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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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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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

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117 parks in 7 regions

Scioto Trail State Forest

Chillicothe · Ross & Pike Counties · Southern Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
9,371acres
4.5trail miles
1922established

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
Scioto Trail State Forest Office, 2731 Stoney Creek Rd, Chillicothe
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
The forest is open to public hunting in season under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules, and hunters should wear blaze orange. A valid Ohio hunting license is required.

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 story of this land

Scioto Trail State Forest is named for a road older than the state, the Scioto Trail, a Native path along the Scioto River that Route 23 roughly follows today. Ohio began buying the worn-out hill farms here in 1922 and had most of the forest by 1937. The first 9,088 acres averaged $7.70 an acre. In the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps ran Camp Stoney Creek here from 1933 to 1937 and built most of the roads, the recreation facilities and Caldwell Lake.

The ground has a stranger chapter too. During World War I it served as an artillery range for Camp Sherman, with 75-millimeter guns and six-inch howitzers firing from the mouth of Stoney Creek toward what is now Caldwell Lake. In Caldwell Lake Hollow stand a replica of the plain log church of Chillicothe's First Presbyterian congregation, whose members first gathered in 1797, and a monument to William Hewitt, a hermit who lived in a nearby cave until his death in 1838.

Things to do in the park

  • Hike the Buckeye Trail across the forest
  • Ride the forest roads and bridle trails
  • Find the log church replica and the hermit's monument in Caldwell Lake Hollow
  • Camp at Scioto Trail State Park inside the forest
  • Fish and swim at Caldwell Lake

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Scioto Trail State Forest.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and Adena Mansion in Chillicothe
  • Great Seal State Park, north of Chillicothe
  • Pike State Forest and Pike Lake State Park to the south
  • Story Mound and the Adena Mound in Chillicothe

Hiking trails

About 4.5 miles of the Buckeye Trail cross the forest, plus a network of forest roads and bridle trails and short trails in the state park.

Wildlife you might see

  • Mature hardwood forest on CCC-restored hills
  • Public hunting in season
  • Caldwell Lake and its beach

Fishing

  • Caldwell Lake in the state park offers fishing. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

The forest is open to public hunting in season under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules, and hunters should wear blaze orange. A valid Ohio hunting license is required.

The Guns at Stoney Creek

In 1917 the army needed somewhere to train artillery crews for Camp Sherman, and these hills south of Chillicothe were empty enough to serve. Seventy-five millimeter guns and six-inch howitzers were set up at the mouth of Stoney Creek and fired into the valley where Caldwell Lake is today. For a while these ridges rang with shellfire.

Then the war ended, the state bought the land, and the CCC arrived to build the lake, the roads and the campground. Anyone who pitches a tent in the state park today is, as one history of the place puts it, camping on a former impact zone.

Behind the legend

The artillery range is part of ODNR's history of the park and forest, and it ties this place to Chillicothe's other World War I story: Camp Sherman was also built over the Mound City earthworks. The rest of the timeline is on record too: the state began buying land in 1922, had most of it by 1937 and ran the CCC's Camp Stoney Creek here from 1933 to 1937.

In Caldwell Lake Hollow, the log church replica and the monument to the hermit William Hewitt, who lived in a cave until 1838, add older layers of local story.

If you go

Walk the Buckeye Trail across the forest, then find the log church replica and the hermit's monument in Caldwell Lake Hollow. See the Mound City entry for the other side of the Camp Sherman story.

The Buckeye Trail at Scioto Trail State Forest

Ohio's 1,444-mile blue-blazed loop passes through or beside this park. Tap a section for its route, camping, water and resupply.

11 Scioto Trail Section

61 miles · Vinton, Hocking, Ross, Pike
About 4.5 miles of trail cross the forest
4 parks

Camping is at Scioto Trail State Park inside the forest, which has a 112-site campground and heated cabins. The Buckeye Trail Association does not manage camping here, and dispersed camping is not allowed on state land without permission.

Where to camp nearby

Scioto Trail State Park Campground
Campground inside the forest, near Caldwell Lake
Directions

Restaurants nearby

Old Canal Smoke House
Barbecue downtown, about 15 minutes north. Closed Wednesdays
Directions
Bell Farms
Brisket and homestyle cooking. Thu–Sun only
Directions
Dock At Water
Open daily, reliable pub menu
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Speedway
24 hours, the closest full-service stop north of the park
Directions
Sheetz
24 hours with hot food
Directions

Details last checked 2026-09-22. Confirm hours and prices before you go.