Parking: This location has plenty of parking lots surrounding the lake. Easy to access and seem moderately safe. I have never had an issue finding a spot. 5 stars. Water: I've never gotten in the water, so I can't judge this.. not a fan of lake water. Dam: Cool place to come for an easy outdoor walk to unwind and relax or to workout (many people run the steps up and down the dam). Everything here is free. Other: There is a frisbee golf course that people were actively using while I was there. There is a lot of easy hiking trails and scenery to enjoy. Conclusion: This is a good place to come with a family or friends. Get outside and have a picnic, go fishing, boating, take a hike, or play frisbee golf. It does get cold here in fall/winter as the wind comes off the lake, so wear a coat. I'm tired of the cold, debating running away to Mexico. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

When most people think of Hoover Dam/Reseviotr, they think of the area along Sunbury Road. This is, however, an often overlooked area BELOW the dam. This area can be accessed from Sunbury Road (near the dam) or from Central College Rd. When entering from Central College Road, there is a nice parking area and a picnic shelter. The recreation area below the dam is spacious and allows for a variety of recreational activities. read more

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Grew up a 10 min bike ride away Good memories playing with my friends Ran the steps by the reservoir training for soccer read more

Quiet and serene. Wonderful for paddle boarding and kayaking. The lack of trails around the area is a little disappointing; however, there is a trail on the backside of the reservoir. read more

My dogs love it. We enjoy walking across the dam. I even got engaged here. It was a wonderful dam proposal. She said yes. read more

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Great place to work out and do a ton of cardio. The steps are my favorite, if you looking for a good cardio work out this is your place. read more

Hoover Dam is a great spot for people who enjoy kayaking, going out on their SUP, or fishing. Boats have a 10HP limit, so there isn't a ton of wake, and it's really peaceful. They stock Hoover with blue catfish-- which can grow to be over 100lbs! There are also a lot of crappie and large mouth. The few times I've been, I've always seen multiple people fishing. read more

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Are the other reviewers confusing this Hoover Dam with the one in Nevada? Reviewers mentioned a power plant and visitors center, but I saw neither, and a local resident walking his dog told me they don't exist. Popular place for locals to walk their dogs or their children in strollers. Not that exciting for a tourist. I did walk down 5 flights of stairs to get a photo of the dam from up close. I did get my exercise for the day; then I moved on to a more exciting attraction. If driving, put into your navigation system Hoover Dam parking area #2. Putting Hoover Dam sent me to a nearby place further from the dam. Don't go too far out of the way to see this attraction; not worth it. There are other parts to this park besides the dam, such as a playground and walking paths. read more

Very serene place! You'll see lots of families and young people here. Not a whole lot to see since it's a dam. But they have docks for boats, a playground, and you can go down a long flight of stairs. You could probably bring a skateboard here. It's nice and breezy up here! I'd return just to walk around some more or sit and enjoy the scenery. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

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Don't get confused folks. We in fact have a Hoover Dam in Ohio. Lucky for those near Columbus, it's easy to get to! Located on the east side of Westerville, the Hoover Dam offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, a reason to embrace the outdoors, and plenty of options when it comes to activities. Personally, I've visited to workout or to explore a few trails. Those stairs (while currently under construction and marked off) are killer and on a busy weekend they can draw some crowds. There is obviously plenty of space though, so if you head here just to get your body moving, be sure to take advantage of it all! While I've never ventured into fishing or kayaking or anything like that, I wouldn't hesitate to do so. The views are beautiful and there's so much to explore! From small beaches to playgrounds and disc golf, the options are plentiful. If you've never been, or even if it's simply been awhile, do yourself a favor and spend a little time in this central Ohio oasis. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - At the very top! - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

It was a beautiful day out so I decided to go take a walk at Hoover dam and I'm so happy I did. It had been a couple years since I had been here and I forgot how nice it was. First and foremost it's super easy to get to and they've got plenty of parking which makes it very accessible for anyone. They've got plenty of walking paths / trails so you can choose to walk the dam or you can choose a different path that walks down along the reservoir. I didn't have too much time so I decided to take a quick walk over the dam and back. It's such a beautiful view of the reservoir and dam. There's plenty of green area, picnic tables, a playground, frisbee golf, you name it. If you're looking for a nice place to get out and exercise, take a walk, have a picnic, or take the kids this place is great for that. If you've never been I definitely recommend that you go check it out! read more

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It's pretty. It feels safe. You can work out in this park by going up and down the stairs. It's clean. The dam is very interesting. It is very loud and then you turn the corner and can't hear it! read more

