Hiking and Bicycle Trails
Trail Heads
Note: A more complete description of trailheads with maps and gps coordinates is on the separate trailheads page.
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White Pine Trail Head (Foot only)
- Going from Athens to the park on Strouds Run Road, this trail head is the first parking area on the left, soon after entering the park. There are picnic tables (across the road) and pit toilets here. Trails accessible from here: Vista Point Trail (leading to Vista Point Trail), Strouds Run Trail (leading to Hickory Trail, Trace Trail, Finger Rock Trail)
- Pioneer Cemetery Trail Head (Foot and
bicycle)
- Going from Athens to the park on Strouds Run Road, this trail head is the first parking area on the right, shortly past the White Pine Trail Head. There are picnic tables here. Trails accessible from here: Strouds Run Trail, White Pine Trail (foot only), Hickory Trail, Trace Trail, Finger Rock Trail, Thunderbunny Trail.
- Amphitheater Trail Head (Foot only)
- Going from Athens to the park on Strouds Run Road, take the State Park Road to the left at the head of the lake. Go about one block, and turn left, and the amphitheater will be to the left. This is in the campground, so campsites are available, as are toilets. Trails accessible from here: Labarthe Run Trail, Vista Point Trail.
- Beaver Pond Trail Head (Foot only)
- Going from Athens to the park on Strouds Run Road, take the State Park Road to the left at the head of the lake. Go past the ranger station, and start up the hill until a sharp right turn, where there is a parking pulloff to the left. Trails accessible from here: Beaver Pond Trail.
- Swimming Beach Trail Head (Foot only)
- Going from Athens to the park on Strouds Run Road, take the first right in the park, just after the State Park Road (which is to the left). Go past the swimming beach, to the turnaround of the paved road. There is a pavilion here and picnic grounds; restrooms are close by. Trails accessible from here: Broken Rock Trail, Lakeview Trail (which can be taken to the horse trails, but no horse entry here), Chestnut Trail
- Dow Lake Dam Trail Head (Foot and bicycle)
- Going east from Athens on US-50 / OH-32, turn left at the sign for Dow Lake Dam. There are picnic tables here. Trails accessible from here: Hickory Trail (foot and bicycle), Lakeview Trail (foot only, leading to Indian Mound Trail, which is foot only), Sundown Trail (foot and bicycle).
- Horse Trail Head (Horse and foot)
- Going from Athens to the park on Strouds Run Road, go through the park, and all the way up the hill; bear right at the top of the hill onto Scatter Ridge Road. Bear right at every intersection, and the road eventually becomes gravel and the gravel ends in a turnaround (the dirt road continues, but is closed to motor vehicles). There are picnic tables here. The trail entry is a short distance down the dirt road. Trails accessible from here: horse trails only.
Trails
- Vista Point Trail (foot only)
- Length: 1.5 miles; 2.4 Km
- This begins at the Amphitheater Trail Head. It intersects with the White Pine Trail exactly one mile from the trailhead. It goes to the Vista Point, the main overlook in the state park, with a great view over the lake. It terminates at an upper bridge near the upper end of the campground, and hikers must walk almost a half-mile back through the campground (it's currently a 1.5-mile trail plus the 0.4-mile return walk). It is a moderately difficult trail.
- Points of interest: Vista Point, overlooking Dow Lake (0.4 mile from trailhead, going clockwise), and Indian mound (0.95 mile from trailhead, going clockwise).
- White Pine Trail (foot only)
- Length: 0.35 mile; 0.6 Km
- This is a linear trail, beginning at the Vista Point Trail Head, and leading to the Vista Point Trail. The trail is open but in not the best condition. It is a moderate trail.
- Point of interest: Vista Point (on the Vista Point Trail; turn right at the top of the ridge and go 0.6 mile -- 1.0 Km).
- Broken Rock Trail (foot only)
- Length: 1.5 miles; 2.4 Km
- This is an old trail, with roughly an "E" shape -- that is, it is an open loop with a connector trail halfway. It starts near the concession stand at the beach, and goes up the ridge, looping around above the bluff line, and comes back down to the North Lakeview Trail, with a total of about 1.5 miles. There is a connector trail to the middle of the loop, starting at the Beach Trail Head. The uphill trails are very steep and in need of a lot of work. This is a moderately difficult trail.
