Paint Creek State Park is a 5,652-acre Ohio recreation area in Highland and Ross counties centered on 1,148-acre Paint Creek Lake, a reservoir created by damming Paint Creek. Dam construction began in 1967, and the park opened in 1972 as a state-managed outdoor destination shaped by the lake and surrounding land. The park is especially noted for its limestone geology, with bluffs below the dam and nearby gorges that support rare plant life, including coolwort and smooth cliffbrake ferns. It also adjoins the 2,068-acre Highlands Nature Sanctuary, and together they protect a broader scenic landscape of lake, bluffs, and creek valley.