Lake Hope: Dome of Calmness

4 July 2015

Lake #49        Lake Hope, Lake Hope State Park, Vinton County

Lake Hope is one of my favorite lakes in Ohio. This was my third visit to the lake but my first during my kayaking BHAG. Lake Hope has a special feel to it, almost as if an Indian medicine man placed a blessing on it many years ago. Although it was the 4^th of July holiday and many people were there, the lake still retained its peacefulness. I jokingly told my husband that it was like there was a dome of calmness covering the lake. There wasn’t the noise you find at other lakes. I believe that the lake’s restriction to boats with electric motors is a large reason for its special tranquility. People do not come to Lake Hope to zoom around the lake; they come to the lake to slow down and relax.

Calm Lake Hope

The Zaleski State Forest, which is the second largest state forest in Ohio at 28,000 acres (the largest is the Shawnee State Forest at 60,000 acres), surrounds Lake Hope State Park adding to its remote feel. The park is located approximately 15 miles south of Nelsonville via State Route 278. 2,983-acre Lake Hope State Park started as Lake Hope Forest Park back in 1937. Then, it became Lake Hope State Park in 1949 with the creation of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. This area was part of the Hanging Rock Iron Region that I wrote about in my blog for Lake Vesuvius (Lake #5). The Lake Hope Furnace is located near the park’s entrance. Most of the forest in this area was cut to provide fuel for the iron smelting needs of the furnace but the land has recovered and a new second-growth forest has taken its place. The furnace is worth a quick visit while you are at the park.

Lake Hope Furnace 

Lake Hope has a single boat ramp located on its south shore off State Route 278, east of the dam.  The parking area is level with the road but the ramp is not visible from the road.  On a previous visit, I looked at putting in at the swimming beach, located off Park Road 12, but it would be quite a hike from the parking area. The boat ramp was very slippery.  I think it is strange how some boat ramps are so slippery you can barely stand while others are fine, one of life’s great mysteries. After putting in, I paddled north. It was wonderful to see so many people out on the water having a great time. You can rent kayaks, canoes, and fishing boats at the concession stand and it looked like many people were doing so.

View Near Boat Ramp, I had a Picnic Lunch Before Heading Out on the Water

My Favorite Sign, Located in Parking Lot By Ramp

Long Ramp With No Turn Around

Boat Ramp Should Have A Slippery When Wet Sign 

Paddling Backward From the Boat Ramp, Yep I Went in Backward

My Hubby and Paddling Buddy with Dam in the Background

On prior visits to the lake, I paddled north and then eastward on the arm of the lake until I ran into an impassible lily pad field. Today, I chose to just keep paddling north until I reached the end. I didn’t want to take the time to paddle the entire lake because the swimming beach was calling my name. Today is one of the few sunny, over 75 degrees, days that I have had while paddling. Lake Hope has a small 600-foot swimming beach that I think is one of the nicest in the state. It is really clean and has an old fashioned good feel to it.    

Paddling Northeast From Boat Ramp 

Heading Northeast 

Paddling to the Northern Tip of the Lake 

Mama Duck Taking a Break

Paddling South 

Heading West Toward Swimming Beach

At the beach, there are restrooms, changing facilities, and the concession stand that sells food and drinks, as well as rents boats. I paddled my kayak up to the beach and immediately took advantage of the restrooms. Then, into the water I went. There were two little girls building a sand castle and I asked then if my pirate duck could storm their castle. Permission was granted so I took the opportunity to take baby duck’s picture. I have named him Zaleski in honor of the surrounding state forest.

Baby Duck Zaleski 

The beach house, that contains the restrooms and changing facilities, has a large deck with picnic tables overlooking the swimming beach and playground. You get good views of the dam and spillway from there. Lake Hope is a little unusual in that its spillway is located right next to the public swimming beach. Seems to me that there would be some inherit risk in that arrangement but what do I know, I am not an engineer.

Lake Hope Swimming Beach 

Lake Hope Snack Bar and Boat Rental

Lake Hope Beach House 

Playground With Spillway in the Background 

Lake Hope Spillway 

Lake Hope State Park has 66 cottages for rent, with about half off Park Road 9 to the west of the swimming beach and the other off Park Road 1 leading to the Dining Lodge. There are also 141 non-electric campsites and 46 electric ones. The high number campsites are quite a distance down the road. It seemed to take forever to get to them when I was scoping out the campground, I don’t know if that would be a plus or not. Overall, the campground looked about average; although, the nature center was very pretty.

