Bolivar Dam is the dam that separates Sandy Creek from the Tuscarawas River and is located in Bolivar, Ohio, south of Canton. The Bolivar Dam is a beautiful place that offers activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, and birding. You can find a lot of beautiful birds at this location and may use the Spillway Fishing Access for fishing. While you aren’t allowed to park at the dam, there are plenty of places to park your vehicle or RV, and from there you can walk or bike the rest of the way to the dam.
The dam area features a playground for kids, picnic areas for families, and you can also view a variety of wildlife in the area. You can find a wide variety of birds in this area. Bolivar Dam is a state-operated historic facility. The dam was constructed for flood control, and at times has flooded surrounding areas. It is technically a dry dam, which means it doesn’t have a permanent lake on one side of the dam. Instead, it prevents downstream flooding in excessive rain by retaining water in a temporary pool.
Besides a playground, picnic areas, and a variety of places to walk around and enjoy the scenery, there are restroom facilities that are open from sunrise to sunset. The Bolivar Dam is a day-use only area on a seasonal basis from April to October.
The Bolivar Dam doesn’t allow the parking of any vehicles or RVs on the dam, but you can find many areas to park close by and walk or bike the rest of the way to the dam. Parking on Bolivar Dam Road allows for a short walk to the dam itself. From there, you can walk or bike across the dam or along Sandy Creek or Tuscarawas River.
The site of the Bolivar Dam is a relatively small place, and you can navigate by foot or bike the whole time. There aren’t many steep climbs, but be careful about road closures. In times of heavy or excessive rain, the dam may flood and will cause many of the surrounding streets to flood, making it impossible to get to the dam.
Because the Bolivar Dam doesn’t offer any campgrounds or RV parks, the closest RV park and campground is the Canton / East Sparta KOA just five miles north of the Bolivar Dam.
This KOA campground is called Bear Creek Ranch and is a 300-acre campground with a lot of amenities. The campground includes a 5-acre lake that provides canoeing and paddle boating, as well as fishing. You can also ride ATVs on long stretches of marked trails. The campground also features an 18-hole mini-golf course.
The campground is RV friendly, and you can have a 50-max amp and 75-foot-max length. If you don’t have an RV, consider renting an RV in Bolivar, OH. Navigating your RV through the site is easy, and each site features a pull-through so you don’t have to back up your RV. Each site provides full hookups for complete RV use, and pets are allowed on-leash on the campground. Each site comes with a picnic table and a fire ring. Making a reservation on the KOA website is recommended, as these sites fill up quickly, especially on weekends and holidays.
You can fish near Bolivar Dam in the Spillway Fishing Access. There are plenty of catfish in the water, but you can find a variety of other fish as well. You can also fish in along Sandy Creek and Tuscarawas River, and there are plenty of sites around the creek you can park and walk to the creek and river to fish from. You will find the best fishing in the spillway area. To navigate to the Spillway Fishing Access, there is a designated fishermen’s parking lot in the downstream area.
Most areas around Bolivar Dam allow public hunting and trapping. The recreational areas of the dam, however, are completely off-limits to hunting and trapping of any kind. You can find a helpful map here that shows restricted hunting areas.
State licenses are required for fishing and hunting, and hunting is prohibited within 500 feet of restricted use areas. These restricted areas include residential areas, marinas, parks, campgrounds, and other development on MWCD land with limited public access.
Birding is one of the biggest attractions of Bolivar Dam and will bring in bird watchers from all over the country. During flooding after heavy rain, the area supports a variety of waterfowl. You can also find eagles nesting in the Bolivar area, and these large raptors make a majestic sight as they soar in the air above the park. You can also see birds such as Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, and possibly even Rough-Legged Hawks.
At Bolivar Dam, there is a specific trail that allows for horseback riding. If you’ve ever wanted to go horseback riding, this is your opportunity to ride horses along a trail near the dam.
You can find out more information about horseback riding near Bolivar here. The trails around Bolivar Dam are beautiful, and the trail for horseback riding is no different. It's an excellent way to get out and explore another side of what the park has to offer.
There’s plenty of hiking and walking to be done around this dam. The dam itself doesn’t allow parked cars or RVs, so you’ll have to do some hiking or walking to get to the dam, anyway. You can hike and walk around the dam, across the dam, and along the river and Sandy Creek.
Plenty of sights worth seeing surround Bolivar Dam. There are also a variety of trails around the Bolivar area. Only one allows horses, but all the others can be walked or biked from sunrise to sunset.
The Bolivar Dam has plenty of picnic tables and picnic sites around for families to enjoy a day at the dam. The variety of picnic sites can be found in the Day Use Recreation Area at Bolivar Dam. Bring food and drinks with you and walk along the dam to the designated picnic areas for lunch while you look at the beautiful scenery. The picnic areas are well-kept, and the recreation area provides lovely views of the surrounding areas.
There are various areas of the Bolivar dam along Sandy Creek that offer canoe rentals and other small boat rentals. You can ride along and view the areas around the dam and rivers. Additionally, you can take small boats out on the Spillway Fishing Access to catch a variety of fish from a boat or by land. Boating and canoeing are restricted in certain areas downstream, so make sure you are following the posted regulations when you arrive.