This review is specific to the boat ramp on Oxbow, just off of Tussic St., Genoa Township: I just bought a kayak this Spring, and have been to this ramp a couple times this Summer. Oxbow is just two miles from where I live and very convenient to get to! It's never very crowded, and there's lots of nooks and crannies to explore. There is so much nature to look at, and birds I've never seen before! The ramp makes it easy to get in and out of the water. Though, you are also launching with larger crafts, so watch out and be respectful. I've seen some great sunsets on Hoover, and this location did not disappoint! You can also see a great view of the moon if it's visible on any given night. I call it my little slice of Heaven. :) read more

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GREAT place to walk and look at scenery! There is lots of things for kids to play on also!

Just decided to go visit on a pretty day for a short walk. We started off on the back end to get the dam and run up and down the stairs and check out the frozen water. We did notice a lot of disc golf players out even though it was pretty muddy it didn't stop them. We finished off heading down a trail to the side of the dam to see a beautiful view of the lake and saw a really cool and well built TP fort! read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

Hoover Dam is by one of the reservoirs that supplies water to Columbus. It's also a nice place to walk around and look. The dam offers a great view of the reservoir. It also has a park area. There's a few good hiking trails. I like the views you get when you walk across. It's possible to walk on the dam. They have stairs you have to climb to get to the top but it's worth it to see the great views. It's not permissible to drive on the dam but there is a path on top to walk along. The dam is pretty fun to watch all the water churn out. Because this is a reservoir that supplies drinking water to the city, the water is very clean. The city goes to great lengths to keep the area clean and avoid pollutants. One thing you can't do there is swim in it. You can head up to Alum Creek if you want to do that. It also has lots of other things to do. There's a great frisbee golf course that's very popular. If you like dams and reservoirs go to Hoover Dam. It's one of the cleanest bodies of water in central Ohio. There's also some great parks and trails. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Dam - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

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I came here actually to enjoy a romantic sunset. As cliche as it sounds, this place was phenomenal! You can walk on the boardwalk, there's a park near by, it's peaceful and quiet. Many people like to come out here for fishing and to play at the park. It's got easy access to the streets too! The best part besides the view is driving alongside this beautiful piece of nature. Definitely recommend! read more

On our most recent visit, we decided to check out a new-to-us portion of the park by hiking the nature trail. This is a short trail that loops around from the nearby parking area and heads through the woods and down towards the reservoir. Depending on how high or low the water level is, you can find a beach type area right on the shoreline. Because the water has been low recently, this was very roomy during our visit, and we were able to walk around and explore the shoreline. There were a lot of dogs playing fetch or enjoying the water, and folks had spread out blankets and towels to enjoy the area. There are also some benches available higher up. This is a fairly easy hike that is nice if you just want to get out and enjoy some nature! read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Shore line along reservoir when the water level was low. - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

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Nice place to hike around, though there are very few trails inside. So many clean and beautiful pockets for gathering, picnicking and barbecuing. I wish visitors knew how to clean up after their pets. There's dog poop everywhere in the park, be wary, one might slip on it. read more

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I've gone here for years now, mostly for disc golf, and it's a great place to relax and walk around if you have a little bit of day to use. The course is beautiful and a decent number of wide open holes. Watch out for the runners on the stairs on the dam - give them way or beware dirty looks. You can sometimes see nfl players from the area running them. read more

Plenty of parking most times. On the East side of the dam is a frisbee golf course. Two course routes both approximately 5,000 ft long. Port a Johns located at both ends of the dam with handicap units. I rate them 1 out of 5 bowls. Hey it's a port a John. You can walk across the dam or ride your bike. There are stairs going up the dam face if your up to it. There are boat slips for rent and land storage area on the east side. I believe there is a horse power limit to the lake. read more

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Seriously one of my favorite trails, although I believe it is closed now for renovations. Massive fan of the stairs too (if you're feeling fit and energetic haha). I wouldn't have said the trail is stroller friendly but we managed to do it! Enjoy the view of the water, the dam, the trees and the frisbee field all at once! read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Trail time with the girls. - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

The water is pretty clean, and everything is amazingly beautiful after the snow. An ideal place to go during COVID since not many people visit here these days. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

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Any place that has nature is 5 for me....The Hoover Dam is a beautiful place to hike and hangout.If yall are ever in the Columbus metro area come visit the Ohio Hoover dam because you will enjoy it read more

