LORE CITY −With Saturday, June 20th marking the official start of the summer season, if your looking for some fun family-friendly outdoor activities you might well consider a trip to Salt Fork State Park.
Salt Fork Park Naturalist John Hickenbottom has designed a full summer schedule of wide-ranging activities to appeal to all ages and interests.
That schedule includes both a weekly schedule of events, along with regular monthly naturalist programs that Hickenbottom and fellow Salt Fork Naturalist Molly Chlovechok strive to educate and inform participants on specific outdoor topics.
Headlining the schedule is the return of the popular Salt Fork Squatchin’ Hikes where participants go on a 1-mile hike to learn about the legend of Bigfoot at Salt Fork State Park. And just maybe catch a glimpse of the ‘Big Guy’ along the way.
“We’ve been doing the Bigfoot hikes in one form or another since 2013, but they have changed quite a bit over that time period,” Hickenbottom said. “We like to try to make the Bigfoot hikes appeal to almost everyone, and handle the subject with a lot of respect and nuance.”
“It is family friendly (not scary) and there is no pre-registration and free of charge,” said Hickenbottom, who organizes the hikes. “Visitors get to learn about the legend of Bigfoot here at Salt Fork and some of the research techniques that Bigfoot researchers use out in the field. They also learn about nocturnal animals, owls, coyotes, etc., ecology and habitat.”
Upcoming Squatchin’ Hikes will be held on Friday, July 4 and Saturday, August 30 and with weather permitting a final one planned sometime in September.
“A subject like this is interesting, whether you think Bigfoot is real or not, and that’s where I try to keep these hikes, interesting and fun and educational and for (almost) everyone,” Hickenbottom said. “A lot of families come on the hikes. Which is excellent. I shoehorn a LOT of nature education, conservation education, things like that into a Bigfoot hike.”
New summer hours for the Salt Fork Eco-Discovery Center
The brand new Salt Fork Eco-Discovery Center which opened in early spring features Bigfoot who serves as a character guide throughout the building. He highlights fun facts and teaches visitors how the new center will serve as a hands-on educational hub, offering interactive exhibits focused on Ohio’s natural resources, ecosystems and wildlife.
The exhibits engage visitors in an interactive journey alongside the mythical Bigfoot through Salt Fork’s forest ecosystem to discover how everything in nature is connected and ends with visitors learning ways they can practice sustainability to protect these valuable connections and natural resources.
The Eco-Discovery Center will feature extended hours for the summer season. Visitors can check out the new center which is free and open to the public on Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with weekend hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
See below for the July and August schedule:
2025 SALT FORK STATE PARK NATURALIST PROGRAMS
JULY SCHEDULE
WEEKLY PROGRAMS
JULY NATURALIST PROGRAMS
AUGUST NATURALIST PROGRAMS
For more information contact Naturalist John Hickenbottom at 740-630-6105 or email at john.hickenbottom@dnr.ohio.gov or Naturalist Molly Chlovechok at molly.chlovechok@dnr.ohio.gov
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This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Squatchin’ Hikes highlight Salt Fork State Park summer schedule
Reporting by Kevin Sutton, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
