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.
Popular:
  • 117parks & forests
  • 64ancient mounds
  • 34waterfalls
  • 40historic sites
  • 33road trips

Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills · Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0

Explore by type

What are you in the mood for?

See every place →
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.

Plan a trip

Open the mapAll 365 places on one map. Filter by cabins, campsites, hunting, beaches and more.Explore the map → Browse by countyPick any of Ohio's 88 counties and see its parks, mounds, waterfalls and historic sites.Find your county → Build a tripSave places as you browse, then line them up into a weekend. Kept in your browser, nothing to sign up for.Start a trip →

Explore Ohio

One map for every park, mound, historic site, beach, cave, waterfall and oddity in the app.

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

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

Parks, forests & wildlife areas

Find a park

117 parks in 7 regions

Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area

Athens & Hocking Counties · Southeast Ohio
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
6,700acres
—trail miles
—established
Directions →Official source →

The story of this land

Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area is a state wildlife area in Athens and Hocking counties in southeast Ohio's hill country. County park listings give it roughly 6,700 acres, open to public hunting, with part of the Buckeye Trail passing through it. The ODNR trail overview map lists it along the route between Burr Oak State Park and the Hocking Hills.

Public information on this area is thin; the numbers here come from county and ODNR listings, so confirm boundaries and rules with the Ohio Division of Wildlife before you go.

Things to do in the park

  • Hike the Buckeye Trail through the area
  • Hunt in season
  • Watch for forest birds and deer

Trails

Maps, reviews and recent trail reports for Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area.

Find trails on AllTrails →

Things to do nearby

  • Burr Oak State Park to the east
  • Boch Hollow State Nature Preserve to the west
  • Hocking Hills State Park farther south

Visiting information you can trust

Check before driving — this site is seasonal, approximate, privately run, or otherwise uncertain. Confirm hours and access with the official source above.
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
Approximate — boundary or exact point not confirmed
Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area (Places point; address returned was a district office)
Check current conditions
Official conditions or closures
Hunting or permits
Open to public hunting under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules. A valid Ohio hunting license is required, and hunters should wear hunter orange in season.

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

Part of the Buckeye Trail passes through the area.

Wildlife you might see

  • Deer, turkey and small game
  • Mature hardwood forest on ridges and hollows
  • Songbirds and forest birds

Birding

Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area is managed as grassland and marsh for wildlife, so it favors open-country and marsh species over the forest birds found at Ohio's wooded state parks.

  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Yellow Warbler
  • Carolina Chickadee
  • Green Heron
  • Willow Flycatcher
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • Virginia Rail
  • Eastern Kingbird
  • Carolina Wren
  • Sora
  • Barn Swallow
  • Barred Owl

March–April and October–November for migrating waterfowl and raptors; June–July for nesting grassland and marsh birds. For a full, current checklist, search this park's name on eBird's Hotspot Explorer.

Fishing

  • Fishing is not a feature of the area. Ohio fishing license required for ages 16 and up.

Hunting

Open to public hunting under Ohio Division of Wildlife rules. A valid Ohio hunting license is required, and hunters should wear hunter orange in season.

The Buckeye Trail at Wallace H. O'Dowd Wildlife Area

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

9 New Straitsville Section

61 miles · Morgan, Athens, Hocking, Perry
State wildlife area the trail passes through
4 parksTrail towns

There is no developed camping in the wildlife area. Check with the Division of Wildlife before camping; Burr Oak State Park and Wayne National Forest are the nearest options.

Restaurants nearby

58 West
Brewery and distillery in historic downtown Logan. Closed Tuesdays
Directions
TheFeed
Excellent burgers, open daily
Directions

Gas stations nearby

Murphy USA
On the road toward Hocking Hills
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.