Explore the best rated trails in Wooster, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Bike and Hike Trail and Hoover Park Connector Trail. With more than 51 trails covering 4465 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 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 South Chagrin Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a paved route just over 7 miles through its namesake park in northeastern Ohio. From its western end on Richmond Road, the trail follows Hawthorn...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
The Garfield Park Reservation All Purpose Trail is located in Garfield Heights, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland. The paved pathway spans nearly four miles through the Garfield Park Reservation,...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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The Iron Horse Trail runs along the corridor of a railroad that originally connected Alliance and Minerva. The north section runs from State St, across from the University of Mount Union, to 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...
Though not far from two of Ohio’s largest cities, Cleveland and Akron, the Bike and Hike Trail passes alongside beautiful natural areas, including the 65-foot Brandywine Falls, a stunning cascading...
Less than 20 miles from Cleveland, the Bedford Reservation offers a scenic, natural oasis with many amenities and attractions, including opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and...
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 Rocky River Reservation All Purpose Trail parallels Valley Parkway through several western suburbs of Cleveland, but this is no traditional suburban side path. Instead, the winding trail through...
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...
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...
Hoover Park Connector Trail sits between Applegrove Street to the north and Maple Street to the south in the heart of North Canton, Ohio. The limestone and asphalt trail winds from west from the...
The South Chagrin Reservation All Purpose Trail offers a paved route just over 7 miles through its namesake park in northeastern Ohio. From its western end on Richmond Road, the trail follows Hawthorn...
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...
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 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 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 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 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...
South of Cleveland, the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation All Purpose Trail offers an outdoor excursion of just over 7 miles in Cuyahoga Heights. A good place to begin your journey is at the CanalWay...
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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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,...
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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...
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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...
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...
The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is an amazing trail journey that takes users from the heart of this country’s industrial might in cities like Cleveland and Akron, to some of the most beautiful...
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,...
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Northern Ohio's Freedom Trail currently offers more than 7 miles of tree-lined pathway along the former Freedom Secondary Railroad. From Eastwood Avenue in eastern Akron, the paved trail follows a...
The Garfield Park Reservation All Purpose Trail is located in Garfield Heights, a southeastern suburb of Cleveland. The paved pathway spans nearly four miles through the Garfield Park Reservation,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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 Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is an amazing trail journey that takes users from the heart of this country’s industrial might in cities like Cleveland and Akron, to some of the most beautiful...
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...
The Rocky River Reservation All Purpose Trail parallels Valley Parkway through several western suburbs of Cleveland, but this is no traditional suburban side path. Instead, the winding trail through...
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 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...
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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...
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 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...
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...
Following a portion of the former Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad corridor, the Sippo Valley Trail spans 10 miles between Dalton and Massillon in northwestern Ohio, presenting a mix of rolling farmland,...
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 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....
Hoover Park Connector Trail sits between Applegrove Street to the north and Maple Street to the south in the heart of North Canton, Ohio. The limestone and asphalt trail winds from west from the...
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...
The Zoar Valley Trail winds along the Tuscarawas River between the village of Schoenbrunn in the south and Fort Laurens State Memorial in Bolivar in the north. The path offers a mixture of rolling...
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...
I rode 66 miles from the northern most part of this trail starting in Scranton Flats in downtown Cleveland to the the start of the Sippo Valley Trail in Massillon, Ohio. The trail does continue further south to Bolivar, Ohio but the trail south of Massillon is not a part of the Ohio to Erie Trail route. The scenery along this trail is spectacular. You get the tall buildings of downtown Cleveland and Akron, the industrial might of Cleveland's steelyards, chemical, and manufacturing valley, the peacefulness of Ohio's only national park, and the bucolic farms south of Akron. The trail surface varies depending on your location. The trail is paved in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County north of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Inside the National Park the trail surface is primarily crushed limestone, with treated lumber boardwalks in wetter areas. In some spots the trail may be paved for a stretch in areas were erosion of the trail surface has been evident. Outside of the CVNP you will find the trail paved once again through the city of Akron, only to return to crushed limestone/gravel until you reach it's end.
My only complaint relates to the condition of the crushed limestone when it rains heavily or over an extended period of time. The rain softens up this trail surface. I had to work harder to peddle through the the wet limestone. It was pretty soft -- not so soft as to sink into the trail but soft enough to give noticeable additional resistance.
I rode 3.25 miles from the Script Cleveland Sign located west of Edgewater Beach to West 28th Street and then down into the flats to connect to the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail. This trail is easy to follow, is well signed with directional and historical signs and safely transports a bike rider to a connection with the next link in the chain of trails making up the Ohio to Erie Trail route. Once you reach W. 28th Street you may either take it and Loop Drive or continue on Washington Avenue to W. 25th Street in order to connect to the start of the Cleveland Foundation Centennial Trail. In either case, you will be travelling around or through Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority low-income housing units. In addition, the roads in this area are a bit rough. Control your speed so that you don't hit a deep pothole and affect your rims.
Pretty good for a trail that goes through a completely built-up suburban area. Flat and well-paved along its entire length. The prettiest part is along the shore of Lake Isaac nearly the southern end. Connects to Lake to Lake Trail at Lake Isaac. I recommend doing the 2 trails together. The numerous road crossings are annoying, but the major ones have pedestrian traffic lights, so they are safe.
Started in Akron and went downhill along the trail through the national park and just had a wonderful time. We also enjoyed riding the train back for just $5!
Nice trail. Crosses 20+roads.
We were in town for the Cleveland Kite Festival and decided to knock out a ride on the Towpath Trail inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The northern trail head at Rockside Station was less than 10 miles from Edgewater Park downtown and easily accessible by car (41.392790, -81.628648 Independence, Ohio Lock #39). We had ridden southern sections of this long trail and this was no different - smooth and hard packed crushed limestone. Lots of trail traffic on a Sunday afternoon, but pedestrians and cyclists co-exist. Would like to return to take advantage of the Bike Aboard program.
