How Far To Rolling Hills & Forest? (Cleveland, Toledo: casinos, live)

[Dwatted Wabbit]

How far from Toledo--and where--is the nearest rolling-hill terrain with woods?
Thank you.

[AnytimeAnywhere]

NW Ohio is kind of flat. Maybe in southern or eastern Ohio.

[ferraris]

The closest I would say is going east on the turnpike, around the cleveland area it begins to get hilly, and if you continue through Pennsylvania you will be going through the Appalachian Mountains.

To the north, Michigan has some sand dunes; but I don't think that is what you were asking about.

West will be flat for quite a while, possibly all the way to the Rockies. South will eventually get you into some hills and mountains, but not nearly as quickly as going east.

[jgill2]

It sorta depends on your definition of hilly. The whole region was scraped fairly level by the last glaciation, so there are no major elevation changes anywhere nearby. Much of the area surrounding Toledo was once the infamous Black Swamp, a remnant of the once larger Lake Erie, which was drained, filled and plowed into very flat farmland.

The terrain gets a bit more rolling as soon as you leave the original lake bottom, maybe 30-50 miles in any direction except east. The closest would be to the northwest of Toledo in an area called Irish Hills beginning just west of Tecumseh, Michigan. There are a number of small lakes surrounded by low, wooded hills. Most of the lakes are ringed by summer cottages. North of Detroit near Pontiac is a similar topography, but it's heavily developed.

Using I-71 as a rough dividing line, most of Eastern and Southeastern Ohio is much hillier than the Northwestern portion. As you travel farther southwest, you get into the foothills of the Appalachians. There are Amish settlements, quaint small towns, and a gazillion trees. It's a long day trip from Toledo but worth it.

[ryansmith]

It is hilly enough around Cleveland that they have ski slopes and a national park (between Cleveland and Akron)... that is 2 hours-ish, which isn't horrible. NW Ohio has a lot to offer, but hilly terrain is not one of them...

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Thanks, all. We've checked out the Irish Hills, it's just that MI's smokestick laws are so repressive I don't think I could live there. But NW OH is flat as a pancake, sounds like the Amish area bears a look. I need woods.

[grmi66]

Grew up in Toledo and did not see my first mountain until I was almost 18. Had no idea what I was missing. You could not drag me back to Toledo for anything, know exactly what you mean about needing hills and forest.

[ryansmith]

Again, love Toledo, but that is one of the things we can never offer here... it is one of the flattest places I have been... I have been to Nebraska... now that makes Toledo look hilly, but no one debates how flat NW Ohio is.

[jgill2]

Originally Posted by Dwatted Wabbit

Thanks, all. We've checked out the Irish Hills, it's just that MI's smokestick laws are so repressive I don't think I could live there. But NW OH is flat as a pancake, sounds like the Amish area bears a look. I need woods.

If you're referring to the non-smoking laws, there is not much to choose from between Michigan and Ohio. Toledo led the way in the Buckeye State in banning smoking in restaurants and bars, but the whole state has now followed suit. Michigan's bans just went into effect a couple months ago, and the only public places where one can smoke is in casinos. Ohio doesn't even exempt them.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by jgill2

If you're referring to the non-smoking laws, there is not much to choose from between Michigan and Ohio. Toledo led the way in the Buckeye State in banning smoking in restaurants and bars, but the whole state has now followed suit. Michigan's bans just went into effect a couple months ago, and the only public places where one can smoke is in casinos. Ohio doesn't even exempt them.

Nor should they. I'm not for the smoking bans; but if you're going to have them, you might as well implement them fairly.