I did the southern loop from 303 down around Stow Kent and back up to 303. Way more hills than I expected but was most disconcerting was the number of busy intersections and travel on roads. I will not do this loop again. The northern section from Alexander to 303 is fantastic. You cross a few roads - safest to stop and walk bike on them to to steep incline at intersection and somewhat limited visibility. The scenery is fantastic - you pass over Brandywine Falls and there are beautiful rock formations in a wooded area just north of 303. Rolling inclines rather than steep hills. Will do this section Again.

Started our ride at the Kirk Rd. Parking area. Ended up that the south end was being paved so had to head north. Added on the Niles Greenway, so did get almost 18 miles in. Surface good, some bumps in the pavement, and 2 climbs that were manageable. Nice casual scenic country road ride.

Started the tow path in Independence, OH and rode to Peninsula. Had to back track to our parked car - so would recommend planning to take the train at Independence and then ride the whole trail from the Akron end.
Good riding surface of packed limestone - even for riders like us who prefer paved. Fun lunch stop in Peninsula. Not often you can ride 20+ miles in a National Park.

Parked at Kirk road (mile 5) and biked to the end (mile 10.8) and back. The Canfield Fair was getting ready, all set up to begin the next day. Stopped at the Metroparks Farm, across from the Fairgrounds. The sunflower field was absolutely beautiful!
Most of the trail is open as regards to shade but it wasn't a very hot day.
Trail passes near some residential areas as well as commercial business areas.
Biked to Mile 0 at the County line and a little bit on the Niles Greenway Trail.

Just beautiful. Smooth asphalt trail in the country with low traffic. I loved the scenery and solitude!

Great trail, flat and easy. We rode from Main Street in Canfield to Niles and back - 24 miles total. This was our first time on this trail and we will be back in fall to see the changing leaves. Quite a few road crossings so be careful.

Road this trail from the south end to the north end and back today so shy of 26 miles. Mostly in the shade and the weather was in the low 80s so it was a nice day. Very good trail paved the whole way just a few short stints on the road connecting

I absolutely loved this trail overall! I felt like i was riding through a state forest with nice fresh asphalt pavement.

ITINERARY
I started in Lisbon at the end point. Rode on Maple Ave to the dedicated trailhead. There are at least 12 road crossings!! And at least 2 occasions you ride with traffic on dog legs to get to the trail again. In Leetonia you ride in town to connect to the last leg of the trail which really isn’t worth it.

CONCLUSION
I feel so bad for 3 stars when i loved my time and would absolutely go back but pretty ridiculous for a rail-trail to be so difficult to stay on, they should really invest in a way to separate the trail from the road where the trail dog legs and 12+ road crossings on a 12 mile trail….. Thankfully on a hot and sunny Saturday afternoon traffic wasn’t bad, i only had to stop 2x’s but about half of the road crossings are 55 mph state routes and definitely could be dangerous if you’re not paying attention.

I rode this yesterday for the first time. My route was from the end point back to the Lester Trail parking lot. What a great shaded ride! The only problem I encountered was newly placed gravel in the parking lot.