The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway, known colloquially as The Bike Path or more formally (but unofficially) as The Athens County Bike Path, is a long

bicycle path A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. ...

Athens County Athens County is a county in southeastern Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,431. Its county seat and largest city is Athens. The county was formed in 1805 from Washington County. Because Ohio's first state university, Ohio ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The original section of the path was built on a

levee A levee ( or ), dike (American English), dyke (British English; see American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences, spelling differences), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is an elevated ridge, natural ...

along the

Hocking River The Hocking River (formerly the Hockhocking River) is a right tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States. The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region. ...

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, on university land. It was gradually expanded and now crosses university land, city land, and county land. The greater part of the path is a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

, (a bicycle path built on an abandoned railroad grade). The eastern terminus is at the western intersection of South Canaan Road and US-50. The western terminus is in Nelsonville, at the Rocky Brands Factory Outlet at the intersection of Canal Street and Myers Street, one block from the Historic Square Arts District. The last section built was the section connecting the bikeway to Nelsonville. Previously, it terminated at Robbins Crossing on the

Hocking College Hocking College is a public community college in Nelsonville, Ohio. The college offers more than 60 associate and vocational programs and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The college was chartered in 1969 by the Ohio Board of Reg ...

campus. There are current plans to extend the bikeway east along the south side of US-50 to South Canaan Road (County Road 24A). There are long-term plans to connect eastward via the

Athens-Belpre Rail-Trail The Athens-Belpre Rail-Trail is a new trailway now being developed in southeast Ohio. It will link Athens, Ohio, in Athens County, with Belpre, Ohio, in Washington County. It will link on the west with the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. There are ho ...

, now being developed, and to connect the

Moonville Rail-Trail King Switch Tunnel The Moonville Rail-Trail is a ten-mile (16 kilometer) rail-trail in southeast Ohio, located in Vinton and Athens Counties. It is largely embedded in the Zaleski State Forest and passes close to Lake Hope State Park. The tr ...

with it. Parts of the bikeway are bordered by the Ohio University Campus, the Hocking College Campus, the

Wayne National Forest The Wayne National Forest is located in the Appalachian part of the US state of Ohio, in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. It is the first and only national forest in Ohio. Forest headquarters are located between The Plains and Nelsonville, ...

, the Bluebell Preserve of the

Athens Conservancy The Athens Conservancy is a 501 (c) (3) land trust based in Athens County, Ohio. It was founded in 2002. It is an all-volunteer organization. Preserves The Conservancy owns and manages 14 nature preserves in Athens County: *Blair Preserve, a ...

, and two city parks owned by the city of Athens. In 2010 the Athens Conservancy purchased about thirteen miles of former

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 until 1987, when it was merged into the Chessie ...

grade to expand trail opportunities, with the expectation that this right-of-way will eventually be connected to this bikeway.

Location

*Western terminus: Nelsonville at *Eastern terminus: East of

References

External links

TrailLink
Bike paths in Ohio Rail trails in Ohio Protected areas of Athens County, Ohio Transportation in Athens County, Ohio {{AthensCountyOH-geo-stub