Zaleski State Forest Backpack Trail Dispersed Camping

The 16.5-mile Zaleski Backpack Trail winds through recovering strip mine landscape, offering several designated primitive camping areas along the route. Sites are basic – fire rings and cleared tent pads in second-growth forest, with no facilities beyond vault toilets at trailheads. The terrain tells the story of southeastern Ohio’s coal mining past, now returning to woodland.

Access via multiple trailheads, with the main one off State Route 278. Trail is well-marked with blue blazes but can be muddy in spring. Camping is free but requires signing in at trailhead registers. Popular with backpackers but rarely crowded except during fall color season.

Primitive trail camping in reclaimed strip mine country