Ohio | TrailLink

The " Great American" Route Through Ohio

Several iconic trails play host to the Great American Rail-Trail in Ohio—the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and the Ohio to Erie Trail.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail connects two major metropolitan areas and one of the country’s most-visited national parks—and comprises a major portion of the Cleveland-to-Pittsburgh corridor of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition, one of RTC’s TrailNation™ projects, which will connect Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York via a developing 1,500-miles-plus trail network.

In Clinton, the Great American route branches off on the Ohio to Erie Trail, which—connecting to Cincinnati through Columbus—is composed of many trails that link the state’s diverse communities, including that of the largest population of Amish in the country. Along the route, commemorative sites pay homage to the state’s rich historical attributes, including the role that it played with the Underground Railroad and as an innovator in American aviation.

avoid north trail

April 2024 wallace.342

The north part of this trail is in a less than stellar part of town

Trail from West Columbus to London

March 2022 jonesandrewd_tl

I re-rode the Camp Chase Trail from its eastern terminus to Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park today, and rode the section from there west last year. It's a nice trail, in good condition, and the gaps have been filled in over the years. Of particular note is that the gap orangedoug mentioned, at the Metro Park, was closed in March of 2020. It is a bit difficult to find the connection through the park from the west though; go to the roundabout at the west end of the parking lot, and find the trail branching off southwest (which would likely be the last direction you would expect to find it), and that's the connector, with an Ohio to Erie trail marker hiding in the woods.

I rated the trail 4/5 instead of 5/5 because while it is in good condition, it's the least scenic of the "big 5" trails in Columbus. I ride the Alum Creek Trail and Olentangy Trail every year; they're beautiful. Comparing this trail to the Alum Creek, the major difference is you forget you are in a city on the Alum Creek Trail. On the Camp Chase, for the first 7 miles going west, it's almost all city (there is a park area near Wilson Road). It does open up and become more scenic past Georgesville Road. Realistically, the section east of there is a "every few years" trail for me.

Parts of the eastern section were also reminders of the increasing poverty in parts of west Columbus since the pandemic; tent encampments were set up along parts of the trail and the parallel railroad, which hadn't been present the last time I rode the trail in 2020. In the afternoon of one of the first warm days of the spring, it didn't feel dangerous, but if you're planning an Ohio to Erie trip and aren't from the area, plan to be Downtown before sunset. At least the trail seems to be of use to the residents living by it; several tents had bikes by them and one man was working on his bike from the tracks when I went by in both directions.

The Hilltop Connector to the Scioto Trail at the eastern end is not a bad connector at all. Road speeds are moderate, most of it has a dedicated bike lane, and even at rush hour it didn't feel risky (and I'm not someone who rides roads).

Today was so beautiful ! This was a fabulous trail, and I felt safe, and it was so peaceful. Everyone I encountered was so nice, and the scenery was lovely. Do this trail people.

April 2024 cherann86

Today was so beautiful ! This was a fabulous trail, and I felt safe, and it was so peaceful. Everyone I encountered was so nice, and the scenery was lovely. Do this trail people.

Day 5

May 2024 jarboe

Another one of the five great trails out of Xenia. This is a good one to close out a week of riding. Thank you, Xenia!

Indiana Trail Reviews

Accordion

September 2022

September 2022 vicki1960

Used this connector trail as we finished up on Heart of Ohio Trail and continued on seamlessly to Kokosing Gap. This connector now goes under S. Main Street Bridge.

Downtown Connector

October 2022 mwitkoff

We rode this trail on October 23, 2022. It is best to take this trail on a Sunday when there is not a lot of traffic. The trail along Jack Gibbs is in need of repair. Also the weeds and brush need attention by the city of Columbus.

Beautiful trail

October 2020 sjf0809

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.

Ran this trail twice

May 2024 luv_mlb25

I have ran this trail from top to bottom twice. This included the portion that is known as Canal Feeder Trail in Sidney (not labeled on this map, but said to be part of the trail) and also includes the last little bit from Hamilton to Fairfield.

