Wayne National Forest
is another part of our astounding landscape made up of a selection of National Parks and wilderness. Despite the plethora of forested areas in and around Hocking Hills, Wayne is the only National Forest in Ohio.
The forest itself is split between three locations and covers almost 250,000 acres, across 12 counties. The Athens district, where one of these forests can be found, also includes our very own Hocking Hills.
The landscape is a mixture of pastureland and forest, with a selection of small communities, historical Native American sites and rugged hills. Being at the base of the Appalachian Mountains, a lot of the terrain is challenging and beautiful. Streams bring ice cold water from the heights, there are rock shelters, evidence of old strip mining and a range of other features to explore.
The area was heavily mined and nature is still progressively reclaiming much of the area. There is still plenty of old mining sites around, include iron furnaces, old mine sites, tracks and rural roads.
In return for visiting Wayne National Forest, you have the opportunity to enjoy some of the best landscape anywhere in the state and over 25 miles of hiking trails. The trails take in the forest, rivers, lakes and mountains and offer a challenging time away from civilization.
It isn’t just hiking that is well served here, there are ATVs, horse trails, mountain biking, camping areas and picnic sites too, so you should never be short of things to do when you visit. If fishing, canoeing, hunting or bird watching are more your thing, you’re going to love it here!
As you would expect from a National Forest, there is life here in abundance. You can expect to see some of 2000 species of plant and tree, 50 species of mammal, 142 species of birds and all the different forms of life that make up the food chain. All in as close to their natural habitat as it is possible to create.
If you’re visiting Hocking Hills or Wayne National Forest, you’re going to need somewhere to stay. Why not make use of authentic wood cabins set in amazing wooded areas, within a short travel time of Wayne National Forest and everything Hocking Hills has to offer?
If you’re planning a visit to Ohio, no vacation would be complete without a few nights in one of our high quality cabins, with all the modern conveniences you need but with a respectful nod to our glorious past.
