Customer Reviews

50 Hikes in Ohio: Day Hikes and Backpacks Throughout the Buckeye State (Fifty Hikes Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book features some of the best hiking Ohio has to offer. The hikes range in distance from 1.6 miles to over 20 miles, thus accomodating hikers of every ability. Each hike contains a detailed description of the trail, a trail map, usually taken for the USGS maps, and directions to the trailhead. Ramey has a very warm, friendly writing style. In addition, his considerable experience in hiking and wildlife management makes Ramey the perfect guide for the trail. This book is an essential part of the library of any Ohio hiker.

This book was a gift for my husband who is an avid hiker. Since our home is in Pennsylvania, he is very familiar with local forests, like Allegheny National Forest and Cook Forest. However, Ohio is less then a half hour away, and he needed more information about where to hike and where to take the Boy Scouts for both hikes and camping trips. We never realized Ohio had such wonderful and great sites until we saw this book. The maps and descriptions and information about difficulty of hiking for the various trails are great (except at least one map we used need updating for changes in the path). What is really enjoyed is the historical information given. Sometimes the Scouts need to be given some historical information to make the hiking more interesting, and history always aids in making memories. For an example in the section on Beaver Creek State Park there are a bunch of old locks and damns. One of the locks on the canal was named after the daughter of a worker on the canal who died. Her casket was buried in the lock, and when the worker was finished in Ohio he dug up the casket to take it back to his country. The ship sunk on the ocean and both the worker and the casket were never retrieved. This type of story makes the history of the time period more accessible to both the Scouts and to anyone who is hiking in the area. It certainly is a good reminder of how easy our lives are compared to the 1800's... Great reference book. Karen Sadler University of Pittsburgh

I give this hiking guide two stars because it has given me a lot of places to go hiking I would never have known about otherwise.

However, as far as actually using the guide to hike the trails, its virtually impossible. Ramey leaves out major forks and landmarks and does not tell you near enough about the trail's conditions or difficulty level. For example, today I tried to follow his route through the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. First, he tells you to start outside the museum at the stone terrace. There are two forks-one a major route down the stone steps that probably 99% of the park visitors take. The route he actually wants you to take is a small, side path that's almost overgrown and not as well maintained as the main trail. He never mentioned that it wasn't the main trail, so I went 1/2 a mile down that one before realizing I was wrong and had to climb the extremely steep stone steps all the way back up to the museum and ask for help. Then, this trail that he was talking about is pretty difficult and dangerous-portions go along a very narrow and rocky ridge where it would be easy to fall, and like I said before this is a rarely used trail. If you did run into trouble, it would probably be a long time before you were found. In my opinion, its not a trail that should be hiked alone even by an experienced woodsman, and Ramey never mentions these conditions at all. I also usually take my dog with me when I hike. Thankfully, I didn't on this occasion because the trail would be twice as dangerous with a pet to supervise, another thing Ramey neglected to mention.

In short, this book will give you ideas for good day trip hikes that you will enjoy, but do NOT rely on it for directions or safety. Research Ramey's route and get complete directions from park personnel before attempting any of these hikes.

This book gives a great overview of the hikes available in Ohio. However, I found this book to be very disappointing. The directions to the trailheads are often unclear and some of the features of the hikes have changed since the book was written (i.e. big trees have gone down). In addition, important information is lacking. For example, the fact that dogs are not allowed on many of the Ohio metro-park trails is not mentioned in the book. I think this book was probably excellent when first published, but times have changed and this book needs to be updated.

Ramey knows all the obscure places to hike in Ohio and this book 's organization by region lets you see what is availible in your corner of Ohio. The milage is usefull, though the estimated hiking times are a little long in many cases. I may just walk too fast. I think this is book is essential to help find new places to hike, that would otherwise go unexplored.One problem that takes away a star is confusing directions to the trailhead and sometimes on the trail. I try to research places before I go so I have back up directions. However, I'm thrilled that he has written a second book with 50 more hikes.