John Bryan State Park

We had a very relaxing stay at this beautiful pet friendly campground. Quiet and pleasant with a LOT to do in the area. Great hiking trails, close to Clifton Gorge and Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The campground manager Danny Kuebler was so knowledgeable and friendly and made our stay even more enjoyable. Can’t wait to go back and see more of this fantastic place.

Lot's of hiking and maybe spot some deer. The river is awesome,but no swimming or wading. I did see few people fishing. Restrooms are clean. Did see some signs for camping. Park also has heavy rain and storm shelters. It is an absolutely beautiful place. I was there at the end of July.

My family and I decided we wanted to go on a drive through a nice park. I am only visiting this area and this park was a recommendation from a family member that visits frequently. I am glad we drove through this park as it was nothing short of being peaceful and relaxing. We caught some of the trees at the right time! We plan to drive through again soon.

Great hiking! Hills, rocky terrain by water with falls. $10 to park. Moderate hike. I’d not recommended for those with balance issues. Near Yellow Springs for drinks or shopping.

Beautiful area to hike! Nicely maintained trails along both sides of the gorge with great views of the river, with lots of rapids and a few small falls.

Hiked part of the North Rim Trail and also part of the Pittsburgh - Cincinnati Stage Coach loop. We also ended up on a trail under some cliffs that I don't believe was a true trail but found a little waterfall at the end before we climbed (not too far) back up to the rim trail. The trails were well maintained but always watch your step around tree roots. If you enjoy the water the Pittsburgh - Cincinnati trail runs along the water. The water was sparkling in the sun today. It was beautiful. This trail also gives you awesome views of the cliffs from below and some huge moss covered boulders. John Bryan State Park has a disc golf course and a playground near the Storybook Trail. And of course several trails to explore. Dogs are permitted as long as they are on a leash, except in the nature preserve areas. Signs were posted and it is clear to see where dogs are not allowed.

This place is absolutely wonderful for a peaceful walk. The walking trail is scenic and well-maintained, making it ideal for nature lovers. It leads to a charming bridge, and on our recent visit, we even spotted a snake along the way — always something interesting to see! There’s also a playground for children, which is a great bonus for families. Personally, I love the swings — a simple but enjoyable touch. We almost always see deer here, which adds to the serene and natural atmosphere. Overall, it’s an amazing and calming spot to relax, unwind, and enjoy the outdoors. Highly recommended for a quiet escape into nature.

When I say this is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, I'm not exaggerating. I am so glad to find places like this exist in Ohio. One of the most beautiful hikes and though it is crowded, it's full of really friendly people who are also glad to be there. Family friendly dogs allowed great trail conditions and I will definitely be back.

John Bryan State Park is a beautiful 750 acre park near Yellow Springs, Ohio. It's a great place to take a nature hike, especially during the fall when the leaves are changing. The trails are clean and well kept. If hiking isn't your thing, there are lots of areas to play frisbee, let your kids run around, or have a picnic in the shade. It's about a 45 minute drive for us, so we don't go often but when we do go once or twice a year, we always enjoy this beautiful park.

THE BEST MIDWEST HIKE Rounding out the year and reminiscing about all my favorite hikes, John Bryan State Park gets the Ohio vote. It has all the views of Clifton Gorge Nature Preserve but also allows dogs. If you're looking for something that feels like you are out of town but don't want to travel, this green space is perfect for those Red River Gorge vibes. Catch this hike mid-October for all the golden yellow leaves of the birch trees then grab ice cream at Young's Dairy. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite fall traditions in Ohio!

A nice walk we took through one of the trails. There's a lot of different lengths of trails so you don't have to walk far if you don't want to.

This was a cute park with a playground. My kids loved being close to storybook forest. They had so many trails to connect to other sections of different parks.

Immersive scenery with unique natural landmarks, a fantastic place to explore! A very well-kept park, and opens up near the historic Clifton Mill. You could definitely spend a whole day hiking out there, or just a few hours if you wanted to.

I enjoyed my day at John Bryan with my pup. We went in the morning in August, so it was getting a little toasty. The trails are not marked at all, and the maps are terrible, so I am glad that on the day I went, we stumbled onto the marked course for a 50K race that wound along the riverbank trail. Even at the trail heads, there are no "you are here" spots on the map, and then, that is it. I don't think I would have gone as far without the little red flags every so often. You'll definitely want a better way of orienting yourself if you visit. The trail is very narrow and you have to climb some rocks and over tree branches. My dog loved it - I had her on a hiking leash so she could scramble a little and sniff everything! It really was lovely, lots of tall trees, plants, little rocky glens, and very peaceful. Restroom facilities in the area we parked were outhouses. There seemed plenty of well maintained parking.

