Calamus Swamp is one of the rare kettle holes still remaining in Ohio. The kettle holes, Calamus…read moreSwamp included, are such a unique and intriguing environment to visit. They are also so beautiful throughout the seasons! Calamus Swamp offers a loop trail to enjoy the area. It is a combination of boardwalk, boards and chicken wire, dirt trail, and some creative use of logs to try to bridge muddy gaps. There's a great blind easily accessible via the grass to boardwalk trail, which lets you view the myriad of birds, insects, plants, and more that live in the area. We heard plenty of frogs plopping and singing as we walked by. A small parking area is available right off the road, with an informational kiosk of the swamp.

Absolutely beautiful and large. Reasonably priced large pool with a slide,but they don't have hours…read moreor dates posted at the place so my niece and nephew missed the season by literally 1 day. Gazebos, tennis courts, fishing, art, a bridge, benches, a skate board park, and walk ways. 4689965422467890865435788665467 aggressive Canadian geese EVERYWHERE. 6446788765435789 ducks EVERYWHERE. Bird excrement EVERYWHERE. Traffic jams for goose crossing everywhere.

Great for kids…read more Walking trails Free birthday party's Fun Clean Simple for anytime

Had no idea this was here, and I've been visiting Chilly for 55 years. Of course, it wasn't a park…read moretill a few years ago, turns out; it was a farm. Large earthwork cluster, barely visible due to plowing but mowed so that they stand out now. Nice big park with decent parking, several trails, woods and wildflowers, and more. I can't hike like I used to but there is a fairly short trail from the parking lot to the main earthworks. If you are a history buff, or interested in Native culture, or just like nature and knowing about your town, this is a must-see. Chillicothe is full of history, recent and ancient, and it's cool to see more things like this being opened to the public.

Unique piece of Ohio history…read more Bring a picnic and stay awhile! The parking lot is small, but the visitor center is very informative. There is a short movie to watch, small gift shop, restrooms, maps and the best part the staff. The rangers and volunteers do a great job of helping you explore the park. If you bring kids I highly recommend asking for a junior rangers booklet and completing some of the activities to earn their badge. The area is beauty and serene. I teach my kids to respect the area like a cemetery. The hills and mounds are not to be walked on, but there is plenty explore. If you want a little more adventure walk the nature path down by the river.

This is definitely worth visiting. You have to watch the 20 minute video that provides an…read moreoverview. It's well worth it. Plan on walking around this location since the other locations the mounds have disappeared from centuries of traffic and plowing. The mounds have been restored here and give you a feel of what they were like. The rangers are great and full of knowledge.

I think the park is really beautiful and I had a great time there because there is plenty of roomread more

It's a state park with big beautiful hills and valleys to hike through, play frisbee golf,…read morebasketball, volleyball, ride horses, workout, have gatherings, and play with kids. Mind the forest critters ants, snakes, bees, and deer

Nice, old-school park on a wedge of land along 104. Part of the original grounds of Camp Sherman,…read morealong with much of this area, it has been turned into a mid-size park with playground equipment (the kind I grew up with, not the modern stuff,) a shelter, a small bridge, a ball field, etc. Worth a visit, and great to have in the area.

Saw this while visiting family. My mom is from Chillicothe but had not seen (or did not remember)…read morethis mound. It's pretty big, for being in town. Has survived for 2000 years or so. In a nice little park. Some people are underwhelmed by the newer preserve sites; not much to see. You can't miss this, smack in the middle of town and taller than a house.

This is a beautiful nature preserve that contains a myriad of habitats: woods, ravines, vernal…read morepools, and Paint Creek Gorge. Six trails let you explore the area. We did a loop using sections of Southpoint Lookout Trail, Blueberry Trail, and and Chilo Trail to head out and enjoy the view of the gorge and creek. The gorge contains some fascinating rock structures made from sandstone and shale. It looks like there are sometimes some waterfalls depending on rain, but they weren't flowing during our visit. We also checked out the Kids Nature Zone Trail, which was so fun! There were a variety of activities hidden out and about in the woods - fort building, stumps to jump/balance on, a seesaw, a swing over a stream, logs set up as balance beams over soggy sections, and more. A shelter house offers benches, picnic tables, and restrooms. The ranger was extremely friendly and chatted with us a bit about not only this preserve, but some of the other parks in Ross County when we ran into him. Great park!

I've been coming to Chillicothe for 50+ years, and have never been here. And never even really…read moreheard of it, although I've been to Mound City, and to smaller earthworks nearby. Apparently it just opened to the public recently. And it looks it. There is a sign out by 23, but that's about it. Drive a half mile back, and look for the little rest area on your right. That is it. There's a nice parking lot, lots of shade trees, a few picnic tables. People come and have lunch and bring their dogs to run around. If you want to see the earthworks, you are going to have to work for it. There are no signs. Go to the website, and look at the trail map. Go up that hill at the back of the parking lot, and follow the meandering mowed path through the fields. When you get to a much wider, perpendicular mowed area, turn right, and follow it to the powerlines and up that hill. Then turn left- at the top of that hill is the overlook. I didn't go quite that far. I climbed high enough that I could see the outline of what hadn't been mowed, And then I hiked back to the car. As the other reviewer said, it is easily half a mile from the road. They really really need to put in some signage. Both to find the parking lot and to find the earthworks. They could put in a half dozen signs along the trail, pointing you in the right direction, and providing a snippet of background information on each sign maybe. Then someday they need to put a parking lot much closer to the earthworks, and improve the paths. This is not set up for the casual visitor. And even for the history geek like me, it is a bit of a stretch. But, remember, there used to be earthworks all over this region, and very few are left. We preserve what we can, and try to learn from them.

Poorly marked parking lot and no directions to the overlook where I took the photo of the field…read more It's at least half a mile out through an open field to the overlook and circle of stones.. But it's possibly a UN world heritage site!