Ohio trails · Backpack Trail
Backpack Trail
A 15.3-mile out-and-back in Ohio, with 407 ft of climbing. Reaches Lake Vesuvius. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 1,949 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Lake Vesuvius (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
BALANCING ROCK TRAILHEAD — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 15 min drive (8 mi) from Ironton. 38.60452, -82.63025 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:11 a.m., the sun rises at 7:38 a.m. and sets at 6:54 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:20 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 16 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 30.5-mile round trip works out to roughly 11 h 43 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Gate Connector + Buckeye Trail + Backpack Trail — 4.0 mi loop, 297 ft gain
- Backpack Trail + Buckeye Trail — 5.9 mi loop, 670 ft gain
- VESUVIUS MAIN LOOP + KIMBLE LOOP + BACKPACK TRAIL — 7.2 mi loop, 1,583 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Vesuvius Main Loop — 1.2 mi
- Superior Corridor — 5.0 mi
- Hanging Rock Loop — 5.3 mi
- Backpack Main Trail South Loop — 29.5 mi