Explore the best rated trails in Shelby, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Chippewa Rail-Trail and Holmes County Trail. With more than 30 trails covering 4266 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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The North Coast Inland Trail is a series of trails across multiple northern Ohio counties that, as they expand and connect, are emerging as an impressive long-distance trail between Cleveland and...
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The North Coast Inland Trail will one day stretch across northern Ohio from Indiana to Pennsylvania on a network of connecting off-road trails. Today, large sections of the trail, especially from the...
The Steel Mill Trail is a 2-mile continuation of the Bridgeway Trail, which lies within the Black River Reservation, a scenic wooded park in Lorain. The Steel Mill Trail picks up at the north end of...
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...
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...
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...
The Kokosing Gap Trail delights visitors with its rich railroad history, which is on display throughout the paved route. Once the corridor of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the rail-trail now connects the...
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Fredericktown's Owl Creek Trail is a mile-and-a-half of smooth asphalt pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. The trail's starting point is the Fredericktown Community Park, which hosts many town...
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Findlay lies at the heart of Hancock County's 17-mile Heritage Trail. From the city center, the trail extends west to Litzenberg Memorial Woods and east to Van Horn Cemetery. The trail mostly follows...
The Marion Tallgrass Trail is a developing rail-trail which will extend from Marion westward on a former Erie Lackawanna Railway corridor. The line was part of the Erie Lackawanna’s main line that...
Holmes County, located in northeastern Ohio, is the heart of the state’s Amish country. Visitors to this rural enclave will find meandering country roads and bucolic natural areas, as well as the...
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 Brideway Trail is found within the Black River Reservation, a park in Lorain County, where you can walk, jog, inline skate, cross-country ski or bike. The trail runs between Day's Dam in Lorain...
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 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,...
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 Loudonville Pedestrian and Bicycle Pathway is nestled in a scenic valley in a small town nicknamed the "Canoe Capital of Ohio." The trail begins in downtown Loudonville, crosses the Blackfork...
The Sawmill Parkway Trail is a shared use path running the length of the parkway from Delaware to Powell. The trail is paved and mostly sits on the west side of the road. Along the trail are...
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...
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 North Coast Inland Trail is a series of trails across multiple northern Ohio counties that, as they expand and connect, are emerging as an impressive long-distance trail between Cleveland and...
The Brideway Trail is found within the Black River Reservation, a park in Lorain County, where you can walk, jog, inline skate, cross-country ski or bike. The trail runs between Day's Dam in Lorain...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
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 North Coast Inland Trail will one day stretch across northern Ohio from Indiana to Pennsylvania on a network of connecting off-road trails. Today, large sections of the trail, especially from the...
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The North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT) represents a regional collaboration among park districts across the Buckeye State to connect trails linking Ohio to Indiana and Pennsylvania. Begin this section...
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 Steel Mill Trail is a 2-mile continuation of the Bridgeway Trail, which lies within the Black River Reservation, a scenic wooded park in Lorain. The Steel Mill Trail picks up at the north end of...
Fredericktown's Owl Creek Trail is a mile-and-a-half of smooth asphalt pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. The trail's starting point is the Fredericktown Community Park, which hosts many town...
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 Marion Tallgrass Trail is a developing rail-trail which will extend from Marion westward on a former Erie Lackawanna Railway corridor. The line was part of the Erie Lackawanna’s main line that...
The Thomas W. Hopper Legacy Trail follows a former rail bed from the Blackhawk golf course to Miller Park, which offers a small playground. Of historical significance is the nearby Galena Shale and...
Holmes County, located in northeastern Ohio, is the heart of the state’s Amish country. Visitors to this rural enclave will find meandering country roads and bucolic natural areas, as well as the...
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...
Traveling just over 18 miles through some of the most scenic areas of the Buckeye State, the Richland B&O Trail is an ideal way to immerse yourself in the region. Built partially as a result of the...
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 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,...
The Heartland Trail is a developing rail-trail project that will one day connect the northeastern Ohio communities of Orrville and Clinton. A mile of the pathway is already on the ground in Orrville,...
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 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 Thomas W. Hopper Legacy Trail follows a former rail bed from the Blackhawk golf course to Miller Park, which offers a small playground. Of historical significance is the nearby Galena Shale and...
Findlay lies at the heart of Hancock County's 17-mile Heritage Trail. From the city center, the trail extends west to Litzenberg Memorial Woods and east to Van Horn Cemetery. The trail mostly follows...
Fredericktown's Owl Creek Trail is a mile-and-a-half of smooth asphalt pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. The trail's starting point is the Fredericktown Community Park, which hosts many town...
The Heartland Trail is a developing rail-trail project that will one day connect the northeastern Ohio communities of Orrville and Clinton. A mile of the pathway is already on the ground in Orrville,...
The Marion Tallgrass Trail is a developing rail-trail which will extend from Marion westward on a former Erie Lackawanna Railway corridor. The line was part of the Erie Lackawanna’s main line that...
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 North Coast Inland Trail is a series of trails across multiple northern Ohio counties that, as they expand and connect, are emerging as an impressive long-distance trail between Cleveland and...
Traveling just over 18 miles through some of the most scenic areas of the Buckeye State, the Richland B&O Trail is an ideal way to immerse yourself in the region. Built partially as a result of the...
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,...
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 Kokosing Gap Trail delights visitors with its rich railroad history, which is on display throughout the paved route. Once the corridor of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the rail-trail now connects the...
