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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Lake ErieWest Virginia36 places368 places813 places135 places523 places2321 places2124 places2416 places1613 places134 places418 places182 places217 places1710 places1014 places142 places27 places76 places613 places133 places34 places414 places143 places3Harrison Lake State Park2 places22 places22 places26 places64 places4

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Parks, forests & wildlife areas

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117 parks in 7 regions

West Union Section

Adams, Brown · South Ohio
Buckeye Trail Association
59miles
14 of 26clockwise
2counties

From Appalachian hills to farmland through preserves and villages in Adams and Brown counties.

Leaves the Adams County preserves and heads west through villages and farmland toward Brown County.

Highlights

  • Adams County nature preserves
  • Villages and farmland
  • Adams Lake State Park, nearby in West Union

Parks on this section

Adams Lake State Park
Near the route; the closest park to the Serpent Mound
Open

Historic sites near this section

John Rankin House
An Underground Railroad station on a bluff above the Ohio River
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 West Union Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

  • Check the BTA section map for campsites and lodging
  • Shawnee State Park and Pike Lake State Park are the nearest big campgrounds

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

Lodging near the trail

Country Nights Inn
Motel, West Union
Family-run motel on State Route 41, close to the West Union Section and Adams Lake.

These are places to sleep near the route, not places that advertise to hikers. Confirm that they welcome hikers, and ask about shuttles.

Water

Carry extra water and filter anything from creeks.

Take the stops with you

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

The file holds 3 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

West Union has food and fuel near Adams Lake State Park.

Food and fuel

Near Adams Lake State Park
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

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.