Madison Lake State Park

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Ohio — Scenic 106-acre lake in central Ohio — popular for fishing, swimming, and non-motorized boating. The park offers a sandy beach and excellent largemouth bass and bluegill fishing in a peaceful rural setting.

Visitor Information

About Madison Lake

Madison Lake State Park in Madison County provides lake recreation on a 90-acre reservoir in central Ohio’s agricultural heartland. The park sits in the till plains — flat, glaciated terrain where the last Ice Age deposited deep, fertile soil that supports some of America’s most productive corn and soybean farms. Madison County, named for President James Madison, was carved from frontier land in 1810.

Things to Do

Swimming at the beach, fishing for bass and catfish, boating (electric motors only), hiking, picnicking, and enjoying accessible lake recreation in Ohio’s agricultural heartland.

Plan Your Visit

Madison Lake State Park offers swimming, fishing (electric motors only), and picnicking on a 90-acre reservoir. The park is an easy day trip from Columbus (30 miles west). London (nearby) is the county seat with restaurants and services. The park connects to Ohio’s extensive state park system — 75 parks covering 175,000 acres. Free admission; Ohio does not charge entrance fees for any of its 75 state parks.

Nature & Wildlife

The 90-acre reservoir supports largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, and saugeye (a walleye-sauger hybrid stocked by the Ohio DNR). The surrounding till plains support ring-necked pheasants, eastern meadowlarks, and red-winged blackbirds in the agricultural margins. Great blue herons wade the shallows, and belted kingfishers patrol the shoreline. Ohio’s glacial soils — deposited 15,000 years ago — are among the most fertile in North America.

Insider Tips

Central Ohio: Madison Lake sits in Ohio’s agricultural heartland — the state is a top-10 producer of soybeans, corn, eggs, and tomatoes. Pro tip: Ohio’s name comes from the Iroquois word meaning “great river.” Swing state: Ohio has voted for the winning presidential candidate more than any other state — no Republican has won the presidency without winning Ohio.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Ohio a swing state?

Ohio is a microcosm of America — industrial cities (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus), Appalachian communities, suburban sprawl, and agricultural farmland create a diverse electorate that closely mirrors the nation. The state’s mix of blue-collar workers, suburban professionals, and rural conservatives makes it competitive. Ohio has voted with the winner in nearly every presidential election — making it the ultimate bellwether. Presidents from Ohio include Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley, Taft, and Harding.