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In Columbus, Ohio for a couple of days and was looking for a nearby place to walk. Jumped on the Internet and found Hoover Dam Park Pretty good because of the lake, view from the dam and length of the paved trail. However, I didn't like the part of the pathway that ran adjacent to the road. Not dangerous, just a lot of passing traffic. One final note, I didn't get to walk the entire trail due to time constraints so there may be more to be discovered...next time. read more

My house is across the street from Hoover Dam and I could not be happier with the park. NOTE: There are two different entrances to Hoover. The first entrance is off of Sunbury Rd and the other is off of Central College (Rd by BP station). There are a variety of great things about Hoover Dam including a childrens play area, bike path, observation decks, 27 disc golf course and more. I will explain what at the Sunbury Rd entrance and then the Central College entrance you can walk NOT DRIVE across the dam to get to where the Central College entrance leads cars. There are lots of picnic tables on both sides and on the Central College side there are some grills ready for charcoal. On the Sunbury Rd entrance, to the immediate left is the bike trail that leads all across Westerville if you know the map of the trail. Down to the left, there is a swing set and playground perfect for kids. There is a peninsula that many people fish on as well as in the Summer launch boats (no high powered boats). If you go to the immediate right of the entrance, the road will lead you to a parking lot at the bottom. To the left are stairs leading up to the middle of the dam. This is a great set of stairs to do exercises on. To the right of the parking lot are soccer fields as well as some great fishing areas. For the fishing areas, follow the tree line to the left of the soccer fields and you will find some openings. In this fishing area its crucial to wade out into the water. On the Central College entrance is my favorite entrance by far. If you take a right at the stop sign, it leads to the disc golf course. I love to disc/frisbee golf and this course is one of the top courses in the world. The PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) holds less than 10 National Tour events a year and Hoover Dams course called The Brent Hambrick Memorial is one of the National tour stops every year in the Summer. This course has 27 holes, but some are taken out aka holes 10-14 to reseed to make this world class courses upkeep pristine. I could go on and on about how their is great elevation change and long bombers, but I have a review on dgcoursereview.com on the course itself. ALSO on the Central College entrance to the left their is a parking lot and a place leading down to some more great fishing spots. If you go straight at the stop sign instead of left, it leads to another set of stairs up the dam. If you take a right at the stop sign, and keep going till it dead ends, you will see a wonderful walking path. This walking path has beautiful views of the Dam and is wonderful to bring pets and kids on. This place is a great place to be for all ages hands down my favorite place to be. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - View of the water and the dam far away - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

Love this place! Great place to walk, run, ride bikes, bird watch, picnic, play frisbee golf, hike, climb the stairs, fish, boat, etc. Come alone or with the family. The view from the dam is incredible. Lots of beautiful birds (cranes, terns). I love walking here in the mornings. The other visitors are friendly but respect that you're working out and can't really chat. Its a nice neighborhood and feels very safe. The Sunbury Rd. side is paved and has lots of places to rest and enjoy the view. The College Dr. side is more woodsy. When I finish walking I feel like I'm "treating myself" with a trip across the dam bridge. The breeze is incredible and for a second you can fool yourself that it's the pier at the beach! Also, the road on the College Dr. side is a little dangerous. There are blind spots here and there and nooooobody drives the speed limit. More like 10+ miles over. Be careful! read more

This is such an easy place to burn calories from running the stairs, walking, jogging, to playing fisbee golf. Walking over the damn is quite calming, and a beautiful sight read more

This place was packed! It was one of those glorious summer evenings where the sun is setting, it's hot but not too hot and you don't want to sit inside. We walked the length of the dam and marveled at the amount of water that was flowing. All the rain from the past few weeks have the water level up pretty high. And we did the stairs. Hoo boy! Those things will whip you in shape. I should not have done 'em in flip-flops but you live, you learn. There were a bunch of people fishing and more than half of them caught fish. It made me want to go fishing again. The disc golf course looks pretty fun, I've never played it and this course looks pretty hard for the novice. Maybe I'll carry the water bottles for some of my more skilled friends. I think we'll be back early and often. This is a beautiful place to take a walk or have a picnic... or catch some fish... or just watch the sun set. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - The view from the stairs. There's so much water flowing over the dam right now. - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

A Nice nature feeling being so close to the city. Feels secluded while being next to Westerville and Polaris.

