10 Riders Converge On Lake Hope
Sidewinders, Copperheads and Bobcats oh my !!! And how could we forget Wildcats as well. No these aren't actual critters we saw but the awesome trails of Lake Hope we rode.
10 riders converged on Lake Hope on an extremely beautiful day. We started early from the Parkersburg area for the trip to Lake Hope located about 20 minutes west of Athens Ohio at Zalenski State Park.
We began from the parking area near the dam and used the blacktop road climb up to Grouse Point picnic area as a warm up. At Grouse Point we jumped into Copperhead Trail and rode it around to the first road crossing. At that point we crossed onto Bobcat Trail and enjoyed the cautiously fast ride down to the bottom and the other end of Copperhead Trail. The caution on the trails was due to the deep fallen leaves with hidden roots, rocks and logs beneath.
At the end of Bobcat we picked up Copperhead and rode it back around like the second half of a figure 8. This is my favorite section of Copperhead Trail and contains a few of the fastest sections, even while leaf covered. At the same road crossing as earlier we crossed onto Wildcat Trail. This lead us down the always fun downhill into the valley, up past the rock overhang (cave to some folks), a tough climb, and back up to Grouse Point where we originally jumped into Copperhead Trail.
At this point we crossed the blacktop road we had ridden up, and took Little Sandy Trail for about 100 yards, then went left on Sidewinder Trail. (Note there is no sign here showing Sidewinder - just a couple arrows.) Remember to take the first left off Little Sandy if you wish to ride Sidewinder back to the Parking lot at the dam.
This trail is fun and challenging all at the same time. It has a good mixture of ups and downs. You will cross one double track on the way up or down just remember to go straight across. After a good distance and several ups and downs watch for the sign at an intersection that directs you to the trailhead parking. Take that left and within a 1/4 mile you'll drop out across from your vehicles. An awesome 18 mile double figure 8 ride including some of the best trails in the park.
After the ride several of us stopped by Athens for some of the "Worlds Best Pizza" and enjoyed it at the nearby park. Who could imagine November 8th, sitting outside in nearly 70 degree weather, enoying good food with good friends, after a great ride - it doesn't get any better than this.
