I took advantage of a beautiful day for a nice 7 mile out-and-back ride on on the Marietta River Trail in Marietta, Ohio. This trail runs along the banks of the the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in the southeast corner of Ohio. This is a great trail for lovers of history as Marietta was the first government sanctioned settlement of the young United States in what was known as the Northwest Territory back in 1788. There are all kinds of historical markers along the trail and the architecture is varied due to the city’s age. There are a couple of other bike routes in town that would give you access to other historical sites away from the riverfront if you are so inclined. The trail is an asphalt surface which was in pretty good shape. If you are in the area, the trail is definitely worth the trip. My only disappointment was that the trail wasn’t longer. Next time I will have to add in one of the other trails that run through town for a longer ride.

I rode almost 14 miles out-and-back on the Great Guernsey Trail from just east of Cambridge to about 1.5 miles east of Lore City, Ohio. This rail trail is very flat and it has a few gentle curves which help it be a little more interesting than a few of the straight arrow trails I've ridden recently. The trail runs along the Leatherwood Creek for almost its entire length. The surface is asphalt which is in pretty good shape except that within the first mile there are numerous wide expansion cracks that have been filled with tar and there is also some washboarding of the surface. The surface the rest of the way is in fine shape.

The trail is tree covered but open enough that you don't always feel as though you are riding through a green tunnel. There is a wetland area on the side opposite the creek during the first two miles and there are some signs talking about mosquito bite prevention though I had not one bite from any of these pests throughout my entire ride. This is a nice trail that would probably be good for training as there are very few road crossings throughout the entirety of the trail. What would make this trail even better would be continued efforts toward expansion to the east of Lore City to at least Quaker City. Worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.

Rode the trail from West State Street Park to Nelsonville, and back, about 14 miles each way. To reach the trail, follow W. State St. straight through the park, all the way to the end where it loops around the last baseball diamond. There is parking along the diamond loop. The trail is along the outer edge of the loop.

Riding the trail towards Nelsonville, the trail initially has a short downhill section (moderate) and then levels out quickly. The whole way out, I kept feeling like I was riding ever so slightly downhill, but the ride back felt just as easy. I wonder if the overall grade of the trail might be close to neutral, with sections that offer mild gradients periodically.

This section of trail is generally tree covered, providing nice shade. The portion through Athens itself, for the short portion I tried, seemed more open and exposed.

The trail does have some areas of root ridges, but they generally seemed to come it small clusters, and then be fine for a while. The trail otherwise seemed very smooth. There are periodic points when the trail must cross a road. Do follow the signs to stop/yield, but most crossings were easy. Mile markers are painted on the trail pavement, and while the numbers are not large, they are part of a stripe across the width of the trail, making them more pronounced.

I didn't really see any restroom facilities at West State Street Park, which seems odd for its size. Later, I found that if you follow the trail towards Athens for at most a quarter mile, after you go through the small parking lot and cross the street, there is a small red and white building on the trail that had signs noting it has water and restrooms available dawn to dusk (did not go in to verify). There also were port-o-potties along the trail by the road crossing at the Eclipse Company Store (mile 7), the Beaumont trailhead (mile 11), and in the Hocking College parking lot by the historical village (mile 16.5). The northern end of the trail runs between the Hocking College building and its parking lot. If you really had to, you could probably quickly run into one of the college buildings to find a restroom. The trail through Hocking College, by the historical village, also had a water fountain/bottle fill station, and a picnic pavilion to take a break. The signage at Nelsonville indicated restroom and water, but I didn't go into town to verify.

There are several points along the trail to park. They appear well illustrated on the trail's official pamphlet map (http://athensohio.com/wheretoplay/hockhocking-adena-bikeway-2/).

This trail overall just felt like a really nice ride. Very glad I tried it.

We are in our 60s and like paved trails such as this one. We parked at the Athens Community Center and city park, under the solar collectors. Its just north of highway 50 as you come in to town from the east. We biked 18 miles to Nelsonville and back in one day. Great trail, well maintained, and goes thru beautiful scenery and wildlife along the Hocking River. Only one place to get food or water once the trail leaves Athens, and that's the Company Store bar a few miles north of Athens. At the north trail end in Nelsonville there are plenty of food choices. There are mile markers every half mile. At Nelsonville, the trail kinda dumps you onto a back street at the end, but you are near a great outdoor supply store that has a café! We highly recommend this trail. Thanks to those who maintain this trail!

Is an all weather surface really too much to ask for? this trail is soft with giant puddles after a rain. numerous trees across it. just a mess. could be a great trail of adequately funded by the state

I rode the NB trail July 5 and July 6. July 5 I rode r/t from Ellensboro to just a few miles west of Cairo. The trail was a beautiful fantastic ride. If I had stopped I would have said as good or better than any trail I have rode in OH & PA. The tunnels & landscapes were spectacular. The trail was well-maintained crushed limestone 90%. I was so pleased with my ride I rode into North Bend State Park up to the cabin area and talked to some people staying in the cabins. The cabins look fantastic as does it’s other facilities and I was ready to plan a trip to bring some people back down to ride this trail and stay in the state park. July 6, I rode r/t from Ellenboro with plans to ride east of toll gate. The trail was too much grass, some mud and a few very small areas of aggregate too large for a bike trail. I stopped at the Pennsboro depot which was very nice. I spoke to the volunteer manning the depot. He informed me the North Bend state park director is in charge of the trail and only has two part-time employees to maintain the trail. It’s really a shame W V state park system doesn’t have the resources to properly construct or maintain this trail. NB Trail would be one of my favorite trails if it had the proper construction maintenance. I could really see Cairo becoming a fantastic stop if it just had the bicyclists to frequent the attractions, stores, and restaurants. Based on the other reviews I’ve read it looks like I’m planning my next multi day bike trip at the Greenbrier Trail, PA GAP trail or TBD.

A one and one half hour drive to Athens to ride this trail from our home in Huntington, WV is always well worth it. The majority of the trail is canopied and keeps the temps 10 - 15 degrees cooler than what is reported. Only the campus of Ohio University is entirely in the open and can be hot in mid summer days with a cloudless sky. A stop at The Eclipse Company Store, at mile marker 7.5, is a must for cold libations and fuel for the ride- before, during or after. We have found that starting at Nelsonville makes for a better and more enjoyable ride as this is the most shaded part of the ride and less headwinds, coming or going.

For a non-paved rail trail, it’s just what you would expect! If you are looking for an easy paved route, you should go elsewhere. We went at the beginning of June with 4 boys, 9-12 years old and did fine. We traveled from west to east, carrying our camping gear. Did 42 miles the first day and 28 the second. Rode through some mud, grass and water but most of the ride was hard packed. Tunnels were awesome and the scenery was beautiful. Camped at the state park, which was well taken care of. Only complaint is the price of a shuttle back to Wolf Summit ($250 since we had 7 bikes). Instead I paid my daughter to come get us, rather give her the money!

We attempted to hike the entire trail today but it’s not possible to cross the creeks. There are no bridges and water was too deep. Lots of brushy weeds and poison ivy on the path. We did drive around to different points on the trail and saw King’s Hollow tunnel and Moonville Tunnel. We crossed one river by walking across on a log and made it back to “bears hollow” pond. Next time I’ll try parking in Zaleski to see how far one can take the trail from that direction.