Fall/Winter 2011

“You’re in the middle of the colors, which blur past when riding — orange, yellow and brown. You can almost feel the color because you’re so immersed in it,” says Meredith Erlewine, co-owner of Athens Bicycle. “Honestly, we have so many beautiful things out there, in all seasons.”
“Out there” is on the mountain bike trails at Lake Hope State Park in McArthur, Ohio, where more than 23 miles of hard-pack, single-track dirt mountain biking trails climb up and shoot down the rolling hills, bounce across narrow bridges and challenge with uneven surfaces.
“These are not level, asphalt-surfaced trails,” says Dave Sapienza, Lake Hope State Park Naturalist and Trail Coordinator.
The Athens Bicycle Club developed and continues to maintain the mountain bike trails in the park, and has twice hosted trail-building schools lead by the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA).
“The best part of our bike trails — something that you don’t see at other parks — is that ours stay very dry,” says Sapienza. The underlying sandstone of the area aids drainage, and the IMBA trail-building guidance has also helped.   
Trailhead parking is convenient but many mountain bike enthusiasts like to stay overnight at nearby campsites or in cabins so that they can use the connector trails to directly access the biking trails. Some enthusiasts even love snowy days.

- State - Ohio

- Type - Outdoor Adventures

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