Buffalo River Trail - Hwy 14 to Maumee South

For my birthday, a group of friends and I went to Gilbert for the weekend and did a couple hikes.  After warming up on the Old Railroad Trail at Gilbert, we tackled the ~12 mile section of the Buffalo River Trail  between the Hwy. 14 bridge and Maumee.  We left one car at Maumee, at the difficult to spot trailhead and parking area located about 1.7 mi. past the end of the paved road and 1.8 mi. before you reach the put-in.  From there we drove to the Hwy. 14 bridge and walked southwest under the bridge and along the road before getting on the Buffalo River Trail (#1 on map).

For this blog entry, I've included more information on the map than usual.  Let me know in the comments if this is useful or if it makes the map too busy.   Shortly after leaving the road, the trail heads uphill for the toughest climb of the entire section, with an elevation gain of ~500 feet.  Once you are on top of the bluffs, take in the amazing views of the Buffalo River Valley (#2 and #3) before heading back downhill and crossing a (possibly dry) stream bed.  The trail follows an old dirt road between miles 4 and 5 and at a couple other locations along the trail.  Be sure to keep an eye out for where the trail splits off of again (#6).  Near the 8-mile mark there is another great view (#7) right before another downhill section followed by a steep climb.  Just after the 10 mile mark, there is a small man-made pond.  From there the trail follows a contour around a small valley and then heads uphill to the road and trailhead marked with a small pile of rocks.

Beginning of hike near Hwy. 14 Bridge

Halfway Point on Road to Spring Creek

Giant River Cane in the Bottoms

We had one cold wet crossing

Trailhead on road to Maumee

View Buffalo River Trail - Hwy 14 to Maumee South in a larger map