Strouds Ridge Preserve |
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275 acres in Athens and Canaan Townships, Athens County, Ohio. This preserve includes both the Riddle State Nature Preserve and Sells Park, both owned by the City of Athens. Overall, the preserve is in two discontinuous sections. The western section includes Riddle and Sells as well as the COAD tract. The eastern portion is known as the Hope Drive Tract.
Sells Park, 22 acres, was originally donated to the Federal government by Edward and Laura Sells in 1939. It was developed as a CCC work site, with a large pavilion, pond, restrooms, trails, and picnic areas, and managed by the Wayne National Forest, the original headquarters of which were two blocks away. Over the years, maintenance flagged and most structures, including the pavilion and restrooms, were removed. In 1974, the property was ceded by the Feds to the City of Athens. Starting in 2002, efforts were made to connect Sells Park with Strouds Run State Park by purchasing properties with the new Clean Ohio Conservation Fund. The COAD tract was purchased first in 2003, then Hawk Woods, one of the very few old-growth forests remaining in Ohio. Hawk Woods became the Riddle State Nature Preserve. The Hope Drive tract was purchased in 2005. The purchases of these lands enabled connection of Sells to Strouds Run State Park via a popular trail system that accommodates both hikers and mountain bikers. The principal trails are the Athens Trail and the Rockhouse Trail. |
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Trails in the Athens Trail System at the Strouds Ridge Preserve
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Directions to the Strouds Ridge PreserveTo reach the Sells Park Trailhead, take State Street east in Athens to Avon Place, which is east of US-33, directly across from the exercise room of the Athens Community Center. Turn left on Avon Place and go to its end, where there is a small parking area for Sells Park.To reach the Pepsi bikeway trailhead, take State Street east in Athens past Lowes and the Market on East State, and look for the parking area on the right, just before the Pepsi plant. To reach the Athens Trail, take the bikeway east to Hope Drive, turn left into Hope Drive, then turn left again into the gravel road. To reach the Pioneer Cemetery Trailhead, take Carpenter Street west (uphill), which becomes Lancaster Street. Turn right at the stoplight at the very top of the hill. This is at first Lancaster Street, then Columbia Avenue, then Strouds Run Road. Bear right at the two forks. After going over the overpass at US-33 to the stopsign, turn right to stay on Strouds Run Road. The trailhead is the first parking area on the right after entering the park, just after the big field. |
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