Find the top rated trails in Alliance, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Situated in downtown Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the asphalt trail runs through a park setting on the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad close to the Beaver River and ending near the rugby fields ...
The Berlin Lake Trail lies mid-way between Cleveland and Pittsburgh in Deerfield Township of Portage County. The 2-mile crushed limestone rail-trail crosses Berlin Lake, traveling through wooded areas ...
Big Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail provides a paved pathway connecting the Mill Stream Run Reservation, Big Creek Reservation, and the Fern Hill Picnic Area. At its southern end, you can connect to ...
The Bike & Hike Trail is a rambling, rolling 33.6-mile rail-trail peppered with bridge crossings and neighborhood road riding in both a rural and suburban setting. Unlike most flat rail-trails, this route ...
The Bike & Hike Trail is a rambling, rolling 33.6-mile rail-trail peppered with bridge crossings and neighborhood road riding in both a rural and suburban setting. Unlike most flat rail-trails, this route ...
The Brecksville Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a pleasant paved pathway connecting the community of Brecksville with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, a well-loved 81-mile route from Cleveland ...
The Chippewa Inlet Trail runs for nearly 4 miles between Lafayette Road/State Route 42 and the Chippewa Nature Area. The trail traverses an open, pastoral landscape along the Chippewa Inlet, which provides ...
The Chippewa Rail Trail runs for 2.4 miles between Chippewa Road (SR 50) in Chippewa Lake to suburban Wycliffe Drive southwest of Medina (Lafayette Township). The trail is mostly rural in feel, passing ...
When completed, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail will make a critical connection between Cleveland's downtown neighborhoods and the vast Lake Erie. As of August 2015, the first phase of the trail ...
The Conotton Creek Trail is 11.4 miles of scenic serenity in northeast Ohio. The trail models rustic beauty, and its careworn pavement covers a flat, straight route. Several particularly rough spots may ...
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The County Line Trail travels the path of the former Erie Lackawanna Railroad between Rittman and Creston. A highlight of the trail is a former Baltimore & Ohio freight station located just west of the ...
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Northern Ohio's Freedom Trail currently offers more than 6 miles of tree-lined pathway along the former Freedom Secondary Railroad. From Eastwood Avenue in eastern Akron, the paved trail follows a northeastern ...
The Garrett Wonders Bike Trail, formerly the Warren Bikeway, is an integral component of the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway, which will eventually link Lake Erie and the Ohio River via a multiuse, off-road ...
The Harrison-Dillard Bikeway is a north-south urban path that not only connects the Lake Erie shoreline with the University Circle district, but connects trail users with Cleveland’s cultural past. Beginning ...
The bucolic Headwaters Trail is a pleasant 8-mile journey through the rural landscape between Mantua and Garrettsville. The path has a crushed-stone surface and is mostly shaded. It follows the route of ...
If traveling through Ohio's Amish country and sharing space with bicycles, buggies and abundant wildlife sounds like an idyllic day to you, then you will enjoy the 15-mile Holmes County Trail. A good place ...
Cleveland Metroparks’ Lake to Lake Trail links Lake Isaac and Lake Abram in Middleburg Heights via an asphalt- and boardwalk-surfaced path. The two lakes are the largest remaining glacial wetlands in Cuyahoga ...
The Lester Rail Trail in Ohio's Medina County runs 3 miles between Abbeyville Road and Lester Road in York Township. The trail passes through bucolic farmland with scattered remnants of prairie, where ...
The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature ravine ...
The Maple Highlands Trail consists of 3 separate segments totaling more than 18 miles. A majority of the trail follows an abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad corridor through a mostly rural landscape, ...
The well-designed MetroParks Bikeway between Canfield Township and Austintown is an 11-mile paved corridor that passes through both suburbs and countryside in northeastern Ohio. Traveling north from the ...
For nearly 9 miles, the Mill Stream Run Reservation All Purpose Trail runs through a wooded park in Berea, a western suburb of Cleveland. Though the trail loosely parallels Valley Parkway, you will feel ...
The Morgana Run Trail runs on a former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway corridor through Cleveland’s historic Slavic Village neighborhood. The paved rail-trail connects residents to Cleveland Metroparks’ ...
The Newton Falls Trail, built on a former railroad bed, follows the Mahoning River as it winds its way downtown. The route provides pleasant neighborhood views of the quaint township that was established ...
