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This is a nice trail which many might label as boring because there are no real turns or hills. What I liked about the trail was it certainly appears that the city of Hilliard and Franklin County are using this rail trail as a spine to a much larger citywide cycling network with many spurs and bike lanes connecting to neighborhoods and parks along its length.
I would like to see this trail extended out to nearby Plain City. In the long, long-term perhaps the Metro Parks could extend the Darby Creek Trail this far north to make a connection somewhere by Three Mile Creek near Plain City.
I rode both the Battelle Darby Creek and the Prairie Oaks Metro Parks sections of this trail. Interstate 70 and U.S. 40 seem to be the obstacles to connecting these trails. The trail surface is gravel that varies in size from crushed to medium-sized rocks with some areas well compacted and others very soft. Definitely not recommended for road bikes with skinny tires. I don't think the trail surface will be upgraded to something better as the trail intersects with bridle trails within these metro parks. Much of the land in these two metro parks has been reverted back to prairie vegetation and restoration. As a result riding or hiking this trail in the late Summer or Fall might not be enjoyable for those who suffer from seasonal allergies. I would love to see the current parts of this trail connected and then also expanded further north to connect with the Heritage Rail Trail in Hilliard or Plain City, Ohio and further south to connect to the Camp Chase Trail and then beyond to Harrisburg or Orient, Ohio.
This former rail line is flat, straight and desolate. Outside of the few miles within Xenia and Jamestown, you are riding between fields of corn or soybeans. Considering that you are surrounded by farms, the trail is surprisingly tree covered for much of its length which I'm sure is a blessing during the summer. At this time of year, there were a lot of acorns and black walnuts on the trail where the trees were the thickest. I suppose that could pose an issue for the tires of some types of bikes.
While there were lots of cyclists out and about when I arrived in Xenia, this trail was lightly travelled. I saw only 3 people while traveling out and back throughout the entire length of the trail. I think that this trail could become much more popular if it was extended into Washington Courthouse, Ohio to connect to the Paint Creek Recreational Trail that extends all the way to Chillicothe, Ohio. (Google Earth shows the undeveloped route of this old rail line.)
As I was told by a local resident, this is the preferred route Xenia residents use to connect between the Creekside and Little Miami Scenic Trails as it avoids the bike lane on busy Detroit Street in Xenia. Listed here on TrailLink as .3 miles my tracking between the two trails came in at 1.25 miles. I think that TrailLink measured from Fairground Road on the fairgrounds to the Creekside Trail rather than the entire length of the connection between the two trails. There is a small residential on-street section from Alameda Drive to the McDonald's on Detroit Street. I imagine that this trail probably is closed during the Greene County Fair. Again this is one of those trails that might be important locally, but not a trail people would travel to Xenia to ride, so why is it listed here?
This is a very short trail that links Xenia, Ohio's Creekside Trail to the town's West Side Park and the neighborhood beyond. I don't think this is a trail that anybody other than Xenia residents would be interested in. To top it off, the trail was closed due to some sort of excavation work.
This is a nice little path but make sure you stretch. We are new to riding and I struggled with a couple of the areas. We saw deer and tons of wildlife on the ride. It has some small benches for breaks and ends in a residential area. Overall very scenic and pleasant.
I rode this trail at the end of August 2018. The trail itself is very flat and straight. This 5.5 mile paved pathway runs east-west through the city. It is marked with mileage posts every tenth of a mile in both the east and west direction with the starting point being the west bank of the Great Miami River. What I found surprising is other than the half mile through the Piqua Central Business District, you don't really feel that you are biking along through a city. Most of the pathway is tree and shrub lined. The section through the business district is well-marked, and highly visible with good street crossings so this stretch is not hard to ride. I would categorize this trail as a community recreational trail, but when combined with the Great Miami River Trail, and the Hydraulic Canal Run Pathway a large loop is formed that travels through and around the city.
If you look for this trail on Google Earth or Google Maps you may find it labeled as the Ohio to Indiana Trail. That is also the name given to the Tecumseh Trail Multi-use Path that runs from Gettysburg, OH to Bradford, OH and the Greenville Creek Trail in Greenville, OH west of Piqua. Obviously, these trails have been created out of the same rail line. Hopefully, there are plans to connect them over time to make one much larger trail. This route was part of the route President Abe Lincoln's Funeral train took from Columbus, Ohio to Urbana, Ohio to Richmond, Indiana and then eventually on to his final resting place in Springfield, Illinois. It would be really cool if this entire route in Ohio could be converted into a trail commemorating this tragic historic event.
31 Aug 2018Rode this trail today. Nice ride, but trail needs some work. Lots of bumps and seams that need repair. But still a nice ride.
The Tecumseh Trail is pleasant enough and connects the Northwest portion of New Carlisle, Ohio to Smith Park, a wetlands area along Honey Creek, the New Carlisle Cemetery, and the New Carlisle Sport and Fitness Center. It is roughly a 2.5 mile long path that could make for a relaxed after work, or early evening ride or run. The only complaint I have about this trail is about the crossing over S. Main Street (Route 235). Despite a system of user-activated flashing lights at the crossing almost no driver stopped to allow me to cross the road. Be cautious when trying to cross this road!
From my observations on Google maps this rail line originally connected New Carlisle to the cities of Troy and Springfield, Ohio. I do not know if any group is looking to make a connection to either one of these cities using this old rail corridor.
The this old railroad route through Ohio's Darke County is significant as this was the route that President Abraham Lincoln's Funeral Train took as passed through from Columbus, Ohio to Richmond, Indiana on its way to Lincoln's final resting spot in Springfield, Illinois. For this reason alone efforts should be made by Darke County and the State of Ohio to buy up the parts of the route that not part of the Darke County Park System and convert the rail bed into a proper trail. The current trail sections that are developed are pleasant but don't yet lead to any areas that are developed, such as the towns of Bradford, Gettysburg, and Greenville. the current on-road sections of this route are on lightly traveled paved farm country roads. They are very flat, but do not have any shoulders at all. The current mapped route shown here at TrailLink suggests riding the trail west of Gettysburg by riding east along US 36 to Gettysburg-Pitsburg Road and then left onto Hahn Road. US 36 is a very busy and fast roadway with lots of traffic. Although the shoulders along this roadway are wide you can avoid riding along it altogether if you follow the bike route along W. Main Street in Gettysburg and cross US 36 onto Mill Road and then on to Hahn. On the eastern end the current TrailLink map shows the trail route ending south of Bradford when you reach South Miami Street (Rte 721). I suggest going into Bradford to take a look at its Y-Yard Park, particularly if you are a railroad buff. I suggest using Harrison Avenue to take a less busy road into town and then left on School Street to reach the park. Google Earth and Google Maps currently label this trail the Ohio to Erie Trail which is what they also call the Piqua City Linear Park as well. Obviously there is a railroad connection between these two trails and work should be done to connect them.
I rode the Hydraulic Canal Run Path in August of 2018. What I found interesting about this trail, which follows the canal's original towpath, was that a good part of the canal along the trail was still preserved. It is obviously, used for recreation as I saw people fishing and kayaking in the canal and associated lakes. What was also interesting was how the canal was actually elevated above the nearby neighborhoods. There are also a cemetery (Forest Hill) and a park (Fountain Park) to the east of the trail route. I would categorize this trail as a community recreational trail, but when combined with the Piqua City Linear Park, and the Great Miami River Trail a large loop is formed that travels through and around the city. For those approaching Piqua from the south on the Great Miami River Trail it certainly would make for a more interesting ride rather than simply turning around when they reached the end of the GMRT.
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