Ohio Off-Highway Motorcycle Association - OOHMA

03/28/2026

Big thanks to all the volunteers, and there were many, who put on their stewardship hat at the Monday Creek ORV trails at the Wayne National Forest. Two fantastic weekends in a row of volunteerism, great weather, and fellowship. Also many thanks to U.S. Forest Service - Wayne National Forest for their guidance and working alongside us today.

03/24/2026

2026 RECREATION OPENING DATES

The 2026 recreation season is almost here! Wayne NF staff and volunteers have kept busy over the winter closure preparing trails and facilities for spring opening, and we’re excited to welcome visitors back to Ohio’s only national forest. Recreation site opening dates are explained below; they are subject to change depending on weather and trail conditions.

MOTORIZED TRAILS: Motorized/off-highway vehicle trails are scheduled to open the first Friday in April (4/3/2026). These include the Monday Creek, Long Ridge, Superior, Pine Creek, and Hanging Rock OHV Trail Systems. Trail passes are required to ride motorized trails. They are available now at our visitor centers or from Pay.gov, or you can call your local authorized vendor to check availability.

NON-MOTORIZED TRAILS: Non-motorized (horse and bike) trails are scheduled to open the first Friday in April (4/3/2026). These include the Baileys Trail System, Lake Vesuvius Horse Trail System, Kinderhook Horse Trail System, and Stone Church Horse Trail System. Stone Church Horse Camp will also open on April 3, 2026.

CAMPGROUNDS AND PICNIC SITES: All other campgrounds and picnic sites are scheduled to open on April 10, 2026. These include the Oak Hill, Iron Ridge, Pine K**b, Burr Oak Cove, Leith Run, Lamping Homestead, Hune Bridge, Lane Farm, and Ring Mill Campgrounds, as well as Two Points Group Camp. The Furnace and Roadside Picnic Shelters will also open on April 10, as well as the Sand Run Pond and Utah Ridge Pond Picnic Areas.

Paddle Creek Horse Camp and Frontier Boat Launch remain open year-round. All Wayne NF trails remain open to hikers year-round even if gates are shut.

BEACH SWIMMING: Big Bend Beach at Lake Vesuvius is scheduled to open on May 22, 2026.

03/22/2026

Stop, collaborate and listen! That is exactly what we did on a perfect volunteer day with our new friends from Re-Wilding Wayne National Forest. Trails were cleared of downed trees, limbs pruned, and litter picked up. Hanging Rock ORV trails near Ironton, Ohio are ready for opening weekend! All smiles from both crews. Up next will be Monday Creek ORV trails on March 28th.

01/29/2026

Big win for motorcyclists!

𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐱 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐁𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐔𝐬𝐞!

The American Motorcyclist Association applauds the recent decision by the Knox County Commissioners' Office to keep Bat Nest Road in Knox County, Ohio, open for public use.

Working in conjunction with Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR), the AMA took action to protect this popular dual-sport/adventure route from potential closure. Bat Nest Road, an unmaintained township road and popular destination for riding enthusiasts, faced potential partial closure at the request of a private landowner.

For more information, visit https://americanmotorcyclist.com/bat-nest-road-remains-open-knox-county-ohio/.

01/28/2026

We wanted to take a moment to recognize OOHMA president, Matt Bucher, who continues to be such a strong force behind keeping the org moving forward.

🏆 He received the State Partner of the Year award from the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council - NOHVCC last fall.

Ohio off-road advocate Matt Bucher has been named State Partner of the Year by the NOHVCC, recognizing his fast-rising impact on trail access and rider representation in the state.

01/14/2026

We are very proud to have Bob as a board member of OOHMA! He will fight hard and professionally for all motorcyclists.

01/10/2026

Please share!

Act Now To Save Access To Bat Nest Road!

An adjacent landowner is currently restricting access to Bat Nest Road in Knox County, Ohio. This popular destination for local ADV riders has been a legal public roadway since the 1800’s.

At issue: The landowner is asking the county to forfeit a portion of the roadway to private ownership making it no longer a through road.

BDR and AMA are teaming up to help ensure this public road stays in public hands – and remains accessible to you and the entire ADV community.

🚨 You can do your part by attending the public hearing on January 13th or submitting a letter opposing this action.

Join the fight: RideBDR.com/SaveBatNest

01/07/2026

We hope you are off to a good New Year! Please take the link below to read NOHVCC’s year in review.

We began the year with a strong partnership between National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC) and Chinook Associates to promote and host a series of webinars designed for volunteer trail crew leaders and professional trail crews. Over two weeks, participants attended five focused se...

12/03/2025

Please help spread the word!

2025 Seasonal Recreation Closures:

All motorized/off-highway vehicle trails will close the morning of December 8, 2025. The last full day of riding is December 7. Non-motorized trails, including horse trails, will close January 5, 2026.

All of our trails remain open to hikers year-round even if gates are shut. Paddle Creek Horse Camp also remains open year-round.

Developed recreation sites on the Athens Ranger District will close the morning of January 3, 2026. These include: Burr Oak Campground, New Stone Church Campground, Lane Farm Campground, Ring Mill Campground, Lamping Homestead Campground, Hune Bridge Campground, Sand Run Picnic Area, and Utah Ridge Picnic Area. Leith Run Campground closed for the season on October 12, 2025.

Pine K**b Campground on the Ironton Ranger District will remain open through December 22, 2025 to support winter camping and hunting activities. Kinderhook Horse Trailhead on the Marietta Unit will remain open through January 2, 2026.

We hope to see you next spring for the 2026 recreation season. Whether you hike, mountain bike, or ride an OHV, the Wayne National Forest has plenty to explore. Learn more about our recreation opportunities and view site statuses here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/wayne/recreation.

Baileys Trail System

11/12/2025

Thanks to those that signed the change.org petition for the Perry State Forest APV Area land buffer proposal. Below is an update from change.org.

Oct 28, 2025
Good morning,

We hosted many of our concerned constituents at our public comments session on October 15th. Their input was beneficial and informative to getting answers on this issue.

Following the meeting we contacted State Representative Kevin Miller. Kevin got right on this issue and contacted a legislative liaison at ODNR. From these meetings we discovered this issue was simply raised at an ODNR public comments session.

At this time there are no proposed changes occurring to any riding trails or area at Perry State Forrest. The area will continue to serve as a scramble area for riders. Reach out to ODNR direct if you have any questions. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Thanks,

Chase Bennett
Perry County Commissioner

Send a message to learn more

10/20/2025

Unfortunately, the volunteer work day for this Saturday has been cancelled. We will work on getting this rescheduled for the spring. Please share. Thanks!

10/02/2025

If you were planning on volunteering this weekend, it has been canceled.

Saturday’s event at Hanging Rock is ❌Canceled❌

We sincerely apologize to those who planned on attending. We have plans to possibly reschedule for a later date, so keep your eyes open for that!

If you have any questions, please email us at “[email protected]”