Wayne trails closing for winter
Published 9:39am Thursday, December 15, 2011
PEDRO — Today is the last day motorized trail riders, mountain bikers and horseback riders will be out on the Wayne National Forest designated trails for the 2011 season. Trails will continue to be open to hikers.
The 241,000 acre Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio has more than 300 miles of trails for hiking, ATV riding, mountain biking, or horseback riding.
The Wayne National Forest closes its trails to ATVs horse, and bicycle use annually from Dec.16 to April 14, due to the considerable amount of precipitation southeastern Ohio receives during the winter months. The constant freezing and thawing that occurs during this time of year, makes the trail more susceptible to damage from repeated use. Damages include: trail erosion, rutting, and braiding.
The investment to trail maintenance made earlier in the year would be lost if trails were open for use during the winter period and trail maintenance cost would significantly increase because they would have to be maintained more often.
Wayne National Forest trail permits may be purchased by anyone wishing to give trail permits as a gift. Gift certificates may be purchased online, or at any Wayne National Forest office at the value of the trail permit they wish to give (Seasonal: $45, Three-Day: $24, or Daily: $12). Gift certificates are valid for one year from the date of purchase. To purchase online, visit the Forest website (www.fs.usda.gov/wayne) and click on Purchase Trail Permits Online in the right column under Quick Links.
For more information, visit Wayne National Forest Offices (Headquarters and Athens Unit), 740-753-0101, (Marietta Unit) 740-373-9055, or (Ironton Unit) 740-534-6500.
Was in a race around the lake trail last summer with my grand children. They ran, I walked, I lost the race but enjoyed every minute of it. They did look back occasionaly to make sure I hadn’t fallen off the trail.
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As a hiker these trails are wonderful and for the most part easy to navigate. I would recommend waiting till it freezes over before attempting the lake trail.
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