1
The Ridges
Managed by Ohio University
746 acres7.4 mi of trail
Ora Anderson Trail
Dog rules not recorded
DirectionsTo the parking lot
Outdoors · Athens
Athens, OH parks, trails & bike paths
About 5.6% of Athens is conserved land, roughly 363 acres. There are about 15 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in The Ridges (7.4 mi), Strouds Ridge Reserve Hope Drive Tract (1.9 mi), and Sells Park (1 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Athens, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Athens outdoors
Conserved land
5.6%
363 of 6,488 acres
Trails
15 mi
1.5 mi per sq mi · 4 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
17
16 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
18.2 mi
4.1 mi lanes · 11.9 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number or a place below to zoom in© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
2
Strouds Ridge Reserve Hope Drive Tract
Managed by City of Athens
111 acres1.9 mi of trail
Athens Trail
Dog rules not recorded
3
Sells Park
Managed by City of Athens
43 acres1 mi of trail
Athens TrailRockhouse TrailSourwood ConnectorRedbud TrailLookout Trail
Dogs on leashMapped in OpenStreetMap
4
Camp Rotan
Park
12 acres0.6 mi of trail
Camp Rotan Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Website
5
East State Street Park
Park
62 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
All 17 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 17 parks & preserves
The Ridges746 acres · 7.4 mi of trail · Ohio University
Strouds Ridge Reserve Hope Drive Tract111 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · City of Athens
Sells Park43 acres · 1 mi of trail · City of Athens
Camp Rotan12 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
East State Street Park62 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
College Green7 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
West State Street Park50 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Bicentennial Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Dowler Preserve17 acres
Dairy Lane Park7 acres
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Playgrounds in Athens
Showing 1–10 of 16 playgrounds
Richland ParkIn Richland Avenue Park
West State PlaygroundIn West State Street Park
West state Jungle GymIn West State Street Park
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground
Unnamed playground in Highland Park
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 3.1 miUnpaved 8.9 mi
- Ora Anderson Trail1.0 mi
- Athens Trail1.0 mi
- Camp Rotan Trail0.5 mi
- Rockhouse Trail0.4 mi
- Sourwood Connector0.2 mi
- Redbud Trail0.1 mi
- Lookout Trail0.1 mi
- unofficial trail0.1 mi
- Athens Trail & Rockhouse Trail0.1 mi
Water
Lakes & rivers
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
363 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes4.1 mi
- Off-road bike paths11.9 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes2.2 mi
Courts & fields
- Baseball12
- Tennis9
- Basketball5
- Soccer5
- Beach volleyball4
- Skate park2
- Field hockey1
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Athens
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Local Recreation Area 164 acLocal Conservation Area 117 acLocal Park 78 acState Resource Management Area 4 ac
Showing 1–10 of 13 places
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strouds Ridge Preserve Project - Phase IILocal Conservation Area | Town or city | 105 | Open |
| University Golf CourseLocal Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 80 | Open |
| Athens County FairgroundsLocal Recreation Area | County | 38 | Open |
| West State Street ParkLocal Recreation Area | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| East State Street ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Sells ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
| Camp RotanLocal Conservation Area | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Dairy Lane ParkLocal Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Richland Avenue ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Emeriti ParkLocal Park | Other state land | 7 | Open |
History
Historic places to visit
Showing 1–10 of 13 places
Campus HeightsMonument
Class of 1990 DedicationPlaque
College GreenIn College Green · Plaque
National Pan-Hellenic Council PlazaIn College Green · Memorial
Ohio SundialMonument
Ohio UniversityWar memorial
Ohio University College Green Historic DistrictIn College Green · District
Soldiers and Sailors MonumentIn College Green · Monument
Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard ColumbariumCemetery
Mansfield CemeteryCemetery
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Athens's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 20-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.