Explore the best rated trails in Pataskala, OH, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Hoover Scenic Trail and Heart of Ohio Trail . With more than 52 trails covering 4483 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Love camping at the GPAA campsite between Belleville and Butler I always bring my e bike with me! Lots of walkers and other people biking on it so be mindful when passing.
Its very nice in the spring summer and fall, very well maintained throughout and if you do not want to do the whole trail you can drive to a parking area along it and park!
I rode the entire trail on 02/04/2024. The temperature was in the low 30s to start and mid 40s at the end, sunny and little to no wind. I parked just off of I-70 near a dog park. The parking lot was in the open and lots of people were visiting the dog park so I felt comfortable about where I parked. From there I headed south to Butler and then up to the north end at Mansfield. As mentioned in other reviews, the trail is a mixture of open and tree lined and rural and less rural and I would really like to ride this trail again when the leaves are on the trees. In general the trail runs up hill from Butler and for the most part has a shallow grade. The only time that I really noticed the grade was after turning around at Mansfield. From there to around mile 15 or 16 (from Butler and the highest point on the trail) the grade was noticeably steeper. The trail is entirely paved and I found it to be fairly well maintained. As mentioned in other reviews there are stretches where roots have damaged the pavement...nothing severe but enough that I kept a firm grip on the handlebars when I encountered these stretches. For whatever reason, I found the northern part of the trail to be more inviting than the southern end. The northern end is also where I encountered the vast majority of other people using the trail. Sadly, I only passed by a couple dozen people during my ride and all but one were pedestrians. For a trail as nice as this one, I would have expected to see hundreds of people.
On the negative side, there are approximately two dozen road crossings. Most are small roads and appeared to be not frequently traveled. However, three or four were busier roads with vehicles traveling at highway speeds.
Overall, I definitely recommend this trail.
Baseline:
I am a male in my 60s and typically together with my wife (she was otherwise engaged that day) frequently ride rail trails. Our home trails are Buffalo Valley and Pine Creek and our favorite trail relatively close to us is the Northwest Lancaster.
We did a 8.45 mi round trip between Harvard Rd and Warren Rd overhead bridge. Being in a wheelchair we had no issues whatsoever with the surface of the trail.
Really nice biking trail wooded on both sides this year they repaved it from Fredericksburg to Millersburg the trail is smooth and flat most everyone is friendly!
Wow! I decided to go 100 miles out of my way to ride this trail and I'm so glad I did! In my quest to ride my bike in all fifty states, I "settled" on the Kokosing Gap Trail for my Ohio ride. I knew it was highly regarded, but I must say it truly exceeded my expectations! I've ridden on trails all over the United States, and I would put this one in my top ten!
The trail provides so many pleasurable experiences. There are woods that create a canopy over the trail, beautiful river views, cornfields, pastures with cows and horses, historic railroad bridges, wildlife, rolling hills, sculptures, an old-timey train, Kenyon College, and the friendliest trail users I have ever encountered. I did this ride in early October with some of the leaves beginning to change color, but they must be absolutely spectacular in their full autumn peak!
Be sure to allow enough time to travel the entire trail from end to end to enjoy and appreciate the total experience! It's flat enough to do the full round trip.
Kudos to all for the design, development and upkeep of this awesome trail!
Almost skipped this trail because of the bad reviews. Glad I didn’t. Looks like they fixed the worst spots. Most of the remaining bad ones marked with white paint. Still have a few unmarked bumps that will get your attention. I didn’t think they were too bad on my hybrid at my leisurely 12mph pace.
Rode from Hopewell Mounds MM9 to Shaw Wetlands MM30. Nice peaceful, quiet, secluded ride. Saw only 2 people in 4 hours! Even though SR35 is visible to the north for about half the ride, I didn’t hear any road noise until about MM29. Crossed about 15 bridges. Some cool old wood piling ones. My favorite part was Hopewell to Frankfort - curves along creek and big bridges. I think my least favorite was about MM23.5 to MM25.5. Open with farm fields on both sides.
Looked like they blew the leaves off in Ross County. Fayette County was totally leaf covered in spots. Made it hard to see the buckeyes.
If you can handle some root bumps, go enjoy this secluded ride….bikin-Mike…Oct 2023
Parking is available at J.R. Smith Park in Sunbury and the trailhead is less then .25 mile to the right /north of the parking lot. Very nice trail but it is a climb from Sunbury to Centerville. Great workout though!
We rode this trail, round trip, on 09/21/23. The weather was dry and in the low 70s. At this time of year, the trail is shaded enough to not be hot, very comfortable with shorts and a t-shirts.
The trail is fairly flat, being an old railroad, you'd expect that of course. There are several road crossings to negotiate, don't be in a hurry. Much of the trail has root damage, but that's been was ground down flat, so the ride is smoother. Some of the trail goes past industrial and commercial areas. Hills off in the distance are very scenic, it's good thing we didn't have to go up them!
There are several points along the way you can get on and off the trail, even stop for ice cream. Learn more about the trail at http://www.richlandbandotrail.com/
Love this trail, very peaceful, scenic and clean. The last few walks I have taken (at end of Sept 2023), the mosquitos have been abundant (I walk between 97 & Lexington). Be sure you're prepared.
Drove down from Norwalk to ride this trail today and enjoyed it very much.
Ohio does another awesome rail trail. We went from Nelsonville down to Ohio university to the community center and back . 40 miles. Lots of rock bluffs, big trees and tree cover on the upper section. Good pavement. Not crowded for a Sunday. Don’t miss this trail.
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