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Ohio's Nickel Plate Trail runs for 2.5 miles from 5th Street near Ravenna Avenue (Metzger Park) to Swallen Avenue south of town. The wooded corridor follow an old railroad right-of-way through parks, suburban ...
The Niles Greenway is a paved, multi-use path running northsouth between the county line on the south and the town of Niles. The pleasant trail passes through a mix of wooded areas, scattered light industrial ...
As closely as possible, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows a historic canal where mules once pulled boats from 1827 to 1913. Currently, 81 miles of the trail are complete from Cleveland south ...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a planned 320-mile route via several existing trails that span the state of Ohio from the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland to the Ohio River in Cincinnati. When complete, the ...
The Olde Muskingum Trail parallels the Tuscarawas River and the Ohio & Erie Canalway between Cherry Street in Canal Fulton and Forty Corners Road just north of Massillon. The 6-mile scenic trail has a ...
Don't let the Panhandle Passage Trail's small stature fool you, it is just the start of an incredible adventure that awaits you in Tuscarawas County and one that you will remember for years to come. At ...
The Portage Hike and Bike Trail stretches nearly 10 miles between Kent and Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland and the southern shores of Lake Erie. As of December 2015, its entire length is ...
The Sippo Valley Trail runs nearly 10 miles, with flat, gentle grades, between Dalton and Massillon. It takes its name from Sippo Creek, which cascades along the side of the trail for nearly its entire ...
The Stark Electric Railway Trail runs on a former interurban rail line that linked Canton and Salem via Louisville, Alliance and Sebring from 1902 to 1939. The company was nicknamed the ‘Bachelor Railroad’ ...
Constructed in 1983 with the help of donations from the Stavich Family and local individuals, the Stavich Trail is unusual in several ways. First, unlike most rail-trails, it was built on an interurban ...
The Trout Island Trail is planned to be a 13-mile rail-trail along the former Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad. Currently, 2.4 miles are open and fully paved in Sharpsville, following the Shenango River near ...
Closure Notice: As of November 2015, a portion of the Western Reserve Greenway between Hyde-Oakfield Road and Mahan Denman Road near the southern end of the trail (about a mile northeast of Bristolville) ...
Situated in downtown Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the asphalt trail runs through a park setting on the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad close to the Beaver River and ending near the rugby fields ...
The Berlin Lake Trail lies mid-way between Cleveland and Pittsburgh in Deerfield Township of Portage County. The 2-mile crushed limestone rail-trail crosses Berlin Lake, traveling through wooded areas ...
Big Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail provides a paved pathway connecting the Mill Stream Run Reservation, Big Creek Reservation, and the Fern Hill Picnic Area. At its southern end, you can connect to ...
The Bike & Hike Trail is a rambling, rolling 33.6-mile rail-trail peppered with bridge crossings and neighborhood road riding in both a rural and suburban setting. Unlike most flat rail-trails, this route ...
The Bike & Hike Trail is a rambling, rolling 33.6-mile rail-trail peppered with bridge crossings and neighborhood road riding in both a rural and suburban setting. Unlike most flat rail-trails, this route ...
The Brecksville Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a pleasant paved pathway connecting the community of Brecksville with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, a well-loved 81-mile route from Cleveland ...
The Chippewa Inlet Trail runs for nearly 4 miles between Lafayette Road/State Route 42 and the Chippewa Nature Area. The trail traverses an open, pastoral landscape along the Chippewa Inlet, which provides ...
The Chippewa Rail Trail runs for 2.4 miles between Chippewa Road (SR 50) in Chippewa Lake to suburban Wycliffe Drive southwest of Medina (Lafayette Township). The trail is mostly rural in feel, passing ...
When completed, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail will make a critical connection between Cleveland's downtown neighborhoods and the vast Lake Erie. As of August 2015, the first phase of the trail ...
The Conotton Creek Trail is 11.4 miles of scenic serenity in northeast Ohio. The trail models rustic beauty, and its careworn pavement covers a flat, straight route. Several particularly rough spots may ...
The County Line Trail travels the path of the former Erie Lackawanna Railroad between Rittman and Creston. A highlight of the trail is a former Baltimore & Ohio freight station located just west of the ...
