You Can’t Get There from Here- or Driving the West Union Section

Another name for this post could be- Be careful what you wish for!  At the end of the Williamsburg section I shared that I found the names of the roads a bit more enjoyable than the roads themselves. One thing you cannot fault the West Union section roads for being is boring.

I just finished my second drive of this section. The first time I went out was with Darryl who does more hiking of the trail than driving it. We were having a ‘Jenny Day’ which is either Blue Blazing or going to gardens. I have a feeling that after this drive Darryl will be more than happy to stick to hiking the trail. 

As with all my Blue Blazing drives I have to travel a bit to get to the start of the next section of the trail. For this venture we headed east on the Appalachian Highway to Ohio 247 which runs north to Seaman and south through West Union to the Ohio River. West Union is the name of this section of the trail. Interestingly enough, the trail does not go through West Union.  What I love about West Union is pulling out of town and heading east on Ohio 125. Almost immediately I can tell we are on the cusp of the Shawnee State Forest. The hills are bigger, the valleys deeper and the trees and woods outnumber farmland and houses. Google Earth will give you a good idea of the greenness of the area. I myself simply look at the green pages of my Ohio DeLorma Atlas and sigh and grin. It’s a bonus when the drive to where you are to start the next section of the Buckeye Trail is as nice as the day’s official journey.  But there is a downside to this lush, wooded oasis with small streams and creeks cutting steep valleys through large hills, there are a lot of dead end roads and apparently a lot of landslides, washed out roads and sinkholes - AKA detours. In short, you can’t get there from here.

Hikers of the Buckeye Trail must be in their element in the West Union section. There is a trail walking but even the gravel roads and paved roads on which the trail passes are picturesque, quiet and sublime. Driving the route is a bit trickier. A dead end road for a hiker is of no concern; for a girl in a Mazda it is an issue. Also, hikers can hear a car approaching on a narrow gravel road in ample time to safely step to the side. What I found is the bends and dips on the narrow roads sans burms makes stopping to take pictures a bit hazardous. To drive the roads is great; to walk it is even better, especially if you want to take pictures. Driving rutty, gravel, dusty, narrow roads is not to everyone’s liking but, if we are to follow the trail as closely as possible a bit of gravel road driving is in order.

To appreciate the West Union section you need to get a feel for the area in which we are covering. From the east to west points of the trail is roughly 51 miles as the crow flies and at the northernmost point we are within 30 miles of the Ohio River.  On the western half of the trail we are far closer to the river, at one point within two miles. The western half is also dominated by smaller roads running east west and a few main roads running north-south, assuming they are open for traffic. On a map, the roads look like spider veins, thin and petering out just short of the next road. The hilly terrain, narrow roads and no direct route from point A to B made me feel as if I was far more isolated and removed from people and towns than I really was. To be that close to the Ohio River and hardly get a glimpse of it until you are just about upon is an awesome feeling.

On my first trip Darryl and I followed the route of the Buckeye Trail as closely as possible. A detour early in our drive thwarted our plans and we were sent south, to the Ohio River for a short drive west then back up into the hills to reconnect with the trail.  Both of us agree that the eastern half of the West Union section was by far our favorite. The terrain, as I shared, is beautiful and the roads are great fun to drive. Waggoner Riffle Road, which follows a creek, quite snugly at times, was beautiful as was Gift Road (which had a nice, albeit brief view of the Ohio River), Bat Roost Road and Blue Creek Road.  Truth be told, close your eyes point to an area on the map and go! There are no ugly roads in these parts. I learned that on my second trip to West Union.

I wanted to explore the more developed roads; two lanes, yellow line down the middle for those who are more comfortable on main roads than secondary and tertiary routes. I headed east on Ohio 124 to Blue Creek. Heading south on Blue Creek Road I was soon confronted with a road closed ahead sign. I pushed on anyway, hoping it was just down to one lane.  A few miles later I learned that closed means closed. Turning around I headed back to Ohio 124 to join up with the next main road heading south to the river, Hamilton Road. This road was even better! The trees hugged the road so closely that the pavement was about to wrap around the base of the trees. The tree canopy was think, even with the fallen leaves. The road twists and turns and rides like a gentle roller coaster. It was perfect, until I saw my second road closed sign.  Option number three here we come. Heading west on Tulip Road I take what I hope will be the road to the Ohio River, Blacks Run Road. It was the road, just not what I wanted to find on this trip. At best Blacks Run Road feels like driveway, gravel of course. I checked my map twice to make sure I wasn't driving on private property.  The further I drove south, the twists and turns increased and the road became ruttier and steeper.  At last I arrived at Waggoner Riffle Road, a welcome, familiar sight.

I did a bit more exploratory driving after grabbing granola bars and water at the general store in Manchester (the only place to grab a snack that I could finds sans the dairy whip, or barn or stand). Backtracking I retraced my steps west on highway 52, the Ohio River to my right and the Ohio hillside to my left. I wanted to photograph an historical marker and drive State Route 247, where I saw my final road closed sign for the day. 

The Ohio River Valley from Gift Ridge Road.

Wrightsville, population 16, is nestled between U.S. route 52 and the Ohio River. It is a well manicured, tidy vacation house community of three streets, with speed bumps. The road to the members'-only boat ramp was closed, fitting on such a chilly, blustery day. Everyone waved, dogs came out to sniff and inspect my car and within minutes I was crossing 52 and heading north towards West Union and then west on Gift Ridge Road for a birds’ eye view of the Ohio River.

The Ohio River from Manchester. 

I have said it before and I will say it again; touring Ohio via the Buckeye Trail is not for the rushed and timid. The roads can be tricky- I have had my car slide on steep gravel roads with a treacherous drop to one side. Some sections take us out to the middle of nowhere. Nowhere. If you ask me, it’s a poor way of saying being far from cities and towns for we are always somewhere. Sometimes, nowhere is just in the middle of the woods, in a valley, surrounded by nothing but trees, birds, a bit of rusting barbed wire and a sense of anticipation to see what is around the next bend in the road.