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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State parks & forests117 places, with cabins, campsites and trails117 places Waterfalls34 falls, with trail notes34 falls Mounds & earthworks64 ancient sites, from Serpent Mound to Newark64 ancient sites Caves & caverns12 show caverns, recess caves and rock shelters12 caves Lake Erie beaches20 public beaches, Conneaut to Toledo20 beaches Historic sites40 places, from the frontier to the Civil War40 places Road trips33 drives, from the Lincoln Highway to the Morgan Heritage Trail33 drives Oddities19 giants, ghosts and folk-art stops19 roadside stops The Buckeye TrailA 1,444-mile loop, all 26 sections1,444 miles

New to the guide?

Six places to start

One from every corner of the state, each with its full story inside.

01Old Man's CaveHocking Hills · SoutheastA gorge of waterfalls and recess caves where a hermit is said to have lived, with the park's visitor center. 02Great Serpent MoundAdams County · SouthwestA gigantic earthen snake on a hilltop over Ohio Brush Creek, built by a people whose name is still argued over. 03Brandywine FallsCuyahoga Valley · NortheastThe tallest waterfall in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, reached by an easy boardwalk with an accessible upper overlook. 04Marblehead LighthouseMarblehead · Lake ErieThe oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, lit since 1821, on nine acres of limestone shoreline. 05Zoar VillageTuscarawas County · EasternA well-preserved communal village founded by German separatists in 1817, on the Ohio & Erie Canal. 06Longaberger Basket BuildingNewark · CentralA seven-story office building shaped like a picnic basket, with handles that are heated in winter.

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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

Portsmouth Earthworks

Portsmouth · Scioto County · Southern Ohio
A giant Hopewell ceremonial center mostly buried under a city
National Register of Historic Places
Directions →

A vast ceremonial center at the meeting of two rivers, mostly lost to the city that grew on top of it.

Setting
Where the Scioto River meets the Ohio
Three walkways
Long earthen-walled roads that led out of the complex
Today
Nearly all of the Ohio-side works lie beneath Portsmouth's streets and buildings
Nearby
Tremper Mound, five miles north, is one of the few visible reminders

The story

At the confluence of the Scioto and the Ohio, the Hopewell built one of their largest ceremonial centers. Three long walkways, each bordered by earthen walls, ran out from the complex on the Ohio side. Today nearly all of the Portsmouth Works lie buried beneath the city's residential and business districts, and a few sections survive across the river in Kentucky and are listed on the National Register.

Because so little is left, Tremper Mound, five miles north, has become even more important.

Related sites

Visiting information you can trust

Content last reviewed
September 2026 — this is when Field Notes Ohio's content was last checked, not a live status.
Location confidence
Verified entrance or visitor center
Published coordinates

Prices, hours, closures, campsite availability and trail conditions shown elsewhere on this page are not live — always confirm with the official source before you go.

The City on Top of the Sacred Way

Portsmouth grew up at the meeting of two great rivers, which is exactly why the Hopewell chose the place first. They built long walled roads and enclosures, and two thousand years later the city built its streets over them. A city of houses sits where the sacred ways used to run.

Squier and Davis mapped the works before they vanished, and a 3D simulation now shows what the whole complex looked like.

Behind the legend

The disappearance is documented: nearly all the Ohio-side works are beneath the city. The Kentucky-side sites, like the Biggs site across the river, are connected to Portsmouth's works.

The Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center in Portsmouth holds Hopewell artifacts from the area, including from Tremper Mound.

If you go

Visit the Southern Ohio Museum and read the Scioto Historical page on the Portsmouth Earthworks. Then drive north to Tremper Mound.

Visiting

Status
Mostly buried
Managed by
Various
Hours
Portions in Portsmouth and across the river in Kentucky; check locally.
Directions

Parks nearby

Shawnee State Park
About 20 miles · Shawnee State Park, on the Little Smokies.
Open
Shawnee State Forest
About 18 miles · Ohio's largest state forest.
Open

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.