Explore the best rated trails in Newark, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Holmes County Trail and Hoover Scenic Trail. With more than 44 trails covering 4358 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.
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True to its name, the Heart of Ohio Trail lies in the central part of the state, extending from Mount Vernon southwest to the Knox-Licking County line just south of Centerburg. Along its nearly 16...
The Scioto Greenway Trail is an urban greenway at its best. A segment of the Central Ohio Greenways trail network that covers more than 120 miles throughout the state, the 12.2-mile multiuse trail...
The Rocky Fork Trail is a developing pathway in Westerville and New Albany, which are northeastern suburbs of Columbus. The paved trail is currently available in five disconnected segments. The...
This nearly 5-mile trail system weaves throughout historic Canal Winchester, Ohio, a southern suburb of Columbus. The extensive network links residents with parks, businesses and the city’s high...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside. Because it...
Roundtown Trail is a greenway in Circleville, Ohio which opened in July of 2017. It is a linear trail, despite what its name might suggest. The trail stretches from the northwest corner of the Ohio...
The Hoover Scenic Trail continues north from the paved Genoa Trail to Weise Road just south of Galena. The trail follows the northwestern shoreline of the sprawling Hoover Reservoir within a scenic...
The Westerville B&W (Bike & Walk Route) is an extensive system of paved multi-use paths throughout the Columbus suburb, stretching from Hoover Reservoir on the east to as far west as Worthington Road....
For visitors and locals alike, the Olentangy Trail is the ideal way to explore Columbus, the dynamic capital of Ohio, as well as the surrounding communities. Named after the eponymous river it follows...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
Located in central Ohio, the 14-mile T. J. Evans Trail is a popular route, attracting both locals and visitors. With its tree-covered canopy that provides respite from the sun on hot summer days,...
The Village of Sunbury makes its own contribution to the expansive Ohio-to-Erie Trail with the Sandel Legacy Trail. The trailhead on Columbus and Vernon Street offers an early treat: a model railroad...
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Columbus’ Downtown Connector Trail provides a vital link between neighborhoods and schools on the city’s east side and the downtown area. On its east end, the paved pathway begins adjacent to I-670...
The Buckeye Scenic Trail, a recent addition to the expanding Licking County trail system, stretches roughly 6 miles from the northern reaches of Heath to Lakewood High School on US 40. In the north,...
The Meredith State Road Trail is a part of the Ohio to Erie Trail in Centerburg, Ohio. From Meredith State Road, the paved trail heads northeast within a wooded corridor towards the border between...
The developing Big Walnut Trail follows its namesake creek through Columbus and its eastern suburbs of Westerville, Gahanna, and Whitehall. Several segments of the paved pathway are open, though...
The Coshocton Three Rivers Bikeway provides safe and direct access from the City of Coshocton to the Coshocton Lake Park Recreational Complex and historic Roscoe Village. Two crossings under US 36...
The Alum Creek Greenway Trail takes you through a scenic landscape from Westerville through Columbus to Groveport, with easy access to adjoining neighborhoods and a multitude of public parks to enjoy....
The Genoa Trail runs between Northgate Way in Westerville and Plumb Road south of Galena, paralleling the east side of State Route 3. The trail is separated from the road by a nice corridor of trees,...
The Alum Creek Greenway Trail takes you through a scenic landscape from Westerville through Columbus to Groveport, with easy access to adjoining neighborhoods and a multitude of public parks to enjoy....
The Blackhand Gorge Trail, the only bike path in the Ohio nature preserve system, features some of the best scenery in the state. Perhaps this is to be expected from a trail that passes through a...
Roundtown Trail is a greenway in Circleville, Ohio which opened in July of 2017. It is a linear trail, despite what its name might suggest. The trail stretches from the northwest corner of the Ohio...
The Darby Creek Trail is currently available in two disconnected segments that parallel Big Darby Creek, a State and National Scenic River on the western outskirts of Columbus. The northern 3.5...
This nearly 5-mile trail system weaves throughout historic Canal Winchester, Ohio, a southern suburb of Columbus. The extensive network links residents with parks, businesses and the city’s high...
The Foor Leisure Path is a short, paved trail that links the northern edge of Groveport’s quaint residential core with the Blacklick Creek Greenway Trail. The connection allows Groveport residents to...
The Hoover Scenic Trail continues north from the paved Genoa Trail to Weise Road just south of Galena. The trail follows the northwestern shoreline of the sprawling Hoover Reservoir within a scenic...
