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Pleasant Hill Lake, Ohio, USA

Also known as:  Pleasant Hill Reservoir

Crisp clean air, glistening blue water, and miles of picturesque nature describe the majestic beauty of Pleasant Hill Lake. Located near Perrysville, Ohio in Ashland and Richland Counties, the lake offers boat lovers 850 acres of water with unlimited horsepower. Pleasant Hill Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1938 by damming the Clear Fork of the Mohican River for flood control, recreation, and fish and – READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Welcome to the ultimate guide to Pleasant Hill Lake! Article topics include:

Looking for Pleasant Hill Lake cabins or other accommodations? Save time and use this interactive map to find, compare and book at the best rates. Or explore more of our favorite travel partners.

Welcome to the ultimate guide to Pleasant Hill Lake! Article topics include:

Looking for Pleasant Hill Lake cabins or other accommodations? Save time and use this interactive map to find, compare and book at the best rates. Or explore more of our favorite travel partners.

All About Pleasant Hill Lake

Lake Locations: USA - Midwest - Ohio - Northeast -

Crisp clean air, glistening blue water, and miles of picturesque nature describe the majestic beauty of Pleasant Hill Lake. Located near Perrysville, Ohio in Ashland and Richland Counties, the lake offers boat lovers 850 acres of water with unlimited horsepower. Pleasant Hill Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1938 by damming the Clear Fork of the Mohican River for flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife management. Today, the reservoir remains one of the many breathtaking vacation spots in Ohio. Through the seasons Pleasant Hill Lake and surrounding area are buzzing with boaters, water skiers, anglers, swimmers, canoeists, hikers, bikers, horseback riders, campers, snowmobilers, downhill skiers, and visitors participating in the local area attractions. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD) manages Pleasant Hill Lake and surrounding 1,345 acre conservation area.

Prior to the arrival of the white settlers in the early 1800’s, numerous Native American tribes occupied the Pleasant Hill Lake area, including the Delaware and Mohegan Indians. The Mohican River took its name from the Mohegan Indians. Jonny Appleseed (real name was John Chapman) lived in the area caring for his apple tree nurseries and carved his name in the sandstone at nearby Lyons Falls. Unfortunately, the passage of time has erased his sandstone etchings. The Mohican State Park and Mohican State Memorial Forest occupy land just below the Pleasant Hill Dam at the south end of the lake. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built roads, bridges, trails, picnic shelters, fire breaks, and fire towers in the area; they also planted over two million trees. Today, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) manages the 4,525-acre Mohican State Memorial Forest and the 1,294-acre Mohican State Park.

Glacial forces changed the flow of the Mohican River about 12,000 years ago, carving out the scenic hourglass-shaped Clearfork Gorge, designated as a Registered Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1967. Clearfork Gorge is an impressive one thousand feet wide at the top and about three hundred feet deep with large outcroppings and steep cliff walls cut into the sandstone bedrock. The 28-acre Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve is also managed by the Ohio DNR.

Fishing and other water activities at the lake are exceptional. Pleasant Hill Lake has a full marina with boat rentals and supplies. The diverse population of fish includes white crappie, saugeye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, brown bullhead, bluegill, rock bass, muskellunge, and channel catfish. Many anglers enjoy relaxing on the rocky southern shore reeling them in. Considered as one of the best family oriented canoeing rivers in Ohio, visitors can take a trip down the fast rapids of the Mohican River.

Mohican State Park offers a variety of accommodations, including a lodge with resort services, two-bedroom cottages, full-service campsites, campsites with electricity, and non-electric sites. There are 13 hiking trails that range from easy to difficult. The Lyons Fall Trail is an easy 2-mile hike that follows Clear Fork Gorge and features two waterfalls (Little Lyons Falls and Big Lyons Falls).. The Pleasant Hill Trail follows the shoreline and provides beautiful views of Pleasant Hill Lake. The Hemlock Trail leads to the covered wooden bridge. An 8.5-mile biking trail passes through the state park and state forest, offering scenic and varied terrain. Bridle trails, backpacking trails, snowmobiling trails, and hunting are available in the Mohican State Memorial Forest.

