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Hanging Rock OHV System
The Hanging Rock area of the Wayne National Forest provides some excellent opportunities for riding off-highway vehicles (OHVs). This system has 26 miles of trail available for off-highway vehicle, mountain bike, and hiking use.
These trails wind through an area strip-mined in the 1960's and 1970's. Much of the upland area was badly scarred, and some areas are left with steep slopes providing challenging trails to riders. The area is also known for its fishing ponds, 51 of which are available for fishing. The ponds which are scattered along the OHV trail, lend a picturesque backdrop to an OHV ride.
Trailhead
At a Glance
| Operational Hours: |
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|---|---|
| Fees: | OHV riding requires a trail permit |
| Usage: | Heavy |
| Restrictions: | For OHV riding:
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| Closest Towns: | Hanging Rock Village or Ironton, OH |
| Water: | None |
| Restroom: | Vault |
| Operated By: |
General Information
General Notes:Maps of the Hanging Rock Trail System can be found on out OHV Trail Maps page. Maps are also provided when you purchase a trail permit.
Parking:
Ample parking is provided at trailheads.
Directions:
Hanging Rock Trailhead - is accessed from State Highway 650 off U.S. Highway 52. Go north 3/4 mile to Forest Road 105. Stay on paved Forest Road 105 for approximately 1.5 miles to the paved trailhead parking. GPS Lat/Long coordinates for the area are 38 deg 34' 51" / 82 deg 43' 29".
Activities
Mountain Biking
Recreation areas with activity Mountain Biking:This trail system is availabe to all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles, mountain bikes, and hiking.
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
|---|
Dispersed Camping
Recreation areas with activity Dispersed Camping:Camping is allowed at the trailheads during the open season. Camping is also frequently done around the Hanging Rock ponds by fisherman and during hunting seasons by all the hunters that use the area.
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
|---|
Lake and Pond Fishing
Recreation areas with activity Lake and Pond Fishing: There are 50-75 ponds of various sizes - fish populations are surveyed and ponds stocked in cooperation with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife.| Special Designations | Some of the ponds can be driven to by vehicle, some by ATV, and some are walk-in only. Some of the ponds have been stocked with grass carp which must be returned. |
| Fish Species | largemouth bass, bluegill, sunfish, and catfish. All grass carp (whit amur) must be immediately returned to the pond unharmed. |
| Fishing Platform | shore or boat |
| Cleaning Station | none |
| Fishing Method | Some lakes are large enough to accommodate watercraft, others only for shore fishing. |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
|---|
Day Hiking
Recreation areas with activity Day Hiking: This trail system is designed primarily for ATV/OHMs but hikers are welcome. Loops of a variety of lengths offer hikers many different lengths of hikes depending on the time they have available.| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
|---|
OHV Camping
Recreation areas with activity OHV Camping:Camping is allowed at all of the campsites on the Hanging Rock OHV System, but only during the OHV and mountain biking open season. Please do not limit others' use of the area with your campsite.
| No. of Sites | 1 |
| Reservation Info | No |
| Fire Information | You can build a campfire as long as you have a 10 foot clearance around it and put a ring around it with rocks. Fires must be extinguished before leaving camp. No bon fires are allowed. No standing or green trees may be cut. Check the bulletin boards to ensure no fire bans are in effect. |
| No. of Accessible sites | 0 |
| Hours of Operation: |
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|---|---|
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
OHV Trail Riding
Recreation areas with activity OHV Trail Riding:This 26 mile trail system is designed primarily for ATV/OHMs. Loops of a variety of lengths offer riders many different lengths of rides depending on the time they have available.
Much of the upland area where these trails are developed was badly scarred by strip mining, and some areas are left with steep slopes providing challenging trails to riders. The area is also known for its fishing ponds which are scattered along the ATV trail, lend a picturesque backdrop to an ATV ride. You may also intersect hiking trails, note that only trails marked with orange diamonds are designated for ATV use!
| Staging Area | 1 trailhead |
| Class of Vehicle | under 50 inches in width |
| Difficulty Level: | Difficult |
|---|
Boating - Non-Motorized
Recreation areas with activity Boating - Non-Motorized: As a result of past mining or quarrying in the Hanging Rock area of the Ironton Ranger District, there are areas where many ponds are clustered together in a relatively small area. These ponds range in size from ½ acre to 7 acres, and access can be easy to difficult. The ponds located along old mining haul roads receive the most fishing pressure, while those located in the remote and rugged areas rarely are visited by anglers. Many people will bring belly boats along with them when fishing the remote ponds but the larger ponds can be fished in bigger boats.| Trailer Parking | parking is provided at trailheads |
| Launch Ramps | dirt banks |
| Type of Craft | canoes, kayaks and flat-bottom Jon boats |
| Fuel availability | motors are not necessary in most of these ponds |
| Marina/Mooring | none |
| Difficulty Level: | Intermediate |
|---|