Northern Ohio's Freedom Trail currently offers more than 6 miles of tree-lined pathway along the former Freedom Secondary Railroad. From Eastwood Avenue in eastern Akron, the paved trail follows a northeastern ...
The Garrett Wonders Bike Trail, formerly the Warren Bikeway, is an integral component of the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway, which will eventually link Lake Erie and the Ohio River via a multiuse, off-road ...
The Gates Mills Interurban Bridge, known locally as simply The Walking Bridge, offers a pedestrian-only route over the scenic Chagrin River. The steel truss bridge was built in 1899 for the Eastern Ohio ...
The Harrison-Dillard Bikeway is a north-south urban path that not only connects the Lake Erie shoreline with the University Circle district, but connects trail users with Cleveland’s cultural past. Beginning ...
The bucolic Headwaters Trail is a pleasant 8-mile journey through the rural landscape between Mantua and Garrettsville. The path has a crushed-stone surface and is mostly shaded. It follows the route of ...
If traveling through Ohio's Amish country and sharing space with bicycles, buggies and abundant wildlife sounds like an idyllic day to you, then you will enjoy the 15-mile Holmes County Trail. A good place ...
Cleveland Metroparks’ Lake to Lake Trail links Lake Isaac and Lake Abram in Middleburg Heights via an asphalt- and boardwalk-surfaced path. The two lakes are the largest remaining glacial wetlands in Cuyahoga ...
The Lester Rail Trail in Ohio's Medina County runs 3 miles between Abbeyville Road and Lester Road in York Township. The trail passes through bucolic farmland with scattered remnants of prairie, where ...
The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature ravine ...
The Maple Highlands Trail consists of 3 separate segments totaling more than 18 miles. A majority of the trail follows an abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad corridor through a mostly rural landscape, ...
The well-designed MetroParks Bikeway between Canfield Township and Austintown is an 11-mile paved corridor that passes through both suburbs and countryside in northeastern Ohio. Traveling north from the ...
For nearly 9 miles, the Mill Stream Run Reservation All Purpose Trail runs through a wooded park in Berea, a western suburb of Cleveland. Though the trail loosely parallels Valley Parkway, you will feel ...
The Morgana Run Trail runs on a former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway corridor through Cleveland’s historic Slavic Village neighborhood. The paved rail-trail connects residents to Cleveland Metroparks’ ...
The Newton Falls Trail, built on a former railroad bed, follows the Mahoning River as it winds its way downtown. The route provides pleasant neighborhood views of the quaint township that was established ...
Ohio's Nickel Plate Trail runs for 2.5 miles from 5th Street near Ravenna Avenue (Metzger Park) to Swallen Avenue south of town. The wooded corridor follow an old railroad right-of-way through parks, suburban ...
The Niles Greenway is a paved, multi-use path running northsouth between the county line on the south and the town of Niles. The pleasant trail passes through a mix of wooded areas, scattered light industrial ...
The Harmony Trail in the North Hills is a work in progress, managed by volunteers with the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy. As of August 2011, about 1 mile of a proposed 4.3 miles of abandoned rail corridor ...
As closely as possible, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows a historic canal where mules once pulled boats from 1827 to 1913. Currently, 81 miles of the trail are complete from Cleveland south ...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a planned 320-mile route via several existing trails that span the state of Ohio from the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland to the Ohio River in Cincinnati. When complete, the ...
The Olde Muskingum Trail parallels the Tuscarawas River and the Ohio & Erie Canalway between Cherry Street in Canal Fulton and Forty Corners Road just north of Massillon. The 6-mile scenic trail has a ...
Don't let the Panhandle Passage Trail's small stature fool you, it is just the start of an incredible adventure that awaits you in Tuscarawas County and one that you will remember for years to come. At ...
The Panhandle Trail is another jewel in the Pittsburgh metro area trail system. A Conrail line, known as the Panhandle Railroad, once connected Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis on this route. ...
The Portage Hike and Bike Trail stretches nearly 10 miles between Kent and Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland and the southern shores of Lake Erie. As of December 2015, its entire length is ...
The Shenango River Trail once served as a towpath along the Erie Canal Extension. During the mid-1800s, mules pulled boats along the canal, linking goods from the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and beyond. ...
The Sippo Valley Trail runs nearly 10 miles, with flat, gentle grades, between Dalton and Massillon. It takes its name from Sippo Creek, which cascades along the side of the trail for nearly its entire ...
