Ohio’s only national forest spans 243,180 acres across the Appalachian foothills of the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, offering a rugged landscape shaped by ancient sandstone, shale formations, and a rich coal-mining heritage. Established in 1992, Wayne National Forest stretches across three distinct units—Athens, Marietta, and Ironton—each with its own character and terrain.
The forest serves as a major corridor for the North Country Trail, which converges here with the Buckeye Trail and American Discovery Trail, creating an exceptional network for long-distance hikers and day-trippers alike. These intersecting routes wind through recovering woodlands that have transformed former mining land into thriving forest ecosystems.
Four campgrounds provide base camps for exploration: Oak Hill, Leith Run, Iron Ridge, and Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area. Lake Vesuvius stands out as a centerpiece destination, where visitors can fish for bass and bluegill, paddle calm waters, and access multiple trailheads directly from camp.
Spring brings wildflower displays across the forest floor, while fall transforms the hardwood canopy into brilliant reds and golds—prime seasons for hiking the plateau’s ridgelines and hollows. Summer offers full access to water activities and camping, though humidity runs high. Winter hiking rewards visitors with clear sightlines through bare trees and solitude on the trails.
Forest headquarters sit along US Route 33 between The Plains and Nelsonville, overlooking the Hocking River valley. This central location provides easy orientation for first-time visitors planning routes into any of the three forest units.
Explore Nearby
- Burr Oak State Park — State Park in Ohio
- Lake Logan State Park — State Park in Ohio
- Hocking Hills Scenic Byway — Scenic Byway in Ohio
- Scenic Olentangy Heritage Corridor — Scenic Byway in Ohio
- Bennett’s Mill Covered Bridge — Covered Bridge in Kentucky
