Total distance is 10 miles. New mile markers every 1/2 mile. It ends at Lake Erie. The new section is 4 miles and has a combination of wooded, parks, street and city. It is definitely not boring.

I rode this trail on an exceptionally warm December day back in 2019 long before it was listed here on the TrailLink.com website. As stated in this website's trail description, this trail is at present, the most prominent piece of the planned 25 mile West Creek Greenway trail loop which will connect the Cleveland Metroparks West Creek Reservation in Parma and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the communities of Valley View, Independence, Seven Hills, Brooklyn Heights, and Cuyahoga Heights.

I parked and started at the Cleveland Clinic Business Operations Center off of Brecksville Road in Independence, Ohio. From here I headed east and downhill toward the Towpath Trail in Valley View. Unlike the trail description listed by TrailLink, I would not characterize the trail as running slightly downhill. You will drop 227 feet in elevation over the course of the first 1.5 miles, with 204 feet of that in a single half mile stretch. I mention this for two reasons. First, while many will find this type of drop exhilarating, it is unlikely that you will be able to completely cut loose as you will probably encounter quite a few pedestrians out using the trail just as I did. Secondly, since the West Creek Greenway loop is far from being completed, returning to your starting point will require that you climb back up out of the Cuyahoga Valley where the grade will reach 11% at points. Thus, in my opinion the trail is not for novice, or out-of-shape cyclists, or for young children on bikes.

When you head east out of Cleveland Clinic Business Operations parking lot, you enter wooded terrain that follows Hemlock Creek as it descends toward the Cuyahoga River. The trail surface is predominantly asphalt with concrete on many of the bridge surfaces. Since the trail opened in September 2019, the surface was smooth as glass when I rode in December of that year. The trail passes through the remnants of the millionaire William H. Hunt's estate, Terraced Lakes, which was created out of a historic mining landscape that created the foundation stones for many of Cleveland's first buildings. On your way you will cross over five bridges including a 200 foot span over the Cuyahoga before you reach the Towpath Trail at the eastern end of the trail. On the western end, the trail continues past the Cleveland Clinic Business Center and crosses over Brecksville Road, where it runs along Selig Boulevard passing Independence City Hall and then ends in Elmwood Park. In the future, this western end of the Hemlock Creek Trail will connect further westward toward the Seven Hills Recreation Center as some part of the West Creek Greenway.

This is a beautiful trail, and a great start to the larger West Creek Greenway. It's worthy of at least 4 stars but the climb out of the Cuyahoga Valley isn't a friendly one for everyone. Perhaps as this trail connects to future links in the West Creek Greenway then my rating of 3 stars will need to be re-evaluated.

Bridge should be completed by the end of this month (June 2021) I have been riding every week now to see how they are doing.

We have rode this trail on our bikes from start to finish multiple times this year and love it! Great path with great scenery! Plenty of parking on either end.

Recently, on my way to ride several Central Ohio trails, I stopped in Mount Vernon to check out this new addition to the city's Downtown Connector Trail. I've ridden through Mount Vernon on several occasions while riding across Ohio on the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) route. The Downtown Connector is an important addition to the OTET. The trail links the Kokosing Gap Trail to the Heart of Ohio Trail. A vast improvement over riding the city's streets to make the appropriate connection back in 2013. Since my last trans-Ohio ride in 2019, an additional arm to the Downtown Connector has been added -- the River Route. The advantage to using the River Route is it allows users of the trail to pass underneath the South Main Street Bridge over the Kokosing River without having to wait for a crossing signal on this very busy roadway. The one disadvantage of this trail option is that it is subject to closure when the river's water levels are high. I appreciate Mount
Vernon's continued desire to find ways to improve the trail experience for those using the trail.

While this short mile long trail has a lot of utility in connecting two key trails in the Ohio to Erie Trail route, I still cannot grade the trail higher than 3 stars due to its short length and in comparison to the sights seen along the two trails that it connects.

I took a pleasant little ride on the Owl Creek Trail (OH) in Fredericktown, Ohio yesterday. This rail trail has been constructed from the same rail line that is now part of the Richland B&O Trail further north in Richland County. Currently, there appears to be a 6.5 mile gap between the southern end of this trail and the northern end of the Heart of Ohio Trail in Ariel-Foundation Park in Mount Vernon, Ohio. It would be great to see this gap closed, although that might be problematic as there is an active silica sand mining & ready mix concrete operation of the Olen Corporation located along the undeveloped old rail bed at the southern end of Fredericktown. Connecting to Mount Vernon and the Ohio to Erie Trail route (both the Heart of Ohio and the Kokosing Gap Trails) in Mount Vernon would be advantageous for the local residents. In addition, this abandoned rail corridor travels north to Ankneytown and eventually Butler, Ohio 8 miles away. Trail development to Butler would connect with the 18.5 mile long Richland B&O Trail. Complete development of this old B&O rail line would create a regional trail from Mansfield all the way to Mount Vernon. However, at present, driving to Fredericktown to just ride this 1.5 mile long trail probably isn’t worth the gas. It is strictly just for local residents at this time.

I really love doing this trail with my road bike, although it is quite hilly and a bit of work if that's what you're looking for! It is nicely paved and roomy for biking. It's hilly regardless of which end you start at (in other words it's not just one incline). I prefer to start at the Richmond Road end because I find that direction a little more difficult (then loop around and head back). Although if you start at the other end you can get the REALLY big hill out of the way first and enjoy coasting down it when you're done.

Anyway, great exercise trail - not one that I would bike if I were looking for a "stroll" so to speak.

This is an awesome scenic ride (very flat), but very short. It is fantastic for scenic exercise (went back and forth a few times)

wonderful trip across America