Ohio trails · Vesuvius Main Loop
Vesuvius Main Loop
A 29.7-mile point-to-point in Ohio, with 469 ft of climbing. Reaches Sand Hill. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 3,320 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Sand Hill (summit)
Getting there
SAND HILL TRAILHEAD — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 19 min drive (9 mi) from Ironton. 38.61181, -82.61003 · 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 6:53 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 29.7-mile route takes roughly 11 h 14 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 6:52 p.m. — 1 min before sunset.
Loop options
- SANDHILL CONNECTOR + VESUVIUS MAIN LOOP + HUNGRY HOLLOW CONNECTOR — 4.4 mi loop, 716 ft gain
- VESUVIUS MAIN LOOP + VESUVIUS CONNECTOR + HUNGRY HOLLOW CONNECTOR — 11.6 mi loop, 2,303 ft gain
- VESUVIUS MAIN LOOP + VESUVIUS CONNECTOR + ALDRIDGE CONNECTOR — 4.0 mi loop, 547 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Backpack Trail — 1.2 mi
- Superior Corridor — 5.9 mi
- Hanging Rock Loop — 6.5 mi