Shadbush Trail is a 8.8 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Cambridge, Ohio that features a lake. The trail is rated as moderate and is primarily used for hiking and trail running. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Really pretty, pretty moderate hike with some steeper inclines, nice little calf workout. You walk along the golf course for a little which was cool!
We were told the total length of this hike was 2 miles. It is a total of 4.5 miles. Pretty view of the lake, rocks, dirt, nice incline in some sections. It is well maintained and a lot of people on the trail. Park at the golf club and walk down the hill to get on the trail. Fun!!!
Beautiful pines and beautiful lake views. Some inclines and declines but nothing too difficult.
Well maintained with good signage. Saw a large red-brown wolf or wolf-coyote hybrid on the trail but it was too far away for pictures.
Great trail! Just challenging enough but not too bad. A lot of hills on this one. Nice lake views and wildlife. Path is clearly marked and mostly cleared out from brush and weeds. The path is wider too which is nice. So far this is my favorite trail at Salt Fork.
This is an AMAZING trail. Very diverse sections of forest with plenty of wildlife. On our hike we saw snakes, a turtle, multiple deer and rabbits. I connected Shad to the pine crest trail which I HIGHLY recommend in the evening. The light that comes in through the pine forest makes for amazing pictures. When you combine these two trails you get about nine miles. Plenty of lake views on this trail as well.
Beautiful trail and reasonably marked! Had a great hike both ways, enjoyed the elevation changes. Be aware - the actual Shadbush trail as marked is only a little more than 2 miles each way (out then back). The version saved here includes another trail we did not continue onto.
About 1 mile of this is on the street. Nice trail though. Only saw 2 people the entire time
We enjoyed this hike. It had a diverse terrain. It was grassy even ground closer to the campsites. Then along they way it started to get more rugged. It was muddy in many places. But there was a heavy rain the day before. At one point it was necessary to cross a shallow stream. Most of our group chose to utilize a log to cross over. Myself, with balance issues chose to take my shoes / socks off and walk across. There were a lot off hills. Due to the mud some of our group chose to walk on the road back to the parking lot. The hike is not 8 miles but only a little over 2 miles out one way.
We started at the camp ground entrance, it was nice and shaded. We had a baby in a carry pack. Some parts of the trail are still very muddy and slippery as well as many inclines and declines. A few small streams to cross as well as a moderate sized one, due to having the baby I had to take my shoes off and walk through the water because I was unable to jump to the rocks and didn’t want to slip on them with the baby. We opted to take the road back, it’s definitely a lot longer taking the road. It would have ended up being around 6 miles with returning by road however out daughter came by and picked us up. This trail is moderate without carrying a baby however if you take children especially if you are carrying one, be very careful.
Dog friendly. Not many ppl on trail. The shadbush trail itself is only the first part maybe 2 miles one way. Nice and mostly covered with small beaches a short walk down from trail. You then have to walk along the main road where cars will be traveling (there is a wide enough grassy area along the side) to connect to some of the other trails which are loops. We did 3 of the other loops, ending with pine creek. We went off the trail to the water where there was a small “beach” so our dog could get in the water. Overall would be 3 stars, the beach being the only reason why 4 stars.
The trail is only 4.5 miles long. Not 8.8. It looks as though some people once they get to the end of the trail have chosen to walk down the main road (the one you come in on) until they reach another trail and then eventually loop back around to the Shadbush Trail. Overall, we enjoyed this trail. It starts off relatively easy, but does start winding up and down. Mostly downhill at the beginning, so you’ll be walking uphill on the way back. It’s a little bit of a workout, but not too difficult if you’re in decent shape. It was pretty muddy, but it had rained the entire week, so I imagine it wouldn’t be an issue if you waited until it hadn’t rained for a few days. There is shade almost all the way out, so the sun and heat is barely noticeable. A beautiful view of the lake. There are a few spots where you have to cross small bodies of water. (You can walk right through the water or walk across a fall tree.) A medium sized dog could handle this trail as long as you bring plenty of water. Would not recommend for small children.
I hiked this trail today, and with the rain storm from last night, I expected the worst. It was okay, as I only had to scale a couple creeks with teetering skills on fallen trees, and make my way thru the water logged trails in spots. As said, this trail is only 2.15 miles long in one direction. I tallied 4.3 miles total from looping it back the exact same way.
Hiked this trail today, and while it challenged me, I loved It! not sure where they got the 8.8 mikes from, end to end it is 2 miles according to the Salt Fork map, making it 4 miles out and back. It is well marked and some nice views of the lake.