An Ohio State Park with very little litter, and the grounds are particularly well taken care of as well. Park is also easy to navigate through. Parking lots are speckled throughout the park. They are located near the popular areas. Fishing, hiking, rock climbing, and frisbee golf may all be done at this park. Campsites are also available. We hiked two of the trails. Storybook trail is a nature trail perfect for younger hikers, (and conveniently located near the playground.) Stopping at the story boards keeps the hike fun, and from being too strenuous for little hikers. (A shorter trail anyway.) Trail itself is mostly shaded. So is the Arboretum Trail. That trail did not live up to the name. We hiked about the first half mile. While very green, there was not very much in the way of flowers. (Only a few sparse ones.) There were also no markings/ signage about what was growing. The Storybook trail did have some markers on trees. This is also a bike trail. A much more fitting use of the space. There are markers with color codes for what parts of the trail may be biked when. Our visit only scratched the surface of what this park has to offer.

Gorgeous gem in the Ohio State Park crown!!! Camping, hiking, picnicking, mountain biking, and more!! Well-taken care of, easy access, and plenty of nooks and crannies to "get away from it all," even during the most crowded days!! Bring your camera, your hiking shoes, and your love of nature... Definitely something for everyone here, all year round!!

Went on the storybook trail hike... read all the signs and counted to 14. They have a lot of activities for the kiddos

We took the South Gorge loop trail which was a little over 4.5 miles. The river was running high and fast. The hike was beautiful but unfortunately many folks were not practicing social distancing. Weve hiked in various areas of the state where hikers were very conscientious and aware of the social distancing thats currently implemented. But in Yellow Springs, it was pretty frustrating as groups of folks took up the whole path and were completely unaware how their actions could impact others. Great trail but we wont be taking it again during the pandemic...not worth the risk.

Beautiful setting and thankful for flush toilets and shower house...very nice but showers could sure use some hooks! Many Sites are way too close to each other but there are many excellent sites too. We had 19. Nothing on one side but trees and bushes but the next site's picnic table was just 10 feet away (if that). Luckily we had good neighbors . I would definitely visit this park again!

On a recent visit to Yellow Springs we stopped here on our way out of town. There are lots of trails to choose from and we were able to easily find the one we were looking for. The markings on the actual trails were not as good so we just went in and certain distance and turned around. There was plenty of parking and restroom throughout the park. We enjoyed our visit and look forward to coming back again.

Still getting to know this park. Based on the signs we drove past, you can camp here! That's something we might keep in mind for the future. We pulled in the second little parking lot we drove by as we noticed a sign for a trail. The trail wasn't too strenuous, only slight inclines. There's also a playground by this lot. It's different from most we've seen in the area. It's made to look like it's made of wood and rustic, but you can tell it's pretty new. There are swings and there's plenty to climb. Also, there's a bathroom just across the next parking lot over from there. One of the cleanest and newest park bathrooms I've ever been in!

This is by far one of our favorite places to go in this part of the state. We have yet to camp there but several trips now, encompassing hiking and mountain biking. Been there in the fall, winter, spring, and summer. Always a great visit but we are close enough to bail if the weather turns bad or head out the door when the weather is good. Hiking can be linked up with the Clifton Gorge Reserve for extra mileage, and mountain biking trails are well maintained (closed in inclement weather and a host of volunteers to maintain them). If you are going, recommend that you head there earlier in the day to avoid crowds if you are looking for some solitary times. Looks like nice areas for picnicking, if you are so inclined, and restrooms that we have used have been good, too. Go check it out!

John Bryan State Park is great and only an hour outside Columbus. Took the dog for a nice gentle hike. Parked the car and hiked along the top of the gorge (think we were in the John L Rich trail) overlooking the Little Miami River. Stunning views and easy for most. Children should be supervised near the cliff edge. The bridge to cross the river was closed for repairs. Walked back along the Pittsburgh Cincinatti Stage Coach Trail. Beautiful scenery, waterfalls and nature. Was icy in some areas due to the freezing temperatures but still amazing. It was a cold sunny day only encountered 2 other hikers. During peak season arrive early to avoid the crowds.

