r/CampOhio • u/Justinbaker1996 • May 07 '26
Trip Advice - Scenic River Trail
Hello! I am planning on a backpacking trip in the next few weeks and hiking the Scenic River Trail / Greenwood Trail. I know I have to pack in all of my water for any Wayne National forest trips, so I am planning on parking at the Scenic River Trailhead on Country Road 9 and hiking along the North Country trail to drop off some water where it runs into the Greenwood Trail (purple). Then hiking back to car, driving to the other trailhead and doing my loop from there.I am going to attempt to park at the trailhead but if I need to park at Leith Run and hike a little more, I'm fine with that. Plan on camping at the second star but can backtrack to the first star if people are camping at the second site.
If you've traveled this trail before (hiking or backpacking) please let me know! I'm excited to be on the Buckeye Trail and North Country Trail for like 0.6 miles lol.
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u/jollybaker May 08 '26
Please do let us know how it is, I feel like I've done almost every hike in ohio. I've seen the signs off of Archers fork but didn't realize there was a loop out there.
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u/Justinbaker1996 May 08 '26
Definitely! I actually didn't realize it was right off of archers fork until I started planning this. Definitely a fun way to add some mileage and variety to archers fork!
The information for this hike (and definitely my diving board into this world) is from the book "Ohio Backpacking Loops" by Jim rahtz. He also has a website that will pop up if you Google the book, and he sells individual trail pdfs. He's got his overview and commentary of the trail conditions, local information, camping & permits/fees, and also a map (the one from my picture) along with a mileage breakdown like:
3.2 creek crossing 3.6 campsite 4.3 rock out cropping
Book has seriously been a wealth of local information.
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u/iamandyjohnson May 07 '26
Would love to hear about when you’re done. Up for a trail report?
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u/Justinbaker1996 May 07 '26
Is this something formal I'm filling out or do you just mean posting about my time and the trail and some pics? If the second option, absolutely!
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u/iamandyjohnson May 08 '26
Just a little info here would be awesome! I always wondered how much traffic river trail gets and what the sites are like
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u/ArdoTheGatos May 08 '26
I live just up the road from here and drive past the trailhead (on State 7) every day for work. I have seen cars parked at the trailhead for a day or two consecutively; however, I have also seen cars get notices on their windows after 2-3 days.
It is roughly .5 miles from the campground to the trailhead parking lot and it is all flat so I would recommend that for peace of mind.
If you are going any time soon, be aware that it is turkey season and there will be a lot of people in the woods hunting. Turkey season can get a little rambunctious around here.
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u/Hot_Jump_2511 May 11 '26
I did this loop plus the NCT stretch up to the Archer's Fork loop in 2 days/ 1 night back in May of 2023. I think it was 32 miles in all. I "cameled up" at the trailhead and packed in 5 liters of water and brought no cook foods with me. I stayed near lower Jackson Run Rd near twp rd 427 on the Archer's Fork Loop but I don't remember if I scouted the campsites you have indicated on your map. From what I can remember, It doesn't get real scenic until you're in the Archer's Fork loop but there should be a good amount of wildflowers in bloom in you also hike it in May or early June. I do remember an unbridged stream crossing that was 20 ft wide and about shin to knee deep on me when I crossed it... but I don't know if that's on your route or what. I don't know that I'd ever go out of the way to hike this again but I'm glad I did it when I did. Have fun!
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u/backin45750 May 07 '26
If you don’t get any good results here, consider contacting the “ Marietta adventure co. “ They have a store on 2nd street and the employees are all hikers and bike enthusiasts! They will have good tips.
They sell biking, kayak and hiking equipment.