Logan County. Our own 3DEP query at the summit reads 1,548 feet. The low point is about 455 feet on the Ohio River
Buy for roads and lakes, not for trails
Ohio is not a state where a large expedition truck is the wrong tool, but it is a state where the ceiling is low. There are 305,753 acres of federal land, 1.2 percent of the state, and six federal campgrounds a vehicle can drive to. The good driving is byways, forest roads and Corps lake shorelines, all of which a big vehicle handles.
What a big vehicle cannot do is ride. The Wayne trails stop at 50 inches, the state forest APV areas at 62, and state parks allow no APV riding at all. Ask a dealer what the vehicle is like on a narrow, wet, unmaintained forest road with no turning room, because that is the test Ohio actually sets.
Buying a finished vehicle trades money for time. Someone else has already made the thousand decisions, and you can be traveling this season. A dealer who knows these vehicles can also tell you what a used one has been through.
What they offer
01New expedition vehicles, campers and vans
02Used and consignment vehicles
03Trade-ins, financing and delivery
04A proper walk-through of every system
05Service after the sale, or a referral to it
How to buy a finished vehicle
The questions are the same whether it is new or used.
01Ask for weights: empty, loaded, and the gross rating. Overweight expedition vehicles are common.
02Ask for the build documentation: wiring diagrams, component manuals and service history.
03On a used vehicle, have the chassis and the house inspected independently before you buy.
04Ask who services what after the sale, and where.
05Drive it, on dirt if they will let you.
What to have ready before you ask
Know the trip before you choose the truck.
01How many people travel, and for how long
02Where you want to take it, and what you need to park it
03New, used, or either
04A budget range, and whether you have a trade
05When you want to be on the road
Questions people ask
Is it cheaper to buy a finished vehicle or build one?
A used, finished vehicle is often the least expensive way into a capable rig, because builds rarely return what was spent on them. A new custom build costs the most and fits you best. Building it yourself costs the least money and the most time.
What should I check on a used build?
Weight against rating, water damage and leaks, the age and type of the batteries, heater and appliance service history, and the condition of the frame and suspension. Then have a mechanic check the vehicle underneath the camper.
Can I finance an expedition vehicle?
Often, through RV or specialty lenders, depending on the vehicle and how it is titled. Dealers who sell these regularly know which lenders will.
How high is Ohio?
From Portsmouth at 534 feet to Campbell Hill at 1,550.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
BellefontaineLogan County, at 1,245 feet the highest of the towns in this guide. Campbell Hill, the state high point at 1,550 feet, is just east of town.1,245 ft
WoodsfieldMonroe County seat and the north end of the Covered Bridge Scenic Byway on SR 26.1,204 ft
LoudonvilleIn the Mohican valley. Mohican-Memorial State Forest, the one state forest besides Maumee where snowmobiles may use designated trails, is a few miles south at Perrysville.974 ft
New LexingtonPerry County seat, the nearest town of any size to the Perry State Forest APV area, which the Division of Forestry calls the most popular public riding area in Ohio.956 ft
New StraitsvilleIn Perry County on SR 595. The New Straitsville OHV trailhead is two miles south, one of two on Monday Creek with loading ramps.793 ft
McArthurVinton County seat on US 50. Gateway to Zaleski State Forest, the second largest, and its backpack camps.763 ft
PeninsulaIn the Cuyahoga Valley between Cleveland and Akron, inside the national park’s 33,000 acres and on the Ohio and Erie Canalway Byway. No camping anywhere in the park.754 ft
LoganOn US 33 at the gateway to Hocking Hills. Hocking State Forest and the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway both leave town on state routes.740 ft
AthensWhere US 33 meets US 50 on the edge of the Athens Unit. The Forest Service names it as one of three cities that make a good place to start or end a visit, for lodging and dining.719 ft
JacksonJackson County seat, one of the four counties in the Ironton Ranger District, between the Pine Creek OHV system and Richland Furnace State Forest.688 ft
SwantonNorthwest Ohio, southwest of Toledo. Maumee State Forest and its APV area, the only one of the four that stays open through winter.684 ft
NelsonvilleOn US 33 about 70 miles southeast of Columbus. Wayne National Forest headquarters, welcome center and the Athens Ranger Station. Monday Creek OHV trails start just north.679 ft
ChillicotheOn US 23 and US 50. The Division of Forestry’s Chillicothe district office, and the way in to Scioto Trail and Tar Hollow state forests.634 ft
MariettaAt the mouth of the Muskingum on the Ohio River. South end of the Covered Bridge Scenic Byway and home of the Wayne’s Marietta field office.612 ft
IrontonOn US 52 at the Ohio River, at the edge of the Ironton Ranger District. Lake Vesuvius and its three campgrounds are 6.5 miles north on SR 93.551 ft
PortsmouthWhere US 23 meets US 52. Shawnee State Forest, the largest in the state, starts just west on US 52.534 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Campbell HillThe highest point in Ohio, in Logan County. Our own 3DEP reading at the USGS point is 1,548 feet1,550 ft
Mount LoganRoss County, above the Scioto valley at Chillicothe. Measured for this chart; no agency publishes a figure for it1,246 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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