Photo: Delia Palmisano Phases 5 and 6 of an 88-mile trail system are under construction and, once complete, it will be the “longest contiguous MTB-optimized trail system east of the Mississippi River.” 58 miles of singletrack have already been built, and the rest could be finished before the end of 2025.
So, which state do you think lays claim to this impressive superlative? I’ll give you a hint: Arkansas isn’t east of the Mississippi river. Is it Vermont? North Carolina?
No.
It’s Ohio. Building an economic driver in the poorest part of Ohio
The Baileys Trail System is being built in Wayne National Forest — the state’s only national forest. Located near the city of Athens, the terrain consists of rolling Appalachian hills that are more akin to nearby West Virginia than the flat terrain most people associate with Ohio. This expansive trail system will connect three local communities: Chauncey, Nelsonville, and Buchtel.
According to the Economic Development Administration, Athens County is known as a “persistent poverty county, meaning that for 30 years, more than 20% of the population has lived in poverty,” said Jessie Powers, Executive Director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia (ORCA). This region of the state boomed during the coal era. Since the coal industry went bust, “our communities basically have seen decades of economic decline,” said Powers.
The construction of one of the largest mountain bike trail systems in the Eastern USA is intended to revitalize the local economy by creating an “economic generator.” Powers said that the […]
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