Wayne National Forest: Archers Fork Trail to Irish Run Natural Bridge (Blog Hike #978)

Trail: Archers Fork Trail
Hike Location: Wayne National Forest, St. Patrick Cemetery
Geographic Location: northeast of Marietta, OH (39.52388, -81.18097)
Length: 2.3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2023
Overview: An out and back passing a large rock shelter en route to Irish Run Natural Bridge.
Trail Information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/wayne/recarea/?recid=10344
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=949804
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming March 14, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From Marietta, take SR 26 northeast 24.7 winding miles to SR 260 and turn right on SR 260.  Drive SR 260 east 2.9 miles to Township Road 34 and turn right on TR 34.  TR 34 becomes gravel just before you reach the signed turnoff for the Archers Fork Trailhead on your left.  Turn left and drive the trailhead access road, which is marked on some maps as TR 411, to the trailhead at St. Patrick's Cemetery.  There is room for 3 or 4 cars at the cemetery/trailhead parking area.

The hike: I first learned of Wayne National Forest's Archers Fork Trail in 1997 when I read my first hiking book: 50 Hikes in Ohio, a classic multi-edition work by Ralph Ramey and the inspiration for all of the trail writing I have ever done.  Ramey wrote highly of the rustic and remote hills through which this trail passes, and I quickly added this trail to the list of Ohio trails I wanted to hike.  At long last, more than 25 years later I drove up the steep, narrow gravel road that leads to this trailhead.  The hike was every bit as good as I had hoped.

            On its own merit, the Archers Fork Trail is widely regarded as one of the best (but not longest) backpacking options in Ohio.  The trail forms a 14 mile loop that goes up and down multiple steep ridges, and several creeks will need to be waded during normal water levels.  For dayhikers such as I, the out-and-back to Irish Run Natural Bridge described here makes for a perfect short hike.  Irish Run Natural Bridge is one of the largest natural bridges in Ohio, and this segment of the Archers Fork Trail gives you a taste of the full trail without overwhelming you with distance or difficulty.

St. Patrick's Cemetery Trailhead

            The signed trailhead is located at the northwest corner of St. Patrick's Cemetery, which is a surprisingly modern cemetery for such a rustic area: St. Patrick's Cemetery has 185 headstones with dates ranging from 1849 to 2020.  The single track dirt trail heads east with the cemetery on your right.  This trail is marked with both yellow/orange plastic diamonds and powder blue rectangles painted on trees.  A metal pipe partially buried in the ground runs beside the trail here.

Start of Archers Fork Trail's loop

            After 0.3 miles of fairly flat ridgetop walking, you reach the trail intersection that forms the loop portion of the Archers Fork Trail.  As directed by a wooden sign, turn right for the shortest route to Irish Run Natural Bridge.  The trail descends steeply down the west side of the ridge, and you will lose about 200 feet of elevation over the next 0.2 miles.  Maple trees are the most common trees in this forest, and their leaves were a brilliant shade of yellow when I hiked here in late October.

Hiking in the fall

            Just past 0.5 miles, you reach the top of a large rock shelter.  Peering down into the shelter, you can see an established fire ring beneath the shelter, but the steep spur trail to get to the floor of the shelter was too steep for me to attempt while hiking alone.  The main trail continues by circling the upper reaches of the ravine and heading south along the ravine's west wall.  The hillside is very steep here, and some sections of the sidehill trail are quite narrow.

Rock shelter, as seen from above

            1.1 miles into the hike, you reach the signed spur trail that exits left to Irish Run Natural Bridge, which is reached only a couple hundred feet later.  At 51 feet long, 19 feet wide, 16 feet thick, and 39 feet high, this sandstone bridge is one of the largest natural bridges in Ohio.  The spur trail approaches the bridge at the top of its north support.  The trail to the base of the bridge seemed too steep for me to descend safely, so I enjoyed the view looking down under the bridge from above.

Irish Run Natural Bridge

            The entire 14 mile loop is too long for a comfortable dayhike.  Thus, I turned around at the bridge and retraced my steps to the St. Patrick's Cemetery Trailhead to complete my hike.  Alternatively, continuing another 0.2 miles past the bridge would bring you to a crossing of Township Road 411, which is the continuation of the last road you drove uphill to the trailhead.  Therefore, you could form a loop by continuing to the road and turning right to walk the road back to the trailhead.  Be warned that the road is rough, heavily rutted, and eroded if you choose that option.