Hocking Hills ATV Rental

It's fair to say that before our January 2010 visit to the Hocking Hills, not only had we never been on an ATV before, we never even really wanted to go on one. But when we heard about the trails winding through snow-covered woodlands near the inn where we were staying, we decided to drive over and check it out. Our first impression wasn't exactly stunning; most of the snow from earlier in the week had melted, so the facility looked like a barn and a few outbuildings plopped amid a big pile of mud. Still, we went inside and met our guide, Doug Morris, a 63-year-old ATV crazy who couldn't wait to share his passion for this sport with us. He pulled up machines for us to try, walked us through how to get on, how to turn them on and how to navigate them through an obstacle course. (You can't go out on the trails until you make it through at least once.) Then, if you're still feeling shaky, you can opt to zip along with Doug in a two-seater or follow him on your own ride.We did the latter, and it was seriously fun. We zoomed up hills, scooted our way down, splashed through a creek and, once we got the hang of it, admired the birds and the snow-covered trees along the trails. We could have spent an hour or so tooling around the wide-open meadow above the rental building, but decided to mind winter's biting cold and call it a day -- for now. From $79 for the first hour.