Summer in the 614 is never long enough, so every year I take every advantage to spend time outdoors. Last weekend I went to Hoover Reservoir for the first time in quite some time for a stand up paddleboard lesson. The setting was calm and serene. It made for a great place to take my first lesson. There was plenty of parking and easy access to the walking trails. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Early morning in the 614 - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

I really should get here more often. What a great place to exercise! It has hills and the notorious "dam stairs," but it's not hard to remain on a relatively flat path if you want to. More than anything, though, it's just a nice place to relax and watch the world go by. You'll see all kinds of interesting people, pets, wildlife, etc. It's a great (free) place to kill time. And even if you do nothing, you won't feel like you've wasted your time. I saw that a previous review mentioned swimming. For the record, you are NOT allowed to swim in Hoover Reservoir. There are, however, bike paths, 27 holes of disc golf, a soccer field, a play ground, and probably some other things I'm forgetting. It's super easy to get to and, again, totally free. Get there! read more

I went here for the first time today, and, boy, is this place a central Ohio gem. We came here for the disc golf and were not disappointed. The course is excellent. And although it was crowded, we didn't feel rushed as we played the first nine holes. The course did feel pretty challenging, so this might not be best for beginners (which we are). After walking up the dam stairs, you are treated to an excellent view of the reservoir. Then, we walked to the nature trail and hiked through the woods. The trail was well maintained, and you can go all the way down to the water, if you like. I will definitely come back to see what else this park has to offer. read more

I recently went here in search of a rare tern that found its way to the reservoir. This was pretty awesome since this bird generally does not move south of Canada during winter. While I was hiking around I met some other birders but also plenty of families and exercise enthusiasts walking around the water. This is a pretty popular place all year round and is a local favorite for fishing, boating, and kayaking. I just wish I lived closer. read more

Frolf!! This park is one of the absolute best things about Westerville. You've got families taking walks, people biking, hiking, fishing and playing frisbee golf. There are a lot of little hidden walking paths that will take you out to the water. read more

Great place to go Disc Golfing. The disc golf course is long and challenging. They have 27 holes for your playing pleasure. Except for the rest of this year, they have closed down 10-14 to let the grass grow in around the holes, which i am not sure what this means since they are in the woods. But the course is a pleasure to play and very wide open. It is a hard place to lose a disc. Park by the dam and you have a nice walk across the dam with nice views on each side. I really enjoyed the walk. They also have tables to eat on with nice port a johns. they have the roomie ones where one could change clothes without stressing about dropping something in bad spot. On a nice September day, the place was pretty busy with joggers, golfers, walkers, and bikers. read more

You know how the original London Bridge was moved to Havasu City, Arizona? Well, the Hoover Dam is in Columbus, Ohio. Yes, that's the name of it but no, it's not the one everyone knows in Las Vegas. First time I went there when I was in high school and living in the Dayton area, I returned from spring break and told everyone I went to the Hoover Dam ... only I didn't tell them immediately that it was in Ohio. In 1955 Hoover Reservoir was created to supply drinking water for Columbus. The park is good for kids and I'm sure more than just I have made that joke before. In the winter there's sledding although there are warning signs that say it's dangerous, but it doesn't seem to scare anybody off. Sadly, there's no swimming allowed. Nevertheless, there are tons of things to do at this place. It's a great place for families because of picnicking tables, playgrounds, hiking trails like the Five Oaks Trail, and campgrounds like Tree Haven and Berkshire. At least one point on the northern end (in Delaware County) has a boardwalk trail that goes out over the lake. Fishing is big for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, white and black crappie, channel catfish, white bass, carp, buffalo sucker, and longnose gar; also because of a 10 horsepower outboard motor limit. Boating is another common activity. During the warm months when crossing over the many road bridges you can see lots of sailboats, pontoons and speedboats zipping and lounging around the lake. read more

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Love the park and trails here. Always great to see a sunset here also. Refreshing to be by and walk by the water. Great park to go to plus if you're interested in frisbee golf , it looks like there's a pretty decent course there. Only thing I'm not a fan of is seeing owners letting their dogs walk around without leashes. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Sunset at Hoover Reservoir. - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

So absolutely beautiful. With the weather getting cooler and football on today the park was empty but a gorgeous time to go. The leaves changing colors was the topper to the day. The playground is small but worth it since you're right on the water. Couldnt ask for a better spot. read more

Hoover Dam Recreation Park - Fall leaves - Parks Near Me - Westerville, Ohio

This is a regular spot for my dog and me! Lots of exercisers as well as folks just strolling along the dam. I know there's a lot more to do here, but for me it's just about getting a great workout with my dog. The views are cool as well as the breeze over the dam. read more