Park in Butler and enjoy the fall colors! Clean park restrooms (and ice cream for veterans’ donation) in Bellville. Yes there are a few busy crossings but don’t let that stop you from enjoying this ride. Great coffee and pastries in Mansfield to end the day.

I rode this trail for the first time a few days ago. It's great and well used. A trail is across the road at the western end point, which is a 1/2-1 mile long. Another cyclist said they hope to extend that trail. Parking at the western end point on King Road is only by businesses. Ask for permission since the signs say they will tow you away. I parked there along the trees with permission and had no problems. Try to take the time to go into Wildwood Preserve Metropark if you can. There is a nice 1.65 mile loop (Walk/Bike Path) there and a spur off of it through a covered bridge over the Ottawa River and beyond to Corey Road, called the Regional Walk/Bike Connector.

On October 7, 2020, I parked at Bowman Park to take the route south. The first approximately 2 miles was on the gravel/crushed stone trail, but then it ended at a road. I checked the trail on Google Map, which led me straight (sort of) onto grass and gravel. That didn't seem right and I knew I couldn't always trust Google, so I checked TraiLink, which I should have done in the first place. The trail zigzagged a bit, crossing the road and onto residential streets. It then went into Ottawa Park. Another section of the trail curved through the wide meridian between opposite one-way streets. Grass and weeds were growing through the cracks, otherwise it would have been a really nice section. Other parts of the route were on sidewalks, some which were narrow, uneven and had grass growing in the cracks. Some places there was an option of using the bike lane on the road. The trail also went on roads through a portion of the Health and Science campus of the University of Toledo. The southern most 1-2 miles was on a really nice wide asphalt trail. I was confused about the mile markers there since I saw 9.25, but then the trail soon ended. I was expecting to go until I saw 11. I didn't think I went that far beyond the 9.25 marker. There is parking there for only a few vehicles. I did not see restrooms of any type there, however there were some in Highland Park, Ottawa Park, and Bowman Park. Some might have been closed due to COVID regulations, but pit toilets were just off the trail in Ottawa Park. The southern portion had more signs (Bike Toledo CC Trail), than I remember seeing once in Ottawa Park and north of it. There were many many road crossings, some which had designated cross walk signals to use. It took me 1.5 hours to go north. I would recommend parking at River Road at the southern end point and bike north, follow the signs and the map on TraiLink. That way if you decide not to do the whole route, you would have done the better part.

On Thursday, we drove to the Wood County Park District’s Rudolph Savanna looking for a trail to explore. I am in a wheelchair. My spouse provides my locomotion. From the Savanna’s parking lot, we accessed a lovely compacted earth/grass pathway, with very modest changes in elevation, that meandered through prairie and forest. At the end of the path, we found ourselves on a portion of the Slippery Elm Trail. We seized the opportunity and completed the section from Rudolph to Greensburg Pike before returning to the Park. We enjoyed The lovely fall colors and native plants and look forward to visiting in the spring.

Park at the Black Swamp Preserve just a bit south of the north terminus.
The trail is nice and well maintained. For variety on the return north from North Baltimore, we road some of the parallel county roads. They're smooth and with virtually no vehicle traffic on a Tuesday morning.

Picturesque, smooth paving, gorgeous particularly in the early morning. I generally do about 4 miles in and 4 back and it’s fairly level so no huge hills to climb.

Rode from Elyria to Wakeman. Great trail and shaded most of the way in the morning. Bruce Chapman bridge in Wakeman has new approach from the east. Cinder surface but it gets the job done. Learned from the sign at Kipton how the term "Get on the ball" developed from Webb Ball hired in 1891 to get better watches for conductors on trains after 2 crashed into each other because one had time 4 minutes off. Look for historical marker when you ride through.

All purpose trail that is 13.5 miles one way and 26 miles in total round-trip. Trail is completely paved which makes it good for both road bikes with skinny tires as well as hybrid bikes. Trail is primarily flat, however there are few inclines that can be challenging to climb. Trail borders the Rocky River and goes in/out wooded areas. It can be crowded in certain locations, but in the early morning there aren’t many people on trail. I would definitely recommend this trail for both fitness ride and/or trip for the family.

We came off the Lorain county section of the trail and entered into Huron County near Wakeman. We biked the section along Route 20. Very nice asphalt paved trail separated by a grassy section between the trail and the road. In Wakeman we turned around and headed back to Elyria.
Trail services in Wakeman we found a service station/convenience store for cold water to purchase.