Is SE Ohio good for outdoor scenery / recreation? (Columbus, Cleveland: 2015, camping)

[Phil P]

I've never been to Ohio, but looking at the birds eye view from Google Earth, it looks like it would be a good place to get out and go hike, mountain bike, dirt bike, photograph... It doesn't look like there's much water, but it's pretty forested and hilly.

Do you Ohioans make it out there often for weekend trips? Is there biking trails? Is it mostly private or is there significant swaths of land the public can use? Would you recommend it as a place to visit in the autumn for foliage? Are there huge trees and a lot of varieties of trees? Is there resort towns / places to stay there?

How would it compare to the northern woods of MN or WI, or the Ozarks, or the foothills of CO or NM?

[WRnative]

See post 16 here for Hocking Hills and other state parks.

Floridaian wanting to relocate pros and cons of your state

Check out The Wilds.

https://thewilds.columbuszoo.org/

Check out Wayne National Forest.

Wayne National Forest

Check out AEP Recreation Land.

https://www.aep.com/environment/conservation/recland/

Southeast Ohio residents also are around a 3 hour drive, or less, from the New River Gorge National River, which offers (along with other nearby white water runs such as the Cheat and Gauley Rivers) the best white water rafting east of the Mississippi River.

https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.

https://www.gauley.com/

The Hocking Hills and The Wilds (best visited in the morning or at sunset or on a cool day, and bring binoculars) are likely the biggest attractions for Ohioans from other regions of the state. And I know several persons who take a long weekend to visit the New River.

A New River rafting trip that includes Jump Rock is a great Huck Finn adventure.

[crd08]

SE Ohioan here. WRnative did a good job providing a lot of what's here.

I go to Hocking Hills a lot and it's fun. We always went camping there and at AEP growing up (AEP is basically my backyard). You can hike, kyak, fish, camp, stay in cabins, etc. I recommend Old Man's Cave if you go to Hocking. For The Wilds I also suggest going early in the morning and when it's not too hot. You can stay overnight in a Yurt and it's a pretty cool experience. They also have a zipline tour. I worked there during the summers growing up and it was a lot of fun.

I also recommend New River. We go rafting there every summer and there's a lot to do. It's not far outside of Ohio, so it's an easy trip.

My brother and his friends go out and dirt bike a lot, though I don't know where exactly. Sometimes its on private farm land, but not always. I know AEP has a 10 mile mountain bike path.

[ABQConvict]

Hocking Hills is very popular, but there are vast swaths of National Forest (Wayne) where you can get a remote, Appalachian experience with steep ravines, secluded streams, and solitude. There is great outdoor opportunity in southern OH and proximity. And lots of mountain biking from the WV border across to the Indiana border. And great areas of WV and E Ky are just a couple of hours drive away.

There are also some State Forest districts to the west along the river such as Shawnee state forest that has a backcountry feel.


Source:http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/portals/...0Shawnee01.jpg

[woxyroxme]

SE Ohio is the best part of the state hands down, it’s a true scenic treasure.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

SE Ohio is the best part of the state hands down, it’s a true scenic treasure.

I wouldn't go that far.

Lake Erie offers wonderful vistas in northern Ohio.

Picture Ohio! – Lake Erie Bluffs, Lake County

Northwest Ohio is famed for its birding attractions, including the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Magee Marsh, and the Lake Erie islands.

Birding Locations - The Biggest Week in American Birding

Northeast Ohio has rolling terrain somewhat like southeastern Ohio but with deep river/creek gorges and waterfalls.

Map of Ohio WaterFalls

Northeast Ohio has many more national natural landmarks than southeastern Ohio, and the likes of Holden Arboretum, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and great metropark systems.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nnlandm...e.htm?State=OH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...dmarks_in_Ohio

https://www.nps.gov/cuva/learn/photo...edia/index.htm

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...lery&FORM=IGRE

I'm not as familiar with the natural attractions of southwest Ohio.

[ms12345]

Although I have not yet been there I hear the area call "Arc of Appalachia" is quite beautiful. From what I gather it is a group of nature preserves.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...unty_Ohio.html

As other posters have mentioned Hocking Hills is beautiful.

And also you are only an hour or so from red river gorge which is nationally recognized within the hiking and rock climbing community.

https://www.google.com/search?q=red+...w=1366&bih=625

[Phil P]

Cool! Thanks for all the info guys! Sounds like there is plenty to do in SE Ohio, with greater scale offerings being opened up if you go ever further into WV and KY. It seems like Ohio doesn't have the grand scale of scenery or activity compared to out west or further south, but offers more variety within a small area. It seems to be a LOT better than Farmville US though, like Nebraska, Iowa, or Illinois.

