Well maintained, easy ride.

Wife and I finished this trail yesterday. Ohio has great bike trails.

I rode 3.3 out-and-back miles on the Pickaway Trail near Circleville, Ohio on August 26th. This rail trail currently is listed at 2.5 miles in length but not all of it is paved. I started at the Canal Road trailhead and headed west. When I reached Ohio-104 the paved trail ended but a sign on the other side of the road stated that the trail beyond this point was under development. It looked like a gravel driveway so I decided to cross and check out the current level of development. Well, the driveway turned out to be exactly that and as it curved to the right it became obvious that the grassy opening straight ahead was what was the undeveloped trail. The trail map on TrailLink.com shows the trail continuing westward until it reaches Sisk Road. While I was curious what more I would find if I continued, the sound of thunder told me to call it quits and get back to the car. The paved trail appears to be brand new — a very smooth ride. The trail is arrow-straight throughout its current length. The trail runs through corn and soybean fields and is tree lined in parts and wide open when running through the farm fields. My one complaint has to do with the positioning of the bollards to keep motorized vehicles off of the trail. I feel that the spacing between posts is a bit narrow and could be hazardous to cyclists who may not be paying attention.

I rode a quick out-and-back ride on the 1.5 mile long Roundtown Trail in Circleville, Ohio back in August of this year. The primary purpose of this trail seems to be to connect the Pickaway County YMCA to both the Circleville City Schools campus (high school, middle school, and elementary school) and the campus of Ohio Christian University. Both ends of the trail have a picnic pavilion. This is a paved trail that is in excellent shape. I think local residents would find this trail excellent for exercise purposes such as walking, jogging or cycling, but unless Circleville plans on expanding the trail or connecting it to the nearby Pickaway Trail; it is not one to seek out if you are not from the area.

Back in August, I rode almost 19 miles on an out-and back on the Fairfield Heritage Trail in Lancaster, Ohio. This trail connects many of this citizens to the town’s parks, Ohio University-Lancaster, Lancaster High School and River Valley Mall. The crescent shaped trail encircles about 3/4 of the city. It would be interesting to see the city/county make the trail an actual loop by connecting the OU-Lancaster and Ety Pointe Drive ends of this trail. The trail utilizes a lot of greenway space by running along the Hocking River or its small tributaries. However, there are a few sections where streets with bike lanes or sharrows are used to connect some of the off-road parts of the trail.

There is a section that is an old railroad right of way so I guess the trail qualifies as a rail trail. This section runs between Cenci Lake Park and Olivedale Park. If you look at an aerial view of Lancaster on Google Maps you can see that this abandoned rail line (the Cincinnati & Muskingum Valley Railroad) runs west and could conceivably be developed to connect to the towns and cities of Amanda, Stoutsville and Circleville. However, at present, I don't know if there is much of a will to do so.

There were quite a few people either riding, jogging or walking on the trail during the Thursday morning I chose to ride. Thus, the trail seems to be popular with the citizens of Lancaster. I found the trail to be in good to fair shape with quite a bit of tree root uplifting. In some areas potholes are starting to form and in other places the edge of the trail along the Hocking River and small streams is starting to crumble and slip toward the water. These sections could use some repair. I want to recommend this trail to people from outside of the city, but at present, I can't give this trail my whole-hearted support until its upkeep issues are addressed. This is a nice community trail but it could use a bit of a makeover in a number of places throughout the city.

Trail was good for 50 miles to and fro. The only one think I would like to mention is the dangerous curves where you cannot see the cyclist coming from the other side.

I roller skated from Nelsonville to Athens on a hot and muggy August Saturday morning. The tree canopy kept me cooler for the majority of the ride. However, it also provided many obstacles on the path. Twigs, branches, leaves, wet leaves, and wet moss made for a tricky skate at some points. If this path is dry and clear, it’s is a perfect long quad skate. Bridges are concrete so no issues with them. Glad I found it on my trip to Hocking Hills.

The Old Town Creek Trail is one of those trails where you question why it was included on the TrailLink.com website. It is a short, 1 mile long unimproved trail that doesn’t really go anywhere.

