Shawnee State Forest Hollows
Below is my tribute to three distinctly different hollows in Shawnee State Forest. All three of them are beautiful in their own way and require getting your feet wet to truly enjoy them. In addition, there are no official trails to the locations below, but if you are interested in exploring, feel free to message me with any questions.
Snake Hollow, off of FR 6, follows a creek through an amazing hemlock grove. The creek flows strongest during spring or after a heavy rain, but is always flowing.
Accessing snake hollow involves a small creek crossing before heading along the bridle trail.
As you walk along the bridle trail, you will hear the creek to your left. Meander along the bridle trail for a while to enjoy some great fall colors in late October.
Eventually, you will give in to temptation and head down to the creek. There is a small trail once you cross a culvert that leads down to a small waterfall. From here, explore....but be aware that it is wet and the sides of the creek can be quite slick which can make it difficult to get down to the creek.
Vastine Hollow on Lower Twin Creek is probably the easiest of the three to navigate. In the latter part of the 19th century, there was a fairly large stone quarry and the remains of the old tramway make a nice path along the creek. The Scioto Historical site has a very good historical description of the area: Vastine Hollow Freestone Quarries | Scioto Historical
There is a beautiful stand of fairly young trees as you enter Vastine Hollow.
Once you cross through the trees, follow the creek and enjoy the scenery. After a rain is a great time to visit, but beware of the nettles. Long pants are recommended during spring and summer.
At the very end of Lower Twin Creek, two creeks merge into one. Silver Mine Hollow is directly across the creek from the road. The creek bed here is very interesting. There is a lot of shale which makes for some very interesting formations. As you go further up the hollow, the creek becomes more traditional with some small waterfalls and cascades. Before you ask, there is no silver mine up silver mine hollow. As with Vastine Hollow the nettles are particularly annoying, so long pants are suggested during late spring and summer.
Forest Road 6
Forest Road 6 in Shawnee State Forest is one of the best drives you can find in southern Ohio. I have marked some of my favorite locations below with mile markers from the northern end of the forest.
The first stop, and my favorite, is at 1 mile. Snake Hollow is marked as a bridle trail, but if you walk toward the creek, you will find an amazing Hemlock Grove.
As you drive from Snake Hollow, keep an eye out for small streams along the way. After a heavy rain, they result in some beautiful small waterfalls.
At the end of the road, turn left and you will pass Bear Lake at 3.3 miles. One of my favorite places to go in the forest to view the night sky.
At the top of the hill, leave the paved road and turn right toward the fire tower. Even without the fire tower, this drive is beautiful.
At 5.5 miles, the fire tower will loom on the right. The Copperhead Fire Tower is the first fire tower built by the state of Ohio dating back to 1924.
You will be hard pressed to find better views of the sunrise and sunset in the county. It is also an amazing place to view the changing seasons.
You don't have to climb the fire tower at night (not recommended) to enjoy the night skies. The parking lot just beyond the fire tower offers some amazing views. This picture was taken in late spring with the north star in the center of the frame. It is also a great place to enjoy the lightning bugs and the sound of the whippoorwill in summer.
About half a mile from the fire tower you will come up on a sharp bend in the road. This is a great spot to stop and take a small walk along the back pack trail. To the right of the road is a great walk that really showcases the trees of Shawnee State. On the left side of the road it leads up to a small pond and more of the trail. (mile 6.2)
At 7.4 miles in the Silver Arrow bridle trail. You can make a shuttle hike out of this as it meets up with the day trail from the park at about two miles.
The drive from here can be very distracting. The trees put on quite a show for the 3 miles from the fire tower until it connects with the paved FR 3.
After 3 miles on FR 3, FR 6 turns to the right. Stop at the bridge in summer and you should see a pretty good display of dragonflies. At mile 9.4, the road cuts to the left and starts climbing. The road does wind quite a bit and that make for a very interesting drive.
Mile 12.6 gives you a nice pullout and another good view of the forest.
It is a short 1.5 miles to the end of the road where it connects with 125.