Top Backpacking Trails in Ohio
10 routes. Each page shows when we last checked it. Updated October 2026.
Backpacking in Ohio means short to midlength trips through wooded hills, creek valleys, and old iron, coal, and oil country. The site’s trips fall into three groups: state forest backpack trails run by ODNR’s Division of Forestry (Zaleski, Shawnee, and the Logan Trail at Tar Hollow), loops in the Wayne National Forest (Archers Fork, Wildcat Hollow, and the Vesuvius Backpack Trail), and metro and state park trails closer to cities, including the Twin Valley Trail near Dayton, East Fork State Park, Battelle Darby Creek near Columbus, and the Ottawa Overlook sites in Cleveland Metroparks’ Brecksville Reservation.
Climbs are short but frequent, often 200 to 400 feet between creeks and ridges. Shawnee, which guides call the “Little Smokies of Ohio,” is the longest at 46.4 miles by ODNR’s count; the Brecksville sites are about 3 miles from the car.
Camping rules depend on the land manager. State forests use a free self-registration permit and designated camps, and you move each night. The Wayne allows camping almost anywhere outside developed recreation areas. The metro parks, East Fork, and Brecksville need permits or reservations, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park allows no camping.
Guides favor spring and fall. Summer brings heat, ticks, nettles, and in places, rattlesnakes and copperheads. Plan water carefully: the Forest Service warns against drinking the Wayne’s streams because of past mining. Deer seasons run from late September into February, so wear orange. Lake Vesuvius remains closed while drained for dam repairs.
Quick picks
- Longest trip: Shawnee State Forest Backpack Trail
- Shortest overnight: Buckeye Trail to Ottawa Overlook (Brecksville Reservation)
- Easy first overnight: Battelle Darby Creek Backpack Trail
- Natural bridge and rock shelters: Archers Fork Loop
- Dispersed camping loop: Wildcat Hollow Trail
Central Ohio
Northeast Ohio
Southeast Ohio
- Logan Trail at Tar Hollow Tar Hollow State Park and State Forest (near Kingston and Chillicothe) 21 miles Hard Backpack camp at the fire tower, first come, first served, registration required; a second forest camp reported on the South Loop
- Shawnee State Forest Backpack Trail Shawnee State Forest, Ohio Division of Forestry (west of Portsmouth) 46.4 miles Hard Seven designated backpack camps; free self-registration permit; first come, first served
- Zaleski State Forest Backpack Trail (Selinde Roosenburg Memorial) Zaleski State Forest, Ohio Division of Forestry (around Lake Hope State Park) 29 miles Moderate Three designated backpack camps; free self-registration permit; first come, first served
Southwest Ohio
- East Fork State Park Backpack Trail East Fork State Park, Ohio State Parks (Clermont County, east of Cincinnati) 16 miles Moderate Two backpack camps with Adirondack shelters; free permit required; one night per site
- Twin Valley Trail Germantown and Twin Creek MetroParks, Five Rivers MetroParks (near Germantown, south of Dayton) 27 miles Moderate Three backcountry camp areas; permit and reservation required
Wayne National Forest
- Archers Fork Loop Wayne National Forest, Marietta Unit (near New Matamoras) 14 miles Hard Dispersed camping; many established sites with fire rings; no permit
- Vesuvius Backpack Trail Wayne National Forest, Ironton Unit (Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area, north of Ironton) 16 miles Hard Dispersed camping outside the recreation area boundary; no permit
- Wildcat Hollow Trail Wayne National Forest, Athens Unit (near Corning and Burr Oak State Park) 15.6 miles Moderate Dispersed camping; dozens of established sites; no permit
Backpacking in Ohio: common questions
Do you need a permit to backpack in Ohio?
It depends on who manages the land. Ohio's state forest backpack trails at Zaleski, Shawnee, and Tar Hollow use a free self-registration permit filled out at the trailhead before you start, while the trail pages for the Wayne National Forest found no permit needed except for groups larger than 25. Metro park and state park trips such as Twin Valley, Battelle Darby Creek, East Fork, and the Brecksville Reservation's Ottawa Overlook sites need a permit or reservation, often for one night only, so check with the managing agency before you go.
Can you camp anywhere when backpacking in Ohio?
Only in some places. The Wayne National Forest allows camping almost anywhere outside developed recreation areas, such as the Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area, according to the Forest Service brochure cited on this site's trail pages. Ohio's state forests limit camping to designated backpack camps, require you to move to a different camp each day, and cap stays at 14 days in any 30-day period, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park prohibits camping and backcountry camping entirely. Rules vary by managing agency, so confirm where camping is allowed before you pick a spot.
Is it safe to drink stream water on Ohio backpacking trails?
Not always, so plan to carry or cache water. The Forest Service advises against drinking from springs and streams in the Wayne National Forest because of past mining, and guides report orange, acid mine drainage streams at Zaleski that a filter won't fix. State forest camps have water caches, but ODNR says they may not be serviced in winter, and several trips, such as Tar Hollow and East Fork, have no water on the trail itself.
When is the best time to backpack in Ohio?
Guides cited on this site's trail pages favor spring and fall, when it's cooler and, once the leaves drop, the ridges have views. Summer is hot and humid, with ticks, stinging nettles, and in places like Shawnee and Tar Hollow, timber rattlesnakes and copperheads. The Shawnee State Forest map lists March through May and October through November as forest fire danger periods, and winter can mean unserviced water caches, so check conditions with the managing agency first.
Is it safe to backpack in Ohio during hunting season?
Hunting is allowed on most state forest land and in the Wayne National Forest, so fall and winter trips overlap with hunters. ODNR's 2026-27 dates list deer archery season from September 26, 2026, to February 7, 2027, youth gun season on November 21-22, gun season from November 30 to December 6 and on December 19-20, and muzzleloader season from January 2 to 5, 2027, with fall turkey season running October 1 to 25. The Forest Service recommends blaze orange during hunting seasons, and you can confirm dates and local rules with ODNR.
Are any Ohio backpacking areas closed right now?
As of October 17, 2026, the Wayne National Forest's alerts page still lists Lake Vesuvius as closed to all public access under a September 19, 2025 order while the lake is drawn down for dam gate repairs; guides say the backpacking trails around it remain open, but confirm with the forest. The Forest Service's Archers Fork page (updated August 27, 2026) says Marietta Unit trails are open but may have heavy downed trees from a July 21 storm. Cuyahoga Valley National Park lists the Towpath Trail closed from Boston to Lock 29 in Peninsula, tentatively through November 20, 2026, and Cleveland Metroparks lists wildlife management in trailless areas of Brecksville Reservation through February 7, 2027.
Where this comes from
- U.S. Forest Service: Wayne National Forest alerts
- U.S. Forest Service: Archers Fork Loop Trail
- U.S. Forest Service: Wayne National Forest hiking
- Ohio Division of Forestry: State Forest Guide (updated Oct. 8, 2024)
- Ohio Division of Forestry: Shawnee backpack trail map and rules
- Ohio Division of Forestry: Zaleski backpack trail map and rules
- Ohio Division of Wildlife: 2026-27 hunting seasons
- National Park Service: Cuyahoga Valley camping
- National Park Service: Cuyahoga Valley current conditions
- Cleveland Metroparks: Alerts and closures