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

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117 parks in 7 regions

Road Fork Section

Noble, Monroe, Washington · Southeast Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
62miles
7 of 26clockwise
3counties

62 remote miles of forested ridges and quiet back roads. One of the most remote and least populated stretches of the trail.

Remote section. Carry all the food and water you need and plan your resupply before you go.

Rolling ridges and back roads through heavily forested terrain on the unglaciated Appalachian Plateau, largely in Wayne National Forest.

Highlights

  • Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit
  • Lamping Homestead Recreation Area (Point 18)
  • Ring Mill Campground (Point 21)
  • Part of the Wilderness Loop

Parks on this section

Wayne National Forest: Marietta Unit
Lamping Homestead and Ring Mill are on this section
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 Road Fork Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Wayne National Forest allows dispersed camping throughout the federal property
  • Lamping Homestead Recreation Area (Point 18): camping, picnic shelter, fishing and canoeing
  • Ring Mill Campground (Point 21): tent camping, picnicking, a 10-space parking area and a pit toilet

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

Dispersed and free camping

Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit. Dispersed camping is allowed across much of the national forest, free, with no permit for standard camping. Camp at least 200 feet from water, roads and trails, use existing fire rings, stay no more than 14 days in a 28-day period, and pack out everything. Camping is also allowed at trailheads if you do not block access. The boundary here is approximate; confirm on a national forest map.

  • Lane Farm and Hune Bridge (Free rustic camps on the Little Muskingum): Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit. Free camping with pit toilets, tables and fire rings. No drinking water at any of the four Little Muskingum camps.

Ohio state forests and state parks do not allow open dispersed camping, and the trail association says camping on private or state land needs the owner's permission. Rules change, so check with the land manager.

Water

Very limited; carry plenty and filter every natural source.

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

Services are limited, and Belle Valley is the primary resupply point.

Food and fuel

Near Wayne National Forest: Marietta Unit
Boat House BBQ
Ribs and seafood right on the Ohio River
Directions
The Galley
Gastropub downtown with a big menu; closed Sunday
Directions
Par Mar Food Store
Along SR 7, closest to Leith Run
Directions

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