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.
I had initially intended to ride the entire Huron County portion of the NCIT in one day but unfortunately I got a late start and was forced to break this cross county ride into two separate rides.
In both cases I started my ride in Norwalk, Ohio from the N. West Street trailhead. I decided that I would ride east first and then return. There is a 3.2 mile on-road stretch in Norwalk east of the trailhead on N. West Street starting at State Street and continuing until you reach the Clinton portion of the trail starting at Laylin Road. Leaving Norwalk this on-road section of the trail was well marked and motorists are informed to share the road. However, except for one small portion where there are bike lanes you are riding on the road in traffic with no berm. My impression was that these roads were not exceptionally busy but that could have been due to the time of day I was riding. Since I have never been very comfortable riding on roads that I am unfamiliar with when I reached the end of the actual trail east of Collins, Ohio I chose not to continue with the on-road route to Wakeman when I reached Derussey Road. In addition, I was concerned that returning from Wakeman late in the day would put me on the roads in Norwalk right about the time the sun would be at a difficult angle where drivers would be looking into the sun as they and I were headed west. The map posted here on TrailLink.com for this portion of the NCIT does not show the on-road portions of the trail as part of the trail. The Firelands Rails to Trails Group that manages the Huron County portion of the trail views these on-road segments as part of a complete trail in their county.
The off-road trail surface is composed of crushed limestone. Inside the city of Norwalk it is packed down pretty well and any type of bike tire would be able to navigate the trail easily. East of Laylin Road the surface gets much softer. I have 2 inch Schwalbe Marathon Plus Touring tires and I could feel the increase in rolling resistance so be warned that this might not be a trail friendly to bikes with thinner tires. Firelands Rails to Trails considers the trail scenery west of Collins as some of the best on the entire NCIT, but for me I felt as though I was riding through a green tunnel most of the time. I suppose that in early Spring and late Fall when there aren't as many leaves on the trees and brush that the views of the scenery are much better.
A week later when I returned to Norwalk to complete remainder of the Huron County portion of the NCIT I rode from Norwalk to Bellevue, Ohio. The this portion of the North Coast Inland Trail travels west through Monroeville and on to Bellevue while paralleling an active Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad rail line. Once you get to Bellevue, if you take an on-road route through town, you can connect with the Sandusky and Ottawa Counties portion of the NCIT. I had intended to ride to the to the start of this next county segment but the on-road segment through Bellevue was not signed or acknowledged at the end of the Huron County NCIT section so I decided to turn around. If you intend on riding the entire NCIT check out the connecting on-road sections on a map before you go.
Again, the trail between Norwalk and Bellevue is a crushed limestone surface that was somewhat soft. It appeared that shortly before my ride additional stone had been recently laid down on the trail. Wider tires would help on this surface, but perhaps after some time this newly laid stone will compact and the surface will feel a little less soft.
Riding this trail section reminded of the Katy Trail in Missouri. Perhaps it was the trail surface and the corn and soybean fields that surround the trail. Perhaps it was the farming towns that these trails run through and mileage between them that is similar as well.
I would like to see the Firelands Rails to Trails Group, who have done a great job of promoting and maintaining the Huron County portion of the NCIT, to continue to push to purchase, develop, and maintain more of the missing portions of the trail so that on-road riding is eliminated almost completely. I also hope that some day the trail will be paved as well. Sometime in the future I will have to take a couple of days and ride the entire 100 mile plus North Coast Inland Trail in one ride.
I biked this a few years ago for my birthday. We started in Peninsula, Ohio and took the train up about fourteen miles up the Cuyahoga River to Rockside Station and biked back to Peninsula. It was probably one of my favorite birthdays I can remember. They even had beer on the train. What a delight. Along the way we stopped at the Canal Exploration Center, had Ice cream at Trail Mix in Boston, peaked in the Boston Visitors Center, and watched the Steelers game at Winking Lizard Tavern. It was a great little adventure. There's so much to do and see in Cuyahoga National Park. I strongly recommend Hale Farm and Village.
I rode what I will call the northern and southern sections of the trail. On the northern segment the trail runs from the Erie County water tower to River View Drive. The southern segment runs for about a mile along the old Wheeling & Lake Erie rail corridor from North Main Street in Milan, Ohio. So, the lawsuit mentioned in other reviews here must have been favorable to the abutting landowners as the trail certainly does not cover the same distances as mentioned in zars 2010 review.
The northern section has a grass surface that covers a solid crushed gravel under layer. The DuPont Marsh is pretty with many types of aquatic birds to be seen. Where the trail ends you get a good opportunity to see the Huron River. The southern section is very similar to the northern section of the trail in that it has a grass surface covering a crushed gravel under layer. However, the surface is softer than what you find in the northern portion of the trail and probably difficult to ride after a prolonged rain. Definitely, not a trail for skinny tired street bikes.
At this point the Huron River Greenway is probably best left to the local communities as the grass surface and several mile gap between segments do not make it attractive to people looking for new trails to ride. Until local property owners decide to reopen their portions of the rail corridor to the public I would imagine that improvements to the trail surface and additional amenities probably are not in the picture for Erie MetroParks. There are a few pretty sights on these two trail segments but until they are connected to each other or to some other nearby trail I would not go out of my way to ride this trail.
This is a very pleasant trail. Most of it is wooded and shaded. Crushed limestone path in very good condition. Passes through some state nature preserve areas. Generally flat grade throughout. There's a restroom roughly halfway between Mantua and Garretsville. Nice change of pace from busier places like the towpath.
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