I live in the Detroit area and am trying to plan a hike of around 4 nights, 5 days. I have heard about the Buckeye Trail but don't know much about it, and information online seems less plentiful than I would prefer. Does anyone have any recommendations for the best part to hike? If it is a loop that would be ideal so I can return to my car, or if there is a way to take a bus or train back from where I finish to where I start that would work too. Or if it's in northwest Ohio it could be point-to-point and I can get picked up and dropped off. I would want to camp overnight along the way. If the Buckeye Trail isn't good for this, are there any other trails in the region that would fit the bill? Any information and recommendations are much appreciated, thanks!
This is the kind of real info I come to Reddit for 👍🏻
It seems like this sub is fairly inactive, so my comments will seem disproportionately skewed towards Southern Ohio, but a loop like this is highly do-able at Shawnee State Forest, utilizing a good section of the Buckeye Trail. It would be around a 4 hour drive for you, but you'll be rewarded with beautiful scenery, challenging train, and potable water drops. No fees, either. More info here: https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/ohiodnr.gov/documents/forestry/maps/shawnee_backpack.pdf
I just got back from two nights there and it was awesome, hardly saw anyone. Challenging terrain, but worth it.
I live in western Ohio. The biggest problems with the Buckeye Trail are the lack of regular camping spots, and that a lot of it is just walking along the side of the road. It's really better for day hikes than hardcore backpacking. It's a 1444 mile loop around the state, divided up into 26 sections. I can tell you about a few of them.
The "Troy" section from Dayton to just north of Piqua runs along the Miami river and has a few camping options in the Five Rivers Metroparks, but that section is mostly paved bike path if that matters to you.
I haven't done much of the "St. Mary's" section (just around Lockington Dam and Lake Loramie), which would be closer to you. It looks like it is mostly off road, walking along the old canals, but only 1 or 2 places to stop and camp. This will more farmland than forest.
The "Caesar Creek" section is a mix of road, trails, and bike path. The trail parts are really nice, but can be done as day hikes. No camping on the trail that I've ever found.
The "Old Man's Cave" section in southeast Ohio is my favorite. It goes through the beautiful Hocking Hills area, and is mostly real hiking trails. But, again, you'll have to leave the trail to find camping.
Edit: I'm not familiar with the sections in the north and east part of the state because they are 4+ hours away from me. Ymmv there.
There is an active Facebook group for the trail you can ask questions on. Half the people are nice and helpful (and some of the section supervisors are active there), but the other half are douchy boomers and people trying to sell you their shitty app. They will try hard to get you to buy their stupid FarOut app, and shit on anything else you mention. Don't waste your money.
https://www.buckeyetrail.org/