I absolutely love this park! There are quite a few trails to hike on. We did one where you cross a bridge and leads you to this beautiful creek. It was probably a 2-3 mile hike. It was not strenuous but alittle rugged and muddy (which I didn't mind). I love that you can bring your pet to hike with you, as long as you keep them on a leash. We will definately be back. This place is beautiful!

My husband and I stayed here for 2 nights in a tent and found the campground really enjoyable for a short stay. The bathrooms are rough (just a hole in the ground, no sink) so be prepared! The camping area is very open, which seems great for big multi-site groups but might feel not private enough for some. We lucked out with site #53, which butts up to the woods so we only had neighbors on one side with plenty of space between us. It's pretty flat so tents should have no problem finding a level place to set up. We hiked a bit one day and really enjoyed the trails, which were pretty easy and had clear well-defined paths and some shallow water access for cooling off. The best part about this campground is that it's only a 15-20 minute bike ride from Yellow Springs, so we popped into town for a few hours for hot coffee, lunch, shopping, and yes - bathrooms with running water :) We'll definitely be back so we can experience more of the park and surrounding area, like Young's Dairy and putt-putt!

This is my favorite spot to hike hands down! I love how Glen Helen and Clifton George connects to it so it's easy to visit these locations as well. I always find beautiful spots and meet locals who are more than happy to share some knowledge about the parks history. Certain areas of the park get extremely crowded due to the popularity of the locations but that has never taken away from my experience. Only downside is that a lot of the areas by the river are not accessible due to vegetation protection, which I totally support. I just wish I could dip my feet in the water sometimes! I am big on biking and mountain biking and I have yet to try out the trails. But from what I've heard it's a great beginners course because it's not technically difficult and the trails elevation does not get too crazy. If you haven't visited John Bryan I would definitely give it a try! It has beautiful locations, mountain biking trails, and camp sites so there are plenty of fun things to do here!

We came up for a hike on the 4th of July. So glad we did it wasn't overly crowded on the hikes. We love hearing the river and the birds sing as opposed to hearing people screaming and dogs barking. The trails were kind of muddy but not too bad. Very easy hike along the rim and the river. Very serene we will come back.

I had first experience at #johnbryanstatepark a week ago with my daughter, grandson and my granddaughter. During this time of #covid-19 it was a breath of fresh air in more was than one. But first there's this. When we pulled into the parking lot I saw that it was a very busy place. Even so my daughter as usual found a great parking place. At this time my grandson had to go to the bathroom. We walked over to a very small simple building that has both a women's and men's side. It is a permanent #portapotty but it is nicely maintained. I carried our supplies and my daughter carried my 18 month old granddaughter. We made the short walk over to the woods and the posted signs showing the trails. Today we didn't have time for a long hike unfortunately so we just walked down the rough rock steps leading to the banks of the @littlemiamiriver. Then the fun began! My grandson was excited to show me what he called the mountain just a short walk away. My granddaughter was excited to get down and move toward the waters edge. The mountain is a short maybe 20 foot high rock wall. Recent rain had made it a little wet. We both bravely climbed up it then followed the trails back down to the river. The air was fresh and the sound of the rapids energized my soul! My granddaughter scotted into the cold river water & wanted much more before being pulled back out. Back at our home base I joined my grandson in walking around in & exploring in the shallow cold rocky water of the banks of the river. By the time we had to leave the water was no longer cold to me. it was just incredibly refreshing. All around us I saw families having so much fun together and the sight of people kayaking down the river. I can't wait to get back here again! Until next time be kind to each other and stay healthy. @johnbryanstatepark @yelpcincy @littlemiamiriver #kayaking #familyfun #hikingtrails #rapids #exploring

Beautiful state park. With a few hours to kill, I took the South Gorge loop trail. I was able to cover about 3/4 of it before I realized my pedometer was missing and decided to back track to find it. So I ended up doing the trail about 1.5 times! It was completely worth it and I plan on coming back with the family. And no, I never found my pedometer.

Love this park outside Yellow Springs, Ohio. they have a semi paved 1.3 mile loop great for pet walking. All times I have been here it has not been crowded. This is one of the trails that allow pets, other trails around the area do not allow dogs. There is plenty of parking, a picnic are and grills. There are also public restrooms.

I have been going here since I was kid. I will take grand-kids here. It is a small park with some beautiful hiking. There is a relaxed creek that runs through the park which creates a serene relaxing stroll. At times in the summer it fills like I walking in the deep south. There is a swinging bridge. The camping area is quaint. There are no flush-able toilets at the park.

