Hike Lake Hope's Peninsula Trail

Situated in the long-forgotten coal and iron country of Ohio, Lake Hope is a beautiful combination of Ohio's rugged Appalachian foothills and tranquil shoreline.

The trail starts at the trailhead parking lot right off of OH SR 278, next to the Hope Iron Furnace. The trail forms a three mile loop that follows the southern shoreline of Lake Hope for the majority of its length. Taking a right at the intersection of the Peninsula Trail takes you past a boggy marshland and through a new growth pine forest before reaching Lake Hope's more scenic shoreline. Taking a left makes you traverse the most significant amount of elevation change of the trail over the course of half a mile to its intersection with Park Road 1. The trail is marked at various points around the lake with signposts that indicate your position on the trail and the distance from your current position to the next trail marker.

Overall, a day hike around Lake Hope is well worth the trip and can be paired with multiple smaller hikes within the park to make for a memorable visit to Ohio's Zaleski Region.

For a more information on the area and trail of Lake Hope, check out the ODNR website for Lake Hope at the following link: http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/lakehope#overview.