mountain biking in southeast ohio.... (Harrison, Monroe: home, fence, dangerous)

[airframer61]

I have been away from ohio for around 2 years now because i joined the navy and got stationed on the west coast. Since then I have picked up big on downhill mountain biking. I was wondering if anybody knows of places to go Mt. Biking in southeast ohio around Belmont (old home), Harrison, or Monroe county. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

[paintballer1708]

^I dont know about biking, but im sure they have some good areas. Around Wayne Nat'l Forest they have some great walking and biking trails, as well as some very nice recreational areas. There are a lot of places in SE Ohio to look around. Do your research. If you need help i would be glad to find some info.

[htlong]

air framer,
i used to own a home in monroe county between woodsfield and sardis if you want roads to ride that are up,down and every which way with no traffic paved and unpaved, this is the place.
in my youth i had a coulple of dirt bikes and would see a nice hilly farm and ask the farmer if i could ride my motor cycle up it and they would shut off the electric fence so i could ride

[Cosmic]

You probably want to look for something in the National Forests.

Definitely do not want to be riding a bike on the public roads in most of the SE areas, not even the gravel or dirt roads. Or maybe even walking with the traffic. This area is a real killer in many more ways than one. For the population size, lot of road kill, lot of them people. Locals usually are going way too fast for conditions and assuming zero traffic of any sort.

The roads tend to be on tops of ridges, very winding, narrow with zero margin for error, even when in a car. If you get the right front wheel off the white edge line, big trouble, little chance of recovery, ain't no shoulder. Inches count. Big trucks over the middle line are an adventure, nothing but bad choices.

I avoid many roads at night. There is very little traffic but can be just super dangerous. Lot of accidents where people just run off the road.

Some of the National Forest land probably has bike paths. Even there you must be aware of 4-wheel Yahoos. Lots of hunting trails but you need to be a good navigator, easy to get lost. Lot of the terrain looks the same.

I would get hold of the various county tourist bureaus and see what they recommend as a place dedicated to only downhill type biking. I sure wouldn't get mixed in with anything with more than two wheels.

[paintballer1708]

^ The Wayne Nat'l forest has some amazing bike paths and four-wheeling tracks.

[Road Map]

We have had good experiences biking around Lake Hope (Mountain Biking at Lake Hope).

Check out trailsdotcom as well as The Central Ohio Mountain Biking Organization (COMBO)). Barkcamp State Park provides a 6-mile dedicated trail that loops through rugged woodlands and skirts the lakeshore. The trail offers challenges for intermediate and advanced cyclists. Cyclists are advised to be extra cautious during hunting season. 65330 Barkcamp Park Road, Belmont, OH 43718, (740) 484-4064.