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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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

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117 parks in 7 regions

Delphos Section

Auglaize, Allen, Putnam, Paulding · West & Northwest Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
47miles
20 of 26clockwise
4counties

Canal towpath, farmland and small towns.

Follows the old Miami & Erie Canal through Spencerville and Delphos across flat farm country.

Highlights

  • Miami & Erie Canal towpath
  • Spencerville and Delphos
  • Ottoville Wildlife Area, listed on the ODNR route map

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 Delphos Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Camping is limited; see the BTA section map

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

Lodging near the trail

Microtel Inn & Suites Delphos
Hotel, Delphos
Basic hotel in a Buckeye Trail Town; some guests mention small rooms and a light breakfast.

These are places to sleep near the route, not places that advertise to hikers. Confirm that they welcome hikers, and ask about shuttles.

Water

Water in towns; filter anything from ditches or streams.

Take the stops with you

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

The file holds 6 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

Spencerville and Delphos are Buckeye Trail Towns.

Food and fuel

Spencerville Trail Town
A small canal-heritage town in quiet farm country.
My Place
Small-town diner with pie; closed Sunday
Directions
Marathon Gas (Spencerville Quick Stop)
Gas station with pizza, breadsticks and a hot bar; open early and late
Directions
Delphos Trail Town
A Miami & Erie Canal town with small-town charm.
The Mill
Pizza, sandwiches and dinners; closed Monday
Directions
Marathon Gas
Fuel and a barbecue counter inside
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.