When long distance hiking is brought up you may immediately think of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) or even the Pacific Crest Trail (P.C.T.), these two trails are the most famous and most popular long distance trails in the United States. Many people don’t think of Ohio when it comes to hiking. Ohio however is also home to a long distance hiking trail but it is not very well known across the country. Ohio’s long distance trail system is called The Buckeye Trail and it is 1447 miles long. The trail essentially goes along the perimeter of the entire state, with a small loop towards the northeast corner as well as the southeast corner.
The Buckeye Trail first got started in 1959 with a 20 mile section and has grown since then. This trail has its own association with hundreds of volunteers to help maintain the trail. While this trail does has an impressive amount of miles it is not often through hiked like the other long distance trails. It is possible to through hike the Buckeye trail and some hikers have done it but it isn’t as easy logistically as it could be, most Buckeye Trail hikers are section hikers. The difficulty with through hiking is due to the amount of roadway miles that need to be hiked as well as the task of finding places to camp. The Buckeye Trail Association has been actively working to move roadway sections onto trails as well as adding more camping locations.
Upon completion of the small loop at the northeast corner, the “little loop” or completing the entire trail hikers can obtain a patch from the trail association as a token of their achievement. To hike this trail you follow blue blazes that mark the way. Maps are available through purchase of either physical copies or digital sections on the farout app. In my experience the farout app is very user friendly. While using the app your’e able to click through different waypoints and see if there is anything notable and plan around different notes other hikers may have added. Traversing The Buckeye Trail is a great way to get outdoors and have a goal to work towards. My favorite part of hiking this trail is finding out about beautiful places I had never gone before that are right in my home state. The trail has taken me to quite a few parks I had never known about within a half an hours drive of my home. If you have the time or find yourself in Ohio checking out The Buckeye Trail would make for a great time.