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.

Tap a symbol for a preview, or search for a place. Open the key to show or hide categories.

117 parks in 7 regions

Whipple Section

Washington, Noble, Morgan · Southeast Ohio

Buckeye Trail Association

58miles

8 of 26clockwise

3counties

58 remote miles of forested ridges, valleys and rural roads. The road walking links the Marietta Unit of Wayne National Forest with the AEP ReCreation Land.

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

Low-traffic country roads and forest trails, sharing its route with the North Country Trail, part of the 145-mile Wilderness Loop.

Highlights

Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit
Former AEP ReCreation Land
Part of the Wilderness Loop
Shared with the North Country Trail

Parks on this section

Wayne National Forest: Marietta Unit

The trail connects the Marietta Unit to the AEP lands

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Jesse Owens State Park & Appalachian Hills Wildlife Area

The former AEP ReCreation Land

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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 Whipple Section page →This section on AllTrails →

Camping

Dispersed camping is allowed in the Wayne National Forest
Check the BTA section map for other sites

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

Dispersed and free camping

Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit. Dispersed camping is allowed across much of the national forest, free, with no permit for standard camping. Camp at least 200 feet from water, roads and trails, use existing fire rings, stay no more than 14 days in a 28-day period, and pack out everything. Camping is also allowed at trailheads if you do not block access. The boundary here is approximate; confirm on a national forest map.

Kinderhook Trailhead (Free primitive camping at an equestrian trailhead): Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit. Free primitive camping with fire pits and vault toilets; expect horse traffic.

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.

Lodging near the trail

Hampton Inn Marietta

Hotel, Marietta · about 6 miles from the drawn trail

Pet-friendly hotel a short drive from the Whipple and Road Fork sections.

Directions Call 740-373-5353

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

Water

Very limited; carry plenty and filter every natural source.

Take the stops with you

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

Google Maps: stops 1 to 2

The file holds 2 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.