The Meredith State Road Trail is a part of the Ohio to Erie Trail in Centerburg, Ohio. From Meredith State Road, the paved trail heads northeast within a wooded corridor towards the border between...
The Fairfield Heritage Trail winds through and connects the community of Lancaster. It links a college, high school, junior high school and elementary school, as well as numerous parks and shopping...
More than half of the smooth, flat, 6.1-mile Heritage Rail-Trail has a parallel 4-mile horse trail. The equestrian corridor starts at Hayden Run Road and continues northwest to the Cemetery Pike...
The developing Big Walnut Trail follows its namesake creek through Columbus and its eastern suburbs of Westerville, Gahanna, and Whitehall. Several segments of the paved pathway are open, though...
The Zane's Landing Trail—also known as the Zanesville Riverfront Bike Path—extends north from downtown Zanesville on a former railroad corridor wedged between the Muskingum River and an active rail...
The Ohio Canal Greenway extends south from Hebron on an old Penn Central Railroad right-of-way. Farm fields border the trail on the west, while remnants of the historic Ohio and Erie Canal are to the...
The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside. Because it...
The Pickaway Trail is a developing rail-trail that begins in Circleville, located less than an hour's drive south of Columbus. Currently, the trail spans 2.5 miles along the former...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a colossal project, not just for the state of Ohio but also nationally. Dreamed up more than 25 years ago, this route will eventually connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to...
The Westerville B&W (Bike & Walk Route) is an extensive system of paved multi-use paths throughout the Columbus suburb, stretching from Hoover Reservoir on the east to as far west as Worthington Road....
The Hellbranch Trail offers a paved route of just over 5 miles in the northwestern Columbus suburb of Hilliard. The pathway connects residential neighborhoods and schools with recreational parks, a...
The Ohio Canal Greenway extends south from Hebron on an old Penn Central Railroad right-of-way. Farm fields border the trail on the west, while remnants of the historic Ohio and Erie Canal are to the...
The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside. Because it...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
True to its name, the Heart of Ohio Trail lies in the central part of the state, extending from Mount Vernon southwest to the Knox-Licking County line just south of Centerburg. Along its nearly 16...
The Muskingum Recreation Trail runs for 4.5 miles along a ballast trail between Main Street in Dresden and Rock Cut Road. The trail offers views of the Muskingum River, with impressive rock...
The Alum Creek Greenway Trail takes you through a scenic landscape from Westerville through Columbus to Groveport, with easy access to adjoining neighborhoods and a multitude of public parks to enjoy....
This nearly 5-mile trail system weaves throughout historic Canal Winchester, Ohio, a southern suburb of Columbus. The extensive network links residents with parks, businesses and the city’s high...
The Scioto Greenway Trail is an urban greenway at its best. A segment of the Central Ohio Greenways trail network that covers more than 120 miles throughout the state, the 12.2-mile multiuse trail...
The Mohican Valley Trail runs for nearly 5 miles along a former right-of-way of the old Penn Central Railroad on the eastern edge of Knox County, between Brinkhaven and Danville. The trail features...
The Meredith State Road Trail is a part of the Ohio to Erie Trail in Centerburg, Ohio. From Meredith State Road, the paved trail heads northeast within a wooded corridor towards the border between...
The Pickaway Trail is a developing rail-trail that begins in Circleville, located less than an hour's drive south of Columbus. Currently, the trail spans 2.5 miles along the former...
The Coshocton Three Rivers Bikeway provides safe and direct access from the City of Coshocton to the Coshocton Lake Park Recreational Complex and historic Roscoe Village. Two crossings under US 36...
The Rocky Fork Trail is a developing pathway in Westerville and New Albany, which are northeastern suburbs of Columbus. The paved trail is currently available in five disconnected segments. The...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
Columbus’ Downtown Connector Trail provides a vital link between neighborhoods and schools on the city’s east side and the downtown area. On its east end, the paved pathway begins adjacent to I-670...
The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway is one of southeast Ohio’s hidden trail gems. Tucked into the foothills of Appalachia, this 20-mile trail gives a sampling of the best the Buckeye State has to offer:...
The Roberts Pass Trail runs from downtown London, Ohio, to rural Fairfield Township. The trail passes through farmland for 6.5 miles, although dense tree cover shades the route at all...
For visitors and locals alike, the Olentangy Trail is the ideal way to explore Columbus, the dynamic capital of Ohio, as well as the surrounding communities. Named after the eponymous river it follows...
