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.

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Explore Ohio

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

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117 parks in 7 regions

Scioto Trail Section

Vinton, Hocking, Ross, Pike · South Ohio

Buckeye Trail Association

61miles

11 of 26clockwise

4counties

Forest roads, ridges and remote trails through Tar Hollow and the Scioto Trail state park and forest.

Climbs ridges through Tar Hollow State Forest, then continues south through Scioto Trail State Forest toward Pike County.

The Buckeye Trail Association does not manage any camping in this section. Dispersed camping is not allowed on private or state land without permission.

Highlights

Tar Hollow State Park and Forest, with the Logan Trail and fire tower
Scioto Trail State Park and Forest
Caldwell Lake

Parks on this section

Scioto Trail State Forest

About 4.5 miles of trail cross the forest

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Tar Hollow State Park

The Logan Trail leg leads to Pine Lake and the campground

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Tar Hollow State Forest

Fire-tower backpack camp on the ridge

Open

Scioto Trail State Park

A 112-site campground below the dam and heated cabins

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Section map and alerts

Show this section on the map Distances between stops in this section

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

Official Scioto Trail Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

Tar Hollow State Park: fee camping with electric sites; near Point 3 the northeast leg of the Logan Trail leads to Pine Lake
Near Point 4: primitive, dry camping for a fee at five dispersed sites about 1,200 feet southeast of the fire tower
Near Point 5: dry camping may be available in an Adirondack shelter
Scioto Trail State Park (near Point 36): family camping with 112 sites south of the dam, plus heated cabins by reservation

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

Dispersed and free camping

Mapleberry Farms (Free camping with the owner's permission): 458 Mt Tabor Rd, Waverly, between Points 28 and 29 of the Scioto Trail Section. Call the owners first at 740-947-2331. This listing comes from an older trail association update, so confirm it is still offered.

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

Showers and water are seasonal at Tar Hollow State Park; carry water on the ridges.

Take the stops with you

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

Google Maps: stops 1 to 8

The file holds 8 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.