The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District operates extensive recreational facilities at Pleasant Hill Lake Park, located above the dam. The Park has a public boat launch ramp near the marina, a swimming beach with concession, playground, restaurant, Activity Center, vacation cabins, campsites (Class A full hookups and with electric), camper cabins, and a camp store. The Pleasant Hill Marina offers boat rentals, fuels, and docking.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also provides a recreation area at the dam site with picnic areas, grills, restrooms, shelter, and two short hiking trails. The Corps provides tours of the Pleasant Hill Dam, the intake structure, and the flood control facilities. The dam is one of only two constructed by the Corps with a flood control feature called “Morning Glory Spillway”. A few miles northwest of Pleasant Hill Lake is Malabar Farm State Park which is the home of Pulitzer Prize awarded author Louis Bromfield. His farm is a popular historic attraction that numerous visitors pay homage to while at Pleasant Hill Lake.

For some off-water fun, the Pleasant Hill Lake area provides numerous attractions, activities, and festivals held from March through October. Children will enjoy go-karts, waterslides, and adventure golf. A 9-hole golf course is available for the more serious golfer. Other activities featured from spring through fall include chili cook-offs, flea markets, auctions, boating festivals, boat shows, blues fest, sport tournaments, craft weekends, and nature games. Pleasant Hill Lake is a place where lakelubbers can fully enjoy life.

Things to Do at Pleasant Hill Lake

  • Vacation Rentals
  • Fishing
  • Boating
  • Swimming
  • Beach
  • Canoeing
  • Water Skiing
  • Golf
  • Camping
  • Picnicking
  • Cabin Rentals
  • Hiking
  • Biking
  • Downhill Skiing
  • Snowmobiling
  • Horseback Riding
  • Hunting
  • Waterfall
  • Wildlife Viewing
  • State Park
  • State Forest
  • National Park
  • Playground

Fish Species Found at Pleasant Hill Lake

  • Bass
  • Black Bass
  • Bluegill
  • Brown Bullhead
  • Catfish
  • Channel Catfish
  • Crappie
  • Largemouth Bass
  • Muskellunge
  • Pike
  • Saugeye Perch
  • Smallmouth Bass
  • Sunfish
  • White Crappie

All About Pleasant Hill Lake

Best hotels and vacation rentals at Pleasant Hill Lake

The Pleasant Hill Lake map shown above is a simple and stress-free way to search for trip accommodations. But if you want to take a deeper dive to find the ideal waterfront home, cabin, condo, hotel or resort, visit our favorite lodging partners by clicking the buttons below.

Search Tripadvisor
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Search Booking.com

Note: These are affiliate links so we may earn a small commission if you book through them. While there is no extra cost to you, it helps provide resources to keep our site running (thank you)! You can read our full disclosure policy here.

More Ways to Book a Pleasant Hill Lake Vacation

While our interactive map above is perfect for comparing LAKENAME rental homes (with VRBO) and nearby hotels (with Booking.com), there might be times when you need to expand your search with a different type of accommodation. Here are some other LAKNAME lodging partners you might want to explore:

Check TripAdvisor
Explore RV Rentals
Find a Campspot
View All Resources

Note: These are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission. Read our full disclosure policy here.

More Sites to Book a Pleasant Hill Lake Vacation

Our interactive lodging map shown above is perfect for comparing LAKENAME VRBO rental homes and nearby Booking.com hotels, there are times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodation. Here are some other LAKNAME lodging partners you can explore:

Check TripAdvisor
Explore RV Rentals
Find a Campspot
View All Resources

Note: These are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission. Read our disclosure policy here.

More Sites to Book a Pleasant Hill Lake Vacation

Our interactive lodging map shown above is perfect for comparing LAKENAME VRBO rental homes and nearby Booking.com hotels, there are times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodation. Here are some other LAKNAME lodging partners you can explore:

Check TripAdvisor
Explore RV Rentals
Find a Campspot
View All Resources

Note: These are affiliate links and we may earn a small commission. Read our disclosure policy here.

