Perry
State Forest
Perry State Forest at a Glance
Date established:1961
Acreage (total):4,567 acres (1849 hectares)
Miles of trails:18 miles (28 kilometers)
Trail miles open to horses:5.8 miles (9 kilometers)
Trail miles open to recreational vehicles:12 miles (19 kilometers)
Campsites:None
Hunting:All hunting allowed (other than safety zones)
Special features:ATV Trails
Nearby natural areas: Wayne National Forest (Athens District)
Burr Oak State Park
Buckeye Lake State Park
O'Dowd Wildlife Area
Trimble Township Community Forest (8 miles)
Official state forest website:http://forestry.ohiodnr.gov/perry
Perry State Forest is one of the newest state forests. This area of land was extensively stripmined, with poor reclamation. It has now had about half a century to recover. Its principal function now is to provide motorized trails, although it also has a limited horse trail system.

Trails at Perry State Forest

The long APV loop uses Trails 5, 6, and 7, and totals 6.7 miles.
APV Trail 1
2.5 miles, loop trail from entry road, providing access to Trails 3 and 4, blazed in blue
APV Trail 2
0.6 mile, linear trail from entry road, blazed in red
APV Trail 3
0.6 mile, loop trail off Trail 1, blazed in white
APV Trail 4
0.5 mile, loop trail off Trail 1, blazed in orange
APV Trail 5
0.7 mile, linear trail off parking area, providing access to Trails 6, 7, and 8, blazed in orange
APV Trail 6
1.8 miles, loop trail off Trail 5, providing access to Trail 7, blazed in blue
APV Trail 7
4.6 miles, loop trail off Trail 6, blazed in red
APV Trail 8
0.7 mile, linear trail off trail 6, blazed in white
Horse Trail, Main Loop
4.2 miles
Horse Trail, Connector
1.6 miles

Directions

To get to Perry State Forest from Athens, take OH-13 35 miles north from US-33 at Columbus Road (OH-550) in Athens to OH-345 in New Lexington (OH-13 turns left at about 29 miles).

For the APV trails, turn right on OH-345 and go 3 3/4 miles to Township Road 154, on the left. Turn left on T-154 and go slightly more than 0.6 mile, where you will turn left into the parking area.

For the horse trails, continue on OH-13 another 2.5 miles to Township Highway 149. Turn right on T-149 and go 1.4 miles to Hollow Road (County Road 48). Turn right on Hollow Road and go 0.7 mile to the horse parking area.

There is a shortcut on OH-13 that can be taken to cut across the left turn: On OH-13, about 26.7 miles from US-33 (and just after a railroad track crossing), turn left on Jamestown Road and take it 2 3/4 miles until it comes back out on OH-13. Turn left on OH-13, and the reference point in New Lexington (junction with OH-345) will now be about 32 miles. Total driving distance from downtown Athens to the APV parking area is 40 miles. Distance to the horse parking area is also 40 miles.