Last year KT, Daniel and I stayed in a cabin at Dillon State Park and thought it was a fun getaway not too far from home, so we made plans to do it again this year with Ryan and Helena. From our house it’s only an hour and twenty minutes of driving to get to the park which is located near Zanesville, OH. In addition to a large lake (actually it’s a reservoir), a well kept beach, and numerous hiking trails, 12 to 15 miles of mountain bike trails wind through the woods.
Lake views from the trail.
Friday night we moved into the cabin and made ourselves comfortable. Saturday morning we had a good breakfast before Helena, KT and Daniel set off on a hike while Ryan and I jumped on the mountain bike trail just up the way from our cabin.
Aaron skirting a ravine.
The trail was immediately twisty as we followed it towards the lake. There were plenty of tight corners and ditches/ravines to make things interesting. I found a couple good spots to fall, once catching myself on a 2x4 guard rail to save falling into a ravine. The trail took us along the edge of the lake for a good distance, making it an interesting choice between gawking at the lake or riding off the trail that was cut into the hill side.
Ryan dodging rocks on one of the advanced trails.
Most of the trail is ranked “intermediate” but there are a couple section of “advanced” trail. The advanced trails contain some fun rock gardens, much rockier than the Mohican rock gardens. Ryan put on a good demonstration through this section, he could have made a sweet 29er commercial as he rolled it over some boulders!
Aaron crossing some rocky obstacles.
On the trail back to the cabin there were some surprises in store: plank crossings, ramps, a steep uphill and more rocks and roots. I’d have to say the trails were more entertaining and challenging than I expected, which is a good thing. Prior to our trip I found the following trail reviews:
And here’s a link to the trail map:
After returning from our ride Katie and Helena headed out for some pedal time as well. There is a beginner section they rode, including a road transit to and from this area. After their ride, Katie and I rode a loop around our cabin that had some good flow. Maybe we would have ridden more if it were not for the crying sounds of Daniel we heard through the woods as he woke up from his nap.
KT and Helena back from some pedaling.
The rest of the evening was Daniel’s time to ride. Before and after dinner he was out on his Strider bike riding on the park road and grass around our cabin. We were amazed at how well he did on his little bike. We’ve never seen him get so into the striding motion on it. He was right on the brink of picking his feet up to coast on down hills, especially as he chased after Ryan laughing the whole way. Daniel was doing good for a two year old!
Daniel and his Strider bike tearing it up.
We had to head back out after dinner as the sun was
setting, so out came the improvised flashlight headlight.
Sunday morning we had another good breakfast before packing up. Ryan and I hit the trail again while Daniel and the girls set off for the beach and playground. This time we rode the final section of yesterday’s ride in the opposite direction. Once again, very entertaining trails. Early in the ride we were crossing planks over ravines and wooden bridges that had me feeling twitchy, but I was able to keep the bike going where I wanted.
Check out the old school MTB picture
on the Dew machine!
At the playground area we had lunch and played on the slides and swings. Then, we headed for home thankful for such nice weather and a fun weekend with friends.
Helena, on the Brontosaurus, chasing
Daniel, on the Triceratops.
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