Recommended Sites to Book a Pleasant Hill Lake Vacation

If you want to take a deeper dive to find waterfront lake cabins, cottages, condos, hotels or resorts, check out our favorite Pleasant Hill Lake lodging partners.

  • VRBO – Use VRBO to find the perfect lake rental home, condo, cabin, cottage or other vacation property.
  • Booking.com – One of the world’s leading digital travel companies, Booking.com connects travelers to everything from cozy B&Bs to luxury resorts.
  • Expedia – Expedia is a popular online travel agency with more than 140,000 lodging properties worldwide.
  • Hotels.com – With more than 325,000 hotels in 19,000-plus locations, Hotels.com is an industry leader in online accommodations.
  • TripAdvisor – Read traveler reviews and compare prices on hotels, vacation rentals and more at TripAdvisor.
  • Trivago – Trivago helps travelers compare deals for hotels and other accommodations from a variety of booking sites.
  • KAYAK – KAYAK scours hundreds of other travel websites at once to find the best deals on hotels and other travel-related services.
  • RVshare –RVshare connects travelers interested in renting a motorhome with owners who have RVs to rent.
  • CampSpot – Campspot offers premier RV resorts, family campgrounds, cabins and glamping options across North America.
ALL TRAVEL RESOURCES

Note: These are affiliate links so we may earn a small commission if you book through them. While there is no extra cost to you, it helps provide resources to keep our site running (thank you)! You can read our full disclosure policy here.

Pleasant Hill Lake Photo Gallery

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Pleasant Hill Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

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Lake Type: Artificial Reservoir, Dammed

Water Level Control: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Surface Area: 850 acres

Shoreline Length: 13 miles

Normal Elevation (Full Pond): 1,020 feet

Minimum Elevation (Min Pond): 1,014 feet

Maximum Elevation (Max Pond): 1,047 feet

Average Depth: 16 feet

Maximum Depth: 48 feet

Water Volume: 13,500 acre-feet

Completion Year: 1938

Water Residence Time: 34 days

Drainage Area: 198 sq. miles

Pleasant Hill Lake Map
Lake Water Level
Weather Forecast

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More Pleasant Hill Lake news from LakeLubbers.com

  • Advertise your vacation rental property or local business: DETAILS HERE
  • The Pleasant Hill Lake forum has been discontinued: HERE’S WHY
  • New Pleasant Hill Lake photos coming soon!
  • You’re invited to join our lake-lovin’ community on Facebook and Instagram!
  • Share this Pleasant Hill Lake article with your fellow LakeLubbers:

Do you have a vacation rental property at Pleasant Hill Lake? Coming in 2022, LakeLubbers will have an opportunity for you to showcase your listing and put it in front of thousands of lake lovers searching our site for homes, condos or townhomes to rent for their upcoming lake trip this season.

Please get in touch with our advertising team HERE and we’ll provide you more details on this upcoming advertising opportunity.

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Looking for the Pleasant Hill Lake forum?

LakeLubbers previously offered visitors the ability to create accounts and participate in lake forums. When we overhauled the site’s content management system in 2021 we had to disable those features. We’re evaluating options and welcome your comments and feedback here.

We also encourage you to join our lake-lovin’ community on Facebook and Instagram!

Click here to advertise your Pleasant Hill Lake vacation rental or local business.

The former Pleasant Hill Lake forum is closed. Find out why here.

New Pleasant Hill Lake photo gallery is coming soon.

Please share this article with your fellow lake lovers!

Spread the word! Share our Pleasant Hill Lake article with your fellow Lake Lubbers!

Explore local Pleasant Hill Lake vacation rentals and hotel accommodations using our interactive map. Clicking on listings below will allow you to compare nearby properties, best rates and availability for your dates.

Looking for the old Pleasant Hill Lake forum group? Click Here

New Pleasant Hill Lake photos coming soon!

Vacation Home Name

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  • 2 bedrooms
  • 2 bathrooms
  • hot tub
  • wifi