The Stark Electric Railway Trail runs on a former interurban rail line that linked Canton and Salem via Louisville, Alliance and Sebring from 1902 to 1939. The company was nicknamed the ‘Bachelor Railroad’ ...
Constructed in 1983 with the help of donations from the Stavich Family and local individuals, the Stavich Trail is unusual in several ways. First, unlike most rail-trails, it was built on an interurban ...
The Trout Island Trail is planned to be a 13-mile rail-trail along the former Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad. Currently, 2.4 miles are open and fully paved in Sharpsville, following the Shenango River near ...
The Vestal Trail is 0.5-mile connection through town of McCandless that joins the Oakridge neighborhood to the playing fields at its eastern end. The trail is maintained by volunteers of the Rachel Carson ...
Closure Notice: As of November 2015, a portion of the Western Reserve Greenway between Hyde-Oakfield Road and Mahan Denman Road near the southern end of the trail (about a mile northeast of Bristolville) ...
Zeisberger Trail and Parks group (ZTAP) is working to connect the village of Tuscarawas (Tusky) to the surrounding communities and larger regional and state recreational trails. ZTAP has already developed ...
The Zoar Valley Trail winds along the Tuscarawas River for 20 miles between the village of Schoenbrunn in the south and Fort Laurens State Memorial in Bolivar in the north. The path is mixture of rolling ...
Situated in downtown Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, the asphalt trail runs through a park setting on the former Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad close to the Beaver River and ending near the rugby fields ...
The Berlin Lake Trail lies mid-way between Cleveland and Pittsburgh in Deerfield Township of Portage County. The 2-mile crushed limestone rail-trail crosses Berlin Lake, traveling through wooded areas ...
Big Creek Reservation All Purpose Trail provides a paved pathway connecting the Mill Stream Run Reservation, Big Creek Reservation, and the Fern Hill Picnic Area. At its southern end, you can connect to ...
The Bike & Hike Trail is a rambling, rolling 33.6-mile rail-trail peppered with bridge crossings and neighborhood road riding in both a rural and suburban setting. Unlike most flat rail-trails, this route ...
The Brecksville Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a pleasant paved pathway connecting the community of Brecksville with the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, a well-loved 81-mile route from Cleveland ...
The Chippewa Inlet Trail runs for nearly 4 miles between Lafayette Road/State Route 42 and the Chippewa Nature Area. The trail traverses an open, pastoral landscape along the Chippewa Inlet, which provides ...
The Chippewa Rail Trail runs for 2.4 miles between Chippewa Road (SR 50) in Chippewa Lake to suburban Wycliffe Drive southwest of Medina (Lafayette Township). The trail is mostly rural in feel, passing ...
When completed, the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail will make a critical connection between Cleveland's downtown neighborhoods and the vast Lake Erie. As of August 2015, the first phase of the trail ...
The Conotton Creek Trail is 11.4 miles of scenic serenity in northeast Ohio. The trail models rustic beauty, and its careworn pavement covers a flat, straight route. Several particularly rough spots may ...
The County Line Trail travels the path of the former Erie Lackawanna Railroad between Rittman and Creston. A highlight of the trail is a former Baltimore & Ohio freight station located just west of the ...
Northern Ohio's Freedom Trail currently offers more than 6 miles of tree-lined pathway along the former Freedom Secondary Railroad. From Eastwood Avenue in eastern Akron, the paved trail follows a northeastern ...
The Garrett Wonders Bike Trail, formerly the Warren Bikeway, is an integral component of the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway, which will eventually link Lake Erie and the Ohio River via a multiuse, off-road ...
The Gates Mills Interurban Bridge, known locally as simply The Walking Bridge, offers a pedestrian-only route over the scenic Chagrin River. The steel truss bridge was built in 1899 for the Eastern Ohio ...
The Harrison-Dillard Bikeway is a north-south urban path that not only connects the Lake Erie shoreline with the University Circle district, but connects trail users with Cleveland’s cultural past. Beginning ...
The bucolic Headwaters Trail is a pleasant 8-mile journey through the rural landscape between Mantua and Garrettsville. The path has a crushed-stone surface and is mostly shaded. It follows the route of ...
If traveling through Ohio's Amish country and sharing space with bicycles, buggies and abundant wildlife sounds like an idyllic day to you, then you will enjoy the 15-mile Holmes County Trail. A good place ...
