Wildcat Hollow Trail

Wayne National Forest, Athens Unit (near Corning and Burr Oak State Park)

Wildcat Hollow is a 15-mile loop in the Athens Unit of the Wayne National Forest, just north of Burr Oak State Park. The Forest Service’s trail brochure calls it “one of the District’s most popular hiking trails,” and Athens Conservancy says it is the only dedicated backpacking trail in the Athens District.

There are no designated campsites. You can camp almost anywhere along the way, and dozens of well-used spots line the trail.

The hike

The trailhead is on Sunday Creek Road, with a gravel lot, a latrine, and a kiosk map, per BackpackOhio. The Forest Service brochure says the trail “winds along ridgetops and stream bottoms,” through white pine plantations, open meadows, deep deciduous forest, along quiet streams, and past rock outcroppings.

BackpackOhio, describing an April 2021 hike clockwise, crosses Eels Run, the first creek, near the trailhead. At about 2.5 miles, a 0.4-mile connector cuts across to mile 13.4, making a short loop of about 5.3 miles; Athens Conservancy calls it about 5 miles. The full loop continues past pine plantings and an old schoolhouse, crossing Chapel Hill Road at about 5.7 miles and Irish Ridge Road at 7.3, where BackpackOhio suggests caching water. The larger streams come near the trailhead and around mile 12.

BackpackOhio rates the loop “moderately easy,” with four climbs of 200 feet or more and none over about 250 feet, and says the trail is blazed with white diamonds and generally well drained. The first quarter mile can stay muddy for a while after rain. One Dyrt reviewer in 2019 turned back after finding a “cesspool of mud” between the trailhead and the loop.

Water is the main planning problem. BackpackOhio says there is no potable water at the trailhead or on the trail, and the Forest Service warns against drinking the forest’s springs and streams because of past mining. A 2020 Dyrt reviewer noted signs at the trailhead saying the same and active oil drilling in one hollow.

Wildcat Hollow can be linked to Burr Oak State Park’s backpack trail, which ODNR says runs about 18 miles around Burr Oak Lake, nearly 13 of them on the Buckeye Trail. Athens Conservancy says a 0.1-mile stretch of Sunday Creek Road connects the two trailheads, and BackpackOhio says the combination adds 20 or more miles. Camping there follows state park rules, not the national forest’s.

Dyrt reviewers describe a quiet trail once you’re past the first mile: one saw only two other people, and another wrote that “the further you go, the less you see of people.”

For a more rugged Wayne loop with rock shelters, see Archers Fork.

Tips

Carry or cache your water. Don’t plan on filtering stream water here.
Try the short loop for a first overnight; it uses the 0.4-mile cutoff.
Go deeper for quiet. Reviewers say the sites near the trailhead fill first.
Expect mud near the trailhead after rain.
Wear blaze orange in deer season.
Pack out everything; trailheads rarely have trash service (Forest Service).

Camping

Camping is allowed anywhere on the Wayne National Forest except in developed recreation areas, where you must use designated sites (Forest Service brochure). Athens Conservancy adds that you should camp away from roads and trails, except where no camping is posted. Don’t cut vegetation, use portable stoves where you can, keep fires 150 feet from trails and burn only dead and down wood, and dig cat holes 200 feet from water, camp, and trails. Groups larger than 25 need a permit. The Forest Service’s camping page says small fires are allowed except during extremely high fire danger and asks campers to use existing fire rings. No permit or fee is needed for ordinary groups (BackpackOhio). BackpackOhio counted about three dozen established sites along the trail, a couple on the short-loop connector.

Inside Intel: Reviewers on The Dyrt agree that the easy sites within the first mile go first, especially on busy days. One (2022) wrote that “the good sites are miles in and will necessitate doing the entire loop,” and another (2019) called the remote sites “quite secluded,” with many to choose from. A 2020 reviewer described semi-cleared spots with stone fire rings every couple of miles.

Trail facts

Distance: 15.6 miles (BackpackOhio); 15 to 17.2 in other sources
Route type: Loop, with a 5-mile short loop
Difficulty: Moderate
Campsites: Dispersed; about three dozen established sites
Water: None reliable; carry or cache it
Permits: None (groups over 25 need one)
Fires: Allowed except in extreme fire danger; 150 feet from trails
Trailhead: Sunday Creek Road, north of Burr Oak State Park
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Dinner on the water you hauled in:

The Forest Service warns against Wildcat Hollow's stream water, so plan meals around what you carry or cache at a road crossing. See the backpacking meals testers like.

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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.