4020 N. Clarksville Road
Waynesville, OH 45068-9408
(513) 897-1050
Visitor Center Hours:
Memorial Day through Labor Day: Sun - Sat, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Labor Day to Memorial Day: Sun - Sat 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Local Weather
Daily Lake Information Line: (513) 897-5450 (updated daily by 0800)
Lake Levels
Lake Temperatures
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Location
Welcome to the Caesar Creek Lake website. The lake is located in Warren, Clinton and Greene counties in southwestern Ohio. The dam is three miles above the mouth of Caesar Creek, a tributary of the Little Miami River.
The 2,830-acre lake provides flood reduction and a whole lot more. The Caesar Creek Region offers many opportunities to enjoy wildlife or recreate in the great outdoors.
Caesar Creek exists as a cooperative management effort among the Corps of Engineers and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Wildlife, and Natural Areas and Preserves. In addition, one private non-profit organization, the Pioneer Village Association, plays an important role at the park.
Authorization
Congress authorized Caesar Creek Lake under the Flood Control Act of 1938. The Louisville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed, built, and operates Caesar Creek Lake.
During the fall and winter months, the lake level is lowered to prepare for the storage of heavy spring rainfall. If heavy rains occur, surface water runoff is stored in the lake until the swollen streams and rivers below the dam have receded. Once they can handle the discharge of the stored water without damage to lives or property, the extra water is released.
History
The topography of the Little Miami River Basin, including Caesar Creek, is characterized by rocky gorges and narrow valleys separated by extensive sections of bottomlands. The nature of soil types and vegetation relate to events that occurred thousands or even millions of years ago. Alterations of the drainage system and the formation of many of the scenic features of the valley can be traced to the Kansan, Illinoian and Wisconsin periods of glaciation.
The earliest migrations into the valley date back perhaps 11,000 years. More recent occupations occurred approximately 1,000 B.C. with the advent of the Adena and then Hopewell Cultures referred to as the Mound-building Indians – followed by the Fort Ancient peoples.
Remnants of many of the ancient works are still evident and are popular tourist attractions. The Fort Ancient Earth Works are near Caesar Creek Lake. In the latter 1700’s, at the time settlers entered the area the Shawnee was the primary Native American tribe, having previously disposed the Miamis. The lake is named after a member of the Shawnee, Caesar. Caesar was a black slave who, when coming down the Ohio River, was captured or escaped and later adopted by the Shawnee. He was one of the earliest settlers in the valley. Oldtown, north of Xenia, was the site of the main Shawnee Village.