Field Notes Ohio

Ohio's parks, forests and wildlife areas with camping, the ancient mounds beside them, and the Buckeye Trail that links them. Stories, trails, wildlife, and where to eat and fuel up nearby. Book campsites on ReserveOhio.
Try:
The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop around Ohio, with all 26 sections.
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Mounds & Earthworks43 ancient sites, including the Great Serpent Mound and the Newark Earthworks.
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Historic Sites39 places, from Fort Steuben and Zoar to Camp Chase and the Rankin House, from the frontier to the Civil War.
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Road Trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail.
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Lake Erie Beaches20 public beaches from Conneaut to Toledo and the islands, with a map.
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Oddities & Roadside Attractions19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops, plus a Mothman just over the line.
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Caves & Caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters, with a map.
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Waterfalls34 falls from the Cuyahoga Valley to the Hocking Hills, with trail notes and a map.
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Explore Ohio

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

Lake ErieWest Virginia27 places277 places77 places73 places35 places519 places1913 places1319 places1916 places168 places810 places1010 places109 places98 places820 places204 places43 places3Barkcamp State Park4 places47 places77 places76 places69 places917 places173 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places2Forked Run State Park3 places32 places26 places610 places103 places32 places2

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

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.
DirectionsCall 567-323-0705

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.

Google Maps: stops 1 to 6

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.