Wayne National Forest honors National Public Lands Day

Visitors can ride bikes, ATVs and horses on the
forest’s trails at no charge.

NELSONVILLE, OHIO — Every year since 1995, the last Saturday in September has been known as National Public Lands Day, and in honor of this day, use of the Wayne National Forest’s recreation sites and trails is free.

On Saturday no permits will be required to ride all-terrain vehicle, horse and mountain-bike trails. Visitors can camp at developed campgrounds for no charge, except for those that can be reserved on the national reservation system. The forest offers free use of picnic sites and other day-use sites except for canoe rentals at Lake Vesuvius or group picnic shelters that are reserved on the national reservation system.

The Wayne National Forest offers the public several recreation and trail opportunities in southeastern Ohio. The forest has approximately 74 miles of horse trails, 121 miles of all-terrain vehicle trails, 200 miles of mountain bike trails and 366 miles of hiking trails. The Wayne also has 47 recreation sites that include campgrounds, picnic sites and shelters, boat launches and swim sites.

The National Environmental Education Foundation sponsors Public Lands Day with support of nine federal agencies. The event continues the legacy begun by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which enrolled three million Americans to maintain and improve public lands during the Great Depression.

For more information, call a local Wayne National Forest office in Nelsonville, (740) 753-0101; Pedro, (740) 534-6500; Marietta, (740) 373-9055; or visit the National Public Lands Day Web site (http://publiclandsday.org). For more Wayne National Forest information, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wayne/.