West Branch State Park
5708 Esworthy Road
Ravenna, Ohio 44266-9659
(330) 296-3239
1-866-644-6727 for camping reservations
West Branch State Park's large lake with its many forks and coves is extremely
popular with fishermen, boaters and swimmers. The park's meadows and woodlots
provide an excellent backdrop for camping, hiking and horseback riding.
Camping
The newly renovated family campground offers 29 full service sites, 155 sites
with 50-amp electric hook-ups, and 14 non-electric sites. The campground also
features heated showers, flush toilets, laundry facilities and a trailer dump
station. Some lakeside sites offer boating access. A group camp is available for
organizations of up to 50 people.
Picnicking
Picnic areas are situated in scenic locations around the lake. Six different
picnic shelters are available; two for use on a first-come, first-served basis,
and four that can be reserved in advance by calling the park office.
Swimming
The park's 700-foot sand beach includes a showerhouse, change booth and snack
bar. A boat swimming area is located in Silver Creek Bay, southwest of the
beach.
Fishing
Year-round fishing at West Branch offers large and smallmouth bass, walleye,
crappie, bluegill, catfish and trophy-class muskellunge. Fishing access is
available at two paved and two gravel launch areas as well as numerous shoreline
access points. A wheelchair-accessible fishing pier is located by the marina. A
valid Ohio fishing license is required.
Hunting
West Branch State Park is open for hunting, in season, with small game,
waterfowl and deer being most common. The northeastern section of the park,
which is bound on the west by Rock Spring Road and on the south by the
lakeshore, is closed to hunting. This no-hunting area includes the park office,
camp area, horse camp, picnic areas, beach, marina, dam and East Boat Ramp. A
400-foot no hunting/safety zone extends from all other developed facilities.
Hunting is limited to shotguns and primitive weapons for most game. A valid Ohio
hunting license is required. Contact the park office for details. Target
shooting is prohibited.
Boating
The lake's 2,650 acres stretch over seven miles and offer many forks and coves
with miles of shoreline. The lake is designated for unlimited horsepower. Boat
rentals, gasoline and supplies are available at the marina. Four launch ramps
provide access to the lake. Dock rentals are on a seasonal basis. Dock 9 is
wheelchair accessible. A no-wake zone extends 300 feet from all shorelines. The
entire area west of Rock Spring Road causeway is also a no-wake zone.
Trails
More than twelve miles of hiking trails provide access to the natural world. A
portion of the state's Buckeye Trail passes through the park and is linked to
the campground by a two-mile spur trail.
The park offers extensive snowmobile trails when conditions permit.Trail
starts at the west boat ramp.
Mountain biking is permitted on trails in the snowmobile area. After leaving
the parking area and riding up to cable line road there are 6 loops (some
connected, some not) that provide approximately 8 miles of single and
double-track. Read more about biking on the Cleveland Area Mountain Bike
Association web site.
Twenty miles of bridle trails traverse woodlands and meadows. Riders must
provide their own horses. A horse camp is open by permit only.
More To Do
The campground offers a playground and volleyball court. The camp office
loans games and sporting equipment to registered campers. Boat rental is
available at the marina.
Nature of the Area
West Branch State Park in Portage County is situated on the glaciated plateau of
northeastern Ohio. Although the land was uplifted as part of the Appalachian
Mountain building process, the glaciers were able to override the gentle hills
of the plateau. Huge ice blocks broke free from the glaciers and kettle lakes
formed as the blocks melted. Eventually, these lakes filled with sediment
leaving boggy wetlands with unique assemblages of plants. The West Branch area
contains numerous bogs filled with buttonbush, alder, skunk cabbage and swamp
white oak.
Another natural feature of the park is the stand of beech-maple forest. In
pioneer times, the beech-maple belt in Ohio was very extensive and stretched
across the plateau from Mansfield to Pennsylvania. These woodlands harbor a
variety of plant and animal life. Woodland wildflowers such as Dutchman's
breeches, bloodroot and trillium are found here. Red fox, skunk, opossum and
raccoon find the park's habitat suitable. Songbirds occupy the leafy canopy of
the woodlands while waterfowl and shorebirds dabble in the reservoir.
History of the Area
West Branch State Park is located on the west branch of the Mahoning River in
Portage County. The river was named for the Delaware Indian word mahonink
meaning "at the salt lick." In early days, a salt works was located southeast of
present-day Warren along the river. The salt, which attracted a variety of
wildlife, was harvested by Indians and early settlers.
At the west end of the park is a crossroads known as Campbellsport, named for
Captain John Campbell who mustered militia for the War of 1812 at the site and
then marched them on Cleveland. Captain Campbell originally came to the area in
1805 as a surveyor and land agent for proprietor Samuel Hinckley. Captain
Campbell also served as Portage County sheriff from 1810 to 1813. He constructed
what is said to be the oldest brick land-office building in Ohio (circa 1810).
Prior to the flooding of the reservoir, this building was moved to a site at the
Portage County Historical Society where it has been preserved and restored.
In 1965, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of the Michael
J. Kirwan Reservoir. The reservoir was developed for flood control, water
supply, recreation and fish and wildlife management. West Branch State Park was
formally opened in 1966.
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