Brush Creek State Forest–Hackelshin Road

Tips for birding Hackelshin Road
No dedicated parking, but there is a generous pull-off on the opposite side of the road from the “trail” (see State Forest map below), which is actually an old forest road. Very steep, uneven grade that goes straight up the hill, does not switch back at all. Not a groomed trail. Very sloppy in wet weather. Hillside planted with Eastern White Pines, so a good place for “pine” birds as Southern Ohio goes. Probably an excellent Pine Warbler spot in spring and summer. In December 2020, there were four Red-breasted Nuthatches in my field of view at one point, which is basically unheard of in this area.
From Joshua Eastlake

About Brush Creek State Forest
Located in Adams and Scioto Counties, the unglaciated hill country of south central Ohio, Brush Creek State Forest was established in 1928 with the acquisition of 285 acres of land. This and other early land acquisitions were originally part of Shawnee State Forest. As acreage and distances grew, the need to form a separate state forest unit became apparent in order to properly manage these scattered land holdings.

In the early 1950s, a new state forest was formed and drew its name from a major stream in the area known as Scioto Brush Creek. A forest headquarters and service center was established along OH-73 about one mile west of the village of Rarden in western Scioto County and presently remains at that site. Today, Brush Creek State Forest comprises well over 12,000 acres of productive hardwood forest land.

The vast majority of these acres is made up of steep hillsides, deep hollows, and narrow ridge tops. Combined with the climate in the region, this land is ideally suited to the growth of deciduous hardwood forests.
From Brush Creek State Forest website

There are no restroom facilities.