Logan County. Our own 3DEP query at the summit reads 1,548 feet. The low point is about 455 feet on the Ohio River
What to carry in Ohio
A short and specific list. A Wayne National Forest trail pass, $35 for the season or $20 for three days, if you will ride a motorized trail. An Ohio APV plate, or your home state registration, for a machine. A working spark arrester, which a standing forest order requires on any combustion engine on the Wayne. The Motor Vehicle Use Map for the unit you are in, printed, because cell service is poor and it is the legal record of what is open.
Then the wet-weather kit: recovery gear you can use alone in mud, a way to dry out, and firewood bought locally, since the forest asks you not to bring any that is not commercially packaged with a USDA inspection label.
An outfitter is the difference between reading reviews and opening the tent yourself. The good ones stock what works, install what they sell, and will tell you what they took off their own trucks.
What they carry
01Roof tents, awnings and shelter
02Fridges, kitchens and water systems
03Racks, drawers and storage
04Recovery gear and compressors
05Power stations, batteries and lighting
How to choose an outfitter
Look for people who use what they sell.
01Ask whether they install what they sell, and whether the installer is on staff.
02Ask what they run on their own vehicles, and what they stopped running.
03Compare weight as well as price. It all rides on your suspension.
04Ask about returns and exchanges on large items such as tents and fridges.
05Check that they know your vehicle. Fitment is where online orders go wrong.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Dimensions prevent returns.
01Vehicle, and rack or bed dimensions if you know them
02How many people travel and sleep
03The kind of trips you take, and how long
04What you already own
05A budget range
Questions people ask
What gear should I buy first?
A way to sleep well, a way to keep food cold, water storage and basic recovery gear. Everything else can wait until a few trips show you what you miss.
Is it worth buying from a local outfitter instead of online?
For anything that has to fit your vehicle or be installed, yes. Fitment mistakes on racks, tents and fridges are expensive to ship back, and an installer who sold you the part will stand behind the install.
Can I try before I buy?
Some outfitters rent roof tents, fridges and even vehicles. Say so in the form if that is what you are after.
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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