By tombilcze on August 30, 2009
It was a cool late summer Sunday morning when we left the Butler trailhead. It’s a little hard to find. It’s just off Rt. 97 behind the BP on Elm Street (the only traffic light in town). There is a nice clean restroom, picnic area and a small park. Across the street is a small family restaurant. Gauging the cars in the parking lot, it must be pretty good.
Our destination was Lexington, 11 miles to the northwest. The grade is gentle but uphill to Lexington. That made for an easy ride back to Butler in the afternoon. The trail was mostly shaded and in very good condition. The pavement was unique in that it was lined like a regular highway. The Rt. 97 intersection just north of Butler is very busy. Make sure you look both ways.
We entered Bellville about 5 miles north after cycling along several farms. Take some time to take pictures on the steel bridge on the southern edge of Bellville. The Clear Fork River is quiet nice in that area. Bellville is a quaint small Ohio village. There is a nice trail rest area a block off of Main Street. It was clean with nice bathrooms. There is a nice antique shop, café coffee shop and ice cream parlor adjacent that is well worth the stop.
Continuing our journey north, the trail was a little less shaded as it paralleled Rt. 97. Just south of the I-71 underpass, Rt. 97 crosses the trail. There is a blind spot coming from the south since the road makes a near 90 degree turn at the trail.
The ride into Lexington is relatively uneventful, more farms and forests. You enter Lexington along side the water treatment plant. A very nice bicycle shop is at the Rt. 42 intersection in downtown Lexington. We ventured a mile north and then turned around.
On our way back to Butler, we took a 1/4 mile detour to the Dutch Heritage Amish Restaurant at the I-71 Rt. 97 exit. There is a paved country road just south of the I-71 underpass and north of the Rt. 97 crossing. It is a much safer route to the restaurant dropping you right at the restaurant’s door. A large bicycle rack is on the expressway side of the building adjacent to the miniature golf course. The food was decent and it had a small market with cheese, pastries and Amish style snacks. The salad bar is amazing and worth the stop.
It was downhill back through Bellville into Butler. We saw a lot of late summer, early autumn flowers in bloom. This trail in edged by numerous buckeye trees over most of its length. It is a pleasant ride with a gentle grade. What makes it nice is that there are small towns spaced 5-6 miles apart along its length. Each one had clean rest rooms, restaurants, and convenience stores. It’s worth a visit if you want to see some typical mid Ohio landscape at its best.
By LindaB on June 30, 2009
Our trip started in Butler and ended in Mansfield. This is an uphill ride to Mansfield which we prefer on the way out then you have an easier ride on the way back.
Enjoyed the trail on this hot and steamy day! (6-26-09) It had stormed the night before knocking a tree down on the trail. You were able to lift the bikes over the branches and continue on the trail. We were very surprised to see the tree cleared on our return trip. Thanks for taking such great care of the trail.
Very nice facility in Belllville - restroom, picnic table, drinking fountain. It looks like an Ice Cream Shop is due to open across the street from the bike trail.
As of this date the following Geocaches can be found along this trail: GC1H8D3; GCKPPD; GC11813; GCXJKJ; GC1DWKJ; GC1181M; GC17MBG (50 feet off trail); GC17HY1 (50 feet off trail).
Campground right on the bike trail - River Trail Crossing . We didn't camp at this campground but the next day we drove over to check it out looked very nice. Their website says primitive to full-hookup sites available. If we come back this way we'll definitely stay there. Location: N40 35.919 W82 26.634
By T. Oakley on April 27, 2003
"This is a very nice trail. The pavement is in great shape. There are good access points, although I would suggest the southern areas of Bellville and Butler as places to access the trail since the Mansfield end is a bit tricky to get to and the trail in Mansfield runs behind many busineses and over road crossings.
The trail opens up heading south, following roads and, generally, through open land, with minimal trees, etc. I have never seen a congestion problem.
Overall, I recommend the trail. It was an enjoyable ride!"