The Baileys Trail System near Athens is now the "longest contiguous MTB-optimized trail system east of the Mississippi River," following the completion of its 88-mile network in 2025. The trails wind through the rolling Appalachian hills of Wayne National Forest — Ohio's only national forest — and were built in Athens County, one of the state's poorest regions. The project was intentionally designed as an economic driver to revitalize communities that have seen decades of decline since the coal industry went bust. According to economic studies, the system is projected to generate $53 million in cumulative economic impact over 10 years, and it's already delivering: in the first year after the initial phase opened, the direct economic impact to Athens County reached $3.6 million.
The trail system offers flow-style machine-built singletrack featuring plenty of berms, rollers, and jumps, constructed by renowned builders including IMBA Trail Solutions, Appalachian Dirt, Linear Active, Rock Solid, and Dirt Sculpt. "We do have some rock, but definitely not as much rock as you would see in, say, West Virginia," said Jessie Powers, Executive Director of the Outdoor Recreation Council of Appalachia.
The bulk of construction has been funded by $10.6 million in federal grant money, with about $2.7 million allocated for the main trailhead facility in the town of Chauncey, which already features a new bikeway extension, two new parking lots, new playground equipment, and plans for a visitor hub, bike washing station, and future campground.
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This is the trail to come to in Southeast Ohio. They’re still working on building out some of the support - like a larger parking lot - but the trail itself was in really good condition when we wrote it. It has beginner, intermediate and advanced trails. We rode a beginner and an intermediate both in great shape (Gob Pile Loop, Coal Train Trail and Salt Works Trail - counter clockwise). A good mix of climbing and flow. Highly recommended.
| ThankI finally got the chance to ride the new Baileys Trail System in Chauncey Ohio. I had heard so much about this trail system that I had to ride it. I was told the best direction to ride the trails is clock wise so I am rating my experience based on that. My son and I drove an hour and a half to ride these trails. We rode Gob Pile Loop, Coal Train Trail and Salt Works Trail. It was about 7 miles total. We pretty much spent about 70% of our time climbing. When we got back to the parking Lot another rider told us that we probably would have liked it better had we rode it counter clockwise. I do plan on riding it again in the other direction but for now based on riding it clockwise I was not impressed. You will get a good work out yes but we were told it’s Fast with a lot of flow and that is correct for About 2 of the 7 miles we rode. The trails themselves were well groomed and the scenery was gorgeous. I will post another review after I ride it again in the opposite direction.
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