Cruising along on the nearly 10-mile T. J. Evans Panhandle Trail (known locally as the Panhandle Trail), you might be surprised to encounter a massive basket seemingly plunked down by a giant. In...
Although the Downtown Connector Trail is short, just a mile through Mount Vernon, it's a key connector between the Kokosing Gap Trail, which heads east to Danville, and the Heart of Ohio Trail, which...
I've rode it 3-4 times. It is a nice in the woods for most of it. The drawback is that it is not connected on either end with any other trails or parking. I understand that someday soon, the HOOT will link to it from the north. That would be great!
Note that this trail goes one long block further into London now: It ends at Walnut st instead of Maple. Might not seem like much, but it really helps as riding 665 at the Maple intersection was kind of hazardous!
I rode almost 14 miles out-and-back on the Great Guernsey Trail from just east of Cambridge to about 1.5 miles east of Lore City, Ohio. This rail trail is very flat and it has a few gentle curves which help it be a little more interesting than a few of the straight arrow trails I've ridden recently. The trail runs along the Leatherwood Creek for almost its entire length. The surface is asphalt which is in pretty good shape except that within the first mile there are numerous wide expansion cracks that have been filled with tar and there is also some washboarding of the surface. The surface the rest of the way is in fine shape.
The trail is tree covered but open enough that you don't always feel as though you are riding through a green tunnel. There is a wetland area on the side opposite the creek during the first two miles and there are some signs talking about mosquito bite prevention though I had not one bite from any of these pests throughout my entire ride. This is a nice trail that would probably be good for training as there are very few road crossings throughout the entirety of the trail. What would make this trail even better would be continued efforts toward expansion to the east of Lore City to at least Quaker City. Worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.
The Coshocton Three Rivers Bikeway is basically a recreational trail that is made up of a series of loops in Coshocton, Ohio's Lake Park. There are two spurs off of the loops that take you into Coshocton and into Roscoe Village. There are lots of recreational amenities in this park — baseball, softball, and soccer fields; picnic areas, playgrounds, camping, fishing, and a pool with a water park. There are a couple of spurs off of these trail loops that connect to the city of Coshocton and also to historic Roscoe Village. Roscoe Village is sort of an Ohio Colonial Williamsburg. Its purpose is to recreate the atmosphere of an 19th century canal town. There is also the Monticello III, a canal boat that offers horse drawn canal boat rides on a small restored part of the Ohio and Erie Canal that once ran through here.
The trail is paved and is in okay shape. However, if your intention is to ride this trail, it probably is best to ride this trail early in the day as there are lots of spectators of kids athletics that are walking or standing on portions of the the trail near the athletic fields in the evenings. It is sometimes difficult to get through sections of the trail, particularly when young children are walking near and with their parents. Don’t expect to develop any speed on this trail because of this. Maybe this trail is best left to those who are utilizing the park for other reasons.
If you are a history buff then by all means give this park and the trail a visit. The canal basins, canal locks, the actual towpath, the aqueduct over the Walhonding River, the Monticello III canal boat rides, and Roscoe Village would make it worth a visit.
Beautiful trail that traverses Alum Creek via multiple, cool bridges. If you’re starting at the north end of the trail, plenty of parking at the Westerville Sports Complex/soccer fields. Very low gradient as you ride with the current of the creek southbound. Trail is in great shape/completely paved. Utilizes several boardwalks which are very slippery when wet. Roughly 15 miles in(if you start at the northern end), you can hop off of the trail and visit the Franklin Park Conservatory. Immediately before that, you can crossover the Broad St bridge or the ped bridge to the Old Bag of Nails pub, which has a wooden deck overlooking the creek. At least 50% of trail is shaded
The description said it was paved. It I was glad we took our hybrids. A lot of people were riding road bikes but too bumpy for my taste of riding road. Easy ride. Scenery was amazing! Would definitely do trail again.
Not a bad trail, too short if you want a serious ride. Nice Scenery and overall a very mellow ride.
My husband and I biked this trail taking the advice of other reviewers by starting at the southern end in Newark which for us was a good decision. The scenery was very nice, a tunnel of trees a lot of the way. Some parts were recently paved but I think at least 25% needs repair with lots of bumps and some sections the maintenance could have been improved. There was a section where the greenery was grown out over the trail. Would have been nice if there were a restroom somewhere along the trail!
