One of the hardest problems I ran into while moving to college was finding new spots to hike at.
I didn’t know much about Ashland when I moved to this town. It looked to be like other little towns I passed through when driving, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
There are several places to hike in Ashland County and Ohio that provide recreational opportunities.
This list breaks down the best places to hike for incredible views and wildlife.
Some of these places require a permit and do not allow dogs.
- Hocking Hills State Park
- Logan – two hours and 10 minutes
- Best Views: Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave, Rock House
- Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Peninsula – 55 minutes
- Best views: The Ledges, Brandywine Falls, Blue Hen Falls
- Mohican State Park
- Loudonville – 30 minutes
- Best Views: Fire Tower, Covered Bridge, Big and Small Lyon Falls, Pleasent Hill Dam
- Freer Field
- Ashland – five minutes from campus
- Best Views: Bridges, creek
- Wayne National Forest
- Nelsonville – two hours and 10 minutes
- Best views: foothills of Appalachia, Lake Vesuvius, covered bridge
- Headlands Beach State Park
- Mentor – One hour and 35 minutes
- Best views – Lake Erie, Lighthouse, Sand dunes
- Highbanks Metro Park
- Columbus – one hour and 10 minutes
- Best Views: Wetlands, wildflowers, ravines
- Allwood Audubon
- Dayton – two hours and 15 minutes
- Best Views: Wooden statues of giant trolls
- Wooster Memorial Park
- Wooster – 30 minutes
- Best Views – creek crossings, rock formations
- Malabar Farm State Park
- Lucas – 25 minutes
- Best Views – Louis Bromfield manor, Mt. Jeez, Butternut cave, Shawshank Trail
- Shawnee State Park
- West Portsmouth – three hours and 5 minutes
- Best Views: lakes, historic log cabin, foothills of Appalachia
- Twinsburg Ledges
- Twinsburg – one hour and 10 minutes
- Best Views: Rock formations, overlook
- Lake Erie Bluffs
- Perry – one hour and 40 minutes
- Best Views: Lake Erie, Costal Observation tower,
- Rocky River Reservation
- North Olmstead – one hour and 5 minutes
- Best Views: Shale cliffs, river, Berea Falls Scenic overlook
