Columbus, OH: North Zaleski Loop
Dare to hike here: On his 18.4-mile overnight, you'll pass vacant mines and farms to enter land allegedly guarded by a ghostly brakeman.
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Trail Facts
- Distance: 28.3
Waypoints
ZAL001
Location: 39.3313522338867, -82.3399047851562
From parking lot, head S on trail over bridge into dense hardwoods
ZAL002
Location: 39.3309860229492, -82.3396453857422
L @ Y
ZAL003
Location: 39.3310317993164, -82.3340454101562
Swing L, following orange blazes up moderate incline
ZAL004
Location: 39.3332252502441, -82.3320465087891
Continue straight, inspecting S cliff for scars from old stone quarry
ZAL005
Location: 39.347785949707, -82.3180313110352
Bring ID book, binocs, and magnifying glass: 14 native hardwoods offer super-diverse cover for wild gobblers
ZAL006
Location: 39.3623542785644, -82.3115158081055
R @ T; dirt road miners used to carry charcoal to Hope Furnace
ZAL007
Location: 39.3640251159668, -82.2984085083008
Find designated campsite on protected ridge
ZAL008
Location: 39.3662109375, -82.2806777954102
Rusty junk and trolley railway litter an old mining claim, and deep auger scars show where coal was extracted
ZAL009
Location: 39.3746528625488, -82.2834701538086
Cross US 56 and turn R onto an old roadway
ZAL010
Location: 39.3767127990723, -82.3000335693359
L @ orange blazes; follow trail back to WPT 7 to close loop, then veer R back to WPT 6
ZAL011
Location: 39.3627128601074, -82.3119201660156
Go R from WPT 6 up to OH-278; follow road L .1 mi. to continue trail
ZAL012
Location: 39.3628005981445, -82.3145294189453
Turn R off road, following orange markers uphill on old road, used until last of the farms in this forest were deserted
ZAL013
Location: 39.3714485168457, -82.3281021118164
Pass derelict farm; lantern-bearing Moonville ghost haunts nearby
ZAL014
Location: 39.3600540161133, -82.336311340332
Cross road; go downhill into dim canyon. In 2.3 mi., veer R back to lot