Lake Hope Dining Lodge 

Campground Nature Center 

Lake Hope is the place to go for a relaxing paddle with pretty scenery.

May all your roads end in water,

Mama Duck Mona

Lake Rupert: Damselflies' Playground

4 July 2015

Lake #48        Lake Rupert, Wellston Wildlife Area, Vinton County

Lake Rupert is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The 327-acre lake is located approximately one mile north of the town of Hamden. The west side of the lake runs along State Route 683, one half mile north of its intersection with State Route 93. There is a gas station with a convenience store and restrooms at this intersection. This is the only business I saw for miles, so if you need something this is the only place to get it. Lake Rupert was built in 1969 to provide a water supply for the city of Wellston, located approximately 5 miles south of the lake, and for public recreation. The l,298-acre Wellston Wildlife Area surrounds the lake.

Lake Rupert 

Lake Rupert has one boat ramp; it is located at the lake’s midpoint off State Route 683. There are no facilities at the lake. There are several spots along State Route 683 where you could put in a kayak.  I chose to put in on the north end opposite the Lake Road parking area. Lake Rupert has a maximum depth of 24 feet at its southern end, near the dam, but most of the lake is in the 3 to 12 foot range.

Lake Rupert Boat Ramp 

My Put In at the Northwestern Section of the Lake

Looking East Across the Lake From the Put In

Looking South From the Put In 

Looking North From the Put In 

Plenty of Room for a Car and Trailer at the Put In 

Lake Rupert has no limits on horsepower but motorized boats must operate at no wake speed. What is no wake speed? Wake speed seems to be whatever speed the boater deems to go. While I didn’t have any issues on this lake, several times I have been paddling in a “no wake zone” and had boats zoom past me. The definition of no wake speed is the speed at which there is no “white” water in the track or path of the vessel or in created waves near the vessel. Basically, this means no speed in excess of 5 miles per hour. I think allowing boats without a horsepower limit is just too much temptation for most boaters; traveling at or below idle speed is tough when you have all that speed available. It would be so much better for kayakers if the Ohio Department of Natural Resources would just establish a limit to 10 horsepower motors.  

Upon putting in, I headed north to where Little Raccoon Creek enters the lake. Little Raccoon Creek is the largest tributary of Raccoon Creek that starts near Lake Hope (the same lake that I will be paddling later today) in Hocking County and travels south to empty into the Ohio River. The northern end of the lake is filled with pink water lilies. I watched a bee working his pollination magic.

Paddling Northwest From the Put In

Field of Pink Water Lilies 

My Hubby and Paddling Buddy for the Day in the Background

Watching One of the Many Miracles of Nature 

The End of the "Road" 

As I was paddling south I had a bald eagle fly overhead; unfortunately, the eagle was too far off for a good photo. Closer at hand were numerous dragonflies and damselflies. There were several bluet damselflies that hitched a ride on my kayak and flew around me as I paddled. I decided to name the baby duck for this lake Bluet in honor of their beauty.

Heading South 

A Type of Bluet Damselflies

Baby Duck Bluet  

I continued heading south until I came to the large eastern arm of the lake. There, I saw a couple fishing; the only other boat out on the water. I was surprised that there were not more people at the lake since it was a holiday. I also saw some cool mushrooms growing along the bank and was visited by many more damselflies. I paddled until I reached the end of the arm and then took a little relaxation break.

Heading South to Eastern Arm

Heading Into Eastern Arm

Eastern Arm of Lake Rupert

Cool Mushrooms Along the Bank 

End of the Arm

Soaking Up Some Rare Ohio Sunshine 

After soaking up some sunshine, it was time to paddle back to the trunk of the lake and paddle north back to the put in.

Heading Out of the Arm 

Back on the Main Body of the Lake 

The Wellston Wildlife Area surrounding the lake is a mixture of woodlands, brush land, and open land. The eastern side of the lake, including the arm, is much more scenic than the western side. There are suppose to be beaver well established on the lake but I did not see any evidence of beaver activity. I also didn’t see any of the resident wood ducks. But I did not paddle the area south of the boat ramp leading to the dam. Access to the dam by land is gained from a parking area located off Highway 93; I do not know if it would be a good put in spot. 

May all your roads end in water,

Mama Duck Mona