Explore the best rated trails in Bellefontaine, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Triplett Pathway and Hoover Scenic Trail. With more than 55 trails covering 4631 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.
Two issues I have with the Sandel Legacy Trail is it is hard to tell which parts of the trail linking Galena and Sunbury are [1] There are THREE TRAIL NAMES associated with this trail. Riding southwest to northeast, you pick up the Galena Brick Trail in Galena, either from Dustin Rd which is county road 104 or from N. Walnut Street in Galena proper if you followed West Columbus Street into Galena to go to The Coffee Vault or Galena Diner or simply through central Galena. Once you catch the Eastbound{Northeast bound} Galena Brick Trail , you pass through a park and playground, Miller Park and continue eastbound through residential Galena. Follow the trail straight into Sunbury and exit and you see the sign that says Sandel Legacy Trail . But as you are riding along on this trail, some of the streetsigns labeling the trail say Thomas W Hopper legacy Trail. Thus on a short 2.5 mile trail, you see three name changes and the transitions are not clear. Sandal Legacy is only named prominently on a sign at the east trailhead. [2] The continuation of the Ohio to Erie Trail from the Sandel Legacy is not clear from the map or from wayfaring signs at the Northeast trailhead of the Sandel Legacy. The map suggests you turn to S Columbus Street to follow a path to the North through Sunbury to Rainbow Street. However doing so requires a n unmarked LEFT TURN after crossing the Bridge over S Columbus Street to leave the trail and roll down to that street. The trail continues east to where the actual Sandel Legacy Sign is posted then ends in gravel through which you cut to the north to find yourself on N Vernon Street then you have to make a LEFT TURN {No sign informing you of this} onto E Cherry Street to get to North Columbus Street which you can then take to Rainbow Avenue. Signs for Ohio bike route 1 are pretty clear once you make it onto North Columbus Street, they will guide you to Rainbow Ave to High Street and then to Hartford Rd which gets you out of Sunbury, up a little hill, then you are ready for the actual Delaware County Preservation Parks Ohio to Erie Trail, all trail as of 6/3/2022 and it takes you onto the Heart of Ohio Trail. Sandel Legacy Trail itself is pretty nice but it is confusing, poorly signed especially at its transitions into Sunbury and it is unclear where it becomes Thomas W Hopper or Galena Brick.
This trail is awesome for looking out over the northern Hoover Reservoir as you ride Northbound from Plumb Road to a short connector that takes you to 3C Road and on into Galena Ohio if riding Northbound and if riding Southbound, you come back also viewing the reservoir through the forest. There is a bit of mud between the trail and the Reservoir and you need some strength for the southbound ride, it is a demanding uphill climb especially as you ride up to go over the bridge that crosses 3C road. That climb is a workout, you will actually hate it if you detest hills. It ends southbound at Plumb Rd when you turn right to go to the Genoa Trail for the ride into Westerville. This trail, Plumb Rd and The Genoa Trail essentially link Sunbury and Galena.
Looks like this trail will be extended.
Can some enlighten me?
We rode this trail on October 23, 2022. It is best to take this trail on a Sunday when there is not a lot of traffic. The trail along Jack Gibbs is in need of repair. Also the weeds and brush need attention by the city of Columbus.
Overview:
• If you are a gravel enthusiast, you will be very disappointed as the OTET is 92% either paved or concrete.
• I would not attempt to experience the OTET without GPS guidance {bike computer or 3rd party software on a smartphone {i.e. Ride with GPS} or you will experience navigation set backs on your adventure.
• Areas that are crushed limestone/chert have a sparse covering and could be messy after a rain as there was plenty of exposed hard packed dirt due to a lack of limestone/chert covering.
Cleveland to Massillon 5 October 2022 ~ 70 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail
• Beautiful views of the Cayuga river and Canal tow path with some locks in remarkable condition.
• Detour at the city limits of Massillon and as we arrived at end of the workday and the transition through was met with heavy traffic. You will need to make the downtown transition to rejoin the OTET on the Southside of Massillon.
Massillon to Mount Vernon 6 October 2022 ~ 80 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail
o Sippo Valley Trail (10 Mile)
o Holmes County Trail (23 Mile)
o Kokosing Gap Trail (13.5 Mile)
• Expect rural road riding (20+ mile) through Mennonite/Amish communities from Dalton to Fredericksburg. This transition was well marked at every turn and you can see an example in the photo section for this trail.
Mount Vernon to Columbus 7 October 2022 ~ 52 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Heart of Ohio Trail (17 Mile)
o Alum Creek Trail (25.2 Mile)
Columbus to Xenia 8 October 2022 ~ 60 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Camp Chase Trail (15.9 Miles)
o Robert’s Pass Trail (6.5 Miles)
o Prairie Grass Trail (29.2 Miles
Xenia to Cincinnati 9 October 2022 ~ 70 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Little Miami Scenic Trail (78.1 Miles)
o Armleder-Lunken Connector Trail (1.0 mile)
o Lunken Bike Path (5.0 Miles)
o Ohio River Trail (7.6 Miles)
• There is a detour on the Little Miami Scenic Trail halfway to Cincinnati near Kings Mill Bike Trail Access. After talking to some local runners on the Trail, they highly recommend not taking the detour due to road safety for cyclists. You can safely and easily make it through the detour and once you make it to the construction area with the buildings, head to the Cartridge Brewery and on the backside of it you can rejoin the trail.
We live just 20 miles from this path. And did it for the first time yesterday. We did New Breman to St Marys. Started out beautiful but a mile out of town we lost the path. Only to find out it is a grass path between the canal and a corn field. Would be beautiful quiet walking path. But for sure not for bikes. We cut around and did some back roads and tried again further north. But the whole way from NB to SM is grass. May need to check out further south.
Easy ride . Wasn’t too amused with the sites of housing developments but it’s the location . Some adorable steers in the farmland area made the ride worth it .
This trail is great for the scenic views of the river and the bridges over the Olentangy however, it is incredibly rough, esp the south end near the Scioto trail interchange. There is one nice smooth part from the Bethel Rd connector up to Antrim Lake. It’s maybe only a mile but the pavement there is glorious! A roller skater’s dream! The other area that’s really smooth is near Northmoor Park, both Olentangy Blvd and Kenworth are super smooth and really nice to skate. I also really like the new bridge and Astor Park they’ve recently constructed at the southern most part of the trail. The bridge and park are really nice smooth new concrete, but then you get on the trail and the trail condition sucks right there. :-/
I enjoy roller skating (quad skating) the trails around Columbus and this one is just okay. It’s pretty straight and flat with only one decent hill. It just makes for a rather boring skate. The first few miles have big cracks and the asphalt is older and just not as smooth, but after about 3 miles it smooths out and is really nice… still straight and flat but at least the surface is nicer.
This trail is along a creek and has nice water, forest, and flower views but is not for the serious road bicyclist. The trail is narrow and very curvy so you can’t get any speed. There is one short hill that would be too steep for a person doing “neighborhood bicycling”. The trail would be great for walking.
Long review for a long trail. This is my favorite trail by far in the area. I broke this trail up and completed it in sections starting from Piqua. There are plenty of restrooms and parking. Mostly shaded and cool because it runs along the river. Once you get to downtown Dayton there are several connectors to other trails along with a concession stand near riverscape if you want a quick bite to eat.
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