Strouds Ridge Preserve
The Strouds Ridge Preserve is a project of Athens, Ohio, to create a greenbelt buffer and trail system on the outskirts of the city. This effort began in 2002, and has so far involved five parcels of land, for a total of 333 acres (1.35 km2), in three discontinuous tracts. All these properties, which include the pre-existing 22-acre (89,000 m2) Sells park, are contiguous with Strouds Run State Park. One of these three acquisitions was subsequently dedicated as the Dale and Jackie Riddle State Nature Preserve, and is otherwise known as Hawk Woods, an 85-acre (340,000 m2) old-growth forest. One of the tracts, the Della Drive Tract, was acquired by Athens County, not the city. Also nearby are the 75-acre (300,000 m2)-acre Blair Preserve, the 49-acre (200,000 m2)-acre Tucker Run Preserve, the 283-acre (1,150,000 m2)-acre Mary Beth Zak Lohse Preserve, the 441-acre (1,780,000 m2)-acre Canaan Preserve and the 269-acre (1,090,000 m2)-acre Baker Preserve of the Athens Conservancy.
The trail system is known as the Athens Trail system, and connects with the trails at the state park. The trail system centers around the Athens Trail, currently 3.2 miles (5.1 km) but slated to be a full-loop trail around the City of Athens, and the Rockhouse Trail, a 2.7-mile (4.3 km) scenic trail.