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

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.
DirectionsCall 937-544-9761

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.

Google Maps: stops 1 to 3

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.