The northern trailhead in North Lake Park (Mansfield) would benefit from better signage or markings. We rode around the lake looking for access to the bike trail. A map posted near the picnic pavilion directs you up the ramp, over the bridge and onto the trail.

My husband and I rode an 8 mile section from the trailhead parking lot by the intersection of route 60 and route 20, by the old historic bridge there. The path crosses route 60, which jogs towards Vermilion, and passes a nice pond and small park area with covered benches, a work out station and a portable restroom. Wakeman has a pub, a coffee shop and an East of Chicago Pizza right uptown near the Gazebo at the park for refueling.

Rode from Bolivar to Cherry Road in Massillon where the trail is currently closed. We don’t usually ride non-paved trails but glad we did this one. Not flat, but doable, glad we had our e-bikes. A little rough in spots from flooding, but we did it. Probably saw 200 turtles sitting on logs in the water. Saw 2 deer, a couple Eastern Bluebirds, couple cardinals.

While our plan was to bike the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, we got a bit diverted by a narrow strip of land called Rockefeller Park, located just beyond the sprawling campus of the Cleveland Clinic. We rode through the park on the Harris Dillard Trail, which goes mostly downhill for about 3.7 miles to Lake Erie. Riding through this beautifully landscaped oasis was a nice surprise amidst otherwise urban, commercial neighborhoods.
Once we reached the actual Waterfront Trail, we decided to turn right and east toward the charming hamlet of Bratenahl. Here we rode on a broad, but quiet, street past several great gated estates, likely dating back to the early 20th century. Visible beyond each house and its beautifully manicured grounds was the vast expanse of Lake Erie. After a few miles, the neighborhood and woods ended and we entered Euclid, a community of smaller, post-WWII homes, strip shopping centers, and one large hi-rise housing development.
We persisted along this busier on-road portion of the trail to the Euclid MetroPark, where ample signage pointed us to a winding trail through the park to a marina. Here we were rewarded with striking views of Lake Erie and the skyline of Cleveland in the distance. Determined to find the eastern trailhead, we continued past the marina and through a small nature preserve which promoted the return of a coyote habitat. The Waterfront Trail at this end was a combination of sidewalks, a paved path, roads, and shoulders with painted lanes.
We didn’t venture toward downtown, but the drive we’d taken to scope it out the night before suggested that there would be much weaving through road traffic and industrial sections of town.
We drove afterwards to a nationally known brewery in one of the city's hip downtown neighborhoods.

The OTET is not the ETOT. I found out why when cyclists were flying past me Northbound as I fought headwinds Southbound. Yes the winds wind up the Ohio Valley hence the trail is named Ohio To Erie Trail. I was southbound because after my glorious arrival and celebration in Cincinnati I continued through Louisville, Mammoth Cave and Nashville to our daughters horse farm in Shelbyville TN totaling 721 wondrous miles of memories and new acquaintances both 2-legged and 4-legged. I suggest using credit card

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 rode a complete round-trip on the bikeway (East 185th & Lakeshore to West 117th & Edgewater) for the first time after wanting to for quite some time. This took me about 3 hours saddle time. The route is well-planned enough, keeping close to the shore of Lake Erie. A mixture of road cycling and trail cycling is required, but bike lanes added on Lakeshore Blvd in recent years in Cleveland make this easier. Signage downtown is poor and the routing there is a bit awkward, but anything west of downtown is quite fun as long as you know to access the path next to the Shoreway beginning at W. 25th.

Enjoyable route, poorly signed at parts, but I expect the Bikeway will probably be improved in the future. Worth riding for the experience.

We started in Independence, where there is a big parking lot and decent restrooms, and rode to Peninsula, where there are restaurants and a bike shop, and returned--about 23 - 24 miles. Found that the surroundings became more lush and wooded the closer we got to Peninsula. Next time, we'll start there and go south or ride on a day when we could take the train one way and do the whole trail. Signs indicated the train runs Wed. - Sunday, May - October. (We rode on a Tuesday.) The trail surface varies--a combo of asphalt, well-packed or uneven gravel, or hard-packed dirt. At this time of year (Oct) there were a considerable number of walnuts on the trail to navigate through, too. We did this trail as a break in a long car trip and it was worth it. Saw some amazing herons along the way!

With all the beautiful trails nearby, this one should be last on your bike trails. Not much to see, most mile markers are missing. The park at the east end road is in poor condition. I recommended finding a better trail to ride.