Rode the trail from West State Street Park to Nelsonville, and back, about 14 miles each way. To reach the trail, follow W. State St. straight through the park, all the way to the end where it loops around the last baseball diamond. There is parking along the diamond loop. The trail is along the outer edge of the loop.
Riding the trail towards Nelsonville, the trail initially has a short downhill section (moderate) and then levels out quickly. The whole way out, I kept feeling like I was riding ever so slightly downhill, but the ride back felt just as easy. I wonder if the overall grade of the trail might be close to neutral, with sections that offer mild gradients periodically.
This section of trail is generally tree covered, providing nice shade. The portion through Athens itself, for the short portion I tried, seemed more open and exposed.
The trail does have some areas of root ridges, but they generally seemed to come it small clusters, and then be fine for a while. The trail otherwise seemed very smooth. There are periodic points when the trail must cross a road. Do follow the signs to stop/yield, but most crossings were easy. Mile markers are painted on the trail pavement, and while the numbers are not large, they are part of a stripe across the width of the trail, making them more pronounced.
I didn't really see any restroom facilities at West State Street Park, which seems odd for its size. Later, I found that if you follow the trail towards Athens for at most a quarter mile, after you go through the small parking lot and cross the street, there is a small red and white building on the trail that had signs noting it has water and restrooms available dawn to dusk (did not go in to verify). There also were port-o-potties along the trail by the road crossing at the Eclipse Company Store (mile 7), the Beaumont trailhead (mile 11), and in the Hocking College parking lot by the historical village (mile 16.5). The northern end of the trail runs between the Hocking College building and its parking lot. If you really had to, you could probably quickly run into one of the college buildings to find a restroom. The trail through Hocking College, by the historical village, also had a water fountain/bottle fill station, and a picnic pavilion to take a break. The signage at Nelsonville indicated restroom and water, but I didn't go into town to verify.
There are several points along the trail to park. They appear well illustrated on the trail's official pamphlet map (http://athensohio.com/wheretoplay/hockhocking-adena-bikeway-2/).
This trail overall just felt like a really nice ride. Very glad I tried it.
Rode north from Millersburg, through Holmesville, to Fredericksburg, and back on a Sunday afternoon. About 10 miles each way. Parked at the Hipp Station trail head, which has basic restrooms in the building (parking lot side) and a port-o-potty in the parking lot. Parking lot could hold 2-3 dozen cars, at least.
The trail starts under tree canopy for a bit and then reasonably mixes between sections of open farm field, limited trees, and denser tree coverage. Trail, which is almost like a colonial era road between villages, is wide and accommodating for its multiple users. The trail's asphalt surface is worn, but not broken, still giving a good ride. Horse and buggy traffic is directed to one side of the trail, so one side is naturally cleaner than the other. Be sure to signal when passing to not spook a horse. Most everyone on the trail seemed friendly and many gave a quick wave hello when passing.
The trail does go onto surface residential streets through Holmesville. It's only a few small blocks, the streets are wide and only 25MPH, and well marked with green bike route signs. When you arrive in Fredericksburg, you will be just over a small bridge from the elementary school to your right, which has a small playground and basketball courts with a gravel lot (so, this is probably the noted Fredericksburg trail head). If you continue through town, following the Ohio-Erie trail signs, in just a couple blocks will be a community park, which had a port-o-potty and a picnic pavilion, nice spot to take a break (Jackson St at Henry St). There appeared to be a small convenience store by the one traffic light in town, if you need a beverage.
My one negative comment would be that the mile markers are generally difficult to see. They are painted onto the pavement of the non-horse side of the trail. The white numbers were generally difficult to see as the fading and the worn white paint lacks contrast against the aging grey asphalt.
The Richland B&O Trail runs through the Richland County, Ohio towns of Butler, Bellville, Lexington, and Mansfield. What's nice about this trail is that the distance between towns is approximately the same throughout the trail -- approximately 6 miles. Throughout its run, the trail goes through several types of scenery from farmland through woods and into urban settings.
The trail is paved but I noticed that several areas are suffering from tree root uplift so the surface gets bumpy at times. In addition, some road crossings are tricky, particularly, either due to the amount or speed of traffic and in some cases the angle at which the trail crosses the road. The worst offending crossings have flashing stop signs directed at riders and pedestrians on the trail, but I feel that perhaps these crossings should also have push button flashers for the trail users to activate to alert drivers when they want to cross.
Overall a trail worth checking out.
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