Cleveland Metroparks’ Lake to Lake Trail links Lake Isaac and Lake Abram in Middleburg Heights via an asphalt- and boardwalk-surfaced path. The two lakes are the largest remaining glacial wetlands in Cuyahoga ...
The Lester Rail Trail in Ohio's Medina County runs 3 miles between Abbeyville Road and Lester Road in York Township. The trail passes through bucolic farmland with scattered remnants of prairie, where ...
The Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail runs parallel to the Middle Fork of the Little Beaver Creek and has many beautiful and interesting features, including glacial outwashes, upland fields, mature ravine ...
The Maple Highlands Trail consists of 3 separate segments totaling more than 18 miles. A majority of the trail follows an abandoned Baltimore & Ohio Railroad corridor through a mostly rural landscape, ...
The well-designed MetroParks Bikeway between Canfield Township and Austintown is an 11-mile paved corridor that passes through both suburbs and countryside in northeastern Ohio. Traveling north from the ...
For nearly 9 miles, the Mill Stream Run Reservation All Purpose Trail runs through a wooded park in Berea, a western suburb of Cleveland. Though the trail loosely parallels Valley Parkway, you will feel ...
The Morgana Run Trail runs on a former Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway corridor through Cleveland’s historic Slavic Village neighborhood. The paved rail-trail connects residents to Cleveland Metroparks’ ...
The Newton Falls Trail, built on a former railroad bed, follows the Mahoning River as it winds its way downtown. The route provides pleasant neighborhood views of the quaint township that was established ...
Ohio's Nickel Plate Trail runs for 2.5 miles from 5th Street near Ravenna Avenue (Metzger Park) to Swallen Avenue south of town. The wooded corridor follow an old railroad right-of-way through parks, suburban ...
The Niles Greenway is a paved, multi-use path running northsouth between the county line on the south and the town of Niles. The pleasant trail passes through a mix of wooded areas, scattered light industrial ...
The Harmony Trail in the North Hills is a work in progress, managed by volunteers with the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy. As of August 2011, about 1 mile of a proposed 4.3 miles of abandoned rail corridor ...
As closely as possible, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows a historic canal where mules once pulled boats from 1827 to 1913. Currently, 81 miles of the trail are complete from Cleveland south ...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a planned 320-mile route via several existing trails that span the state of Ohio from the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland to the Ohio River in Cincinnati. When complete, the ...
The Olde Muskingum Trail parallels the Tuscarawas River and the Ohio & Erie Canalway between Cherry Street in Canal Fulton and Forty Corners Road just north of Massillon. The 6-mile scenic trail has a ...
Don't let the Panhandle Passage Trail's small stature fool you, it is just the start of an incredible adventure that awaits you in Tuscarawas County and one that you will remember for years to come. At ...
The Panhandle Trail is another jewel in the Pittsburgh metro area trail system. A Conrail line, known as the Panhandle Railroad, once connected Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis on this route. ...
The Portage Hike and Bike Trail stretches nearly 10 miles between Kent and Ravenna, about 40 miles southeast of Cleveland and the southern shores of Lake Erie. As of December 2015, its entire length is ...
The Shenango River Trail once served as a towpath along the Erie Canal Extension. During the mid-1800s, mules pulled boats along the canal, linking goods from the Great Lakes to Pittsburgh and beyond. ...
The Sippo Valley Trail runs nearly 10 miles, with flat, gentle grades, between Dalton and Massillon. It takes its name from Sippo Creek, which cascades along the side of the trail for nearly its entire ...
The Stark Electric Railway Trail runs on a former interurban rail line that linked Canton and Salem via Louisville, Alliance and Sebring from 1902 to 1939. The company was nicknamed the ‘Bachelor Railroad’ ...
Constructed in 1983 with the help of donations from the Stavich Family and local individuals, the Stavich Trail is unusual in several ways. First, unlike most rail-trails, it was built on an interurban ...
The Trout Island Trail is planned to be a 13-mile rail-trail along the former Erie and Pittsburgh Railroad. Currently, 2.4 miles are open and fully paved in Sharpsville, following the Shenango River near ...
The Vestal Trail is 0.5-mile connection through town of McCandless that joins the Oakridge neighborhood to the playing fields at its eastern end. The trail is maintained by volunteers of the Rachel Carson ...
