Growing up in Ohio you get used to some crazy weather. But this October the weather has been beautiful! So a few weeks ago my friend Erin and I had to take advantage of the wonderful weather and get in another bike ride! Earlier this summer she and I rode on the Little Miami scenic trail, and this time we headed to southeast Ohio to explore Athens, Ohio and explore some of its biking options, specifically the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway.
Hockhocking Adena Bikeway
Athens is a very bike friendly town- featuring bike lanes on roads, bike trails at Strouds Run State Park, and the 21 mile bikeway that we rode. The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway goes right through Ohio University’s campus and connects Nelsonville to Athens. The trailheads are in Nelsonville and the aforementioned Strouds Run State Park.
Compared to the other bike trails that I’ve been on, and maybe quite surprising for being so close to Hocking Hills, the bike trail is very flat and easy to ride. Which is good for me, because I was still riding Ethel. If you know my bike, or have read my previous blog posts about some of the biking adventures I’ve had with Erin, you know that Ethel has no gears and you peddle backwards to brake. In short, she’s not conducive for long bike rides and Erin has to slow way down for us, but Ethel and I did a lot better this time. I may have even convinced Erin that I don’t need another bike.
What to see on the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway
There are lots of attractions on the trail (click on the map above to see it in closer detail). While we only rode a portion of the trail- about 15 miles round trip- we saw lots of exciting things! The scenery was absolutely beautiful, surrounded by trees, and following along the the Hocking River, it is definitely very scenic.
On one part of the trail we passed some old train cars that next to a farm. This is the same place where we were greeted by a donkey and some chickens who came up to the fence as we rode by.
The scenery on the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway trail changes a bit as it goes by Ohio University campus. We rode by the football stadium, which was celebrating homecoming.
If you don’t have your own bike for your biking adventure in Athens, there are plenty of places where you can rent one in town. The place where we started our ride- the Eclipse Company Store- has Black Diamond bicycles and rentals located nearby. At Eclipse Company Store there is a bike fix-it station, and there are three other fix-it stations located on the trail.
If biking the entire 21 miles of the Hockhocking Adena bikeway is intimidating to you, you can do less! There are lots of parking lots located along the trail, including where we started (mile 7.3) at Eclipse Company Town. Check out the official website before your biking adventure for more information.
Brewed on the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway
The plan for Erin and I on our biking adventure on the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway involved some breweries! We started at Historic Eclipse Company town and rode towards Ohio university. We made it as far as Jackie O’s Tap Room and Brewery before heading back. There’s an official “brewed on the bike way” biking tour, so allow me to go a bit more in depth about some of the attractions on the bikeway.
Eclipse Company Store
We began and ended our trip at the Eclipse Company Store, located at 11309 Jackson Rd. in The Plains. This restaurant offers a self-described “upscale pub food” menu. Eclipse Company Store is also a beer hall offering 40 craft beers, including many local favorites. It’s located in a beautifully restored coal miners building in what was a historic and unique town. This is where Erin and had our dinner. I was pretty satisfied with the vegetarian and gluten-free options that they had. They have a large inside seating area and outside patio. Service was very good and so was our food.
Devil’s Kettle Brewing
One of the first spurs that we passed on the Hockhocking Adena bikeway would have taken us to Devil’s Kettle Brewing. We didn’t visit the day of our biking adventure because we had visited the brewery just a few weeks prior. Devil’s Kettle Brewing is located at 97 Columbus Rd. in Athens. They do not serve food but they encourage people to bring food here. Devil’s Kettle offers a variety of ales and lagers, focusing on German and English pub style brews. They also have a rotating selection of sours and bourbon barrel aged imperial stout‘s. I loved the cherry sour that I had while visiting and took some home with me.
West End Ciderhouse
Another place that we could’ve visited during our ride on the Hockhocking Adena trailway was West End Ciderhouse. The West End Ciderhouse is located at 234 W. Washington in Athens. This cidery offers farmhouse-style hard ciders that are locally made from 100% Ohio-grown apples. They also offer beer and have a full bar featuring their sister company- Fifth Element Spirits. They have a lovely patio and lots of inside seating in their beautiful historic brick building. For food offerings they have cheese and sausage trays.
Jackie O’s Taproom
Jackie O‘s Tap room and Brewery is located at 25 Campbell St. in Athens. There are at least 16 beers on draft and a large bottle and can selection that you can drink on site or take with you. 95% of Jackie’s production happens here. They have a great outdoor patio, and sometimes food trucks on site, or you can bring food with you. If you’ve never had Jackie O’s beer before, it is pretty unique. They have a large selection of beer styles- from barrel-aged imperials to IPAs. I suggest doing a flight so you can try a bunch and decide on your favorite. Also located in Athens is the Jackie O’s Public House restaurant. There they offer 30 different Jackie O’s beers and a full menu- featuring sandwiches, pizzas and daily specials.
Little Fish Brewing Company
Another spur off the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is Little Fish Brewing Company, located at 8675 Armitage Rd. They have a full menu with the restaurant Cajun Cluck located on site and occasionally food trucks. They are best known for farmhouse ales and sours. The setting is beautiful at Little Fish, overlooking the bike path and also wetlands. They have a covered patio and inside seating. It is dog friendly if you are visiting while not biking (though I wish I could Oliver to sit on my bike with me). Little Fish is one of my favorite Ohio breweries- you’ve got to check it out!
Strouds Run State Park
Erin and I were in Athens twice in the last few months. The first time was in September to celebrate Erin’s birthday with some other friends. Erin attended Ohio University (shout out to the best MAC school- Go BG!) and we checked out some of her old haunts. We started that weekend at Strouds Run State Park (the trailhead/end of the Hockhocking Adena bikeway) and had some great hiking. Strouds Run also surrounds Dow Lake, and attracts a lot of boaters. In addition to hiking and boating, there are lots of bridle trails if horseback riding is more your thing. The Hockhocking Adena Trail runs all the way to Strouds Run State Park, and then there are over 26 miles of other bike trails within the State Park.
There you have it, our day trip biking the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway and roadtrips to Athens, Ohio. Hopefully you have some good ideas for your upcoming bike trip, or you’ll consider exploring all that Athens has to offer. Check back on CatchingKatie soon for some more adventures, thanks for reading. As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions for future trips.
