Version of August 10, 2004

CURRENT TRAILS:
The ATHENS TRAIL is now open to hikers and bicyclists. 1.5 miles of this trail are open, with another contiguous 1.2 miles of the FINGER ROCK TRAIL open to Strouds Run Road.

The Athens Trail is blazed with white arrowheads (modified "A"s) on a red rectangle. To hike the trail, go up the trail to the right of the dam. Just past the dam, turn right and follow the blazes to the ridgetop, then stay on the ridge. When the blazes leave the trail on a knob, continue on the unblazed trail to reach Finger Rocks, and eventually Strouds Run Road. The Finger Rock Trail will eventually be blazed with a white figure on a blue rectangle (but is not now so blazed). Currently, the downhill part of the trail is blazed with dark blue arrowheads (but not the ridgetop portion). When you reach Finger Rocks, double back to the left to stay on the trail. THE DOWNHILL TRAIL THERE TO THE RIGHT WILL BE CLOSED SOON.

All other trails in Sells Park except the Lookout Trail, and all other connecting trails to the Athens Trail that are south/west of Dow Lake (including the South Lakeview Trail), and south of Strouds Run Road, are open to both hikers and bicyclists.

TRAIL ISSUES:
It is expressly illegal to ride motor vehicles within Strouds Run State Park or the Riddle State Nature Preserve, and discouraged at all other points.

The Riddle State Nature Preserve includes Hawk Woods. You will pass through part of the preserve on the ridgetop portion of the Athens Trail. There are no trails within Hawk Woods itself. If you wish to see Hawk Woods, we suggest that you contact one of the people below.

Please do not disturb plants, animals or geological formations within the City preserve properties or the state park property without authorization, except that, if you know your identification for certain, feel free to pull weedy invasive exotic species such as garlic mustard, multiflora rose, Japanese honeysuckle, Amur (bush) honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, burning bush, privet, Indian strawberry (Duchesnea), and Japanese barberry.

Monthly trail work days are held to construct, improve and maintain the Athens Trail and the rest of the trail system. If you wish to be added to the email notification list, you can send a blank email from your email account to:

athenstrails-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

or contact John Knouse, below.

FUTURE TRAILS
The Athens Trail, hopefully, will eventually loop all the way around the City of Athens. It may eventually reach a length of 20?25 miles, and will eventually feature a backpacking campsite.

Information boards with maps, trail information, regulations/ordinances, event information, and natural history information will eventually be provided at Sells Park, the Athens Community Center, Southside Park, the bikepath access area on East State Street, and possibly other points.

We hope that the Rockhouse Trail will eventually go from Sells Park to the Athens Trail at Hope Drive. This would enable an approximately six?mile loop without going onto streets. This is very tentative at this points.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Phil Cantino, Chair, Athens Land Conservation Advisory Committee
740.593.1128 (days)

cantino@ohiou.edu

John Knouse, Coordinator, Athens Trails
740.589.4575

jknouse @ frognet . net