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

Fernwood State Forest

Bloomingdale · Jefferson County · Eastern Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
3,023acres
0.5trail miles
1961established
11 Twp Rd 181, Bloomingdale Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

Fernwood is a forest that came back from the dead. Much of this ground was strip-mined for coal, leaving acid mine drainage and scarred slopes. The state began buying land here in 1961 and added more in 1996, and reclamation work paid for through the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 and Ohio's capital improvements program turned it back into forest. Limestone deposits in the area help neutralize the acid runoff, which helped the trees take hold.

Today the forest is a case study in recovery. A Land Lab just outside the campground, run with the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District and the county conservation education committee, teaches natural resource conservation. Ponds throughout the property offer fishing, and the hills carry a young, regrown mix of hardwoods.

It is also a place that people come for the practical things: a free campground, a shooting range complex that the state recently renovated, and a quiet corner of Jefferson County that few travelers know about. Little Round Top, a rock formation, and the Scenic Vista overlook give good views across the county.

Things to do in the park

  • Camp free at the 22-site Hidden Hollow Campground
  • Shoot at the renovated pistol, rifle and trap ranges (free)
  • Picnic at Little Round Top or the Scenic Vista overlook
  • Hike the Land Lab trails and the 3-mile overlook trail
  • Fish the forest ponds and hunt in season

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Fernwood State Forest.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Jefferson Lake State Park, about 20 minutes north, with camping and an 18-mile trail system
  • Steubenville and Historic Fort Steuben on the Ohio River
  • Yellow Creek State Forest, which shares a forestry office with Fernwood
  • Beaver Creek State Forest and the Little Beaver Creek National Wild and Scenic River, about 40 minutes north

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.
Primary official source
ODNR park finder (search this park)
Location confidence
Verified property location
Fernwood State Forest, 11 Twp Rd 181, Bloomingdale
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Reservations or tickets
ReserveOhio — camping and cabin bookings
Hunting or permits
Hunters pursue white-tailed deer, turkey and small game under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules. No firearm may be discharged within 400 feet of a camping area, residence or structure, and shooting is prohibited across roads and driveways. A shooting range complex southwest of Hidden Hollow Campground has separate pistol, rifle and trap ranges, free to use and open daily during daylight hours.

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.

Hiking trails

Two short trails of about 0.5 mile each loop around the Hidden Hollow Campground (part of the Land Lab), and a 3-mile trail near forest headquarters reaches scenic overlooks and varied forest habitats.

Wildlife you might see

  • White-tailed deer and wild turkey
  • Small game and songbirds in reclaimed forest and meadows
  • Fish in the forest's ponds (check ODNR's fishing maps for species)

Birding

Fernwood State Forest's unglaciated hill-country forest is classic Appalachian warbler habitat — listen for these species in the canopy and understory during the late-spring dawn chorus.

  • Broad-winged Hawk
  • Black-and-white Warbler
  • Ruffed Grouse (increasingly uncommon)
  • Black-throated Green Warbler
  • Cerulean Warbler
  • Chestnut-sided Warbler
  • Worm-eating Warbler
  • American Redstart
  • Kentucky Warbler
  • Scarlet Tanager
  • Hooded Warbler
  • White-breasted Nuthatch

Late April into May, for spring warbler migration and the dawn chorus, is the best time to visit. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Ponds throughout the forest provide fishing. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Hunters pursue white-tailed deer, turkey and small game under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules. No firearm may be discharged within 400 feet of a camping area, residence or structure, and shooting is prohibited across roads and driveways. A shooting range complex southwest of Hidden Hollow Campground has separate pistol, rifle and trap ranges, free to use and open daily during daylight hours.

The Forest Built From Scars

Fernwood was not always a forest. Much of this ground was strip-mined for coal, leaving a torn-up landscape and the acid drainage that so often follows. The state began buying land here in 1961 and added more in 1996. Then came the long work of putting it back. A federal law, the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, and Ohio's capital improvements program paid for reclamation, and crews graded the ground, planted trees and built ponds.

A piece of luck helped. Limestone in the area neutralizes acid runoff, which gave the young forest a chance to take hold. Today Fernwood is 3,023 acres of regrown woods, a Land Lab classroom and a free campground.

Behind the legend

This is a documented story, not a legend, and it is a good one because it can be checked. ODNR describes the acquisition years, the funding sources and the Land Lab, which is run with the Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District and the county conservation education committee. The forest's neighbor, Harrison State Forest, has the same origin, and about 100,000 trees were planted on 186 acres there in 1992 and 1993.

What the record does not give is a heroic date. Reclamation happened in stages over decades, and the ponds and hills you see are the result of that patient work more than of any single project.

If you go

Walk the short Land Lab trails near Hidden Hollow Campground, then drive to the Scenic Vista overlook and Little Round Top to see how far the land has come.

Mounds & earthworks near Fernwood State Forest

Ancient earthworks within easy reach of this park. Tap one for its history, legends and visiting details.

Grave Creek Mound (Moundsville, W.Va.)

Moundsville · Marshall County, West Virginia · Just over the line
A 62-foot Adena burial mound in the middle of Moundsville, beside a free museum, about 15 minutes over the river from eastern Ohio.
National Historic Landmark
About 29 miles from this park · Built in stages about 250 to 150 BCE

Campsites

Hidden Hollow family campsite
22 sites · paved pads, picnic tables and fire rings · vault latrines · non-potable water · RVs allowed · self-register with a card at the comment box
Free

On site

  • Vault latrines
  • Non-potable water (bring your own drinking water)
  • Picnic tables and fire rings at most sites
  • Grey water dump on site
  • Law enforcement patrols daily
Fernwood State Forest details (ODNR) →
Camping at Hidden Hollow is free and first-come, first-served, and there is nothing to reserve. Campers self-register by filling out a card at the comment box, and stays are limited to 14 nights in any 30 days. Tapping through opens ODNR's forestry site for maps and current conditions.
Prefer the phone?740-266-6021

The campground sits close to the shooting range, so you will hear gunfire during the day and early in the morning. Bring your own drinking water, since the water at the campground is non-potable. ATVs are not allowed.

Restaurants nearby

Jax Pizza
Local pizza favorite in Richmond; closed Mondays
Directions
Richmond Country Market
Grocery with a deli counter; known for fried chicken and jojos
Directions
Jeffro's Pizza
Square Ohio Valley-style pizza, open evenings daily
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Sunoco
Closest station, with a deli
Directions
Supermart
Family-owned station with a deli in Bergholz
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.