One of the trips I want to do here soon would be to fly into Cincinatti, Columbus, or Pittsburg and drive down into WV in the fall. I've never really seen a brilliant fall but really want to.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by WRnative

See post 16 here for Hocking Hills and other state parks.

Floridaian wanting to relocate pros and cons of your state

Check out The Wilds.

https://thewilds.columbuszoo.org/

Check out Wayne National Forest.

Wayne National Forest

Check out AEP Recreation Land.

https://www.aep.com/environment/conservation/recland/

Southeast Ohio residents also are around a 3 hour drive, or less, from the New River Gorge National River, which offers (along with other nearby white water runs such as the Cheat and Gauley Rivers) the best white water rafting east of the Mississippi River.

https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.

https://www.gauley.com/

The Hocking Hills and The Wilds (best visited in the morning or at sunset or on a cool day, and bring binoculars) are likely the biggest attractions for Ohioans from other regions of the state. And I know several persons who take a long weekend to visit the New River.

A New River rafting trip that includes Jump Rock is a great Huck Finn adventure.

Pretty much all you need to know! Informative post. +1.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Phil P

Cool! Thanks for all the info guys! Sounds like there is plenty to do in SE Ohio, with greater scale offerings being opened up if you go ever further into WV and KY. It seems like Ohio doesn't have the grand scale of scenery or activity compared to out west or further south, but offers more variety within a small area. It seems to be a LOT better than Farmville US though, like Nebraska, Iowa, or Illinois.

One of the trips I want to do here soon would be to fly into Cincinatti, Columbus, or Pittsburg and drive down into WV in the fall. I've never really seen a brilliant fall but really want to.

You get many more reds from maples, much more prevalent in the North.

https://www.livescience.com/5749-fal...rs-europe.html

Just over two hours west of Pittsburgh is Ohio Amish Country, labeled by National Geographic as one of the best places in the world for fall colors. From there, it's an easy hop down I-77 into WV.

See number 3 on this list -- Holmes County, OH, the heart of Ohio Amish Country. The upper floor rooms in the back of the Carlisle Inn in Walnut Creek have balconies overlooking a beautiful Amish valley below.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/t...autumn-leaves/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...h.Country.html

Other great locations for fall colors are Allegheny National Forest, north of Pittsburgh, and Letchworth State Park in NY.

Home - Allegheny National Forest | Kinzua | Pennsylvania | Trails | Camping | Attractions

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/79/details.aspx

Welcome

See western NY here:

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoo...pstate_ny.html

From Letchworth, you're a relatively short distance from Niagara Falls, if you've never seen them. If you visit NF, IMO, don't miss the Whirlpool Jet Boats (take an open air boat and sit in the front) to experience some of the greatest rapids in the world (even kayaks are banned from the Niagara River). Depending upon time of day and season, 50-75 percent of the Niagara River's flow is diverted away from Niagara Falls (hard to believe when you visit, but during peak tourist season, you can notice the difference in flows between night and day). However, below the power plants on the Niagara River, the Niagara River is at full strength, and traversed by the Whirlpool Jet Boats.

https://www.whirlpooljet.com/

Apart from the New River, south of PA and OH consider Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee. See number 4 here:

https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/a...st-state-parks

Also, strongly consider visiting Chattanooga for the Lookout Mountain attractions and the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park. Chickamauga had the second greatest casualties of any Civil War battle, and the subsequent Battle of Chattanooga also was one of the pivotal battles of the war. The Union victory at Missionary Ridge during the battle of Chattanooga was one of the most incredible assaults of the war and was led by Phil Sheridan, providing a catalyst for his emergence into the upper ranks of Union commanders.

https://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm

See Chattanooga's Best Attractions | Lookout Mountain

Battle of Chattanooga - American Civil War - HISTORY.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle...ssionary_Ridge

Rock City, Ruby Falls (an underground waterfall), and the site of the Battle of Lookout Mountain, all on Lookout Mountain, are very special attractions in the eastern U.S.

BTW, Cleveland is one of the cheapest cities to fly into in the U.S. with many discount airlines (e.g., Spirit) operating there as well as Southwest. It's less than two hours north of Ohio Amish Country. Other great attractions in the Cleveland area during leaf turn are Holden Arboretum (Emergent Tower and Canopy Walk as well as Holden Natural Areas, a National Natural Landmark) and Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Beware that it's difficult to find peak Leaf Turn in any location. It varies from year to year, by a week or more, but has become later in the North with climate change, likely the second to third week of October in most locations. Large wind storms can strip the trees of leaves at any time. Every state has websites reporting the progression of fall colors.

Reservations are needed in advance if you want to stay overnight within popular fall colors locations during peak leaf turn season.