The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is putting more bandwidth behind its campgrounds, expanding complimentary Wi-Fi across several Ohio parks while layering on a mobile trail app that keeps hikers oriented even when cellular bars disappear, according to a district blog post.
Free public Wi-Fi is now available at Tappan Lake Park in Harrison County. Tappan Lake Park is the district’s second campground to offer free Wi-Fi, with access provided at designated hotspots. Atwood Lake Park introduced free Wi-Fi in 2024 at designated locations within the park, such as the activity center.
“We’re thrilled to bring free Wi-Fi to Tappan Lake Park,” said Craig Butler, MWCD executive director. “As more people seek a balance between outdoor recreation and digital connectivity, this upgrade allows us to meet those expectations while preserving the natural beauty and recreational value our parks are known for.”
The complimentary service, open to registered campers and day-use visitors, is fully operational. Beyond Tappan and Atwood, the district also offers free Wi-Fi at designated hotspots inside each campground or marina at Charles Mill Lake Park, Pleasant Hill Lake Park and Seneca Lake Park as well as Piedmont Marina, according to the district’s coverage list.
Owners weighing a similar rollout can borrow from MWCD’s playbook. Start with a detailed site survey, then choose point-to-multipoint, mesh or hybrid hardware as terrain dictates. Outdoor-rated, dual-band access points mounted above rooflines extend range on 2.4 GHz while delivering speed on 5 GHz; fiber or buried CAT6A backhauls data, and solar-powered repeaters keep isolated nodes alive when trenching is impossible.
Segment guest traffic with a dedicated VLAN, add a captive portal that posts park rules and gathers opt-in emails, and manage everything with a cloud dashboard that lets staff reboot radios or throttle heavy users from anywhere. A business-class service-level agreement paired with cellular failover protects point-of-sale networks when the main line blinks.
Meanwhile, MWCD entered into a partnership with the OuterSpatial smartphone application in March 2025. The app gives visitors downloadable maps, real-time trail status, self-guided hikes and event listings across the district’s 8,000-square-mile, 27-county footprint, according to a regional community report.
“The bottom line, that’s what we are doing this for, is to make them accessible and encourage people to get out and use them and make sure that they know where they are,” said Adria Bergeron, MWCD director of communications. Pete Novotny, the district’s chief of recreation, called the collaboration “a significant step in bringing more people into nature and to our lakes, while helping them explore responsibly and empowering them with the tools they need to enjoy the trails to the fullest.”
If you plan to add a trail app of your own, pick one that supports offline maps, GPS blue-dot navigation and push notifications; post color-coded trail status to reduce erosion repairs; and embed QR codes every half-mile so guests can unlock audio tours or sponsor coupons without more signage.
Integrating the app with a property-management system can trigger kayak or camp-store upsells when a hiker finishes a loop, while user-generated photos boost peer recommendations. Heat-map analytics point to staffing needs, automated weather or wildlife alerts enhance safety, and shareable digital badges for completing challenges widen social-media reach.
District staff say they try to place antennas as discreetly as possible, underscoring their pledge to preserve the region’s scenic character even as new hardware appears among the treetops.
For park operators nationwide, MWCD’s experience signals that dependable Wi-Fi and smart trail tools can coexist with conservation priorities—and that for today’s guests, the combination is rapidly shifting from amenity to baseline expectation.