Hiking America FIELD NOTES 🥾
New detours, a closed campsite, and 30+ new Amazon resupply locations — here's what's changed on the ADT in Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri.
Saturday, February 28, 2026
– for Subscribers Only.
The latest Hiking America Hiker Notes and Gaia GPS Updates
📍Gaia GPS | 🗺️ Maps | 📝 Directions
Ohio 📍🗺️ 📝
Starting in Segment 3, we've updated the contact information for obtaining your free Edge of Appalachia Preserve camping permit. If you're planning to camp there, make sure you're working from the current number in your Turn-By-Turn guide.
In Segment 5, Mineral Springs Lake Resort has been removed as a camping option. The property was sold, and the new owner is no longer welcoming hikers. Plan accordingly.
Segment 8 has a new note about a bridge out — but the good news is that the creek is fordable. We've marked the location so you know what to expect when you get there.
The most significant Ohio update involves the Buckeye Trail's Sinking Spring Section. The Sinking Spring Section Supervisor and BTA volunteers have identified serious deterioration between Hiking America waypoints OH5-34 and OH5-36 — failing stairs, bridges, stream crossings, and structures. Because the surrounding area also has rare plant and animal species, improvised workarounds aren't a good option here. The Buckeye Trail Association is requesting hikers use the Gorge Trail and Deer Trail as a detour until repairs are completed. We've updated both Gaia and the Turn-By-Turn directions with the detour route.
Missouri 📍📝
Missouri got a significant resupply upgrade this update — Rhiis and Sara have identified 26 additional Amazon locker and counter locations added across Segments 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7. Missouri can be a long stretch between reliable resupply points, so this should open up some useful options.
For those unfamiliar, here's how it works. Amazon Locker locations are self-service kiosks — typically found at convenience stores, grocery stores, or pharmacies — where you can have Amazon purchases shipped directly and pick them up at your convenience using a code Amazon sends you. Amazon Counter locations work similarly but are staffed drop-off and pick-up points, usually inside a participating retail store. Both options let you order supplies directly from Amazon and have them shipped to a specific location — keep in mind, these only work for Amazon purchases, not packages you pack and ship yourself.
To use either, simply select the locker or counter location as your delivery address when ordering on Amazon. Packages are typically held for several days, giving you a reasonable window to arrive. Just make sure your timing works before you commit to a particular location as your resupply anchor.
Illinois - South 📍📝
Rhiis and Sara also flagged a new Trail Angel in the New Haven area — contact details are now included in your waypoints as well. And if you're resupplying through Illinois, we've added Amazon locker and counter locations to Segments 1 and 6.
Hike Your Hike - John. 🥾
Along the Way –
By: Jill Lamkins
Jake Bittle, Rebecca Egan McCarthy