Find the top rated birding trails in Ashtabula, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Easy path - follow the white blazes - towpath has white blaze with a blue dot. Little maintenance- but worth a visit
I struggle to call this much of a trail as it really isn't more than a glorified sidewalk that replaced an old railroad line through town. From what I've been able to ascertain from Google Maps this trail seems as though it has the possibility of being extended in both directions. However, it's hard to tell if it's the businesses on the Railroad Street end of the trail, the residences on the First Street end of the trail, the rail lines still used by CSX in the area, or the funding that is holding up future expansion. Another reviewer talked about expanding south to the Berlin Lake Trail.
I've ridden this trail several times. The last time was at the end of July 2017. The Western Reserve Greenway is a long, straight, flat, bike path that is easy to ride. According to TrailLink the trail is 42.8 miles long, but I don't believe that includes the mileage of the Paul E. Heltzel segment of the Greenway which connects this trail with the Garrett Wonders Bike Trail that goes through most of the city of Warren. The trail is well-maintained, and on a beautiful weekend day you will encounter numerous cyclists and pedestrians around the greenway's trailheads. The trail is long enough that it never seemed crowded. It is an enjoyable path and after having ridden it several times (This was my first end to end ride.) I would say that your best bet is to ride this trail in sections.
Here are my reasons for my previous statement. First, the area that the greenway traverses is very rural in nature. Other than Ashtabula and Warren, the two cities that anchor either end of this trail, there are not many towns or services in between. I think that a good many riders would assume that they would come across at least several small towns or crossroads where they could buy some food, or find some water, etc. I have seen several folks in previous Rails to Trails posts explain at which crossroads to turn and bike into a town for food/drink. That is all well and good, but if you are unfamiliar with the area or are someone who rides greenways and bike trails because you don't like to encounter automobile and truck traffic when riding then be warned that there really is not much along or right off this trail to service your needs. This could be a serious problem if you are riding this trail on a very hot day and run out of water. I know this from personal experience. Secondly, I personally find this trail somewhat boring. It is mile after mile of riding through a tunnel of trees or wide open farm country when it does open up. I think the fact that there are so few turns throughout the trail's length may contribute to this feeling. In addition, this does not mean that there are not some interesting spots along the trail. There is the Rock Creek Trestle, the observation deck at the Mosquito Creek Wildlife Area, the old bridge near Austinburg, and the tunnels under the freeways south of Ashtabula. However, to see all of these things one has to ride a lot of miles of very repetitive scenery.
I rode this trail in June of 2017. One feature that I found unique or interesting about this trail was a sign at either end of the trail that pointed out different points of interest and their mile marker location on the upcoming trail. When you reached that point of interest their would be a sign indicating the mile marker and what you were looking at. I thought that was both interesting and helpful.
The Niles Greenway is designed to be part of the bigger Great Ohio Lake to River Greenway, a developing corridor that when completed will allow trail users to travel from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The unfinished section in Niles could really open up the GOLR Greenway because it would link the Western Reserve Greenway, the Garrett Wonders Bike Trail, the Niles Greenway, and the Mill Creek Metroparks Greenway into one trail from Ashtabula, OH to Canfield, OH.
I rode the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway in June 2017 as a nice out-and-back ride. There is lots to see from Euclid Beach Park (on the East Side) to Edgewater Beach Park (on the West Side) as you ride through downtown Cleveland, Ohio. This route was pretty flat with no difficult hills at all. The bikeway itself was a combination of bike paths in and around the beach parks, on street bike lanes on Lakeshore Boulevard and Detroit Road, and on street riding in Bratenahl and Downtown Cleveland. The busiest street traffic was on the several blocks of street riding downtown.
I found the route to be well marked, particularly on the portions where you were riding on the street. Complaints made in previous reviews about the condition of the route are outdated as I found the trail surface to be in pretty good shape. Other review complaints about riding through a ghetto in the Manhattan Beach and North Collinwood neighborhoods seem exaggerated but are balanced out by the ride past the mansions in Bratenahl. Look for the Cleveland Script Signs on either end of the trail for great postcard-like photo opportunities.
For those interested in riding this route, I would definitely suggest lathering up with sunscreen because other than the 3 mile section through the tree lined streets of Bratenahl, you are always out in the open along the shore of Lake Erie.
