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This trailhead is part of the Lake Vesuvius Horse Trail System. The Lake Vesuvius horseback trails system 46.66 miles long and is composed of 9 trails, 4 trailheads, and one horse campground. The Lake Vesuvius horse trails wind through some of the most striking landscapes in Ohio. They will lead you through a variety of vegetation where many species of wildlife live. You will ride along rock cliffs, water falls, streams and along ridge tops. Expect to see open fields, brushland, mature forest, and young forests. Along the way, you will notice man's influence and land management activities.
The Hanging Rock area of the Wayne National Forest provides some excellent opportunities for riding off-highway vehicles (OHVs). This system has 26 miles of trail available for off-highway vehicle, mountain bike, and hiking use. Camping is allowed at the trailheads during the open season. Camping is also frequently done around the Hanging Rock ponds by fisherman and during hunting seasons by all the hunters that use the area.
Recreation areas with activity Dispersed Camping: Elm Trailhead Long Ridge Trailhead Monday Creek Trailhead New Straitsville Trailhead Red Oak Trailhead Scarlet Oak Trailhead Sycamore Trailhead White Oak Trailhead Camping is allowed at during the OHV and mountain biking open season.
Ranger
Camped at the west side of the vaulted toilet lot. Arrived about 5 PM and all 3 camping spots were empty. Lots of trucks and toy haulers heading up the various roads into the late evening. We slept soundly, made breakfast and were on our way. Great stop over location. Vaulted toilet and garbage cans were a welcome bonus.
ScoutNot the greatest place to camp. Trash in most places, people partying all the time. Watch for needles if you go! Be sure to wear shoes.
ScoutMy kinda place
Traveler
We stayed in the parking lot as it was getting dark and didn’t know if there were any place to turn our rv around. Very quiet night and were visited by fireflies which was awesome.
TravelerWith that being said, there was good and bad. The good was I found a spot quickly and had 2 entire ponds to myself. The bad was locals firing guns for the hell of it for an hour straight and the trash left behind from the previous campers. Once night fall hit everything was quiet so I couldn't complain too much. Awesome morning sunrise!
Ranger
We arrived late at night wishing we had better cell reception and a paper map of the National Forest. We were grateful to have the Dyrt's info downloaded on my chromebook. Even still, Wayne National Forest is a maze of public and private land. The Ironton Campground has been closed during 2020 as part of a water main line break. We initially tried the Hanging Rock OHV trailhead, but locals used that area for partying when we were there and it wasn't ideal to camp at the trailhead with about a dozen cars speeding along the gravel roads around midnight. We found the Sand Hill Trail head and pitched camp not too far from where we parked. The NF website says fires are allowed if you make a stone ring. We just skipped it. It is a very pretty area along Vesuvius Lake with trees and bluffs. We saw a ranger in the morning and he suggested next time we just camp at the horsecamp. The pins on the Dyrt's map were inaccurately located when we were using it with multiple entries. Next time I will purchase a paper map before I go because Wayne National Forest has alot of private lands interspersed and it is not all that clear without an official map. Hopefully the Dyrt will get better at hyper locating those lines.
RangerThe Hanging Rock Recreation area features tons of well kept ATV trails for motor bikes or quads (max width allowed is 50 inches). Besides the ATV trails, there are tons of little lakes that are ideal for fishing! There is a large parking area in the middle of the park with a restroom, and at least one other restroom further down the road. I noticed several “fire pits” in gravel pull offs in the park. Not sure if fires are allowed though.
We hiked here today to retrieve some trail cameras from the surrounding Wayne National Forest for a spotted skunk study at Ohio University. Along and just off the trails were tons of gorgeous wildflowers like trilliums, violets, showy orchids, and more!
RangerThe trail in is super steep. The climb is totally worth it though. Some amazing rock out croppings and views up there! There are several boulder routes as well. At the end of the short trail is a cool rock shelter! A very neat local treasure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Gallipolis, OH?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Gallipolis, OH is Hanging Rock Recreation Site with a 3-star rating from 3 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 8 dispersed camping locations near Gallipolis, OH, with real photos and reviews from campers.
