Logan Trail at Tar Hollow

Tar Hollow State Park and State Forest (near Kingston and Chillicothe)

Tar Hollow pairs a state park around 15-acre Pine Lake with the adjacent Tar Hollow State Forest. The Logan Trail, marked with red blazes, ties them together in a 21-mile figure eight that ODNR describes as having difficult terrain.

The Division of Forestry’s guide calls it a shorter, “challenging, but less strenuous” alternative to the Zaleski and Shawnee backpack trails, with one walk-in camp area.

The hike

The figure eight’s two loops, North and South, are about the same length and meet at the Fire Tower Trailhead on South Ridge Road, according to BackpackOhio. The ODNR park page puts parking and a trailhead near the dam spillway at Pine Lake, and BackpackOhio lists a Pine Lake Trailhead with latrines. Part of the route is shared with the light-blue-blazed Buckeye Trail.

BackpackOhio rates the trail challenging, with about six steep climbs of 300 to 400 feet between creek valleys and ridges, and says the red blazes are generally good but some areas are confusing. Hiking Project’s North Loop page goes further: the blazes are red dots or arrows that are hard to spot after leaf-out, some road crossings are poorly marked, and the western half follows bulldozed, eroded grades, with a descent from the ridge the author calls “a mess.” It adds, “If you like PUDs (pointless ups and downs) you’ll love the eastern half.”

The scenery is mostly forest: pine groves, older woods, clear creeks in the valleys, and Pine Lake, with a beach and seasonal boat rental, per BackpackOhio. Hiking Project mentions spring wildflowers and fall color, and says the western half has the best spots to filter water, with the southeast leg the driest.

Hazards are typical of southern Ohio but worth noting. Hiking Project says Tar Hollow is one of the few places in Ohio where timber rattlesnakes still live, and that stinging nettles crowd the stream beds, so long pants help. Ticks were numerous in one report.

Active forestry shapes the route. BackpackOhio’s April 2021 hike detoured around active cutting, and in 2026 ODNR lists temporary closures on other forest trails for timber management, so expect the occasional reroute and follow the blazes you find.

The camp sits near the center of the figure eight, which makes a two-night trip easy: one loop each day from a single base. For longer southeast Ohio trips, see Zaleski and Shawnee.

Tips

Register before camping at the park’s General Store or Park Office (ODNR), and confirm the process when you call.
Carry your water. BackpackOhio and Hiking Project report none along the trail or at the fire tower camp.
Wear long pants for nettles, and watch for rattlesnakes.
Carry a map. Blazes fade after leaf-out and reroutes appear around logging.
Expect mud and erosion on the western half’s old dozer tracks.
Wear orange in hunting season.

Camping

ODNR’s park page says backpack camping is at the fire tower, at the center of the Logan Trail in the state forest. Sites are first come, first served, and campers register at the park’s General Store, open seasonally, or the Park Office. BackpackOhio describes the camp as next to the Fire Tower Trailhead, with picnic tables, fire rings, and a latrine a short walk away. Camping on state forest land is allowed only in areas provided for it, and fires only in provided fire rings or portable stoves, never unattended (ODNR). BackpackOhio also reports a no-fee, no-permit camp called Camp Dulen about halfway around the South Loop; confirm with the forest before relying on it.

Inside Intel: No camper accounts recommending a specific site were found. Hiking Project notes tent pads below the privy at the fire tower camp and no water there.

Trail facts

Distance: 21 miles (ODNR); 20 miles on the park map
Route type: Figure eight
Difficulty: Strenuous for its length
Campsites: Backpack camp at the fire tower; Camp Dulen reported on the South Loop
Water: None on the trail or at the fire tower camp; seasonal in the state park
Permits: Register at the General Store or Park Office
Fires: Fire rings or stoves only
Trailheads: Fire Tower (South Ridge Road) or Pine Lake dam spillway
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Six steep climbs on Tar Hollow's Logan Trail:

BackpackOhio counts about six steep climbs of 300 to 400 feet on the Logan Trail, and Hiking Project calls one eroded ridge descent a mess. Our pole tips cover shorter poles uphill and longer down.

See the pole tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.