Shawnee
State Forest

Bear Lake:
Wolfden Lake:
Churn Creek Lake:
McBride Lake:
Pond Creek Lake:
There are three other lakes in the state park.

Shawnee State Forest at a Glance
Date established:	1922 as Theodore Roosevelt State Game Preserve, in 1949 Shawnee State Park was split out, and in 1951, the remainder became the state forest
Acreage (total):	over 63,000 acres (over 25,500 hectares)
Water acreage:
Miles of trails:	about 140 miles (about 224 kilometers
Trail miles open to horses:	over 70 miles (over 110 kilometers)
Campsites:	58-site Bear Lake Horse Camp in northeast forest, plus 7 authorized backpacking campsites. Other camping available at adjacent Shawnee State Park
Hunting:	All hunting allowed (other than safety zones)
Special features:	8,000-acre Wilderness Area 8,000-acre Backcountry Management Area
Adjacent natural areas:	Shawnee State Park
Nearby natural areas:
Official state forest website:	http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/shawnee

Shawnee State Forest is one of our older state forests, having been established in 1924. When the forest was first established, the philosophy was to create "forest parks," combining the developed recreational aspects with the forestry aspects. In 1949, Shawnee Hills State Park was split off as its own entity, and the state forest as a separate entity was created.

Trails at Shawnee State Forest

Shawnee State Forest hosts two trail sets: horse trails, and hiking trails which include a portion of the BENCAD Trail.

Hiking Trails

Shawnee State Forest Day Hiking Trail: Loop; Length: 7.2 miles, moderate
Shawnee Backpacking Trail: In north and south loops, total 60 miles, Connects with the BENCAD Trail, moderate to strenuous. There are seven backpacking campsites on this trail, one of which is on the stretch which doubles as the BENCAD. The Shawnee State Park campground is also very convenient to the trail. All campers are expected to register.; BENCAD Trail; The BENCAD Trail passes through Shawnee Forest from southwest to northeast, passing through both the Wilderness Area and Backcountry Management Area (also known as the Bobcat Management Area) on the way. It also forms the northern leg of the North Loop of the Shawnee Backpacking Trail (or vice versa; the Shawnee Backpacking Trail was in this location first). On the backpacking trail map, it is labeled as "North Country Trail." It also passes through the state park by park headquarters. The only authorized backpacking campsite along the trail is Camp 7; the other six are on the Shawnee Backpacking Trail elsewhere. However, the Shawnee State Park campground is very convenient to the BENCAD Trail. All campers at any site are expected to register.

Horse Trails

Mackletree Horse Trail: Starts in Shawnee State Park at Mackletree Road near Roosevelt Lake
Lampblack Run Horse Trail: Begins in Shawnee State Park near the head of Turkey Creek Lake.
Bridge Timber Horse Trail
Silver Arrow Horse Trail
Hobey Hollow Horse Trail
Rock Lick Horse Trail
Pigeon Roost Horse Trail
Conley's Run Horse Trail
Morgan Horse Trail
Blackburn Ridge Horse Trail

The only area available for parking horse trailers is at the horse camp.

For more details on trails, see Trails at the Shawnee Hills.

Directions

To get to Shawnee State Forest from Athens, take US-33 about 28 miles west from OH-550/Columbus Road at Athens to OH-180. Exit and turn left on OH-180. Take it four miles south to OH-678. Turn left on OH-678 and go four miles to OH-374.

Horse Camp: From this point, turn right on OH-374 and go 0.4 mile to Keister Road, Township Road 231. Turn left on Keister Road and go one mile to the access road to the horse camp, which will be on the right. Turn right on that road, and the horse camp is another 0.1 mile or so.

Total driving distance from downtown Athens to the horse camp: 40.5 miles.

Rock-climbing area: From this point, turn left on OH-374 and take it 3.4 miles to Big Pine Road, County Road 11. Turn left on Big Pine Road and continue past the entrance to Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve, going one mile to the parking area for the rockclimbing area, which will be on your left (and which also provides access to part of the horse trail system).

Total driving distance from downtown Athens to the rockclimbing area: 43.5 miles.