3 stars because although it’s a nice, scenic trail for the most part, it tends to get wwwwayyy too crowded to bike with plenty of SMDAs (slow moving dumb @sses).

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.

We have ridden quite a few of the long rail-trails (GAP/C&O, Katy, Couer d'Alene, Chief Ladiga/Silver Comet, White Pines, Pine Creek, Greenbrier, Northbend) and The OTET is unmatched for the variety of things to see and do along the way. The landscapes vary from the lake to the industrial history of Cleveland, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Towpath, Amish country, Columbus, the soybean and cornfields of western Ohio, the Little Miami River and Downtown Cincinnati.

The trail will be finished next year in Cleveland and there will be only a small road section on W25th and Franklin. Then its path all the way to Dalton (once the temporary construction of the CSO project in Akron is complete and the trail restored and the detour removed). The 17 miles on the back country roads between Dalton and Fredericksburg were pleasant with very little traffic. Same with the 10 mile section between Centerburg and Sunbury. The Downtown Connector Trail between Alum Creek and the Scioto River had its interesting moments but wasn't bad (but it wasn't rush hour when we did it). The Camp Chase Trail is temporarily rerouted along Wilson Rd but pay attention to the detour signs so you don't get off track. Only other section that was a little rough was Just east of Cincy on Wooster Pike - rough road, and fast moving traffic that doesn't like to give you 3'. But its only a couple miles.

All in all a wonderful trip. We took 4 days to do it but we had ridden most of the sections in the last few years so were less compelled to stop. If this is your first or only time take a few extra days, make a lot of stops and enjoy all this route has to offer.

The north segment of 5+ miles is great surface, easy crossings at roundabouts. South of Hyatts Road, the path is narrow, section torn up by development, narrow and bumpy.

We rode this trail from Toulon to Princeville today. It was great! The path was very good. It is mostly shaded. Excellent. We stopped in Wyoming on our way back for lunch. Ate at 111 Coffee Shop. Don’t be fooled, this is NOT just a coffee shop. The lunch was delicious. And it is decorated all with bikes! Perfect for us bikers. And check out the bathroom. Cute!!! Can’t wait to do more of the route from Princeville going south.

Great way to ride both trails. I started at the Railroad Depot in Mount Vernon and did the whole Heart of Ohio Trail. When I got back to my truck I grabbed another water and took the Connector Trail to Kokosing Gap Trail. On the Connector Trail I stopped and watched them play softball and tennis for awhile.

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.

Rode the entire length and also into Huron County onto the next trail. I found this trail to be one of the easiest to ride. Seemed downhill both ways on a very good asphalt paved surface. Trail goes through several small towns, aka villages and the scenery is mostly farmlands and wooded sections. The downside to this trail is there are a lot of road crossings, too many to count though someone else has already done that! Luckily the road crossings are small not a lot of traffic back roads so if there is a wait, it's not a long wait.
Parked in Elyria and headed West. There are mile markers going in each direction.
8 miles from Elyria is Oberlin. There's an old train station there and you could bike into town for trail services such as lunch. We ate at a pizza place which had outdoor seating.
A few miles west of Oberlin is Kipton which is just biking through a community park.
We biked to Green Road and did the share the road section for a little bit before entering Huron County (next trail section) and biked on into Wakeman.

WCI Biking Division returned to the HCT over the July 4 weekend. HCT remains one of the best. Trail is a bit bumpy between Millersburg and Holmesville. Other than that it is very nice. We rode from Millersburg to Fredericksburg. We tried the new section starting from Glenmont. This is a challenge. If you want flat, it’s not here. A steady uphill grade going out 4 miles. We stopped there and turned around. Never pedaled once heading back. We will try again some day to do the entire length of the new section.