Old Stone Church Trailhead


Area Status: Open

This trailhead is part of the Stone Church Horse Trail 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 on 21 miles of trails. 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.

At a Glance

Current Conditions: Two trail bridges along the main loop are closed for public safety until further notice.
Operational Hours:
  • Trails are seasonally closed to horseback riding use from winter to early spring. Visit our Recreation page to see seasonal open and close dates for the current year.
  • Day and night (with lights) access is permitted.
  • Open year-round for hiking.
Fees: No trail permit is required.
Closest Towns: Shawnee, OH
Operated By:

Athens Ranger District

General Information

Directions:

To find this campground and trailhead west of Shawnee, OH:

  • Take State Route 93 out of Shawnee.
  • Turn left on County Road 38.
  • The Horse Camp and main trailhead is on the right, the old primitive campground trail head is further on to the west.

General Notes:

This trailhead is part of the The Stone Church Horseback Riding Trail System. Routes can be planned using a map of the trail system.


Parking:

Ample parking is available at trailheads.


Recreation Map

Map showing recreational areas. Map Information

Activities

Dispersed Camping

Primitive camping is allowed at no charge at the Old Stone Church Trailhead.

Fire Information
  • You can build a campfire as long as you have a 10 foot clearance around it and put a ring around it with rocks.
  • Fires must be extinguished before leaving camp.
  • No bonfires are allowed.
  • No standing or green trees may be cut.
  • Check the bulletin boards to ensure no fire bans are in effect.
No. of Sites Primitive camping is dispersed at trailhead.
Reservation Info Sites are not able to be reserved.
No. of Accessible sites 0

Day Hiking

Though this trail system is maintained primarily for horseback riders, hikers are welcome. 21 miles of trails are maintained but various loops for other distances are available.

Horse Camping

Primitive camping is available at this trailhead. A more developed campground is available at the Stone Church Trailhead and Horse Camp.

Corrals
Hitching Rails Yes
Loading Ramp
Size Restrictions Yes
Fire Information
  • You can build a campfire as long as you have a 10 foot clearance around it and put a ring around it with rocks.
  • Fires must be extinguished before leaving camp.
  • No bonfires are allowed.
  • No standing or green trees may be cut.
  • Check the bulletin boards to ensure no fire bans are in effect.
No. of Sites
Reservation Info Sites are not able to be reserved.
No. of Accessible sites
Watering Tank

Horse Riding

This 21-mile trail winds through the rolling hills of the Wayne National Forest.. It has been developed for horse use, but hiking is allowed.

Corrals  
Hitching Rails Yes
Loading Ramp  
Size Restrictions Yes
Water Availability?  
Permit required? No

Viewing Scenery

This trail system is pretty in any season. It winds past a particularly interesting feature- an old historic stone church. The church has fallen into ruin and only its walls remain with a cemetery spread out around it. With vines and arches, the remains of the church and its surrounding graves are a ghostly site.

Recreation Areas

Recreation Activities

Location

 
  Latitude : 
39.60849896

  Longitude : 
-82.2482071