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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Explore Ohio

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

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

Shawnee Section

Adams, Scioto · South Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
56miles
13 of 26clockwise
2counties

56 rugged miles through steep ridges, deep hollows and dense forest in Shawnee State Forest, Shawnee State Park and the Edge of Appalachia preserves.

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

Passes the Copperhead Fire Tower, Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve and Ohio River valley overlooks; the section ends on Nature Conservancy footpath between Lynx and Rome.

No permits are needed to hike the section, but sturdy boots and trekking poles are recommended for the steep terrain.

Highlights

  • Shawnee State Forest, the Little Smokies
  • Shawnee State Park and Roosevelt Lake
  • Copperhead Fire Tower
  • Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve
  • Edge of Appalachia preserves

Parks on this section

Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve
Nature preserve on the route
Open
Shawnee State Park
Campground near the Roosevelt Lake beach
Open
Shawnee State Forest
Primitive camp at Camp 7
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 Shawnee Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Shawnee State Park campground near the Roosevelt Lake beach
  • Shawnee State Forest Camp 7: primitive tent camping
  • Specific campsites and wilderness areas require written permission in advance

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

Water

Water at park offices and campgrounds; boil or filter everything from creeks.

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

There are no towns or villages on this section, so carry all the food you need.

Food and fuel

Near Davis Memorial State Nature Preserve
Mi Camino Real
Mexican food with big portions; open daily
Directions
Mikey's Family Restaurant
Old-school diner breakfasts and country cooking; closed Tuesday
Directions
West Union 1st Stop
Convenience store and gas, open daily
Directions
Near Shawnee State Park
Scioto Ribber
Legendary local steak and BBQ house — worth the drive into Portsmouth
Directions
Patties & Pints
Burgers and 40+ beers in downtown Portsmouth
Directions
Sunoco
Stocks camping essentials and propane exchange, on the way in
Directions
Near Shawnee State Forest
Scioto Ribber
Smoked ribs and steaks, well known regionally; about 25 minutes away
Directions
Mex-Itali
Mexican and Italian under one roof; closed Mondays
Directions
Sunoco / Prime Mart
Closest to forest headquarters; propane exchange and camping basics
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.