Field NotesOhio
Upper Falls in the Old Man's Cave gorge, Hocking Hills, with visitors on the rocks

An independent field guide · 365 places

The field guide to outdoor Ohio

Parks and forests, ancient mounds, caves, waterfalls and back roads, with the story behind each place and where to eat and fuel up nearby.
Popular:
  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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Open the mapAll 365 places on one map. Filter by cabins, campsites, hunting, beaches and more.Explore the map → Browse by countyPick any of Ohio's 88 counties and see its parks, mounds, waterfalls and historic sites.Find your county → Build a tripSave places as you browse, then line them up into a weekend. Kept in your browser, nothing to sign up for.Start a trip →

Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

Find a park

117 parks in 7 regions
The gorge at Conkle's Hollow, on the Buckeye Trail's Old Man's Cave section

The Buckeye Trail

A blue-blazed loop around all of Ohio
Maintained by the Buckeye Trail Association
1,444miles
26sections
24trail towns

Conkle's Hollow · Photo: Chris M Morris, CC BY 2.0

Follow the blue blazes from Lake Erie to the Ohio River and back. The Buckeye Trail is a loop with no start or finish, so you can join it anywhere and walk in either direction.

Length
About 1,444 miles. The 26 official sections add up to about 1,474, so totals vary by source
Termini
Headlands Beach State Park on Lake Erie in the north, and Eden Park in Cincinnati, above the Ohio River, in the south
Highlights
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Ohio & Erie and Miami & Erie canal towpaths, Wayne National Forest and Hocking Hills
Camping
About 135 campsites are scattered around the state, from simple tent spots to Adirondack shelters
Wilderness Loop
A 145-mile remote route through the Road Fork, Whipple and parts of the Belle Valley and Stockport sections
Maps
The Buckeye Trail Association recommends a detailed section map and a check of trail alerts before you go
Open the interactive trail map →Distances and hike planner →Buckeye Trail Association →The Buckeye Trail on AllTrails →

Before you hike

Camping facilities along the trail are managed independently by many agencies and owners, and dispersed camping on private or state land needs permission. Water from creeks and rivers should be filtered, and ticks, mosquitoes and steep, muddy stretches are common. The Buckeye Trail Association publishes trail alerts and map updates.

26 sections · about 1474 miles

1 Burton Section

57 miles · Lake, Geauga, Portage
From Lake Erie south through parkland, rail trails, small towns and farms. This is where the trail begins, at the northern terminus.
3 parksTrail towns

2 Mogadore Section

75 miles · Portage, Stark
75 miles of parklands, reservoirs and glacial landscapes, the longest section on the loop.
2 parks

3 Massillon Section

54 miles · Stark, Tuscarawas
Canal towpath, river valleys and rural roads through Stark and Tuscarawas counties.
Trail towns

4 Bowerston Section

64 miles · Carroll, Harrison, Belmont
Lakeshores, wooded ridges and country roads, through Muskingum Watershed lake country.
4 parksTrail towns

5 Belle Valley Section

58 miles · Guernsey, Noble
Rolling hills, dirt roads and parklands linking the Muskingum lakes to Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area and Jesse Owens State Park.
4 parks

6 Stockport Section

58 miles · Morgan, Noble
Hills, forests and river valleys through former AEP lands, with the Muskingum River lock at Stockport.
2 parks

7 Road Fork Section

62 miles · Noble, Monroe, Washington
62 remote miles of forested ridges and quiet back roads. One of the most remote and least populated stretches of the trail.
Remote1 park

8 Whipple Section

58 miles · Washington, Noble, Morgan
58 remote miles of forested ridges, valleys and rural roads. The road walking links the Marietta Unit of Wayne National Forest with the AEP ReCreation Land.
Remote2 parks

9 New Straitsville Section

61 miles · Morgan, Athens, Hocking, Perry
Forests, mining history and villages through Burr Oak State Park and Wayne National Forest.
4 parksTrail towns

10 Old Man's Cave Section

53 miles · Hocking, Vinton
Gorges, waterfalls and forested paths through Hocking Hills and into rural Vinton County. The most famous section on the loop.
3 parks

11 Scioto Trail Section

61 miles · Vinton, Hocking, Ross, Pike
Forest roads, ridges and remote trails through Tar Hollow and the Scioto Trail state park and forest.
4 parks

12 Sinking Spring Section

54 miles · Pike, Highland, Adams
Forests, earthworks and rural roads through Pike, Highland and Adams counties. This is the section of ancient sites.
2 parksMoundsTrail towns

13 Shawnee Section

56 miles · Adams, Scioto
56 rugged miles through steep ridges, deep hollows and dense forest in Shawnee State Forest, Shawnee State Park and the Edge of Appalachia preserves.
Remote3 parks

14 West Union Section

59 miles · Adams, Brown
From Appalachian hills to farmland through preserves and villages in Adams and Brown counties.
1 park

15 Williamsburg Section

53 miles · Brown, Clermont
Hills and country roads through East Fork State Park and Brown and Clermont counties.
1 park

16 Loveland Section

47 miles · Hamilton, Clermont, Warren
47 miles of paved and wooded trail along the Little Miami River through Cincinnati and Loveland. The southern terminus is at Eden Park.
2 parksMoundsTrail towns

17 Caesar Creek Section

55 miles · Greene, Warren, Clinton
Lakeshore paths, forests and trails, with the college town of Yellow Springs and Glen Helen.
4 parksMoundsTrail towns

18 Troy Section

52 miles · Greene, Montgomery, Miami, Shelby
River trails, towpaths and historic sites, from Pearl's Fen to Piqua, past the Wright Brothers' flying fields.
3 parksTrail towns

19 St. Marys Section

48 miles · Miami, Shelby, Auglaize
Canal locks, towpaths and canal towns.
3 parksTrail towns

20 Delphos Section

47 miles · Auglaize, Allen, Putnam, Paulding
Canal towpath, farmland and small towns.
Trail towns

21 Defiance Section

55 miles · Paulding, Defiance, Henry, Lucas
Canals, rivers and historic towns along the Maumee. The Buckeye Trail app's free demo covers this 56-mile section.
2 parksTrail towns

22 Pemberville Section

56 miles · Lucas, Wood, Sandusky
Flat farmland, country roads and small towns.
Trail towns

23 Norwalk Section

52 miles · Huron, Erie, Lorain
Gentle farmland, villages and rail-trail scenery.
1 parkTrail towns

24 Medina Section

56 miles · Lorain, Medina, Summit, Cuyahoga
Parks, lakes and rolling hills, from Findley State Park to Cleveland Metroparks.
3 parks

25 Akron Section

57 miles · Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark
Forests, canal towpath and parklands, including about 37 miles in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
3 parks

26 Bedford Section

66 miles · Cuyahoga, Lake
66 scenic miles from Brecksville Reservation to Lake Erie through parks and suburbs. The trail passes through five Cleveland Metroparks reservations.
5 parksTrail towns

Every Buckeye Trail section (26)

Every place on Field Notes Ohio

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