All of Lake Alma and most of Lake Alma State Park are in Vinton County. See the state park map for the location of the county line.

No eBird hotspots are established yet in Jackson County for Lake Alma State Park. Please suggest a hotspot through your eBird account if you submit a checklist in the State Park in Jackson County.

Lake Alma lies nestled in the heart of the unglaciated hill country of Ohio. These hills are part of the Appalachian Highlands. Most of the rock layers are acidic sandstones, shales, and coals with an occasional limestone member. Much time has passed since the region was first uplifted from the ancient sea that once covered Ohio–allowing for the development of many different habitats. Today, this region supports more than seventy percent of Ohio’s remaining woodlands on only one-third of the state’s land. Lake Alma contains a fine example of the second-growth forest now covering this part of the state. In this area, the forest is mainly of a mixed oak composition.

With the advent of forest succession on surrounding farmlands, upswings in the population of deer, grouse, gray squirrel, and other woodland species were encouraged. In the late 1950s, wild turkeys were reintroduced into this part of the state giving Vinton County the highest population of this species. Other valuable resources found at Lake Alma include a vast array of woodland wildflowers such as large-flowered trillium, wild geranium, and hepatica. The forest floor is blanketed with a variety of ferns, mosses, and lichens. The wood thrush, pileated woodpecker, great-horned owl, and barred owl make this park their home.

Lake Alma State Park Trails
Hiking Trails at Lake Alma State Park include:
Acorn Trail – 1 mile – moderate
Island Loop Trail – 0.5 miles – moderate
Lake Loop Trail – 1.4 miles – moderate
Old Pine Trail – 0.72 miles – moderate
Sassafras Trail – 0.57 miles – moderate

The Lake Loop Trail is a multi-use paved walkway/bicycle path that begins halfway in on the park road, loops part way around the lake then connects to the Wellstone Bike Path that ends in downtown Wellston at the old train station.

Descriptions with maps of hikes on trails at Lake Alma State Park are on the AllTrails website.