The trail consists of three different connected sections that run from the Hocking County Fairgrounds to Aqueduct Park. Aqueduct Park is a small park that commemorates a stone arch that used to support an Ohio-Erie Canal aqueduct over Old Town Creek. The arch is not marked and you have to go down a residential driveway next to the park’s parking lot to view it. As to the three sections each has its own type of surface. First up is the fairground section. I call it that because it appears to have been an old access road to the Hocking County Fairgrounds that is no longer useful in that capacity. The road surface consists mostly of gravel that is starting to be covered by grass. To reach this section of the trail from the fairgrounds you have to cross an old railroad (?) bridge over Old Town Creek. Once over the bridge you enter Old Town Creek Nature Preserve that apparently was created when the trail was created. The trail here has a few short hills that shouldn’t give any adult difficulties but young biking children might find it a bit challenging. This fairground section ends when you reach Front Street.

The Front Street section of the trail is an asphalt bike path that starts on the other side of Front Street and runs parallel and separate from the road. This .2 mile path takes you to the parking lot for Aqueduct Park. To actually view the remnants of the aqueduct you have to travel down a residential driveway that is adjacent to the park’s parking lot. However, the land around the aqueduct’s remaining stone arch has been graded in such a way that you really don’t know that it is anything other than a culvert that allows Old Town Creek to flow under Front Street. There is no marker right at the arch to indicate its historical significance. A sign is found by the park’s parking lot.

The final section of trail lies within Aqueduct Park and is a grassy ballast surface as it picks up an old railroad grade which heads south through the park and ends abruptly along the creek at an active railroad line.

At present, this trail appears to be primarily a hiking trail that connects Aqueduct Park with the Old Town Nature Preserve. This short trail is not one to go out of your way to visit unless you live near the city of Logan.

Last month, during my 3 day trip to explore a number of southern Ohio TrailLink.com-listed trails I had the pleasure of riding the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. This 20.8 mile rail trail runs from the eastside of Athens to the center of Nelsonville, Ohio. I can easily say that this trail is the crown jewel of the bike trails in southeast Ohio. It is understandable that those people and entities working to complete the Moonville and Athens-Belpre Rail Trails are anxious to have their trails connected to the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. The Hockhocking Adena Bikeway runs from County Road 24A east of Athens to the parking lot of the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store off of Myers Street in Nelsonville. During your ride you will pass through the Ohio University campus, and pass by the Ohio Health O’Bleness Hospital, the Eclipse Company Store Restaurant, the Bluebell Nature Preserve, the Tri-County Career Center, and ride through the Hocking College campus. When you arrive in Nelsonville make sure you check out the Hocking Valley Scenic Railroad Depot and the town’s historic district as well.

The trail generally follows the course of the Hocking River between Athens and Nelsonville. It is a mixture of shaded river woodlands and sun-drenched farmlands and college campuses. On this particular 90 degree day, when I was in the sun it was quite hot, but when riding in the shade of the woods it was fairly comfortable. There are a few trailheads along the route where water and bathrooms are available, but they are spaced out quite a bit so I suggest having plenty of water on hot days.
North of the Eclipse Company Store in The Plains there is not much in the way of amenities until you reach Hocking College outside of Nelsonville. You ride along mostly shaded nature preserves and more open farmland. There are three craft breweries in Athens: Jackie O’s Taproom, Devil’s Kettle Brewing and Little Fish Brewing Co. all which are adjacent to the bikeway. The Eclipse Company Store Craft Beer Hall in The Plains has local brews and great barbeque. If you are so inclined, seek out Multiple Brewing while in Nelsonville.

The bikeway is paved, and other than a mile of tree root uplift just north of the Eclipse Company Store in The Plains, is in very good condition. There were quite a few people out either walking, jogging, or riding the trail throughout its entire length, but the trail never seemed crowded. However, I can’t say how busy the Ohio University section of the bikeway would be when the Fall and Spring semesters are in session. Though I rode this trail in July heat, I’m certain that this trail would be absolutely spectacular during the Fall with the trees in their autumn colors. This trail is definitely one to seek out.