Day Hiking Areas

• Athens Ranger District - Athens Area

  Located 70 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, the Athens Unit of the Athens Ranger District is home to the Wayne National Forest Welcome Center. From here you can learn about all that the Wayne National Forest has to offer and plan your trip.

• Baileys Trail System
• Burr Oak Cove Campground
• Monday Creek OHV System

  The Monday Creek area of the Wayne National Forest provides some excellent opportunities for riding off-highway vehicles (OHVs). This trail system, north of Nelsonville, provides approximately 75 miles of designated trails to OHV riders, mountain bikers, and hikers. Loading ramps are available at the New Straitsville and White Oak Trailheads.

  Trailheads

  • Monday Creek Trailhead
  • Sycamore Trailhead
  • Elm Trailhead
  • Scarlet Trailhead
  • Red Oak Trailhead
  • White Oak Trailhead
  • Long Ridge Trailhead
  • New Straitsville Trailhead
• Elm Trailhead
• Long Ridge Trailhead
• Monday Creek Trailhead
• New Straitsville Trailhead
• Red Oak Trailhead
• Scarlet Oak Trailhead
• Sycamore Trailhead
• White Oak Trailhead
• Rutherford Wetland
• Stone Church Horseback Riding System

  Named for the skeletal ruins of an old stone church nearby, the Stone Church Horse Trail System provides a great opportunity for scenic riding. Various loops for other distances are available. The horse trail winds through the rolling hills of the Wayne National Forest. The trails will lead you through a variety of vegetation- open fields, brushland, mature forest, and new forest. Along the way, you may glimpse wildlife, and will recognize the influence of humans, both now and in the past. You will also pass many of our land management activities.

  The trailhead provides a camp specifically for equestrians and 21 miles of scenic riding. The horse camp has ten sites are provided at the campground, each with a 45' long by 15' wide parking space. Two sites are fully accessible for people with disabilities. Each site has a covered paddock, fire pit, grill, and tent pad.

• Old Stone Church Trailhead
• Stone Church Horse Camp
• Wildcat Hollow
• Athens Ranger District - Marietta Area

  Located in Marrietta, OH, the Marietta Unit serves the southeastern parts of Ohio's Wayne National Forest. 

  Office Contact Information

  • ​Phone: (740) 373-9055
  • Address: 27750 Star Route 7, Marietta, OH 45750
• Hune Bridge Campground
• Kinderhook Horseback Riding System

  This is the Wayne National Forest's newest trail system which provides 12 miles of scenic riding. Horses, mountain bike riders, and hikers are welcome on this trail.The trail winds through some of the steeper hills on the Wayne National Forest. It will lead you through a variety of vegetation: open fields, brushland, mature forest, and new forest. Along the way, you may glimpse wildlife, and will recognize the influence of humans, both now and in the past. You will also pass many of our land management activities.

• Kinderhook Trailhead
• Lamping Homestead Recreation Area
• Leith Run Recreation Area
• North Country Trail

  The NCT crosses two administrative units (Athens and Marietta) of the Wayne National Forest. The segment on the Athens Unit is approximately 20 miles in length. The segment on the Marietta Unit is approximately 41 miles. The trail section is laid out over terrain which is surprisingly rugged and includes several special features, such as a natural bridge, a large rock shelter, covered bridges, and an historic rock house.

  The NCT is co-located with the Ohio Buckeye Trail, which provides the link between the NCT trails on the Athens and Marietta Unit. In some places, the trail follows roads. This National Scenic Trail, once completed will extend 3,200 miles, through seven states, from New York to North Dakota. The trail will eventually link the Appalachian Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail, and the Pacific Crest Trail.

• Archer's Fork Loop Trail
• Covered Bridge Trail
• Ohio View Trail
• Ring Mill Campground
• Scenic River Trailhead
• Ironton Ranger District - Ironton Area

  The Ironton Ranger District is located in Lawrence, Scioto, Gallia, and Jackson counties.  Total acreage is 107,090 acres. Visitor information can be obtained from the Ironton Ranger Station located north of Ironton, Ohio in Pedro, Ohio. 

• Hanging Rock OHV System

  The Hanging Rock area of the Wayne National Forest provides some excellent opportunities for riding off-highway vehicles (OHVs). This system has 26 miles of trail available for off-highway vehicle, mountain bike, and hiking use.

  These trails wind through an area strip-mined in the 1960's and 1970's. Much of the upland area was badly scarred, and some areas are left with steep slopes providing challenging trails to riders. The area is also known for its fishing ponds, 51 of which are available for fishing. The ponds which are scattered along the OHV trail, lend a picturesque backdrop to an OHV ride.

