Contact Us

The Wayne has three offices to serve visitors. 

Office hours are 8 - 4:30 Monday through 

Friday. 

Athens Ranger District

13700 U.S. Hwy 33

Nelsonville, OH 45764

Phone: 740-753-0101

Marietta Unit Office

27515 State Route 7

Marietta, OH 45750

Phone: 740-373-9055

Ironton Ranger District

6518 State Route 93

Pedro, OH 45659

Phone: 740-534-6500

Federal relay system for the deaf and hearing 

impaired: 1-800-877-8339

website: www.fs.usda.gov/wayne

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/waynenationalforest 

LNk

To help slow the spread of emerald ash borer 

and other invasive pests, no firewood may 

be transported onto Wayne National Forest 

lands, except commercially packaged wood 

with the USDA inspection 

label. You may collect a small 

amount (what can be carried by 

hand) of down and dead firewood to be used at your recreation site.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider 

and employer.

 There are three 

 canoeable rivers on the 

 Wayne, the Little Muskingum River on the Marietta 

unit, the Hocking River on

 the Athens unit, and Symmes 

Creek on the Ironton District. All 

 three have access points on public 

 land and provide a tranquil float, ideal for 

family canoeing. 

Little Muskingum River

The Little Muskingum River northeast of Marietta

meanders along through forested hills and pastures. It parallels the Covered Bridge Scenic 

Byway for most of its length. The area provides a 

backdrop of historic barns, covered bridges, and 

century old farmhouses. Although subject to seasonal low water, this is our finest canoeable river 

in southeastern Ohio.

The river appears muddy, and in fact, the Indian 

word Muskingum translates to mean muddy river. 

The river is scenic however, with overhanging 

trees and traverses some of Ohio’s most beautiful 

countryside. Rural landscapes, cross-road communities, bluffs and rock outcrops, big shady trees, 

and abundant wildlife will add interest to your trip. 

Canoers paddle under covered bridges which have 

spanned the river for over a century. 

Four National Forest campgrounds are located 

on the river’s banks within a 27-mile stretch. For 

those who choose multiple day canoe trips these 

campgrounds allow floaters to stop, camp, and 

savor the natural beauty of this area. 

Canoe the Wayne

Wayne National Forest

Canoeing

Forest

Service

FS-R9-021

05/2015
aNAccess Points and

Camping on the Little 

Muskingum

Four campgrounds provide easy access to the 

river for fishing or wading and some access for 

launching canoes. Fishing is generally very good, 

with 52 species of fish found in the river including

the endangered Ohio brook lamprey and stream 

muskellunge. Fishable species include muskie, 

large and small-mouth bass, crappie, catfish, and 

rockbass. The access points are known for offering some of the best small mouth bass fishing on 

the Wayne. Due to high water damage some of 

these campgrounds may be temporarily closed 

for repairs each season. 

Each of the campgrounds are also trailheads for 

hikers to access the North Country Trail. Through 

these trailheads, hikers and backpackers have access to over 70 miles of trail. 

 

Little Muskingum River 

from the Hune Bridge

 Access Point. 

Little Muskingum 

River at Moss Run 

and below Hune 

Bridge during a river 

cleanup.
Hocking River

The Hocking is one of the largest rivers in Ohio, and a 

portion of it flows through the Wayne National Forest, 

near Nelsonville and Athens. There are only a handful of 

national forest tracts with frontage to the Hocking River, 

and undeveloped boat access is only available in a couple 

places. Canoes and kayaks are ideal to use on the river.

A website for more information on the Hocking River is at 

http://hockingriver.org. Contact the Hocking Hills Tourism 

Association in Logan for information on canoe rentals. 

Symmes Creek 

Symmes Creek is a Class 1 water trail, traveling 99 miles 

through Lawrence County, Ohio and is ideal for a family 

canoe trip. Thirty-one miles of it 

are easily canoeable. Thirty species of fish, including muskie, bass, 

crappie and catfish can be found in 

Symmes Creek, which is also home 

to 18 species of mussels, including 

3 Ohio threatened and endangered 

species. Boaters on Symmes Creek 

can expect to see abundant wildflowers and rock outcrops as well as 

turkey, deer, beaver, songbirds, raptors and a host of other wildlife as 

they travel through striking forests and scenic farmlands. 

The Symmes Creek watershed is one of Lawrence County’s 

largest, draining the central area of the county from north 

to south. The Forest works closely with the Symmes Creek 

Restoration Committee (SCRC) to manage this creek. This 

group was incorporated in May of 1977 as a not-for-profit 

corporation. They remove logjams and promote public 

interest in the water quality in Symmes Creek.

SCRC, working with the Wayne National Forest, the Lawrence County Commissioners and the Symmes Valley Schools have established the Arthur S. Ferguson, Jr. Canoe Trail in 2004. The canoe trail honors the 

group’s founder (pictured at right). It is a 31-mile stretch of Symmes Creek between Waterloo and Chesapeake, Ohio and takes two days to travel. 
CANOEING GUIDANCE

SAFETY

• Canoeing should be a fun adventure if you use 

caution for a safe trip. Watch for poison ivy along 

the banks and bad weather. 

• Water levels can rise quickly after rains so be alert 

for possible flooding.

• Tell someone when and where you are going and 

when you plan to return.

FISHING

Fishing is licensed and regulated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. 

TRESPASSING

Much of the land along the rivers is in private 

ownership. To insure you stop on public land you 

should obtain maps from one of our offices, which 

shows the river at a larger scale and indicates location of public ownership.

DRINKING WATER

Carry a supply of drinking water with you. Do not 

drink from springs along the river. 

PACK IN - PACK OUT

If you can carry it in, you can carry it out. Go one 

step further and carry out trash that less thoughtful 

people have left behind. Leave only your footprints 

on the banks.

Aid - This launch site is located 0.5 mile north of 

Aid, Ohio and 0.5 mile south of Symmes Valley

Schools on SR 141. Lat/Long: 38.60113, 

-89.494745

Willow Wood - This launch is just north of the 

Willow Wood Bridge at the intersection of SRs 

378 and 217. Lat/Long: 38.55652, -82.469387

Getaway - This launch is on SR 243 immediately 

south of the CR 17 bridge Canoes are launched 

by means of a small watercourse taht intersects 

Symmes Creek. Lat/Long: 38.48582, -82.46759

Sky Lake - This site is at Sky Lake fishing Lake 

approximately 2.5 miles north of SR 7 on CR 32. 

Lat/Long: 38.453135, -82.438209

Access Points on Symmes Creek

There will eventually be 6 access points along the 

31-mile Symmes Creek canoe trail. Three of these 

sites are now constructed and currently being used. 

The others are in the process of being developed.

Site Status Mile #

1. Waterloo, OH Proposed 0.0

2. Arabia, OH Complete 4.5

3. Aid, OH Complete 12.8

4. Willow Wood, OH Complete 18.4

5. Getaway, OH Complete 26.4

6. Sky Lake, OH Complete 32.5

7. Chesapeake, OH Complete 36.2

Completed Sites

Arabia - This launch site on the Wayne National 

Forest. There is public parking and a launch ramp 

available. A grocery store and restaurant are located one mile away on SR 141. 

Lat/Long: 38.6619, -82.47794 

Symmes Creek in fall. Chesapeake - The launch at Chesapeake (shown 

below) is located at the mouth of Symmes Creek. 

It is 0.25 mile north of SR 7 on CR 123. The ramp 

has a 30-foot wide boat ramp, and parking for over 

50 cars, as well as a grassy area for picnicking. 

Lat/Long: 38.429824, -82.451395