Located in the southern portion of the state, Shawnee State Forest is an ideal getaway from the greater Cincinnati area. Being the largest state forest in Ohio at 63,000 acres, it is commonly known as the "Little Smokies" for it's steep hills and similar, smaller scenery.
The main campground is located in the center of the forest, but that was not the plan for our last two trips to the area. Our plan was to escape the city, and relax for an overnighter in the foothills of Appalachia. Here are our experiences in this great park.
In early May, we loaded up and drove the 3.5 hour trip from Cincinnati to Shawnee State Park. The backpacking trail is 40 miles total, but we only planned for an overnight trip. We choose to hike into campsite #7 from the main registration area, spend the night, and hike back to our car the following day. This hike along the South Loop is only 4.5 miles, but due to the extremely steep terrain, it feels way more than that. So our advice: pack light! The campsite is a cozy setting down in the valley, with a small stream running nearby. Although this is a nice little site, the main problem is that the area stays very wet in the spring. This creates an ideal setting for ticks, and during this trip the ticks were out of control. To be honest, we quit counting after 30! This wasn’t the end of the world for us, but if you are going to check out this area in the spring, make sure you bring a fellow primate along for the excursion, if only to have someone to pick the ticks off of your back. One other issue to mention about this site is to keep your safety in mind when pitching your tent, as there are more than a few dead, standing trees around this site.
From our impression, the nickname "The Little Smokies," is much more of a compliment than what it lives up to. Don’t get us wrong, this park is way beautiful in its own right, but given the steep inclines, the whip-poor-wills keeping us up all night long, and the amount of ticks we accumulated; this trip was a memorable one, but not necessarily one of our favorites. Since we had a trail map, we opted to hike the gravel road out the next morning via the Lampblack trail, instead of taking the steep trail we had traveled the day before back to the car. And I have to say, my shins were really happy with that decision!
That following October Atom returned for a solo trip to hike to Campsite #1 along the North Loop. This hike along the same rugged, steep terrain didn't seem quite as grueling for the 6.2 mile hike, due to the amazing scenery of the fall colors and the diversity of plant life along the way. For Atom, one great highlight of his trip was finding Witch Hazel growing in the wild for the first time! After a tough 5.5 miles, the trail started to find itself bordered by humongous Eastern Hemlocks trees. If you like trees like we do, finding trees of this caliber can completely re-energize you, and remind you why you hike and pack for "vacation." This gave Atom a needed boost of moral and he continued on to his destination.
The campsite is probably a half a mile off the trail, and has at least 2 or 3 areas for different groups to settle down in. There are a dozen or so different species of trees surrounding this site. Again, for the tree lovers out there, this is an awesome place to set up camp, as it includes: Sweet gums, Sassafras, Hickories, Oaks, Tulip poplars, Red and Sugar Maples and many more.
After setting up his tent, starting a small fire, and drinking some rum, he sat quietly listening to Eastern Screech Owls whinnying into the night. It was a great, peaceful way to end the day. Overall, Atom would say he prefers this campsite over campsite #7.
These are just a couple great options for getting out of the city and into the woods, as the park is just a few hours drive away. A total of 40 miles of backpacking trail is available, with 7 back-country campsites, not to mention a fully stocked State Park with all the camping amenities that you could possibly think of.
Get Outside Cincinnati!
Photos by Kim Klosterman and Atom Martinez.
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