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

Troy Section

Greene, Montgomery, Miami, Shelby · Southwest Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
52miles
18 of 26clockwise
4counties

River trails, towpaths and historic sites, from Pearl's Fen to Piqua, past the Wright Brothers' flying fields.

Runs from Pearl's Fen through Oakes Quarry, a 400-million-year-old coral reef, past Huffman Prairie Flying Field and along the Great Miami River to Piqua.

Highlights

  • Huffman Prairie Flying Field
  • Oakes Quarry fossils
  • Miami & Erie Canal and the ghost town of Tadmor
  • Great Miami River MetroParks

Parks on this section

Island MetroPark
A downtown Dayton park with a trailside campsite
Open
Eastwood MetroPark
Trailside camp where the Buckeye Trail follows the Mad River
Open
Taylorsville MetroPark
Trailside camp on the Great Miami River Trail
Open

Historic sites near this section

Johnston Farm and Indian Agency
A federal Indian agent's farm on the Miami & Erie Canal
Open
Huffman Prairie Flying Field
The pasture where the Wright brothers learned to fly
Open
Carillon Historical Park, Dayton
A 65-acre open-air museum with the Wright Flyer III
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 Troy Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Eastwood MetroPark (Point 6): primitive trailside site, open all year, register with Five Rivers MetroParks
  • Island MetroPark (Point 8): primitive site, open April 1 to early October
  • Taylorsville MetroPark (Point 11): primitive trailside site, open all year
  • Fees run about $7 to $11 a night on an older listing; confirm with Five Rivers MetroParks

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

Water

Water at MetroParks; filter river water.

Take the stops with you

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

Google Maps: stops 1 to 10Google Maps: stops 10 to 11

The file holds 11 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

Excellent: Dayton, Troy and Piqua are all Buckeye Trail Towns.

Food and fuel

Dayton Trail Town
The birthplace of flight, where the trail passes the Wright Brothers' legacy.
CULTURE
Order at the counter; burgers, pasta and wonton nachos in the Oregon District; open Tuesday to Saturday afternoons
Directions
Oregon Express
Thin-crust pizza and a balcony bar in the Oregon District; open daily
Directions
bp
Open 24 hours; the doors may be locked overnight, with payment at the window
Directions
Troy Trail Town
A historic downtown with Great Miami River access.
41 Grill & Draft House
Bar and grill on Main Street; closed Sunday
Directions
Shell
Open 24 hours
Directions
Piqua Trail Town
A canal-era town on the Great Miami River.
Crooked Handle Brewing Co.
Brewpub with a patio overlooking the canal lock park; closed Monday
Directions
The Social at Piqua Center
A food hall with hibachi, barbecue, burgers and a bar; open daily
Directions
Clark Gas
A basic fuel stop; reviews are mixed
Directions
Near Island MetroPark
CULTURE
Order at the counter; burgers, pasta and wonton nachos in the Oregon District; open Tuesday to Saturday afternoons
Directions
Oregon Express
Thin-crust pizza and a balcony bar in the Oregon District; open daily
Directions
bp
Open 24 hours; the doors may be locked overnight, with payment at the window
Directions
Near Eastwood MetroPark
CULTURE
Order at the counter; burgers, pasta and wonton nachos in the Oregon District; open Tuesday to Saturday afternoons
Directions
Oregon Express
Thin-crust pizza and a balcony bar in the Oregon District; open daily
Directions
bp
Open 24 hours; the doors may be locked overnight, with payment at the window
Directions
Near Taylorsville MetroPark
41 Grill & Draft House
Bar and grill on Main Street; closed Sunday
Directions
Shell
Open 24 hours
Directions

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