Olentangy Greenway Trail (Olentangy/Scioto Greenways):
Ohio
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Description:
The Olentangy Greenway Trail (a.k.a. Olentangy River Greenway) picks up near the north end of the Lower Scioto Trail and heads 13 miles north through several parks and Ohio State University. Portions of the trail are rough going, but for the most part it is serene and scenic.
From Confluence Park, head north and use the crosswalk at Dublin Road. Once across the road,the trail traves north on the west side of the Olentangy River. At some points the trail is very close to the river, and flood warnings are posted. After passing under several freeways the trail becomes quieter as you meander along the bank of the river with some light tree cover and the sound of the water drowning out some of the city sounds.
At Third Street a bridge takes you to the east side of the Olentangy River, and at Fifth Avenue you must choose between a lower trail along the river bank or an upper trail with access to Fifth Avenue and part of the Ohio State University campus. Between Fifth and King Avenues there is an overlook with a large concrete deckjutting over the river edge that allows a good look at the lowhead dam spanning the river there.
The campus area of the trail-roughly 1 mile-is in transition, and a university bikeway plan has been recently released and can be accessed from the Ohio State University website. Bicyclists are cautioned to dismount and walk through the rough sections, or, at the very least, slow their speed considerably. The rough ride is due to deteriorating asphalt, which poses a real hazard to riders. A local landmark arises on the right side of the trail in this section. Ohio Stadium, or the Horseshoe as locals call it, is the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
tThe trail then passes under the new Lane Avenue Bridge, a striking structure, with an amazing cable-stayed design. The anchorages for the bridge cables are 47 tons each, making them the largest pieces of steel ever galvanized. Unmarked neighborhood trails feed into the bikeway periodically. Near mile 4 the university's wetland research area flanks the west side of the route. Feel free to take a self-guided tour of the native plants and wetland habitat.
A short stretch takes you on a well-marked route over city streets in Clintonville before you travel though Whetstone Park and the Park of Roses. Whetstone Park offers playgrounds, picnic pavilions, baseball fields, basketball courts, and 136 acres of facilities and nature areas. The 11-acre Park of Roses is a park within a park with more than 11,000 rose bushes. After these parks you return to the river's west edge via a challenging, narrow sidewalk lane along the bridge at Henderson Road.
You will soon arrive at Antrim Lake and Antrim Park. There is an excellent overlook on the lake, and a 1.2-mile loop trail around the lake that is popular with trail users as well as park visitors. A short trail connection takes you under the highway west to Antrim Park.
A short time later you will cross back to the east side of the river at State Route 161 in Worthington over a highway bridge that has a bike pedestrian lane on the south side. From this point it is another 3 miles to the end of the trail, with half of that distance coming between the Route 161 bridge and Interstate 270. The scenery in this stretch is very relaxing as you wind your way upriver amongst beautiful hardwoods, with a periodic neighborhood park opening up to the east.
The imposing elevated lanes of Interstate 270 mark the final crossing of the river over a nicely constructed trail bridge. After crossing underneath the Interstate, it is a short, 1-mile ride through a small section of forest and then on a narrow strip of land between the river and some of Worthington's new development. A small circle of green grass with a nice gazebo greets you at the endpoint in Worthington Hills.
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Parking & Trail Access:
To reach the northern trailhead in Worthington Hills Park, take Interstate 270 to State Rte. 315 north. Look for Worthington Hills Park on the right.
To reach the southern trailhead at Confluence Park, take Interstate 70 to Rte. 315, turn north 1 mile, and take the Dublin Road Exit. Turn left onto Dublin Road, after .1 of a mile turn left onto North Souder Road. Take the first left onto Rickenbacker Drive. Confluence Park is at the end of this road a quarter mile away.
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Seasonal Restrictions:
Incomplete section: Lane Avenue at Ohio State. Trail users must detour onto streets until bridge is re-built with underpass, probably sometime in 2003.
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Reviews: [1 trail ratings]
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My favorite!!
By clarence43232 in August, 2011
This is my favorite trail in Columbus due to its uninterrupted length--and it must be a favorite of thousands of others, too. I never ride it when it is not crowded with bikers, runners, walkers, etc. all along, especially from downtown on north. Do readers know it is linked to Alum Creek trail--but downtown requires following signs on local, quiet roads from St. Clair & Leonard Ave. Alum Creek is also linked that way to Scioto Trail and Blacklick Trail will soon be linked to it. Not long in the future riders will be able to go from the far east side of Columbus clear downtown to either the Alum Creek or Olentangy trails. I only can find one trait I would appreciate since it is so busy, is that everyone who does not do so now would exercise a little more courtesy among the crowds.
Great Ride
By traffic dodger in July, 2011
The wife and I were up from Florida visiting family over the 4th of July week 2011 and had the oppurtunity to ride this beautiful trail. Rented bikes from Handy Bikes USA approximately 5 blocks off the trail. This was the only bike shop in the area that rented bikes that I could find. Everyone at the bike shop is very helful. Entered the trail at West 5th Ave. just south of Ohio State University (Go Bucks) and headed north past the stadiums of Ohio State and rode along the river for about 4 miles and turned around. Wanted to ride Ohio State Campus a bit and was able to ride into the Stadium and surrounding area. It can be a little confusing finding your way back to the trail from the campus but every street that crosses the river has a ramp down to the trail. 50/50 shade/sun on this trail in the am with lots of great scenery and courteous riders. Traffic Dodger
Varied greenway
By jdyoder in July, 2009
I rode the Olentangy Greenway on July 2 and 3, 2009. On the positive side, the northern two thirds, from Ohio State University North, were very nice. The trail surface was good 90 percent of the time and the scenery of river, forests and green areas was just fun to ride. I enjoyed going through the OSU campus by the huge statium, which I hadn't seen in 50 years. The days I rode, there were lots of people using the trail.

The section from OSU south to downtown wasn't nearly as visually interesting. It became more urban and noisy from nearby traffic. Most perplexing was that there is no sign at the entrance off West Spring St. indicating the beginning of the greenway at the south end. I asked six people where it was and five had no idea. (I was coming from downtown.) Another frustration was the lack of a sign at west side of the 3rd Ave. bridge between downtown and OSU (I don't remember the street) where the trail goes under and then appears to stop. To continue north, you cross the bridge (go east) on the bridge's sidewalk, but there's no indication that that's what you are supposed to do.
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