Backpacking in Ohio?

“Hey does anyone know of any cool places to bpack in Ohio? My 12 yr. old cousin is beggin to go on a trip and I wanted to take him to Mt. Rogers in VA...but my picking him up in Ada, Ohio and then going back to VA for an overnighter doesn't look feasible at the moment.

He's never been bpacking before and I know nothing about Ohio except that its flat where he lives...and I hate flat stuff sooo any suggestions? Where to go for some easy hiking ...perhaps something with some nice views?”

“attila and pinkfleece and i went someplace in eastern ohio. cant remember the name of it at the moment”

“zaleski”

“zaleski. not easy, not super hard, kind of moderate, but some nice scenic spots”

“jinx! you owe me a coke”

“was it pretty? were there views...do they even have moutains in OHIO!?!! lol. The last time I was there all I remember was flatness that went on forever and corn everywhere. It was the most disturbing thing I'd ever seen.

On another note, if you can think of anyplace cool to go....if anyones interested in joinin that'd be cool. I'd rather not trapes off some place I've never been with my 12 yr. old cousin....for obvious reasons. lol.”

“zaleski...sounds interesting. It doesn't have to be "easy" we just won't be able to hike far..it'll be more like ...camping then backpacking. The goal is to hoook the kid and get him addicted so when he grows up I'll forever have a hiking partner! MUHAHAHAHAHA oh my evil plan. lol.”

“zaleski is pretty. and rugged. and they got some big steep hills. you could make just about any size loop you want. just dont ask pinkfleece to show you around. youll end up in michigan or something”

“LOL. thats funny. I love pretty and rugged. I didn't realize they had anything but corn over there. I'll try and figure out how far away it is from Ada, Ohio.

Any idea where to look for maps. I'm lookin at the state forest web page...but at the moment I can't find what I'm lookin for.”

“I live in Ohio and have hiked most of the backpacking trails here. Zaleski is overcrowded and full of pointless-up-and-downs (PUDS) there is some history and views (small) to see if you take a trailmap from the trialhead. You can almost drive up to every campsite just like you can in Shawnee so you can stash your gear and hike more in less time if you need to. Personally I like Vesuvius the best and then Archers Fork. Hocking Hills is a state favorite but no backpacking, just hiking, but you can camp in the park.”

“thanks Dub. I'll try to look it up.”

“hmmmm i musta went at a good time, because zaleski wasnt crowded when i was there. it was late in the year, some time in the fall, i believe. its the only place in ohio ive been backpacking”

“I found Zaleski very boring”

“i find YOU very boring

:-P”

“you are so boring that you had to leave the country to find someone to talk to”

“zing!”

“zaleski is close to ohio university and most people think it's ohio's only backpacking trail plus with easy access to the campsites via a road you get all the lazy bums and boyscouts with the cast iron equipment they drive in and then hike down the shortest trail.

If you're going to ada you're not going to be anywhere close to these trails.”

“Lake vesuvius is nicer than Zeleski I think. The lakeshore trail has a nice view of the lake, it's not too tough, you can camp anywhere ya want once you get in a ways and I've never seen it crowded there. Here's a map...

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wayne/recreation_sites/trails/Vesuvius.pdf

Really though as far north as Ada is you'd be closer just going on to lower Michigan for backpacking.”

“you'd be closer just going on to lower Michigan for backpacking.”

i hear the gang colors in detroit are lovely this time of year”

“Breathtaking really.

Lower Michigan doesn't have much hiking within four hours drive of the Ohio border. All the good stuff is north of grayling. The only trail with camping possibilities is the Waterloo-Pinckney trail, which isn't bad for where it's at. Look near Jackson, MI for location. If you end up in Michigan give us a holler and we'll give you any help we can S.P.Stu.”

“argh. thats frustrating. Zaleski, according to map quest is only 2-3 hours away....Maybe I can talk his parents into driving him partway to VA. Mt. Rogers really is rather magical...or it was for me when I first went there. I believe my lil cousin would agree.”

“red river gorge in KY is also an option, but the nice thing about Zaleski is the ease of use. For young kids, you don't hit them upside the head with LNT pooping (there are outhouses at each camp location), or water gathering/filtering (each site has nice fresh water out of a pump). The trail shouldn't be too crowded this time of year due to kids going back to school, and Ohio State Buckeye Football season. :)”

“I don't think you can really "backpack" there, but there are some nice trails in Mohican State Park, which is north of Columbus and a much shorter drive for you. I think you have to camp in the SP campground. Also a really nice canoeing area, with a nice gorge.

Otherwise, Zaleski, Tar Hollow and Burr Oak(kind of), Shawnee, Vesuvius and a few others in Wayne National Forest are about all Ohio has in terms of real backpacking. I've backpacked in all three within the past 2 years, and none of them has ANYTHING on Red River Gorge, which is 2 hours from Cincinnati.

Bigben”

“Come on over to Indiana and check out the Deam Wilderness”

“Dolly Sods in WV (5 hours from Columbus) is the best hiking, best views, and most interesting place closest to Ohio. I agree with WK though, I like Deam quite a bit and it's 4 hours from Columbus.”

“Yeah I had the thought about Dolly Sods so I map quested it and its almost 6 hours...so if I drive to Ohio thats like 8 and then another 6...and this is all within the scope of a weekend, the kids got school. There'd be no time for bpacking. lol.

I'm gonna have to come up with some other idea or talk his parents into driving somewhere part way.”

“Mt. Rogers really is rather magical...or it was for me when I first went there it was for me too.....i got great pictures of the wild horses, and my first bear story happened there
last edited: 9/12/07 7:39:39 PM”

“Really a bear story on Mt. Rogers? I've never seen a bear up there and I've spent many many weekends roaming around in them parts.

What happened?”