LOGAN, OH - Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Director James Zehringer today announced several capital improvement projects at Hocking Hills State Park.

"Hocking Hills continues to receive international acclaim and is certainly one of Ohio's greatest natural treasures," said Zehringer. "These improvements allow us to enhance the experience of our guests as we showcase this beautiful park and introduce more visitors to the great things Ohio has to offer."

Upcoming improvements at Hocking Hills State Park will include:

Completely renovating all 40 of the state park's cabins
Replacing the dining lodge roof
Doing exterior renovations to the dining lodge
Renovating the outdoor pool at the dining lodge
Adding more full service hookup campsites
Installing new playground equipment in the campground area
Upgrading the restroom at the welcome center at Old Man's Cave
Making improvements to the restroom at Ash Cave
Increasing trail signage throughout the park, including safety signage and confidence markers
Installing brand new interpretive signage for the first time at an Ohio State Park
Larger campsites at the horse camp
The Ohio State Parks capital improvement projects, and others like them around the state, are made possible through the support of Governor John Kasich, Senate President Keith Faber and the Ohio General Assembly. Ohio State Parks received an unprecedented $88.5 million for capital improvements to strengthen the infrastructure and modernize facilities in the most recent capital budget.

To assist in identifying key projects, ODNR launched a website to allow people to submit their ideas for improvements within the Ohio State Parks system. By visiting parks.ohiodnr.gov/improvements, people can fill out a survey to suggest improvements at their favorite state park. To date, the department has received more than 6,100 completed surveys. Ohioans are encouraged to continue to fill out these surveys and share their feedback as they visit Ohio's 74 state parks this fall.

Ohio is proud to be one of only seven states in the nation where admission to state parks is free.

ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.

For more information, contact:
Matt Eiselstein, ODNR Office of Communications
614-265-6860