Find the top rated birding trails in Columbus, 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.
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We love our Heritage Trail in Madison! Bob Greene does am excellent job keeping it up too! It's one of a few paths that will take you from the hilltop to historic downtown, one of the longest stretches of historic buildings in the US. It is super steep and hard to get back up, but if you're doing some cardio training, it's great. Going up the trail there are about 4 benches to rest on. I can usually get the kids up it using those. It has so many different and fun ways to hike it. You can continue following the railway tracks and go along the river all the way to the Madison-Milton Bridge and back again. You can go down it, then head up the old tracks back to the hilltop or you can also go down it, then head west and hook up with Clifty Falls SP. So many options!
This trail has been upgraded and is a wonderful trail. ( See my note below why I did not give it 5 stars). The trail begins at Meridian Street and Fall Creek and goes all the way to Benjamin Harrison state park in NW Indy, a distance of about 9 1/2 miles. The trail now crosses 38th street at the stoplight and a new section takes it along Fall Creek for a short way before crossing over a bridge to take it to the old trail section. New trail sections have been laid out with fresh asphalt just east of Keystone and are a major improvement along Fall Creek to 56th street. There it picks up the old section which is still in excellent condition and continues along the Fall Creek. A new section goes under Shadeland to continue on to Fort Ben. From 38th Street to Fort Ben there are no stops as all crossings go under the roadways. At Ft. Ben there is a 4 mile loop that can add to the mileage with a 100-150 foot hill. You are supposed to pay a $2 fee to enter Ft. Ben by bike, but there is no place to pay on this end. The trail is in a beautiful setting, great surface and very well done. Mileage markers are every 1/4 mile. While there are several trailheads, I only saw one port a potty just north of 38th street and that would be my only criticism. I reserve 5 star ratings for destinations trails like the Katy trail, GAP, Mickelsen, etc. . While the connecting Monon trail has some cool Indy history, and goes to Carmel, etc; for a joyous riding experience in a beautiful setting, this trail absolutely should not be overlooked. Congrats to the Indy Park department because this one is a gem.
I love this trail. It isn't over populated. Tree lined. Asphalt is in great condition. The paved Amo to Coatesville section is 4 miles. Mostly flat, easy ride.
Perfect trail for walking, running or biking-2 miles out, 2 miles back. Beautiful scenery along the river with picnic tables along the way. Paved and flat.
Great riding trail. The paved portion is actually about 6.2 miles end-to-end.
We started on the North end of the trail. We parked at the Rev Ernest D. Butler Park. Use the parking lot off of Fairview St on the east side of the park; this is by the playground/swings. There are about 7-8 parking spaces. From there it is a very short ride north to enter the trail (like, coast down the hill and there it is).
From there we rode the three miles of the B-Line. We went on a Sunday and the trail was relatively busy. Along the way we rode through part of downtown but traffic was very light. Vehicles were respectful of the crossings and would stop if they were paying attention.
Along the B-Line we saw a bike repair shop, bike/skate board park, splash pad, playground, dog park, and more. Bloomington has really developed this trail and the amenities on it. Due to COVID the water fountains were covered.
The trail is paved and mostly flat. There was one large incline overpass but nothing too hard. The B-Line section ends at W Country Club Dr where there is another area to park if you wanted to start on the South end and travel north. There are approximately 17 or so parking spaces there with Handicapped parking.
We continued south onto the gravel Bloomington Rail Trail. We actually rode straight south from the B-line and realized we were on a motor path that runs parallel to the Bloomington Rail Trail; to get on the Rail Trail there is a slight jog to the west (by the parking lot). We were not the only ones who did this; but the actual trail is better in that it has tree coverage and it was a really sunny day. We eventually cut over to the proper trail when the motor path ended as we continued south.
We stopped at a large creek bridge that is just south of the roundabout for the Clear Creek Trail. We rested, took some pictures, and headed back North. We had a 9-year old and 12-year old with us and they were worn out at the end of what turned out to be a 10-mile round trip bike ride. It was a great time, though!
We pedaled from Indy to Shelbyville to get some ice cream at the local Cow Palace. As the Palace is essentially at the center of this cute little trail we decided to check it out. The 'eastern reach' is very nice and much more what we expect for a paved bike trail with smooth pavement and some wooded areas. Great idea to connect city parks and the trail even goes through a portion of the county fair grounds. There are an impressive number of restrooms, air pumps and bicycle maintenance stations - a nice touch! A very attractive new "trail head" parking area with clean restrooms, etc. but it was not connected to the trail? Not a destination trail but if you find yourself in the area...
My husband and I did this trail in Labor Day. The path is paved with some sun and some shade. No hills. Fabulous for those looking for an easy stroll or bike ride. The River was clean. We saw a huge snapper turtle over a short cliff. There were a few gravel/sand bars where people were fishing or skipping rocks.
99% of trails are gravel, some of it very loose. NOT good for road bikes or trikes. Recommended off road bikes only!Very nice for bird watching, saw several different types.Good place to walk your dogs.Very little shade for walking or running.
This trail is quiet, smooth & mostly shaded. There’s a few spots to venture off the trail to clock a few extra miles. It smells like autumn with leaves beginning to fall. Several benches and a bridge also provide a nice place to stop and enjoy the scenery. There’s even a book box, a fairy garden and a beautiful mural to enjoy as well. Looking forward to it growing longer!
This trail has a lot of potential so for the life of me I can't understand why the city of Columbus doesn't take advantage of it more by making tweaks that seem so simple to me. There are probably some restaurants along the way but I couldn't look for them I was so busy trying to figure out where the h*** I was supposed to go without getting hit by a car. Parts of this trail are very nice but it's disconnected at numerous points along the way and there is no signage whatsoever for guidance. Absolutely NO SIGNAGE AT ALL. ANYWHERE. You can wind up taking a wrong turn because this trail intersects with others, as we did, and take your $2000 bike into a mudslide area, as we did. And if it's rained at all before your visit, plan on a swampy ride. If you are a local it might be okay, but if you aren't and are looking for a nice ride, I'd go somewhere else. Not impressed. We won't be back.
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