- Point of interest: large rockhouse (shallow cave) below the trail between the beginning and the connector.
- Chestnut Trail (foot only)
- Length: 0.25 mile; 0.4 Km
- This is also an old trail, in ppor shape, connecting the area of Shelterhouse 3 (Lakeview) with the middle of the Broken Rock Trail. The portion going uphill is very steep.
- Lakeview Trail (foot and partially horse)
- Length: 3.0 miles; 4.8 Km
- This trail starts at the Dam Trail Head and goes to the end of the gravel road south of the swimming beach (the Beach Trail Head). It is around three miles long, including a long loop around the big cove on the lake. It intersects with the horse trails where it crosses the stream at the head of this cove. Horses are allowed on sections of this trail. Bicycles are not allowed.. The Indian Mound Trail loops off this trail near the dam, and the Broken Rock Trail intersects with this trail between the big cove and the northern end of the trail. This trail is moderate, with a few very strenuous points. It is a VERY poorly-built trail, and needs a lot of work.
- Points of interest: Lake views.
- Indian Mound Trail (foot and horse)
- Length: 0.7 mile; 1.1 Km
- This is a trail that loops to and from the Lakeview Trail near the dam. It supposedly passes by an Indian mound somewhere. The loop off the Lakeview Trail is 0.7 mile. To hike this trail as a loop from the Dam Trail Head and back is 1.5 miles -- 2.4 Km.
- Point of interest: Indian mound
- Dam Trail (foot and bicycle)
- Length: Not yet built
- This is a planned trail that will extend from Della Drive west of the dam, across to the dam parking lot, then eastward to the township road east of the park, McAfee Road. It will connect with the Lakeview Trail via the existing trailway, and the Hickory Trail via a new extension of that trail. It will also connect with the Sundown Trail.
- Hickory Trail (foot and bicycle)
- Length: 2.8 miles; 4.5 Km
- This is a lakeside trail that starts at the Dam Trail Head and ends at the Pioneer Cemetery Trail Head. It is about three miles long and is open to both bicycles and hikers.
- Points of interest: Lake views.
- Trace Trail (foot and bicycle)
- Length: 1.2 miles; 1.9 Km
- The Trace Trail is a connector trail between the city's Athens Trail system and the Strouds Run Trail system, paralleling the Finger Rock Trail. It extends from the Pioneer Cemetery Trailhead to the Athens Trail, on the way passing the Pioneer Cemetery (the old Gillet Family cemetery) in Gillette Valley (the old spelling was Gillet, the new spelling is Gillette). It also provides access to the Chestnut Grove Campsite via the Tunnel Rock Trail. It coincides with the Hickory Trail for 0.1 mile, and the Finger Rock Trail for 0.25 mile. The trail is mostly easy.
- Points of interest: Gillet Cemetery, campsite, picturesque bluffs, great spring wildflowers.
- Finger Rock Trail (foot and bicycle)
- Length: 1.2 miles; 1.9 Km
- The Finger Rock Trail is a linear trail that extends from the Pioneer Cemetery Trail Head to the Athens
Trail. It coincides with the Hickory Trail for 0.1 mile and the Trace Trail for 0.25 mile. The trail is moderately difficult. The trail is blazed with blue, and will be blazed with white arrowhead blazes on a blue background.
- Point of interest: Finger Rocks (0.66 mile -- 1.1 Km -- from Strouds Run Road), large rock formations on the end of the ridge.
- Athens Trail (foot and bicycle)
- Length: 3.5 miles; 5.8 Km
- The Athens Trail is slated to be a trail system looping around the City of Athens, passing through Strouds Run State Park. So far, 3.2 miles -- 5.1 Km -- of this trail are finished, mostly within the state park (the loop-back on the bikeway accounts for the other 0.3 mile/0.7 Km). The trail begins at Sells Park at the north end of Avon Place off East State Street in Athens, and terminates at Hope Drive, or the Pepsi Bicycle Trailhead via the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway, passing Finger Rock Trail (and several other trails) on the way. The trail is blazed with white arrowhead blazes on a red background. This is a moderate trail with a few strenuous sections.
