In light of recent news events relating to escaped exotic animals, I thought it would be good to give Muskingum County some good PR.
It’s a pretty cool place, and it's too bad that reporters at The New York Times and CNN--who popped in for the sad story--missed out on the fact that Muskingum County (Zanesville, specifically) is the site of the Longaberger Homestead and the World’s Largest Basket; has a Y-shaped bridge that’s on the National Register of Historic Places; and is home to several state parks where outdoorspeople of all sorts (hunters, fishermen, hikers, campers…) have a number of options to hone their skills.
On a chilly-but-sunny Saturday recently, we bundled up our two-year-old in her winter jacket, packed a picnic lunch and the jogging stroller, and made our way to Dillon State Park for our first-ever geocaching expedition.
Dillon has two hiking trails, four multi-use trails, 15 miles of wooded bridle trails and 12 miles of mountain bike trails. We bookmarked six caches in the park with intentions of finding at least the majority of them.
By the time we struck out on the first two, though, we realized three was going to be our max. (In retrospect, it may have been better to spring for the $10 “official” geocaching app.)
Nonetheless, we climbed the hill to an abandoned picnic area where our last hope allegedly was hidden in the fork of a tree — and struck gold in the form of an ammo box containing a log and treasure I won’t name, lest I spoil the surprise.
We left feeling accomplished and vowing next time to borrow my dad’s Garmin.
Regardless of whether we’d found any caches, geocaching was a great way to experience Dillon.
The lake was beautiful and the fall foliage was still colorful; the trails were well-marked; and the park was well-kept and family friendly.
While we were there, a rugged-yet-friendly-looking bunch from Central Ohio Adventure Racing was competing in a duathlon, which made me want to try mountain biking sometime.
Had it not been naptime, we could easily have dropped by for a hike (or cache hunt) at the nearby Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve or Blue Rock State Park and State Forest.
In warmer months, the Muskingum River Parkway State Park is a great venue for boaters, who can travel through any of its ten locks.
Plus, there’s camping in the summer, cottages in the winter, and always the nearby Zanesville for food (try Maria Adornetto Restaurant or Bill’s Real Pit BBQ); drink (recommended: Weasel Boy Brewing Company); and dessert (Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl).
There’s plenty of lodging, too, if you’d like to make a weekend of your adventures. If you’re a newbie geocacher, just heed my advice: Make sure you have a trusty GPS.
Congrats on your first cache find! Great discovery wasn't it? We still remember our first find which was over 8 years ago! And Kudos to Ohio State Parks for allowing the great family game of geocaching on their lands! My family and I have geocached in over 30 Ohio state parks and plan on adding more! Visiting and exploring these great Ohio parks all because of geocaching! Many times, we've camped in the state park campground while traveling for the geocaching in that part of the state. Sadly, many Ohio County & City park districts still do not allow geocaching at this time. :-( Geocachers are responsible outdoorsmen & women, we respect the natural environment and do all we can to ensure these areas remain protected. We practice "Leave No Trace" principles and "CITO: Cache in and trash out". We give back in numerous way too such as organized clean up parties in the parks. Hopefully these other parks will come around someday and see that we're a great visitor to attract.
Cache well Abbey! Did you guys choose a geocaching name yet?
Dan, the hiking viking
Akron, Ohio
Posted by: TheHikingViking | 11/02/2011 at 09:45 PM