Shawnee State Park: Lookout Trail (Blog Hike #976)

Trail: Lookout Trail
Hike Location: Shawnee State Park
Geographic Location: west of Portsmouth, OH (38.72549, -83.17625)
Length: 1.6 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2023
Overview: A loop hike to an overgrown lookout.
Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/shawnee-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=949700
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming August 2)

Directions to the trailhead: From Portsmouth, take US 52 west 6.6 miles to SR 125 and turn right on SR 125.  Drive SR 125 west 4.8 miles to Mackletree Road and turn left on Mackletree Rd.  The parking lot for the Lookout Trail is 0.3 miles ahead on the left.

The hike: Often referred to as Ohio's "little smokies," a reference to the steep and massive Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, Shawnee State Park is located on Ohio's land of greatest relief.  The State of Ohio acquired the park's land in 1922 and named it the Theodore Roosevelt State Game Preserve, making it one of the oldest public parklands in Ohio.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to improve the park in the 1930's, and it officially became a state park after the creation of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1949.

            Shawnee State Park has many fine amenities.  The park is centered around a pair of lakes formed by two dams on the same stream: Roosevelt Lake and Turkey Creek Lake.  The lakes offer the usual aquatic recreation, and the park also has a marina on the Ohio River at a separate nearby unit.  A wild disc golf course plays up and down the steep hills, and the park had a ball golf course until it closed in 2019.

Roosevelt Lake, near the trailhead

            Although Shawnee State Park has only 1095 acres, it is surrounded by 69,603 acre Shawnee State Forest, which is by far Ohio's largest state forest.  Thus, the park feels much larger and more remote than it actually is.  Shawnee State Forest is known for its long, primitive, and very rugged backpacking trails that provide some of the toughest hiking Ohio has to offer.  Though nowhere near the length or difficulty of the backpacking trails, the Lookout Trail described here starts in Shawnee State Park but quickly enters the state forest.  Thus, it gives you a taste of what hiking is like in this area without overwhelming you with distance or difficulty.

Start of Lookout Trail

            A small sign and trail map mark the trailhead for the Lookout Trail.  Marked with painted pink triangles, the wide single-track dirt Lookout Trail begins climbing through dense forest on a moderate but persistent grade.  The forest here is dominated by beech and oak trees, and the fall colors were near peak when I hiked here in late October.

Climbing on the Lookout Trail

            Just past 0.2 miles, the trail curves left to cross a small creek on a wooden footbridge.  Next comes something unexpected: a gradual descent.  You never get back down to lake level, and a few hundred feet later the trail curves right to continue the moderate climb.  This section of trail crosses back and forth between Shawnee State Park and Shawnee State Forest; the transitions are both unmarked and unnoticeable.

Crossing a small creek

            Two switchbacks bring you to a trail intersection at 0.6 miles with options going softly left and sharply right.  We will take the trail going right eventually, but first angle left to quickly reach the lookout for which this trail is named.  Sadly, this north-facing "lookout" high above Roosevelt Lake is very overgrown, and these days it offers almost no view.  The excellent wooden shelter with a bench still offers a nice place to rest after the hardest part of the climb.

Lookout on the Lookout Trail

            Back on the main Lookout Trail, the climb continues but at a more gradual rate before topping out at 0.8 miles about 100 feet below the top of this hill.  Next the trail curves right and begins a gradual descent.  The forest is beautiful here, but rocky and rooty trail ensures that you need to mind where you step.

Descending from the highest point

            After a steeper descent, you intersect the Markleberry Trail, a bridle trail, and what appears to be an old road at 1.2 miles.  As indicated by the pink triangles, turn right to continue descending on the old road.  The Lookout and Markleberry Trails run conjointly for a few hundred feet before the bridle trail exits left.  Stay straight to continue descending, still following the old road.

Descending on the old road

            One switchback later, the trail abruptly turns right to leave the old road.  Be sure to look for the pink triangles so you do not miss this turn.  A steep descent deposits you on the shoulder of Mackletree Road in a few hundred feet, where a right turn and a short road walk return you to the parking lot that contains your car.  If you want to do more hiking, the 5 mile Park Loop Trail stays entirely in Shawnee State Park (not Forest) and circumnavigates both of the park's lakes.  I came here on a day when I had a long drive ahead of me, and I would have hiked that trail if I had allotted more time at Shawnee State Park.