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Print Friendly MapThe Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail follows an old railroad right-of-way between Bidwell and Gallipolis. As of 2023, there are two open sections of the rail-trail totaling a little more than 11 miles. Future plans for the trail include completing the gap between the two existing sections and extending the trail north from Bidwell for a total of 28 miles.
The northwest section of the rail-trail runs a little over 4.5 miles between downtown Bidwell and the community Kerr. This section has a crushed stone and dirt surface. There is a small park with a pavilion, a basketball court, a picnic bench, a portable toilet, and a small parking area at the northwest endpoint in Bidwell. Heading south, the route is lined with trees as it passes mostly through farmland with a few easy ups and downs. The rail-trail passes a few small ponds in the community of Evergreen and starts paralleling OH-160. The route is sheltered from the highway by distance, houses, trees, and shrubbery. This section's southern endpoint is on Kerr Road/Country Road 45 (just west of its intersection with Ambleside Drive) in the community of Kerr in Bidwell. The Bidwell section is more rural and passes primarily through farmlands and forest.
In Gallipolis, the southeast section of the rail-trail is shaped like a wide "V" and is little less than 7 miles. Also referred to as the O.O. McIntyre Park District-Holtzer Clinic Trail, this segment of the rail-trail is paved with asphalt. Heading south from its northwest end on OH-160, the rail-trail parallels the highway (to the east) and Chickamauga Creek (on the west). At Pine Street Cemetary in downtown Gallipolis, a short branch splits from main route and ends at the intersection of Spruce Street and 4th Avenue. The main route of the rail-trail turns east to parallel the Ohio River. Curving slightly northeast through Haskins Memorial Park near the river, the rail-trail continues along the edge of the regional airport and north along Farm Road to its southeast endpoint by the intersection of Lee Road and Farm Road.
There are a couple of parking options along the trail. At Haskins Memorial Park (also called Veterans Memorial Park), there is parking at 73 Mill Creek Rd. There is additional parking at the Gallia County Hike and Bike Trail parking lot along McCormick Rd. just outside of Gallipolis.
See TrailLink Map for more detailed directions.
This trail is not bad but it could be so much better. It’s not in the best condition and the section from Bidwell to Kerr was completely unkept & unridable as far as I could tell. If they could fix that section and have it connect to the main trail and then somehow add some more trail along the river front, this would be a five star trail.
I rode from the trailhead at Farm Rd to the end and back. Great shade, friendly people, not busy/crowded at all. Bird nerd paradise! So many species and songs! Trail was perfumed with the sweet smell of honeysuckle throughout. Very easy ride but recommend walking up the steep slope at the park because you have to come to a dead stop at the apex or you're in the street.
The Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail currently consists of two unconnected segments -- The paved “Riverfront” segment which is located within Gallipolis, and the crushed stone/grassy “Northwest” segment that runs between the towns of Bidwell and Kerr. Google Maps and signs along the trail use the O.O. McIntyre Park (District) moniker with individual trail sections given trail names. I parked and started from Haskins Park located somewhat in the middle of the east-west running "Riverfront" section in Gallipolis. If you head east, out of Haskins Park, the trail travels 2.3 miles past both the Cliffside Golf Course and the Gallia-Meigs Regional Airport. This segment ends at Lee Road. The trail could probably be extended up to Addison from here, but I’m not sure anyone is currently clamoring for that, as I was the only person on this section of trail both out and back. West of Haskins Park, once you cross OH-160 (Pine Street) the trail parallels that road. This 4 mile section crosses OH-160 up by the Holzer Emergency Medical Center and ends under a US-35 overpass after crossing over OH-160 again. These paved sections of the trail are in very good shape except for the short half mile section near the Holzer Emergency Medical Center where there is quite a bit of tree root uplifting of the asphalt. Once you arrive at the US-35 underpass near the Holzer Medical Center there is a gap of about 2 miles in the trail between this ending and the town of Kerr.
