Hiking Ohio: Scenic Trails of the Buckeye State

Rating:
Summary: An Average, Out-dated Guide to Hiking Ohio
Review: Published in 1990, this book was one of the first guides available on the market for hiking in Ohio. Unfortunately, the quality of hiking guides has progressed significantly since then, and trails change over time.

For starters, this guide describes hikes at 64 locations throughout the Buckeye state. Coverage is fairly evenly distributed geographically thoughout the state. Trail length ranges from 1 to 13 miles, with the average between 3 and 5. This book is exclusively devoted to dayhikes with only one reference to the longer Buckeye Trail. Thus, backpackers will find nothing of interest here.

Each hike contains a map (hand-drawn), directions to the trailhead, a couple of paragraphs describing the hike, and a single paragraph on the natural/cultural history of the location. Trail lengths are given, but no elevation changes are given, and trail difficulties are given as "flat, rolling, or hilly." This lack of trail information combined with a lack of trail summary in the front of the book make it very difficult to choose a trail to hike.

Further, one must consider the merits of this work relative to other books availible on the market. In this area too, this book has become eclipsed. Ralph Ramey has written two state-wide guides to Ohio hiking, each of which contains more detailed trail descriptions and better maps (copied from USGS topo maps) than this one. Almost every hike described here can be found in one of Ramey's works. Also, both of Ramey's works have been recently updated (in 2003) to reflect changing trail conditions. I admit I am biased because Ralph is one of my favorite trail guide authors period, but the choice here seems clear to anybody familiar with these works.

In summary, while this book gives some good information, it must be viewed in relation to what is availible on the market. So, if you are looking for a "second opinion" on Ohio's hiking trails, you might want to add this book to your library. Otherwise, I really can't think of any reason to purchase this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great hikes....average directions
Review: This book has great hikes in it, especially if you are looking for a daytrip to get outdoors; and the descriptions of the trails are very well done. Sometimes the directions to the locations could be better explained. Overall a good guide to dayhiking Ohio and would be a great gift for any nature lover moving to the state