  Trailhead

  • Hanging Rock Trailhead
• Hanging Rock Trailhead
• Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area

  The Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area is the Wayne National Forest's premier developed recreation site and is named after the historic Vesuvius Iron Furnace. The rugged hills and out-cropping cliffs provide a scenic backdrop for this historical and beautiful site.

  It contains a 143-acre lake, two family campgrounds and one group campground, beach and swim area, multiple picnic areas, fishing, boating, hiking, scenic overlook and an archery trail. This recreation area is home to the 46-mile Lake Vesuvius Horse Trail System, open from early spring to winter.

• Iron Ridge Campground
• Lake Vesuvius - Roadside Picnic Area (not shelter)
• Lake Vesuvius Boardwalk Trail
• Balancing Rock Trailhead
• Bluegrass Trailhead
• John's Creek Trailhead
• Paddle Creek Horse Camp
• Sand Hill Trailhead
• Lake Vesuvius Picnic Areas - Roadside Shelter
• Oak Hill Campground

  The new campground is beautifully designed with 27 RV (includes Pine Knob Loop) sites and one group site (Two Points Group Camp). All campsites are fully accessible with water and electrical hook-ups. Two new flush restrooms with showers and one new vault restroom were installed. Campsites 2, 11, 19, 20, and 21 are not reservable. The sites have been designated for hosts or volunteers.

  This family campground is located on a ridge on the west side of Lake Vesuvius.

  There are 4 hiking trails that connect to different parts of this campground and boat dock. The Rock House, Black Oak, Old Beach, and Scarlet Oak Trails form a 1.5 mile loop with a 200-foot elevation change.

  Black Oak Trail starts along the Rock House Trail and leads to Oak Hill Campground at the Black Oak parking area. The elevation change is 140 feet from the bottom to top of this 0.34 mile trail.

  White Oak Trail is 0.14 miles and is a short cut between the Black Oak Trail and the White Oak Camping Loop.

  Old Beach Trail is 0.61 miles long and starts at the Black Oak parking area in Oak Hill Campground. The trail follows the scenic old beach road to the Scarlet Oak Loop of Oak Hill campground.

  Scarlet Oak Trail is 0.45 miles long and starts at the Scarlet Oak Loop of the Oak Hill Campground and ends at the boat dock. The elevation change in this trail is approximately 200 feet.

  Chart on Oak Hill Campground Trails.
   

• Rock House Trailhead
• Pine Creek OHV System

  Trail Advisory-Wayne National Forest Supervisor Anthony Scardina has issued a Closure Order for a portion of the Telegraph Trail, located on the Ironton Ranger District in Lawrence County. The order is necessary to prevent unlawful access to private property and to protect national forest property and resources. The order includes a 3.2-mile section of trail located between the Telegraph Trailhead and the intersection of Brushy Fork Road. The Forest Service has determined that the section of trail is on private property and will need to be rerouted.

  The order does not include the Telegraph Trailhead near State Route 93. Off-highway vehicle riders will need to find another option to access the Pine Creek OHV Trail System. Riders can access the trail system from the Lyra and Wolcott Trailheads.

  The order will remain in effect until it has been terminated by the Forest Supervisor.  An order violation is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than (6) months, or both.

  The Pine Creek area of the Wayne National Forest provides some excellent opportunities for riding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and off-highway motorcycles (OHMs).

  This trail system provides approximately 20 miles of trails for off-road vehicle, hiking, and mountain bike use.

  Trailheads

  • Telegraph Trailhead
  • Wolcott Trailhead
  • Lyra Trailhead

   

• Lyra Trailhead
• Telegraph Trailhead
• Wolcott Trailhead
• Superior Trailhead
• Symmes Creek/Morgan Sisters Trail

  This trailhead is part of the Symmes Creek/Morgan Sisters Trail System. These 6 trails are located in Gallia County, Ohio near Patriot. The trails travel through dense vegetation and over hilly rough terrain with elevation changes of 280 feet. The lowest elevation is 650 feet at Symmes Creek and the highest point is 934 feet on the School House Loop.

  Symmes Creek Trails

  Symmes Creek North and Symmes Creek South Trails are on the east side of the creek and form a 4.53 mile loop. The trails wind through a variety of young and old forests, along ridgetops, and with occasional overlooks. Along Symmes Creek there are large rock outcroppings and natural wetlands that are reminders of past uses of the land.

  Morgan Sisters Trails

  The Morgan Sisters Trail System is made up by the Coal Branch, Ridge, and School House loop trails and is located on the west side of Symmes Creek. The Morgan Sisters Trails wind through mature woods with old building sites along the trail. These trails are linked to the two Symmes Creek trails by a short connector trail.

  All trails in this trail system are marked with white.

• Morgan Sisters Trailhead
• Symmes Creek East Trailhead
• Symmes Creek West Trailhead
• Timbre Ridge Lake