The Sawmill Parkway Trail is a shared use path running the length of the parkway from Delaware to Powell. The trail is paved and mostly sits on the west side of the road. Along the trail are...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
The Loudonville Pedestrian and Bicycle Pathway is nestled in a scenic valley in a small town nicknamed the "Canoe Capital of Ohio." The trail begins in downtown Loudonville, crosses the Blackfork...
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 Steel Mill Trail is a 2-mile continuation of the Bridgeway Trail, which lies within the Black River Reservation, a scenic wooded park in Lorain. The Steel Mill Trail picks up at the north end of...
The North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT) represents a regional collaboration among park districts across the Buckeye State to connect trails linking Ohio to Indiana and Pennsylvania. Begin this section...
The Huron River Greenway MetroPark Trail has two separate segments, each just under 1 mile long. The northern (Huron) segment runs from DuPont Marsh State Nature Preserve off River Road and heads...
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...
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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...
Nice ride. Very easy and enjoyable. Used the parking/trailhead off of Mt Vernon Ave. Easy to find and access. Came from northeast Ohio to do this trail. Would totally do it again.
A huge shoutout to the organizations that put this trail together, maintain, and promote it - its remarkably well done. There are a few spots that could use some more signage (Westerville is pretty bad) but overall from top to bottom it's hard to get lost. I did this trail in 4.5 days from Cincinnati to Cleveland the last week of October with almost no bike experience. I also used a busted up old mountain bike from the 90s and had pretty much no problem with it.
I recently rode 18.73 miles on an out-and- back ride on the Sawmill Parkway Trail between the cities of Powell and Delaware, Ohio. This trail is an example of a trail type that is indicative of many midwestern cities, such as Columbus, Ohio, where surrounding once rural farming communities are transitioning into more developed suburbs. This trail is similar to other Columbus area trails such as the the Buckeye Parkway Multi-Use Path in Grove City and the Hellbranch Trail in Hilliard. It appears that the Sawmill Parkway Trail is destined to become the spine of a developing trail system between the communities of Powell and Delaware as this area of Delaware County transitions into a Columbus suburb. As you travel north on this trail you can see that it is much easier to put these trails in before open land is developed rather than trying to fit in a trail after an area has built up. Kudos to local government officials for being forward thinking. At present, the northern end of the trail is much more rural. Here, farm land is found on both sides of Sawmill Parkway, but there are already roadway cut-ins into these fields anticipating continued development of the land into future residential, retail, and commercial areas. As growth occurs, more trails will need to be built along the streets crossing Sawmill Parkway in order to create greater access for the area’s present and future residents in order to make the Sawmill Parkway Trail into a useful alternative transportation network.
As for the trail itself, it is a paved pathway that is in good shape, although the southern end in Powell is beginning to show its age. The trail itself crosses Sawmill Parkway twice, once at Big Bear Avenue in Powell and again at the US-42 intersection in Delaware. Definitely use the crosswalk call buttons at these crossings. Automobile traffic on Sawmill Parkway is heavier on the southern end of the trail from the shopping district to Olentangy Liberty High School. Extra caution should be taken at street crossings in this area by following pedestrian crossing signals. Starting with the Sawmill Parkway-Hyatts Road intersection, traffic lights have been replaced with roundabouts. There are five of these roundabouts along northbound Sawmill Parkway until you reach a final traffic light where the parkway runs into US-42 in Delaware. The trail’s street crossings at these roundabouts have been moved out from the center of the circles. Visibility is good for the trail users at these traffic circles but caution should still be practiced here, particularly when traveling south on the trail. This is because southbound cars could be turning right onto the street you’re crossing from behind your line of sight. Traffic becomes lighter as you enter more rural areas the further north you go along the trail. However, as the area along the parkway develops, traffic will become heavier and these crossings at the roundabouts may become more problematic.
Just beautiful. Smooth asphalt trail in the country with low traffic. I loved the scenery and solitude!
Construction has begun north from Hartford Road seemingly to connect to the southern most part of the Meredith State Road trail. The gaps are being filled in and this will be an awesome trail connecting Westerville and Columbus to Mt. Vernon and beyond when completed.
I rode this yesterday for the first time. My route was from the end point back to the Lester Trail parking lot. What a great shaded ride! The only problem I encountered was newly placed gravel in the parking lot.
I love the open space on this route. Smooth path and very scenic.
The trail is close-by and I enjoy the ride. Lots of trees and relatively smooth trail. A couple of bumps along the way due to root growth.
Have traveled Danville to Glenmont multiple times. The trail is mostly covered with shade from the trees and that is the reason I like riding it. I don't mind the horse poo on the trail just go around. What I do mind is the buggies not giving any room to pass. This weekend had two buggies not giving but a foot or two to pass around. Guess I'll need a rather loud horn rather than a bell from now on!
I've ridden this trail quite a few times in the past and did it again today. There are places where one has to be holding on firmly with both hands when some of the bumps are hit, otherwise a wreck could be imminent. I experienced this 5-6 times, mostly in the woods where you can't see the root bumps. Also I had 3 separate encounters with other bikers who were riding straight at me in my lane on 3 of the big curves on the trail. I don't plan on riding this one again any time soon, as there are other trails in central Ohio that I like better.
We rode this trail on a hot and humid day and enjoyed the shady tree canopy. The surface is currently crushed gravel not asphalt. We began at the surprisingly nice trailhead on the east end of Danville and continued over the covered bridge and through the short tunnel onto the southern section of the Holmes County Trail. At this point the trail was very nice asphalt and definitely a steady uphill!
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