Wow! What a gorgeous park with some awesome sights. Came down from Northeast Ohio yesterday and I'm so glad. I hope to come back in the summer because it was freezing yesterday. I have one complaint. All of this talk of raccoon infestations (IN their own home, the wilderness, can you believe it?! How rude for them to populate the area in which they live) and I didn't see ONE! Not one! Well, maybe one...it was hunched over on the side of the road, presumably dead. Anyway, had a blast and saw some gorgeous features so

I stopped here after spending time with friends at Young's Dairy. It isn't far down the road and we felt like stopping for a hike. I'm not familiar with the area, but I've been told this is an amazing park with great trails. My companion is a avid hiker and was well-versed in the trails. We went for several miles and it was stunning. There were little waterfalls and lovely fallen rocks to climb and take a different visage. I imagine it is even more stunning in the fall with all the leaves changing. The paths were well-maintained. There were bathrooms at the campground and a water fountain. I'd highly recommend stopping and taking a hike. I hope to return again and to a different path.

This a review for the campgrounds. The adjoining trails are beautiful! Unfortunately, beyond that there isn't anything else positive to say. We took our two dogs last night and planned to stay for 2 nights, but we ended up packing everything up and leaving the first night we arrived. There are raccoons everywhere! My dogs were anxious and trying to chase them the whole time. They were out at 5pm and are not afraid to steal your food while you are eating. They need to be upfront with people and post this on their website. There are no showers so you have to plan for that. If you are backpacking and looking for a place to shelter it's probably fine. However, I would not bring a family or pets to this park unless they do something about the racoon infestation.

Pit toilets. With doors that don't shut. This is a good-sized state park. It's not the size of some others, but it gets a good amount of use due to the unique geological formations, the rock climbing and rappelling areas, and the many bike trails. The bathrooms in the campgrounds are fine, but the ones in the hiking areas are just FOUL. I was there in the spring and I can't imagine what they'll be like in the heat of the summer. Seriously...I know laying plumbing would be out of the question, but at least put in some modern composting toilets! The sound of flies swarming just beneath your bum as you nervously attempt to do your business is NOT a pleasant one. Most of the camp sites in the camp ground are non-electric tent sites. There are 60 sites total, I believe. You make reservations through the online or phone Ohio State Parks system. Trails are nice but not well-marked. The signage in the parking lots is pretty poor too. This was the consensus of everyone we talked to on the trails-regulars included "We've been here enough that we've walked all the trails, but it took awhile to see everything". JBSP shares boundaries with 3 camps (boy scouts, 4-H, and something else) as well as 2 nature preserves. It would have greatly improved the experience to have some "you are here" markers on the signage and if the signs indicated which of the other sites (i.e. the gorge) might actually be in a different preserve. There are a lot of cliffs so if you have children prone to running off or disobeying "stay on the trails" signs you may want to avoid this park or put them on one of those kid leashes. Again, beautiful scenery, ok facilities, but I was at Hocking Hills SP that weekend as well and John Bryan SP's signage pales in comparison.

We had a campsite (#20) booked ahead of time. We pulled up and there literally wasn't a single tree on the site. We had 360 degree exposure to the other campsites which were all close. We left to find a new place to stay. (They said they were fully booked and we couldn't even try to switch.)

If possible, this place is beautiful even without all of the flowers and leaves on the trees! This park is large with many trails which are well maintained. The highlight is the trail that runs along the gorge. It starts up above with overlooks scattered along the trail to that you can look down the gorge to the river. If you continue along the trail, it slowly goes down to the river and follows along until it goes back up and connects with where you started. While there are other trails that you can explore depending on how much time you have, but the trail we took was a nice 30 minute walk on a cool spring day. I can't wait until it gets a bit warmer as we will be coming back and exploring more of the trails!

My husband and I have recently been on a hiking trails kick, and we fell in love with John Bryan State Park. It was great and on the day we went we basically had the entire park to ourselves. The trails were plentiful and trimmed back well, and they connected up like a big maze throughout the woods which is always fun. It would definitely be easy to get a little lost for a few hours in here so have that cell phone GPS handy! Some of the spots were too muddy to walk through, but on a dry week that wouldn't be a problem. The sights were beautiful and the highlight of our visit was seeng a gorgeous deer leaping through the woods! Can't believe we're just now discovering this awesome park in Yellow Springs, but now that we know about it we'll definitely be regular visitors.