Closure Notice: As of November 2015, a portion of the Western Reserve Greenway between Hyde-Oakfield Road and Mahan Denman Road near the southern end of the trail (about a mile northeast of Bristolville) ...
Zeisberger Trail and Parks group (ZTAP) is working to connect the village of Tuscarawas (Tusky) to the surrounding communities and larger regional and state recreational trails. ZTAP has already developed ...
The Zoar Valley Trail winds along the Tuscarawas River for 20 miles between the village of Schoenbrunn in the south and Fort Laurens State Memorial in Bolivar in the north. The path is mixture of rolling ...
We have ridden all the sections before but decided to ride it end-to-end and make a century ride out of it.
We parked a vehicle at Ft. Laurens near Bolivar and a friend drove us up to Lock 39 trailhead off Rockside Road in Independence. From there we rode north to the end of the path at Harvard Road. The route continues north with short sections of bike path intermixed with city streets but we opted to stay off the streets. Turning and heading south the bike path is paved for 6 miles until it enters the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
A couple of recent developments: The section in Akron between memorial park and Mustill Store is closed for construction of the Interceptor Tunnel (a MASSIVE sewer project). The detour is well marked but it goes up a very steep (but short) hill from N-S.
Between Exchange and Cedar in downtown Akron the path is open even though there is a signed detour but it is one lane so ride slow.
There is a new section of path to get off SR212 coming into Bolivar. You have to ride about 0.3 miles on SR212 from McConnel trailhead to reach the new path at the ballfields.
From Ft. Laurens down to SR800 the path is well graded with a fine crushed stone surface. It is narrow in many places - ranging from 3-5' wide. I would recommend riding the old bridge over the Tuscarawas River to Zoar Village (about 0.6 miles each way. Its a historic distric that was a communal village in the 1800's with many original structures.
At SR800 it is possible to pick up the Zoar Valley Trail to continue to Dover/New Philadelphia. There are bike lanes on either sides with crossing flashers which were recently installed. The Zoar Valley Trail is about 0.3 miles east of the OETP. However the trail is a loose river gravel surface better suited to hiking or mountain biking. We decided to ride a few hundred yards on this trail and turn around at the Zoarsville Station Bridge and return to our car at Ft. Laurens instead of struggling on to the Dover Dam.
A couple of other interesting things - There are lots of places to eat and more importantly get ice cream along the trail. The fruit sundae at Szalays Farm Market on Bolanz Road is my favorite. Plus several bike shops. The visitor centers and gift shops of the Cuyahoga Valley NP give you a chance to stretch your legs. I always lock my bike when its out of sight so I make it a habit to always take my lock.
This trail also passes Wastewater Treatment plants in Cleveland, Akron, Barberton, and Massillon so thats just one more bonus.
Wildlife is plentiful depending on the season. Bald Eagles, deer, turtles (sliders and snappers), woodchucks, otters, mink, beaver Canada Geese (with their fuzzlings this time of spring), ducks, great blue herons (who have a rookery off Bath Road). A few years ago semi-professional Bigfoot Hunters were setting wildlife cameras for Grassman - Ohios variation so you may get lucky with a Bigfoot spotting.
Check into the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic RR which offers a Bike Aboard service to let you and your bike ride one way for a few dollars.
This is a great trail for running or walking (maybe not biking until they extend it...would be a quick bike ride). Parking lot is small, but it was not busy on a Tuesday morning in May (use address 3700 Trout Island Road; Sharpsville, PA, to get to the lot). The only downside to the trail was that there were huge swarms of gnats the entire time I was running, which was annoying. Perhaps that would only be at certain times of the day or year, though.
What is so nice about these trails is you can take a short walk around the lake or head into the woods and make it longer, and I can take my son in his wheel chair and the paths are great. We don't have a lot of places to go that are this nice. I wish there was a web sight that told handicap people about these gems.
While this trail crosses a few low-traffic back roads here and there, overall it's a secluded and scenic ride. You'll pop in and out of nature and small town civilization, bit that's kind of par for the course on rail trails.
While nothing spectacular, you do get a few extras on this trail such as Towner's Woods park, where you can park and the short hikes are all worth it. The trail also gets you really close to the trail near downtown Kent (not sure of the name but it starts at Tannery Park). If you are willing to do a bit of street riding you can connect to that trail, and follow it out to the Freedom Trail near Middlebury Road. That will take you all the way out beyond Tallmadge.
