Ohio - Vesuvius - Lakeside Camping?

[Trail Runner]

I have the 1st week of June off & am planning to go down to Lake Vesuvius to hike the trail(s). I'm curious whether the forest comes close to the shoreline in the northern part of the lake that is outside the Recreation Area (no camping inside except campgrounds)?

Also, are there sources of water along the 7-8 miles of trail northeast of the lake? I have filtration & purification.

Thanks

[weaver2469]

There are actually a couple of trails around Vesuvius. There is the backpacking trail that runs along the west side of the lake. It goes away from the lake and doesn't really run along it. The lakeside trail, like the name implies, goes right by the lake the entire time, both on the west and then looping back on the east. At the north end of the lake, all of the trails kind of come together. The best water anywhere on the trail is the main creek, I think it is called Paddle Creek. It is mostly accessible where the two points of the "figure 8" come together, which is just to the north of the lake. You can easily filter from the creek. I would recommend grabbing some extra water when you get there, I couldn't find any north of there, but I didn't actually complete the entire northern part of the loop, so there might be some places. To answer your first question, there are a couple of sites near the lake, and a couple more along the creek as you head north. I would shoot for one of those.

As a side note, I was last there in July of '11. I have never crossed through more poison ivy and gotten more ticks on me than I did that trip. In the evening, I picked off 14 ticks from my shins. Consider yourself warned. If you want a good map, consider downloading the pdf from http://www.backpackohio.com/vesuvius.html It is $5.95. The map is very good, the descriptions of the trails are just ok. The map didn't mention how overgrown parts of the trail were, and a couple of the campsites they mentioned looked like they hadn't been used in years. If you get up on the northern part, you might just bushwack to the top of a ridge and make your own spot. Have fun.

[Trail Runner]

If you want a good map, consider downloading the pdf from http://www.backpackohio.com/vesuvius.html It is $5.95. The map is very good, the descriptions of the trails are just ok.

Thank you for the info & the link. That is a much better map than the Forest Service Map I have. Not worried about ticks on my legs as me in shorts is just not good for anyone:laugh: but will definitely keep an eye out for the Ivy.

[Ed Lobby]

Hiked the backpack trail in 2009. Cached water near the bridle camp area. When I was there, I was also able to fill up and treat water from a creek. This may be unreliable in dry weather. Backpack trail was a bit confusing, as false trails had been made by ATVs. Decent map skills are helpful.