We parked at the North Bend Road parking area just off Valley Road, which is across the river from the Big Bend Boat launch. The trail is not very wide and we had to go single file. From what I've read and heard, there is a lot of brush on the trail the other 3 seasons of the year. We headed out towards Hamburg but only made it 1/3 of a mile due to the swinging bridge being in very poor condition. (See photo's). Apparently over the past few years this bridge has been deteriorating. Half way across the bridge a board is missing and there is a loose board just stuck on there. We did not cross it. Even if the bridge were intact, it may be a challenge on snowshoes. Next time we will try to enter the trail at the Hamburg end. Hopefully the swinging bridge will be repaired soon. Snowshoeing was nice for the short time we were out there.
I've ridden on this trail numerous times. The latest was in May 2017. I rode 31 miles (out and back) between Middlefield and Chardon in Geauga County, Ohio. This used to be an old B & O rail line. This seems to be a hidden gem as I rode for almost an hour and a half before encountering anyone else on the trail. The trail is divided into 3 sections. The northern section north of Chardon, OH is paved and connects up to the southern section of the Lake Metroparks Greenway. After a gap in the center of Chardon, the paved central section of the trail heads east and south until it arrives at Headlands Park on the East Branch Reservoir. The surface of southern section of the trail is mostly hard-packed dirt/crushed limestone that extends the trail from the reservoir to Swine Creek Reservation part of the Geauga County Park District south of Middlefield, Ohio. This part of the trail can get rough due to ruts left by Amish buggies utilizing the trail. Look for lots of wildlife throughout and mosquitos in the southern section as the trail travels through swampy wetlands north of Middlefield.
I rode the The Lake Metroparks Greenway Corridor in May of 2017. This is a trail that is little over 5 miles in length but due some road construction in the south, and poor signage in Painesville, OH I did not ride the last half mile or so at the northern end. As you come into Painesville you are directed onto the street to cross an active rail line at a protected crossing (safety first), however there was no sign at Walnut Avenue directing those unfamiliar with the trail back onto remaining length of the trail. So instead I ended up following Liberty Street down to the Painesville town square which probably was more photogenic anyway. It wasn't until I returned home that I discovered that I missed out on this last part of the trail. This trail is missing an approximate 1.75 mile segment from It current southern end at Ravenna Road to a small trail link that heads south from Girdled Road to connect to the Maple Highlands Trail and Chardon, OH. I have no knowledge as to whether this missing link is in the works but from online maps filling this gap may be contentious as it crosses through Quail Hollow Golf Resort. Spanning this gap and connecting the of two parts of the Maple Highlands Trail through Chardon, OH could create a single trail of approximately 27 miles.
The Harrison Dillard Bikeway is not a rail trail but is listed in the TrailLink App and website. The bike path travels beside Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive through Rockefeller Park from University Circle to the Lake Erie Lakefront where it connects to the 17 mile Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. The trail measures at 3.75 miles if you do the whole thing, but while the southern end is located at Stearns Road where it meets Carnegie Avenue, traveling south beyond Martin Luther King Drive toward Chester Avenue is tricky as you have to cross some of the busiest main traffic arteries that move cars in and out of Cleveland. In addition, the directions to parking in TravelLink indicate parking to be at 7 MLK, Jr. Drive, across from the Rockefeller Park Lagoon, next to the park's tennis courts, however, the driveway into this parking lot is off of East Avenue. This is an interesting ride as you travel through the cultural heart of Cleveland -- from Case Western Reserve University, the museums around Wade Oval, the cultural gardens in Rockefeller Park to the Lakefront Nature Preserve on the shore of Lake Erie. While the trail is not particularly long, you will want to check out statuary in the cultural gardens and probably take lots of pictures. I rode this trail in mid-April, but the gardens probably would be more spectacular starting in May.
The Gates Mills Interurban Bridge isn't really what I would call it a trail, as it is listed as only .1 mile in length. What it is really, is a historical remnant of the electric rail systems that serviced Cleveland and many other large cities in this country prior to the asphalt road network we are accustomed to today. Since it was listed in TrailLink I paid a visit. If you are interested in a bit more of the history of the Cleveland & Eastern Traction Company that served Geauga County and the lands east of Cleveland check out the following link: http://www.trainweb.org/ceihsm/index.html
On the Bean's trailhead end of the trail, they are building a new section. New section is approx 6/10 of a mile which runs from Beans Automotive to under Route 322 at the entrance of the Park Avenue Plaza. This section is currently dirt and gravel. Good for walking though we did see a cyclist out on it. Bean's trailhead is located at Beans Automotive, which is on Route 322 in Meadville, across from the Park Avenue plaza. Eateries nearby as well as some stores.
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