Belmont County – Nature, History and Historic Routes
Accommodation in Belmont County
Belmont County combines impressive natural areas with museums, historic buildings and a variety of road and loop tours. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home can tailor their trip entirely to their own interests: the focus may be on forests and wildlife observation, water-based activities, the history of the National Road or a journey of discovery through the region’s industrial and transportation history.
Forests, Wildlife and Waterfront Trails
One notable natural destination is Dysart Woods. The area covers 455 acres, including 55 acres of old-growth forest, and was designated a National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. You can hike there, watch birds and experience nature at close hand. This should be distinguished from Dysart Woods Park, a 50-acre area with an old-growth oak forest.
Larger landscapes can be found in the Egypt Valley Wildlife Area, which covers 14,300 acres. There are opportunities for hiking, birdwatching, photography and sightseeing. The area is accessible via I-70 and State Route 800 near Piedmont. More than 100 taxa of macroinvertebrates have been identified in the Captina Creek watershed; the creek also supports one of the last breeding populations of the Eastern Hellbender, which is listed as state-endangered in Ohio.
The Captina Creek Birding Trail is designed as a self-guided loop drive with signs at five stations. Northern warblers have been observed at Raven Rocks along this route. Another way to explore the landscape along a designated route is the Captina Creek Aquatic Trail: it follows State Route 148 from Powhatan Point to State Route 800 south of Barnesville.
Barkcamp State Park is located in the sandstone hills of the Appalachian Plateau and covers 1,005 acres. Facilities in the park area include a boat and kayak launch, a 700-foot-long beach, multi-use trails and an accessible archery course. During a hike, the Storybook Trail presents a children’s story in individual sections. If you are travelling with children, this short narrative format can easily be planned as a separate activity during a day in nature. A 10-horsepower motor limit applies on Piedmont Lake; among other species, you can fish there for musky, saugeye, bass, various species of sunfish and catfish.
Museums and Historic Buildings
Belmont County offers several different ways to explore the region’s history. Construction of the Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum began in 1888 and was completed in 1893. Visits are possible year-round by prior appointment. The Belmont County Heritage Museum is located in a former sheriff’s residence that served this purpose from 1890 to 1976. In eight rooms, you can explore the county’s communities.
The Underground Railroad Museum houses a collection of 8,000 objects and was added to Ohio’s Underground Railroad Historic Trail in 2023. The Watt Center for History and the Arts presents exhibitions on the history of coal mining as well as the region’s economy, industry and agriculture. The Great Western Schoolhouse was built in 1870. A playful contrast is provided by the Bellaire Toy and Brick Museum with its LEGO creations, including the world’s largest LEGO picture and the world’s largest LEGO castle.
The bridges also tell stories of former transportation routes. The Shaeffer Campbell Covered Bridge was originally built in Fairfield County in 1891 and reconstructed at its present location in 1975. It is located at College Pond east of the campus. The Blaine Hill “S” Bridge stands on the original section of the Historic National Road that ran through Ohio between 1826 and 1828. It is the longest and last remaining S-bridge on the six-state Historic National Road, measures 345 feet in length and has a 6.3 percent incline from east to west along the route.
The Great Stone Viaduct has 43 sandstone arches and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. A 20-arch section has been accessible as a public walking path with a viewpoint and plaza since October 2022. The Black Horse Inn was built around 1807 as a smaller structure, later expanded, and was the site of Duncan Morrison’s tavern; during the Civil War, it is said to have been part of the Underground Railroad.
Historic Roads and Suitable Trip Planning
The National Road was the first federally planned and funded long-distance road in the United States and connected the East Coast with the Old Northwest Territory. The section in Belmont County is 28.5 miles long and runs from Bridgeport to Fairview. In Belmont County, the Ohio River Scenic Byway passes through Powhatan Point, Shadyside, Bridgeport, Martins Ferry and Yorkville. The Belmont County Heritage Trail is also available for a self-guided loop drive; it runs through the areas of Blaine, Martins Ferry and Bellaire and conveys the heritage of transportation, agriculture and industry.
When choosing your accommodation, it is therefore worthwhile to decide first on your preferred travel focus. For days spent in nature, the forests, wildlife areas and state park experiences described above provide useful guidance. If historic buildings and museums are the main focus, you can plan your days around the respective places to visit. Those who prefer to be on the road can use the National Road, the Ohio River Scenic Byway or the Heritage Trail as a thematic basis. For further searches, you can also visit St. Clairsville and Bethesda.
For the higher-level travel overview: Ohio.
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