About the Area:

Athens, Ohio-East State Street Recreation Area on East State Street in Athens is the southernmost start of the 19-mile Hockhocking Adena Bikeway.  The bikeway is named in honor of the first inhabitants of this southeastern Ohio region. "Hockhocking," which means "bottleneck" or "twisted," was the native Indian name for the Hocking River; Adena reflects the history of the Adena Indians who lived in the Hocking Valley over 2,000 years ago.

We invite you to explore the bikeway's history and beauty by bike, foot, wheelchair, rollerblades or other forms of non-motorized transportation (no horseback riding permitted.)

The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is located on the old Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad bed. Construction of the rail line between Columbus and Athens was completed in July 1870. Before the railroad, it was a towpath alongside the Hocking Canal, built between 1829 and 1842, which moved agricultural products and other goods to Carroll, Ohio, where it joined the Ohio-Erie Canal. The canal had 26 locks, seven culverts, and one aqueduct crossing Monday Creek south of Nelsonville.
Repeated flooding, especially in the late 1800's, severely damaged portions of the canal, and the railroad became the favored mode of transportation. Today, remnants of the canal basin are visible from the bikeway particularly from Armitage north to Chauncey (between miles 5 and 10).

If you do not wish to hike the entire 19 miles there are exit areas at Mile 4--West State Street ball fields on West State Street in Athens or Mile 10.2--off of SR 682 in The Plains (limited parking).

If you wish to start from the north you can park at Robbins' Crossing/Hocking College on Hocking Parkway in Nelsonville.

Directions:

• Mile 0--East State Street Recreation Area on East State Street in Athens
• Mile 4--West State Street ball fields on West State Street in Athens
• Mile 10.2--off of SR 682 in The Plains (limited parking)
• Mile 16.4--Robbins' Crossing/Hocking College on Hocking Parkway in Nelsonville

Bird species of interest at Adena HockHocking Bikeway are:

Watch nesting Prothonotary Warblers between miles 8 8.5. Other birds to look out for include Bluebirds, Cardinals, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkey, Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, Yellowthroats, Indigo Buntings, Pileated Woodpeckers and many more.