- Points of interest: Old trailbed on uphill section from Sells Pond; two old drift mines above that before the actual top of the ridge; the highest point within Strouds Run State Park, just past the first electric line crossing.
- Strouds Run Trail (foot and bicycle)
- Length: 0.3 mile; 0.4 Km
- The Strouds Run Trail is a linear trail, extending from the Pioneer Cemetery Trail Head, to Shelterhouse 1. It is planned to eventually extend from the park entrance on Strouds Run Road to the Swimming Beach.
- Points of interest: Stream views.
- Beaver Pond Trail (foot only)
- Length: 0.7 mile; 1.1 Km
- This is a linear trail from the Beaver Pond Trail Head, to the beaver ponds.
- Point of interest: Beaver ponds.
- Labarthe Run Trail (foot only)
- Length: 0.15 mile; 0.2 Km
- This trail is still being built. It will connect the campground via the beginning of the Vista Point Trail, to Strouds Run Road. Eventually, it is hoped to make this a fully-accessible trail completely connecting the campground with the swimming beach.
- Sundown Trail (bicycle)
- Length: 3.2 miles; 5.2 Km
- This is a trail built especially for mountain biking. It extends from the first parking area at the beginning of Swimming Beach Road, next to Strouds Run Road, along the ridgeside down to Dow Lake Dam.
- Points of interest: Many bluffs and rock formations.
- Thunderbunny Trail (bicycle)
- Length: 3.4 miles; 5.4 Km
- This is a trail built especially for bicycle use. It starts from the Pioneer Cemetery Trail Head and extends along the ridge sides to the north end of the campground, crossing the Vista Point Trail along the way, and then crossing State Park Road at 2.5 miles -- 4.0 Km -- to ascend the ridge to Scatter Ridge Road.
Horse Trails
- Horse Trail System
- All horse trails area accessible from the Horse Trail
Head.
- Lake Hill Trail
- Length: 0.6 mile; 1.0 Km
- This is the route for horses from the parking lot at the Horse Trail Head, leading to the other trails.
- Pete Smith Trail
- Length: 3.7 miles; 6.0 Km
- This trail begins at the Amoretto Trail, then goes up a township road up the east branch of Whitesel Run, and forks into a loop back to the Creek Trail near its junction back with the Pete Smith Trail. A full loop from the Horse Trail Head, down the Amoretto Trail, then around the Pete Smith, then back on the Creek Trail, and back the same route is 4.9 miles or 7.8 Km.
- Amoretto Trail
- Length: 0.7 mile; 1.1 Km
- The Amoretto Trail begins at the Lake Hill Trail then extends down into the valley, where first the Cliff Trail branches off, then, near the bottom, the Hermit Hut Trail, then it meets the Lakeview Trail near Whitesel Junction.
- Boogie Trail
- Length: 1.4 miles; 2.2 Km
- This is a trail loop off the Pete Smith Trail that extends on Broken Rock Ridge, overlooping the Big Cove. It replaces only 0.15 mile -- 0.25 Km -- of the Pete Smith Trail. It comes close to the Broken Rock Trail, where there is a short foot-only connector for hikers.
- Cliff Trail
- Length: 1.3 miles; 2.1 Km
- This is an alternate route to part of the Pete Smith Trail, departing from the Pete Smith Trail before it descends to to the creek bottom, and following a bluff line on the ridge. Taking this trail as a partial bypass on the whole Pete Smith Trail loop would add 0.45 mile -- 0.7 Km.
- Creek Trail
- Length: 0.6 mile; 0.9 Km
- This is a cut-through to the Pete Smith Trail, following the west branch of Whitesel Run.
- Hermit Hut Trail
- Length: 0.7 mile; 1.1 Km
- This is a separate trail from the Lakeview Trail at the lake.
- Haley Trail
- Length: 0.5 mile; 0.8 Km
- This is a separate trail from Lakeview Trail at the lake, south of the Hermit Hut Trail.
- Hank Trail
- Length: 0.4 mile; 0.7 Km
- This is a separate trail from Lakeview Trail at the lake, south of Halley Trail. It closely parallels the northern leg of the Indian Mound Trail.
- South Point Trail
- This is a planned trail that will connect the horse trail system with McAfee Road east of the state park, near the dam.
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