Trails at Burr Oak State Park

On the north side of the lake, the Lakeside Trail extends from the dam east to the marina, for 3.2 miles. 1/4 mile east of the dam, the Lakeview Trail branches off to provide access to the Burr Oak Cove Campground of the Wayne National Forest. The trail is then mostly on roadway for 1.3 miles to the campground amphitheater, where it then joins with the yellow horse trail to the north end of the park. In this stretch, the blue horse trail, the red horse trail, and the white horse trail branch off. Then it is necessary to walk on a gravel road, Sunday Creek Road, for a very short distance, before turning right on the yellow trail, now foot-only, to get to the BENCAD Trail, which is blazed in Blue. This trail will bring you back to the dam.

If you are backpacking in Burr Oak, you may camp (for a fee) at Boat Docks 2 and 3 on the southeast side of the lake, at the main Burr Oak campground on the north side of the lake, and at the Burr Oak Cove Campground northwest of the dam. You may also cross Ohio State Route 13 on the BENCAD Trail to do primitive camping in the Wayne National Forest.

Trail Heads

Tom Jenkins Dam Trail Head (Foot only)

Going from Athens to the park on OH-13, go through the town of Trimble, and continue north. Turn right at the sign for Tom Jenkins Dam. The Buckeye Trail is accessible from here (and it is also the North Country Trail and the American Discovery Trail). The Lakeview Trail is also accessible from here.

Buckeye Trail Head (Foot only)

Going from Athens to the park on OH-13, go through the town of Trimble, and continue north to OH-78. Turn right and look for the sign for Burr Oak Lodge. Turn left at the lodge turnoff, and the trail head will be at the next road fork. The Buckeye Trail is accessible from here, and the Red Fox Trail is nearby. The Buckeye Loop Trail and the Chipmunk Trail are also accessible from here.

Lakeside Trail

1. Buckeye Trail (dam) to Lakeview Trail: 0.25
2. Lakeview Trail to Marina (Boat Dock 4): 2.9
3. Marina to Swimming Beach (on road): 0.9
4. Swimming Beach to Amphitheater: 0.4
5. Amphitheater to Green Trail: 0.3
6. Green Trail to Horse Trails: 0.7
7. Horse Trails to Yellow/Red Split (just above valley below campground): 0.35
8. Yellow/Red Split to Yellow/Red Split (just above steep slope): 1.8
9. Yellow/Red Split to Yellow/Red Split (just below steep slope): 0.1
10. Yellow/Red Split to Sunday Creek Road: 1.4
11. Sunday Creek Road to Buckeye Trail: 0.4

Total Lakeside Trail, Buckeye to Buckeye: 9.5

BENCAD Trail

1. East Branch Road to Boat Dock 3: 2.1
2. Boat Dock 3 to Ranger Station: 5.0 (Bob & Marylou Paton Trail)
3. Ranger Station to Boat Ramp: 0.4 (Chipmunk Trail)
4. Boat Ramp to Boat Dock 2: 1.5 (Ravine Trail)
5. Boat Dock 2 to Boat Dock 1: 1.0
6. Boat Dock 1 to Lakeside Trail: 2.6
7. Lakeside Trail to OH-13: 0.3
8. OH-13 to Fox Hunter Road: 2.5

Total Buckeye Trail, Lakeside to Lakeside: 12.6
Total Backpack loop: 22.1 miles

Buckeye Loop

1. Buckeye Loop, Group camp to Buckeye Split: 0.8
2. Common Trail: 0.1
3. Buckeye Loop, Buckeye Split to Tanager Trail: 0.6
4. Buckeye Loop, Tanager Trail to Buckeye Trail: 0.4

Total Buckeye Loop, Group Camp to Group Camp: 3.8 + 1.9 = 5.7 miles

Other Foot Trails

1. Tanager Trail: 0.45
2. Red Fox Trail: 0.75
3. Chipmunk Trail: 0.4 mile (Portion of BENCAD Trail; Ranger Station to Boat Ramp)
4. Ravine Trail: 1.5 mile (Portion of BENCAD Trail; Boat Ramp to Boat Dock 2)
5. Lakeview Trail: 0.8 mile (from Burr Oak Cove Campground to Lakeside Trail)
6. Camp Trail: 1.2 miles (this is from the campground amphitheater to the camp store)

Horse Trails

1. Blue Horse Trail: 1.5 miles
2. Red Horse Trail: 4.0 miles
3. Yellow Horse Trail: 3.9 miles
4. White horse: 1.0 mile

Total red/yellow loop, horse parking to horse parking: 7.9 miles