Best Dispersed Camping near Hamden, OH

Dispersed Camping Reviews near Hamden, OH

19 Reviews of 11 Hamden Campgrounds

• 

  Marisa A.

  Ranger

  Oct. 16, 2020

  Sand Hill Trailhead

  Dispersed Camping best off Horseback Trails

  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.

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• 

  Ruby W.

  Ranger

  Jun. 24, 2019

  Wildcat Hollow Hiking Trail Dispersed

  Great Secluded Location

  Wildcat Hollow is a fantastic free camping and backpacking location. It’s quite secluded, has well established trails, and has a variety of remote campsites to choose from. There is a small shelter with bathrooms and other amenities, but not much else.

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  Steve C.

  Traveler

  Oct. 23, 2020

  Wildcat Hollow Hiking Trail Dispersed

  Awesome packbacking spot

  Great spot for walk in or hike in camping! There are a couple of campsites at the trailhead and quite a few all along the trail. There is a 5 mile loop or a longer ~15 mile loop that you can hike and there are campsites every couple of miles. The sites themselves are just semi-cleared areas with stone fire rings so it is totally primitive camping. The trails can be a bit muddy after it rains and probably take a long time to dry out down in the valleys. While there is water in the valleys I wouldn’t use it even with a filter. There are signs posted at the trailhead that advise against it plus there is still active oil drilling in one of the hollows (the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars) There is cell service when you’re up in the ridges but there are a lot of dead zones in the valleys and even at the trailhead. Overall, it was a beautiful, quiet place and I only saw 2 other people in the trail while I was hiking out the second day.

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• E

  Eric S.

  Scout

  Jul. 1, 2019

  Wildcat Hollow Hiking Trail Dispersed

  The trail horribly muddy

  The campsites looked OK. Dry. No water available to filter.  Cautioned against using the water. But the trail was a cesspool of mud in too many places esp on the stetch between the trailhead and the loop.  I turned around. The trail needs to be planked, elevated or rerouted. This is on July 1. The seasonal creek beds all dry, but the muddy trail is awful especially in comparison to the hype that I read

• 

  Lucille W.

  Ranger

  Apr. 29, 2020

  Hanging Rock Recreation Site

  Motor Vehicle Area

  The 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!

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• J

  Jade G.

  Ranger

  Nov. 1, 2020

  Wildcat Hollow Hiking Trail Dispersed

  Very wet in the spring, but a challenging backpacking loop

  This campground is nice.  They are all designated campsites but they are first-come-first serve. They are hike-to only.  

  It is great for hiking and backpacking camping but if you are looking for car style camping, this is not it.

  The trail is challenging terrain, especially when backpacking.  It can be very wet and muddy in the spring (or after any rains), so be prepared for that.  

  The road to it is difficult also (as are most with dispersed camping).

  There are no amenities except for an outhouse in the parking lot.

  This is pack in/pack out.

• L

  Leon H.

  Guide

  Aug. 7, 2018

  Wildcat Hollow Hiking Trail Dispersed

  Backpacking haven

  This is part of the Wayne National Forest and a section of the Buckeye Trail. It is a great area for backpacking as camping is free and allowed anywhere along the trail, see the web site for limitations. "Small, open fires are permitted except during extremely high fire danger. Fire rings should be used when available. Make sure all campfires are extinguished before vacating the campsite."~Wayne National web site. Water can be difficult, there are streams but you should pack in any that you need. I took my daughters on a backpacking trip here in August 2016. It is a great area, but there were lots of dead trees/widowmakers, so be careful where you pitch your tent. Pets are allowed but must be on a 6 foot leash. Many other hiking, camping and other outdoor activities are close by.

  https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/wayne/recarea/?recid=6228

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• 

  Chris B.

  Scout

  Jun. 16, 2019

  Wildcat Hollow Hiking Trail Dispersed

  Wonderful overnight spot.

  Just wanted an overnight spot to clear our heads and enjoy the outdoors.  Parked our RRT in the parking lot on a Monday evening and had the place pretty much all to ourselves all night.  Clean pit toilet. Nice trails to walk. nice area to visit i'll be back againg sometime this year.

• 

  Lucille W.

  Ranger

  Apr. 8, 2020

  Witch’s Peak

  Sweet spot

  The 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.