Parking
Use the Rose Lake Fishing/Trail pull-off on SR 374; the marked access starts across the highway. The roadside lot fits only a few cars.
Overview
About Rose Lake Trail
Why go
- The circuit stays close to the water around a 17-acre lake.
- A woodland approach leads to a full lakeside loop.
Heads up
- The SR 374 pull-off holds only a few cars.
- Tree roots make the short route less casual underfoot than its mileage suggests.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Hocking Hills map
Full mapElevation915–1,106 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Hocking Hills Tour Guide
Your drive to Rose Lake Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Hocking Hills State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Rose Lake Walking Access0:00 / 0:22
“You're nearing the walking access to Rose Lake, a seventeen-acre reservoir with a wooded shore. It's half a mile to the water on a rooty path, so this is a good stop for a quiet walk rather than a roadside view.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Hocking Hills Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Hocking Hills Hike-In Campground
- Hocking Hills State Park Campground
- Old Man's Cave
- Cedar Falls
- 22 audio storiesacross Hocking Hills’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor White-tailed Deer, Snapping Turtle, Chipmunk, and 9 more
- Works offlinemaps, 18 trails, 29 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Rose Lake Trail
A lake circuit with a walk-inRose Lake Trail is a 2.
Rose Lake Trail is a 2.5-mile round trip from the SR 374 pull-off: about half a mile through the woods to the water, roughly 1.5 miles around the reservoir, then the same half mile back. Allow about an hour and a half. It is a compact forest-and-shore outing, but the approach means this is more than a quick stop at the road. Expect a moderate walk with roots to watch, and limited space at the small roadside lot. Leashed dogs are allowed; keep the leash no longer than six feet.
The half-mile approachThe signed access begins across SR 374 from the pull-off.
The signed access begins across SR 374 from the pull-off. It descends gently through woods toward the lake, then climbs back to the road. Roots and leaf cover make the tread uneven, so watch your step even though the grade is not sustained. Stay on marked trails. Trail access is limited to the period from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.
Keep the lake in viewThe circuit stays close to Rose Lake's wooded shore, passing coves and the dam area.
The circuit stays close to Rose Lake's wooded shore, passing coves and the dam area. When the water is calm, frame the far tree line with its reflection; that gives the lake a stronger sense of depth than a tight shot of the water alone.
A working reservoirRose Lake is a 17-acre reservoir also known as Hocking Hills Reservoir or Fisherman's Lake.
Rose Lake is a 17-acre reservoir also known as Hocking Hills Reservoir or Fisherman's Lake. Fishing is allowed, and the lake has rainbow trout, channel catfish, bass, and bluegill; anglers aged 16 or older need a valid Ohio fishing license. Paddlecraft and boats with electric motors are carry-in, and swimming is prohibited. The half-mile approach is part of the access for boaters as well as hikers.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Hocking Hills
15 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
83 sightingsSnapping TurtleMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
13 sightingsChipmunkMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
19 sightingsGray RatsnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
47 sightingsWatersnakeMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRing-necked SnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Hocking Hills. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