And the nearby Franklin Connector section (not near rails) is a good ride and will connect you to the Summit Bike & Hike Trail. Most will want to drive to get to Franklin Connector, but it's reachable by bike for sure.
Now that the Portage has been fully paved, it really makes it a great casual ride. Very little in the way of elevation, and as mentioned very little cross-street traffic to worry about.
For what it is — a great local bike trail — it's top notch.
Rails to Trails of Wayne County deserves to be commended for their decision to convert the old Erie Lackawanna right of way into a trail - it parallels the CSX ex-B&O mainline for much of its length between Creston and Rittman. Since I found the trail in late 2013, I have visited it many times and seen countless trains, but one really stands out. On August 8th, 2016, while I was sitting in my car at the Kauffman Avenue parking lot, a CSX freight went past me... with Norfolk Southern SD70ACe 1071 (Central of New Jersey heritage) trailing the leading CSX diesel! On two occasions, I spent an entire day in Sterling watching and recording trains on my Sony HandyCam. Over in Rittman, there is a restaurant in the old Erie depot at the east end of the trail. They serve good food, but they aren't open past 3pm (2pm on Saturday). If you're a railfan from Wayne or Medina County, I recommend that you visit this trail!
I rode this section and completed the Northern most section of the Ohio to Erie Trail.
In Cleveland, the trail is mostly on busy city streets, coexisting with vehicles. Twice I tried to post the turn-by-turn pictures, but for some reason the Northern end pictures in Cleveland haven’t been accepted.
The trail was mostly scenic, until it entered Cleveland. Drew Carey might think Cleveland is the best thing since sliced bread, but the view from this trail had a lot of scrap yards, rock quarries, sewage plants, and vacant buildings with their windows broke out. In other words, a lot of urban decay. I don’t ever plan to go back.
The Ohio to Erie Trail was supposed to go to Lake Erie, the “Erie” in the name. But this trail does not actually end at Lake Erie; it ends about half a mile South on the North end of the Carter Road vertical lift bridge. I’m not going to risk riding on the busy streets of downtown Cleveland and end up like Andrew Gast-dead inside someone’s windshield. There are too many other safe trails that are not on public roadways.
Last weekend in October we biked from Orwell up to Rock Creek. Pretty fall foliage. Nice and flat asphalt paved trail.
Without much research, we decided to try this trail. It was gorgeous! We started at parking lot by Rte. 303 and went north to end (about 10.5 miles. Had no idea what to expect but were very pleasantly surprised. There are a few hills and going in this direction, unfortunately puts the downhill slope on the first leg of the ride. About 4 miles into the ride we came up an amazing waterfall that has boardwalk steps and landings to get closer to the waterfall. Absolutely gorgeous. Nice scenery and well-maintained trail.
Would definitely do again and try the other direction.
Rode the trail on my mountain bike October 16th 2016. A very picturesque ride. The trail from start to finish is asphalt. Mostly old asphalt with some sections of new asphalt but smooth enough for a mountain bike not so much for a road bike with high pressure tires! The trail was well maintained and completely flat. No weeds or debris. Numerous covered bridges. A few port-a-johns along the trail. The trail was too rough for in-line skating, in my opinion but otherwise a very enjoyable mountain bike ride. 11 miles one way.
Seemed easy enough to ride especially for a first-timer, relatively flat, pretty scenery, lots of tree cover, and lots of horse poo to dodge (but it was no big deal). We did Fredericksburg to Millersburg and back.. Plan to return to finish the route to Killbuck.
Just got back from riding the Zoar Valley Trail. Rode from Fort Lauren's to State Route 800. It was a beautiful ride that followed the river on one side and the canal and locks on the other It was a little narrow for my wife and I to ride side by side, but then it is a tow path and not a rails to trails bed. Though it hasn't rain in a while, it was fairly smooth and no ruts at all. If your looking for a 11 mile ride, I would recommend using the St. Rt. 800 trail head, ride the 5.5 miles to Bolivar and enjoy a sandwich at Sublime BBQ (check the hours) or ice cream at DQ or the little shop in the middle of the village and then return. Because of the canopy of trees, we are definitely going to return in a couple of weeks to catch the leaves!!!!
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