Visitor center, cabins, and campground introduced as hundreds, including Ohio Governor DeWine, toured new facilities
Among the 54,525 acres of reclaimed mining land that make up the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area sits a visitor center that is as equally breathtaking as the views. The new Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area Visitor Center is just one of the recent improvements made to improve the region. Additionally, the Big Muskie Campground received 50 full-hookup RV sites and other amenities, and ten Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired cabins were constructed at Jesse Owens State Park. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the visitor center on Arbor Day, April 24, 2026, to introduce the new developments to the public.
“I’m excited to be here in a place with an incredible legacy of outdoor recreation. The people who know this area know that and use it well,” commented ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “And what we’re trying to do is open the door a little wider. People who don’t know the area, people who aren’t experienced in the outdoors, we want to open that door and welcome them into it, so they can join all of us who know the joys of Ohio’s great outdoors.”
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine took part in the ribbon cutting. Governor DeWine oversaw the creation of the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area and has been in support of ODNR led initiatives.
“We were able to add over 50,000 acres to what the state owns and provide this opportunity for people to come here and to enjoy it. But we also knew that while a lot of this would be left really as it is, if we were going to have people come out here, we’re going to have tourists or we’re going to have people come out here, really enjoy it, help local economy. We had to provide some infrastructure,” the Governor stated.
Words can barely describe the stunning Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area Visitor Center. The two-story timber building boasts a 360-degree scenic ramp and observation deck that overlooks wildlife and a newly established bison herd, consisting of nine cows and a bull, made possible thanks to a partnership with The Wilds and the Columbus Zoo. On the day of the ribbon cutting, the bull, known as Hornady, was celebrating his fourth birthday. Hornady will soon be the proud father of nine bison expected to be born this summer.
“With the bison, the visitor center, and the surrounding amenities, this is a unique spot to bring your family and friends to make some great memories in Southeast Ohio,” said ODNR Chief of the Division of Wildlife, Kendra Wecker.
Inside the center is a topographic map and interactive and educational displays.
“The Department of Natural Resources does a lot of different things. One of the things they do is focus on education. And we wanted people to be able to come here and just get a sense of what this part of the state is all about. The natural beauty, learn some things in the visitor centers and nature centers that we have worked on around the state are doing that. We have since I became governor, we have 30 that we’ve either built, started up or are really dramatically refurbished,” said DeWine.
Just a few minutes from the new visitor center is an array of ten new cabins designed using architectural influence from Frank Lloyd Wright. There are three different layouts to choose from, with each 900-square-foot modern cabin designed to sleep up to six. ADA accessibility was kept in mind with some of the cabins creating wider hallways, a walk-in shower, and an open floor plan for the living, kitchen, and dining spaces.
“Today’s camper does not want to rough it. They want their home at the campsite,” said Glen Cobb, Chief of the Division of Parks and Watercraft at ODNR. These upgraded sites give campers all the comforts of home wrapped in the peaceful beauty of Appalachian, Ohio.”
Some of those comforts added to the Big Muskie Campground include a modern showerhouse, an on-site campstore, and a new playground. A wastewater treatment plant and a regional waterline were also installed by ODNR.
“We know that people like to camp in all kinds of different ways. Fran and I have not camped for a while, but when he had younger kids, we tent camped over Ohio and all over. Seems like all over the country,” DeWine recalled. ” But people have different ways of camping. We wanted to make sure that whatever way you like to camp, you would have the facilities here to do it.”
The sprawling recreational area includes land in Muskingum, Morgan, Guernsey, and Noble counties and offers a blend of grasslands, wooded areas, and waterways perfect for deer and turkey hunting, bird watching, and bass fishing, among other outdoor activities.
“The heartbeat of this wildlife area is the access to hunting, fishing, trapping, and birding afforded by tens of thousands of acres of the surrounding public land. We’re proud to say these activities will remain available to Ohioans because of Governor DeWine and Director Mertz’s leadership. Appalachian Hills is Ohio’s largest state wildlife area.,” explained Wecker. “We have over 350 lakes and ponds on the area, many of which you can see from the road, but many more are tucked in and away from the road in the valleys and forests and require a bit more exploration.”
Solomon “Bass” Curtis, a Zanesville native and avid fisherman, was one of the guest speakers at the ribbon cutting at the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area Visitor Center. He spoke about the importance of fishing and the outdoors in his life.
“I had a lot of traumatic experiences, and I used to say, I’m not here because I fell down. I’m here because I got up. But over the last six months, and many nights in front of the mirror, I had a deeper thinking and deeper understanding, so I changed that to, I’m not here because I got up. I’m here because I went fishing,” Curtis shared. “If these hills can shape even a small part of someone else’s life the way that it shaped mine, then this effort, this visitor center, these cabins, will have been worth it. … This ribbon cutting is bigger than a ribbon cutting or celebration of new facilities. This celebration of outdoors and the reality that this place changes lives, and even saves them.”
Reservations for the cabins or campgrounds can be made by visiting ReserveOhio.com. For more information about the Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area, please visit ohiodnr.gov.
