I did an out-and-back ride on this trail on a sunny October day. I started in Newark, Ohio and rode northwest toward Johnstown. If you start in this direction you will start out with a very flat ride between Newark and Alexandria. Once you reach Alexandria you will start a manageable yet steady climb to Johnstown where the trail ends. Along the way you transition from a city to a smaller towns and then into agricultural and rural areas. The trail is lined with trees for much of the way, but it opens up quite a bit in the middle of the trail as you travel through a number of farms. The fall colors were spectacular.

Some of the previous reviews of this trail complained that the trail was not well-kept and required quite a bit of maintenance because the trail surface was not up to road bike standards. I couldn't disagree more as I found the southern half of the trail in fine shape as if had been recently resurfaced. The northern half was not quite as smooth but I felt that there were not many areas where there was rough pavement. A few cracks here and a bit of tree root uplift there but not so much so that any stretch of trail would be considered in need of repair. On this day, there was a Licking County Park worker driving a pickup along the trail towing a leaf blower trailer blowing the fallen leaves off of the trail. Certainly, maintenance is being done to this, and probably all other, Licking County multi-use trails.

I rode almost 10 miles on an out-and-back round trip on the Newark Trail. This is a paved commuter route that runs along the OH-16 freeway from the intersection with the T.J. Evans Trail just off of Cherry Valley Road on the western end to the Licking County Family YMCA off of 12th Street in the east. This trail needs to be extended further east to the county courthouse in downtown Newark, and then onto the T.J. Evans Panhandle Trail. When traveling eastward, once you reach the Y you can follow the designated route into downtown but you are no longer riding a trail nor riding in a bike lane but rather on streets marked with sharrows. There is an additional spur to this trail that crosses over OH-16 and connects to the campus of Ohio State University-Newark. This spur actually goes 1.5 miles further north of the OSU-Newark campus to Goose Pond Road which gives the trail user access to Rotary Park, the Lou & Gib Reese Ice Arena, and the Newark Area Soccer Association athletic fields. I only rode this spur up to the OSU- Newark campus as a weather front was coming in and I wanted to avoid getting wet.

For a commuter trail I think this trail has a number of unique sights and certainly a certain level of utility. However, I think that for this trail to become completely useful to the citizens of Newark, and Licking County in general, the city and county leaders must find a way to create an off-road trail or series of protected bike lanes from the eastern end of the Newark Trail into downtown Newark, and then on to connect to the T.J. Evans Panhandle Trail. It will be at this point where there will be a backbone of a regional trail system of which they can be proud.

We started in Danville and headed up toward the “Bridge of Dreams”. It was pretty but nothing spectacular. We thought we would just go to the north end and back but once we got through the bridge (full of road apples) it started getting a little more interesting on the Holmes county trail so we continued another 5 miles before returning back. Glad we took a photo op at the bridge. Spent the rest of the day hiking Lyons Falls which was gorgeous.

I rode nearly 20 miles on a round trip on the T.J. Evans Panhandle Trail. The trail appears to have been created on an abandoned spur that runs along an active rail line. I parked and started at a parking lot that abutted the railroad tracks at the corner of Marne and Licking Valley Roads near the center of the trail's length. I chose this particular starting point as it seemed to be the most visible of the parking lots along the trail. While other reviews here have mentioned a lack of parking along the trail, I would also add that there is also a lack of bathrooms or Porta-Johns along the trail as well.

I first headed east from Marne out to the eastern terminus of the trail at Felumlee Rd. The trail climbs as you head east. The slope is typical for a rail trail so you really aren't straining to climb but you are aware that you are climbing.

Once I returned from the eastern end, I pushed on to reach the trail's western terminus in Newark, Ohio. The western half of the trail is much more flat and the scenery becomes more urban and industrial. A highlight of the trail comes between Lambs Lane and Swans Road where you travel by the Longaberger Basket Building. The building looks like a giant picnic basket that the company sells. From here you will travel through an industrial area which will give way to a neighborhood of homes until you reach the end of the trail at North Morris Street.

As mentioned by other reviews here, there is a chain link fence that separates the trail and the railroad. While some find that this fence ruins what little scenic beauty they see in this trail, I think that it is a small price to pay to have a trail of decent length to ride on. There are many trails across the country that a trying to connect to a certain destination within a city or town but are finding completing their trails difficult because of the inability to get a rail with trail agreement worked out with a local railroad company. Those trail groups should inquire with the trail leaders in the city of Newark and Licking County, Ohio how they were able to successfully create this trail.

Despite the lack of parking and bathrooms I think the T.J. Evans Panhandle Trail is a nice trail, particularly if you live in the Newark, Ohio region.

I did an out-and back ride on this trail for a distance of 8.5 miles. The trail runs through the Licking River's Blackhand Gorge east of Newark, Ohio. For the most part, this rail trail runs about 20 to 30 feet above the river's surface through the gorge. On the western part of the trail you drop off of the original rail bed and dip down and through a tributary creek called Brushy Fork before returning back to the rail bed and crossing over a bridge spanning Claylick Creek at the western end of the trail at Brownsville Road SE.

The trail is paved and the surface is in good shape. Stay on the trail as the steep banks of the Licking River in the gorge could make getting back out nearly impossible. The trail is very scenic with the river, rock formations, the nearby trails, and in autumn the spectacular fall colors. Keep an eye out for the flora and fauna as some of it can't be found elsewhere in the state of Ohio.

The only drawback to this trail is that its shorter length leaves you wanting more. However, the rail right of way upon which the trail is built does cross and continue west Brownsville Rd SE. Perhaps efforts should be made to try to convert the rest of this rail line into a trail that stretches into Newark, Ohio which is already a hub for several other rail trails.

Nice bike ride from Mount Vernon to Gambier and back. Great trail though mainly wooded sections. You will cross a few nice old rail bridges on this section. And over the Kokosing River a few times.
We parked at the old train station in Mt Vernon and took the connector which is about a mile long and under construction. They are re-doing it.
We biked to Kenyan College.
Lunch near the trail at an old Diner in Mount Vernon and the food was delicious. After the ride there is an ice cream place a few hundred yards from the trail in Mount Vernon. Between Mount Vernon and Gambier there is nothing so make sure you have water/snacks.
Connecting trail are Heart of Ohio, Mohican Valley and Holmes County. All asphalt paved in great condition.

Danville to Gambier and back for a nice ride. Trail is mainly flat, asphalt paved in good condition. There are a few bridges to cross along the ride also through open farmlands and some wooded areas. Trail services in Danville....food and water. There is a grocery store, sub shop and Dollar Store located near the parking area.

Trail is purely a taste of what Ohio is all about. Open farmlands through small towns and add in some wooded areas as well. And this trail is flat!
We parked in Mount Vernon and accessed the trail at Ariel Foundation Park which is a cool historic place of the former PPG glass works which closed in the 1970's. We biked to Centerburg and back for a 30 mile round trip. Along the trail there is basically nothing as far as trail services so take water and snacks with you. In Centerburg you can go to the little town a few blocks off the trail. We found places to grab lunch, snacks and water.
This trail connects with several other trails. You can bike from Centerburg OH to Glendale OH on 40 miles of paved asphalt via connecting trails Kokosing Gap, Mohican Valley and Holmes County.

This is a nice trail through the trees, especially in the Fall when the leaves were turning yellow. The road crossings in the southern portion weren't bad when using the signals. The trail surface was in good shape.