i was wondering about Wayne National Forest in Ohio is it worth a 4 hour drive to ride there how big is it how many days would it take to ride it all and what are some of the rules there. I was wondering what type of riding it is mud hardpack hills rocks i have a sportsman 500 with 26" outlaws would i need the outlaws or should i go with stock and how hard and easy are some of the trails. When does it open up to atvs and when is the best time to go. Thanks

 

griz

I think a lot of your questions can be answered by visiting the Wayne National Forest Website at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wayne/. I will also try to answer your questions:

1. Is it worth a four hour drive? Yes, I drive 200 miles to ride there.

2. How big is it? You can check the website for specifics, but if my memory is correct, the Monday Creek area has around 60 miles of trails. There is two different riding systems. Athens and Ironton. I have only rode at the Athens district, so I cannot comment on the Ironton district.

3. What are some of the rules? Again check the website for specifics. The biggest rule is that you have to have your atv registered (state sticker) and buy a Wayne National Forest riding permit ($5 per day or $25 per year). Also, you atv must have a USFS spark arrestor. Your stock Polaris has one from the factory. As a general rule at Wayne, stay on the marked trails and you will not have any problems.

4. As for the trails at the Athens area. Generally, the trails are a mixture of rocky hills, hardpack, and muddy trails (depending on rainfall). I would leave the outlaws on the Sportsman as they will give you some advantage in the ruts and mud. Also, the stock tires will take a beating as the rocks can be tough on the stock tires. My Magnum has three slits in the tire from our last ride.

5. When does it open? I believe that it opens to atvs starting April 15 (check website). As for the best time to go, its personal preference. The nicer the weather, the more crowded it will be. Also, weekends will obviously be more crowded than during the week. I would avoid holiday weekends.

Check out my website. There are several pictures taken at Wayne. Please post again or email me if you have more questions.

 

grizhunterr, I started going to the Athens area of Wayne 2 years ago I can say it is a great place to ride during the season April 15 to Dec 15
I go about twice a month (2&1/2 hour drive) It has a little of everthing and is a genuinely great place to ride. I notice that alot of people who post in this forum are from Ohio, we should orginize a ride, That would be some great pics to post!!

 

That would be neat if we could have a organized ride. Todd400 do you know the trails good at WNF how hard are they. Would a sportsman 500 with 26" outlaws and a 500 big boss 6x6 do good on the trails. Thanks

 

The Wayne is just flat out awesome. Me and my buds go there a few times a year. Anyone that goes for the first time is blown away, and makes a point to return each time we go back.

There is a little of everything there. From long, flat straights, to semi-steep rock climbs. There are also plenty of mud-bogs, and trails to go around them, if you so desire. This place is definately a must see.

You need the state sticker, along with a $5 a day sticker to ride there. A spark arrestor is a must. There is nice camping nearby, you can ride from camp to the trailheads. The camps have electrical hook ups, and showers, $7 a night.

They only claim 60 miles of trails, but believe me, that doesn't come close to what there is. You can ride for eight hours, and not cover a quarter of the area.

They open it up from April 15, to December 15. I will be posting when I go down for rides. We usually have anywhere from 12-30 riders, and all are welcome.

On another note, my brother had never ridden a quad. I took him down there, and we rode some of the easier trails so he could get used to the handling of the quad. After about two hours, we set out for the tough stuff. He did manage to roll my Kodiak on one of the tougher hills, but that was his only wreck. There are some tough spots, but for the average rider, nothing is really scary.

 

There is a little of everything, both your bikes would do great, Ive rode there a fair amount and still havent covered everything, Its definetly some place you will come back to. You can call the Athens ranger station and they will mail you a season pass for $25 that is what I buy, Two weekend trips and its paid for and you dont have to worry about buying a pass during buisness hours. We usually camp at the trail heads, there it is free there is just no electric, You can camp where ever you want as long as your quads can haul to the site, Its a really great time I hope we can get something together!!

 

quadfather

I don't know if you ever go out to the Wayne National Forest website or not, but if you do, they have a section called the Wayne Quarterly that list all of the current projects under consideration. One of the projects that they are considering is some additions to the trails at Monday Creek. If I remember right, I think this involves running a trail from the main corridor to Ohio camp. This would give them the same access that Williams campground has. I am considering emailing them and finding out what the status is on that project. If a trailhead is built to Ohio camp, there would be no reason to ever stay at Williams campground

 

We're game for a Ohio members ride too. Never been to any public riding areas. Only own quads less than a year. My son's got a 200R dirtbike. Are they (dirtbikes) allowed to ride same trails???

 

I've never rode on public lands - do they really pay attention and make sure you have a forestry approved spark arrestor?

 

Yep, dirtbikes and quads ride the same 2-way trails.