go riding, Horse Nation!
