Find the top rated dog walking trails in Athens, whether you're looking for an easy short dog walking trail or a long dog walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a dog walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
This was a great trail. Parking was a little issue on the north end. Next time will park at Heath High School. Loved the peacefulness of the trail, only saw two other people on it today.
Austin Mill Brewing Co now open on Paint Creek Trail just north of Frankfort.
As a WV Native and a fairly avid cyclist I’ve ridden a lot of trails. The Greenbrier River Trail. All of the connecting trails in North Central WV (Mon-River, MCTrail, Deckers Creek) and even the C&O + GAP from DC to Pittsburgh.
While each trail has their pros and cons, *most* rail trails at least have a surface made for hiking or cycling (admittedly, the C&O is often a muddy mess, but I digress..)
The North Bend Trail is excellent for its length, the tunnels, and the overall beauty of nature. But the trail surface is mostly thicker chunky gravel, not the crushed limestone which makes a good trail.
In July 2023 I rode the trail from Parkersburg to Clarksburg one day and Clarksburg back to Parkersburg the next. The thick gravel made for a bumpier ride than every other trail I’ve ridden. On the second day I bumped into somebody who asked if the entire trail was like the chunky gravel they were currently experiencing. When I indicated that most-but-not-all of it was like that, they indicated that they would only ride a few miles and then call it quits and find another trail to enjoy. I couldn’t blame them.
All in all, the length of the trail is its main benefit. But the ride just isn’t smooth. If the surface is ever changed to crushed limestone I’d probably ride it annually. But in its current state, I don’t have a lot of desire to ride it again. The decision to use regular gravel and not crushed limestone was a poor decision.
For those hiking or cycling on a mountain bike with shocks, you won’t notice much. But for those riding a gravel or other hybrid bike without suspension, prepare for your arms to have a workout as the non-stop vibrations will surely impact your ride.
We started at Mile Marker .5 in Chillicothe on a delightful ride through South Eastern Ohio. We stopped after 19 miles at Austin next to a new establishment (Austin Mill) selling beverages and food. This trail is fabulous! We were thrilled to see how well the trail is being maintained; finding the trail quite smooth with normal asphalt separations that had been filled. Yes, there are occasional root bumps; nothing to worry about as the tree canopy provides great shade. Yes, there are a couple of places where the big arrows had faded to direct us but trail sense kept us on trail. Thank you to the three Ohio counties teaming up to make/maintain the memorable bike trail.
This trail is a nice ride and friendly people on trail. Very clean and maintained.
Not a bad ride, however needs cleaned up. It does go through some areas that are in need of attention. A lot of trash on the path.
I rode this 72 mile trail from east to west (gradual downhill grade) with 3 of my girlfriends. It was quite thick gravel but the downhill grade helped keep your momentum up to make it not completely exhausting pushing through the thicker stuff. It will rattle you pretty good and we were glad to come to the end. We went in late September and rode in a 60 degree cold drizzle the whole way. Nice feather in our caps!
Great trail for a quick run (8 mile out & back) in Marietta!
During a busy workweek this was my go-to ride. I ride it twice and add some riding around town in order to get at least 10 miles in. There is lots of shade on the trail. I would have two points of caution: The deer are heavy. I’ve had several cross in front of me and sustained a minor injury when I had to slam on my brakes. Secondly, there is a lack of trail etiquette from pedestrians. I put a bell on my bike but it hasn’t helped. Use caution on this trail, especially when crossing Route 93.
Almost skipped this trail because of the bad reviews. Glad I didn’t. Looks like they fixed the worst spots. Most of the remaining bad ones marked with white paint. Still have a few unmarked bumps that will get your attention. I didn’t think they were too bad on my hybrid at my leisurely 12mph pace.
Rode from Hopewell Mounds MM9 to Shaw Wetlands MM30. Nice peaceful, quiet, secluded ride. Saw only 2 people in 4 hours! Even though SR35 is visible to the north for about half the ride, I didn’t hear any road noise until about MM29. Crossed about 15 bridges. Some cool old wood piling ones. My favorite part was Hopewell to Frankfort - curves along creek and big bridges. I think my least favorite was about MM23.5 to MM25.5. Open with farm fields on both sides.
Looked like they blew the leaves off in Ross County. Fayette County was totally leaf covered in spots. Made it hard to see the buckeyes.
If you can handle some root bumps, go enjoy this secluded ride….bikin-Mike…Oct 2023
Ohio does another awesome rail trail. We went from Nelsonville down to Ohio university to the community center and back . 40 miles. Lots of rock bluffs, big trees and tree cover on the upper section. Good pavement. Not crowded for a Sunday. Don’t miss this trail.
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