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.
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  • 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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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

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117 parks in 7 regions

Defiance Section

Paulding, Defiance, Henry, Lucas · West & Northwest Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
55miles
21 of 26clockwise
4counties

Canals, rivers and historic towns along the Maumee. The Buckeye Trail app's free demo covers this 56-mile section.

From Defiance, at the meeting of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers, along the Maumee State Scenic River through Napoleon toward Toledo.

Highlights

  • Independence Dam State Park
  • Mary Jane Thurston State Park
  • North Turkeyfoot Wildlife Area, listed on the ODNR route map
  • Defiance and Napoleon

Parks on this section

Independence Dam State Park
A seasonal tent-only campground on the Maumee
Open
Mary Jane Thurston State Park
Electric and tent-only camping on the river
Open

Historic sites near this section

Fort Meigs
The War of 1812 fort that held against two sieges
Open
Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis
The 1794 battle that opened Ohio
Open

Section map and alerts

Show this section on the mapDistances between stops in this section

The Buckeye Trail Association sells a detailed map for this section and posts current trail alerts.

Official Defiance Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Independence Dam State Park: seasonal tent-only camping, April 1 to October 31; no drinking water
  • Mary Jane Thurston State Park: electric and tent-only sites

Campsites are run by different agencies and owners, and the rules and fees change, so confirm before you go.

Water

Bring water to Independence Dam; water at Mary Jane Thurston and in towns.

Take the stops with you

Save the camps, resupply, lodging, trail towns and parks for this section as waypoints.

The file holds 10 waypoints and a stop-by-stop route line. Locations are approximate, often a town center, so use the stop notes to find the exact spot. Your maps app chooses the roads between stops, usually the fastest, so follow the byway signs where they differ. The GPX arrives in a zip file; unzip it and open the .gpx in a GPS or hiking app. The CSV imports into Google My Maps.

Resupply

Defiance and Napoleon are Buckeye Trail Towns.

Food and fuel

Defiance Trail Town
Frontier history at the meeting of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers.
Sweetwater Chophouse
Steaks and seafood with a salad bar; open daily
Directions
Moncho's Lounge
Dominican and Latin food; closed Monday
Directions
American Food Mart (Marathon)
East side of Defiance
Directions
Circle K
Open 24 hours downtown
Directions
Napoleon Trail Town
A canal-era town on the Maumee River.
Outlaw Smokehouse
Barbecue; a dry (no alcohol) smokehouse open Wednesday to Saturday
Directions
Eddie J's Grille
Downtown bar and grill with wings; closed Monday
Directions
Circle K
Open 24 hours
Directions
Near Independence Dam State Park
Sweetwater Chophouse
Steaks and seafood with a big salad bar; open daily
Directions
Fired Stone Tavern
Wood-fired pizza and burgers in the same complex, open daily
Directions
American Food Mart (Marathon)
On the east side of Defiance, closest to the park
Directions
Near Mary Jane Thurston State Park
Knucklehead's Kafe
Burgers, ribs and steaks in the historic village; closed Monday and Tuesday
Directions
Wild Side Brewing Company
Brewery with wood-fired and Detroit-style pizza; open Tuesday to Sunday
Directions
Marathon Gas
Small-town station in Grand Rapids, close to the park
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.

Know a place that belongs here, or spotted something out of date? Email hello@fieldnotesohio.com.