Adventures in Wayne National Forest, Ohio

The World that Time Slipped By

Wayne National Forest is peppered over 12 counties in southeastern Ohio and covers over a total of 834,000 acres. Most of this area is reclaimed mining land which is owned by the federal government.

The only national forest in the state of Ohio has a variety of things to do and see in the area. Hunting, camping, picnicking, canoeing, hiking, wild life and bird watching, and fishing are some of the more traditional things to do in these areas. There are also horseback riding and ATV riding trails that wind throughout the forest with over 300 miles of trails. There are more than 50 species of animals and more than 140 species of birds in the area. The most recent addition is the black bear that has begun to relocate back into its' old territories.

Pecans, walnuts, sassafras, mushrooms, black and raspberries can all be found and cultivated in abundance and collected throughout the forest. Metal detecting is permitted but ancient artifacts such as Indian arrowheads can also be found but these can not be removed from the lands. If a person is a beginner at picking mushrooms please take someone familiar at mushrooming with you or do intense research in the varieties found in the area as there are several poisonous species. Edible mushrooms can be found 10 months out of the year in this area. The most common being the moral which grows in April for a 2-3 week period.