Busy on weekends. Nice grounds but rules on number per site dont seem to be enforced.

Never will I EVER return to John Bryan. Never have I had a camping experience as horrible as the one I had at John Bryan this past Monday. I spoke with 3 people on the phone at reservations over the 3 weeks leading up to my walk in stay with my family. I was also in the park office for about 10 minutes registering and never once did any of these people mention a raccoon problem. I go camping every summer and I of course expect a raccoon or two to come out each night and scavenge for food. I'm also used to putting the food into my car when we're out hiking or doing something away from our campsite but I've never had to put my coolers in the car while away. While we were gone, the raccoons came and knew how to open our coolers. They got into every one of them and the people at the campsite next to us, who camp at John Bryan all the time, thought it was cute/funny and filmed it (rather than chasing the raccoon away) and showed it to us when we returned to our site. This of course was very annoying. As it got later in the day, but was not even dark yet, the raccoons were EVERYWHERE. They did not stay away from our campsite just because we were there. They were not scared of us even when we would chase them away with a stick or something. They came right back and we literally could not do ANYTHING fun because of these pests. They would walk right up to us and simply would not leave us alone, no matter what we did. After about an hour or two of trying to get these pests out of our site, we gave up and very disappointingly decided to throw in the towel on our camping trip that we look forward to every year. Over the next hour of packing up camp, as it started to get dark, the raccoons multiplied like no other. What we thought couldn't get worse, did. The raccoons were pretty much swarming all over John Bryan State Park. We also noticed that the few people who were camping there were actually feeding the raccoons. This is also unacceptable. It's why there's a problem in the first place. These people are only making it worse. Not to mention how big of a problem it could become for OH State Parks if one of these raccoons became rabid and started attacking campers or their pets. This issue NEEDS to be dealt with PRONTO. It's not something that should be ignored or dealt with slowly. It's a serious issue. We were offered a full refund (that I have to wait for up to 4-6 weeks to actually receive in the mail) but what makes me more mad at Ohio State Parks over anything else is that I spoke with FOUR different employees of OH state parks prior to setting up camp at John Bryan and NOT ONE of them even mentioned a raccoon problem. This is RIDICULOUS and completely dishonest. Especially because ALL the employees I spoke with after the issue occurred - ALL of them knew there was a raccoon problem. If this is something that is common knowledge, that everyone knows about, I should've been told about it every time I inquired about camping at John Bryan, and ESPECIALLY upon arrival/check in. This nightmare camping trip could've very easily been avoided had someone just spoke up and been honest about the raccoon problem. Ohio State Parks still would've gotten my business...it just would've been at another park. Now I'm thinking I will go with Metroparks or a privately owned and operated campground in the future. I obviously can't trust anyone employed by Ohio State Parks.

The most gorgeous place. We love to visit YS in All seasons! Youngs Dairy just down the road is family friendly, have taken my kids there since they were babies, now all grown up. Visit YS, you will not be disappointed.

This review is for campground only! CAMPGROUND SUCKS! No privacy. No wildlife poles. No bathhouse. No campground host. Landscapers started at 8am! If check-outs are 1pm and check-ins are after 3pm, then you do the landscaping around that time period. They had massive John Deer trackers out there, so don't tell me it can't be done! Raccoons weren't that bad...

As a place to see beautiful scenery, John Bryon is terrific. The hike along the river and gorge are very terrific. We found the trail signs adequate. There are signs directing you as the important intersections. We talked to the ranger, and yes they do have a raccoon problem. We eat lunch in picnic ground one day and didn't see a one. Also we rode around the campground and it is well maintained.

Absolutely loved this state park! The views were beautiful and the trails were really nice! First timers may have a harder time navigating around as the trails are not all clearly marked!

I didn't see anywhere on the Web sight nor did I think I needed to call ahead to make sure.....but THE CAMPGROUND IS CLOSED BECAUSE THEY ARE REPAVING

I visited this park on my way to Wisconsin without realizing there were no bathrooms, only vault type toilets. Whoops. It is a beautiful area and the park is well maintained. I drove around a bit but didn't have time to take any of the trails. There appears to be a lot to do in the area. I go back and forth between NC and WI quite a bit and try to camp when the weather permits but the lack of flush toilets takes this park off my list. I also did not care for the fact that while there was adequate shade there was no privacy between sites.