Hikers can enjoy several trails at Rend Lake including the Blackberry Nature Trail and a one-mile trail at the Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park. Also available at the State Park is a 9 mile-equestrian trail. Bicyclists and hikers can also enjoy a paved one mile trail in the South Sandusky Recreation Area, and a network of paved trails at the North Marcum Recreation Area. Abundant opportunities are available for those who enjoy watching or photographing wildlife. Look for the binocular logo while in the Rend Lake area.
Wildlife viewing towers and trails are available in several locations.
The Rend Lake project began as the dream of a group of concerned citizens who in 1955 formed the Rend Lake Conservancy District in an effort to address water supply problems in the area. The formation of this group was preceded by two years of serious drought in the region. The Flood Control Act of 1962 authorized the Corps of Engineers to build a 19,000 acre multi-purpose reservoir to be named Rend Lake. The authorized purposes of the project include flood control on the Big Muddy and Mississippi Rivers, water supply, water quality control, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation and area redevelopment. Since 1972 the Rend Lake Conservancy District has operated the Rend Lake Intercity Water System that today provides approximately 300,000 people in more than 60 communities with a water supply.