The "Northwest" segment of the trail runs from Kerr to the town of Bidwell, Ohio. This segment of the Gallia County Hike & Bike Trail is not as developed as the one in Gallipolis. The trail here is crushed stone and grass covered. This 4 mile section of the trail seems to have been greatly ignored. There was little evidence that trail is used very often. I rode south from Bidwell towards Kerr. For most of the ride out of Bidwell the only way that I knew I was on a trail was that there was an unobstructed pathway of grass surrounded by trees and brush on both sides. I crossed over a wooden bridge spanning a creek which had had some of its planking replaced but other than that there was little sign of this trail being used at all. After traveling about 6/10ths of a mile, I crossed OH-850 and came to a dead stop. What should have been a continuation of the pathway had disappeared and nothing but trees and brush stood in my way. From satellite and street view images on Google Maps this should have continued to be an open dual track pathway so I’m not sure how out-of-date the Google Maps images are. There was a nearby driveway which I chose to ride up to see if I could see if the trail was still viable beyond the OH-850 crossing. From the driveway, I walked down to the old rail bed and took a look around. It was clearly overgrown. I walked for about 2/10ths of a mile and while I could have easily ridden in the direction I had been going, the pathway was not as clear as before, so I decided to turn around. Perhaps, if I had started in Kerr and headed north the trail would have been more easily identifiable. However, there didn’t appear to be any defined parking for the trail in Kerr. In my opinion, until Gallia County decides to make improvements to this portion of trail, I wouldn't bother to attempt to ride this trail segment.
If you do find yourself in the Gallipolis area the paved portion of the trail is worth seeking out. If the Railroad Freight Station Museum is completed that could be an interesting venue along the trail. Bathrooms and water are available in Haskins Park.
Nice trail however some parts are becoming overgrown with weeds and sumac. Trash bags strewn about near what looks like the city sewer plant. There’s also some areas with roots growing through the asphalt. Overall a great ride though
My wife and I road the entire trail from the Exxon to Lee St. 13 miles total (6.5 one way). Took us about an hour and 20 min but we took it easy. Trail is very well kept, a few joggers and walkers along the way, everyone was very friendly. Hit up the shake shoppe when you are finished, great shakes and malts!
From Haskins park towards Walmart could use a bench or something but otherwise a very nice trail. Small tributary nearby and several side trails into the woods by pple and animals. See a lot of birds and deer on the main path itself. A few walnut trees right along the trail. I see several people traveling on it every time I'm there.
May 2016 - Wanted to give this trail a try because it is fairly close to home. Was disappointed in the fact it is only 4.1 miles long starting at the Hastings Park. The trail is paved and recently had the edges mowed. You do cross several busy roads so I wouldn't recommend for families with small kids. We rode to the end at Holzer Hospital and turned around and rode back to town, was able to get 13 miles in fairly easy. I would give it a 3.5-4 stars
I ran the length of this trail while passing through town. Nice asphalt nice scenery, and saw only three other people
As of 10/17/2014, when I made the trip to ride this trail, it was closed at about midpoint for repair to a bridge. I couldn't find any information as to when it would re-open.
It's a nice little trail, but even fully open there simply isn't enough of it to be good for more than locals, or for inclusion with other activities in the area.
I'll probably try again next year, but only in conjunction with planning to spend some time at the riverfront park, and visiting nearby Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande.
If you do make the trip to ride it, don't bother crossing the busy, four-lane highway on the Holzer Hospital end. The trail abruptly ends underneath State Route 35 after about 100 yards. (I drove around and found another entry point, only to find that out.)
My son and I rode this trail 7-22-13. We began at Haskins Memorial Park in Gallipolis. The trail is paved and easy to follow. Flat like most rail trails. The trail description boasts of 8 miles to be ridden, but, as we discovered, only about 4 miles are rideable. (Is that a word?) The trail ends abruptly in a mess of weeds and brier patches after just about 4 miles. Nice trail but not very long. We rode end to end several times to log some miles.
The part of the trail that this map shows is impassable on the southern end just outside of Bidwell. There are trees and brush covering the path. Only about a half mile is ride-able and bumpy at that. Ride the bike trail that goes through the city of Gallipolis instead, starting near Holzer Hospital where it is actually paved and kept up.
Just got back from my first time on this trail. Very nice asphalt path good for bike riding and walking. Need to be careful running since there are spots with some large gravel pieces that have been kicked on the path when the shoulders were mowed. There is a good amount of shade and places to rest. At the one end is the Veterans Memorial Park with a gazebo to sit at and a playground nearby for the kids.
We use this quite trail frequently. It is asphalted and well kept. There are several rest areas with benches however there are no facilities along the trail. The trail is mostly treelined and level. It is quiet, even though it is fairly heavily used by bicyclists, walkers and joggers. Be prepared for the other users to be friendly.
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