Last year when i ran it, it was labeled as being 99 miles, however, this year they have it marked as being 87 miles...not sure where the other 12 miles went from the year before...but I measured it out to be 95.72 miles. This includes any and all spurs or any branches off from the main trail. Canal feeder trail is 4.66 miles (this includes the whole trail, across Vandemark Rd where the trail extends and dead ends in the woods with no place to go but back to the Vandemark Rd parking lot). Then starting at Swift Run in Piqua and ending at Trenton (including Canal Feeder) measures 84.55 miles. The last little bit from Reigart Road in Hamilton to Groh Ln in Fairfield measures 11.17 miles.

I frequently run the portions running from Piqua to Vandalia. This portion is mostly wooded and protected. Once it gets in to Dayton it gets a little tricky with more flood bank runs and city views. The run from Marina Drive to Miami St is a little boring but not as boring as the path from Carmody to Trenton that measures 6.2 miles in distance.

I have this trail broke down in to miles pretty good with landmarks. If anyone ever wants to know distance measures, I'm your gal.

The last leg of the map runs Hamilton to Fairfield, and honestly may be the best part through heavy woods and beautiful landscapes.

Enjoy!

Trail Extended from Centerburg to Sunbury

August 2023 vicki1960

Trail is 23 miles in length and runs from Mt. Vernon in Knox County to mile 0 at the Knox / Delaware County line. Then continues for another 7.5 ish miles to Sunbury in Delaware County. New sections have been added along with several bridges. Plenty of shade on this trail along with open farmlands. Uphill for about the first 10 miles from Mt. Vernon towards Centerburg. But great on the return trip! We rode from Mt. Vernon to Sunbury and back for a 46 mile round trip on a beautiful Sunday in August, 2023.

Marshallville to Warwick Rd

July 2023 styer10

The Heartland trail's pavement currently ends in Marshallville. However, the park district keeps the next 4 miles mowed. You have to go off trail on worn paths to get around gates that are installed to keep vehicles off the trail. The park district plans to have this 4 mile section paved in 2026. It was fun to ride this section. Of course this requires a bike that is able to ride on grass/gravel.

Nice Trail but can't wait for that section to be completed from Glenmont to killbuck. I sure did not enjoy riding on Route 520

May 2024 dnnyedy

Very Nice Short Trail with waterfront view

March 2023 normanhmath

This trail is awesome for looking out over the northern Hoover Reservoir as you ride Northbound from Plumb Road to a short connector that takes you to 3C Road and on into Galena Ohio if riding Northbound and if riding Southbound, you come back also viewing the reservoir through the forest. There is a bit of mud between the trail and the Reservoir and you need some strength for the southbound ride, it is a demanding uphill climb especially as you ride up to go over the bridge that crosses 3C road. That climb is a workout, you will actually hate it if you detest hills. It ends southbound at Plumb Rd when you turn right to go to the Genoa Trail for the ride into Westerville. This trail, Plumb Rd and The Genoa Trail essentially link Sunbury and Galena.

Kokosing Gap Trail

November 2023 thejake91739

Wow! I decided to go 100 miles out of my way to ride this trail and I'm so glad I did! In my quest to ride my bike in all fifty states, I "settled" on the Kokosing Gap Trail for my Ohio ride. I knew it was highly regarded, but I must say it truly exceeded my expectations! I've ridden on trails all over the United States, and I would put this one in my top ten!

The trail provides so many pleasurable experiences. There are woods that create a canopy over the trail, beautiful river views, cornfields, pastures with cows and horses, historic railroad bridges, wildlife, rolling hills, sculptures, an old-timey train, Kenyon College, and the friendliest trail users I have ever encountered. I did this ride in early October with some of the leaves beginning to change color, but they must be absolutely spectacular in their full autumn peak!

Be sure to allow enough time to travel the entire trail from end to end to enjoy and appreciate the total experience! It's flat enough to do the full round trip.

Kudos to all for the design, development and upkeep of this awesome trail!

Miamisburg to Middletown and back

July 2022 lfrances60

07/11/22 Nice ride along the river. Enough shaded parts to make up for the full sun.

Parking in Sunbury

October 2023 lisaecarr

Parking is available at J.R. Smith Park in Sunbury and the trailhead is less then .25 mile to the right /north of the parking lot. Very nice trail but it is a climb from Sunbury to Centerville. Great workout though!

It is amazing here. I just rode here recently with our horses, and it was so nice! Definitely will come again soon!

August 2023 shersman21

Nice history

July 2023 trob4cy

It is very nice this resource has been preserved and is available for use as a trail. If riding north to south there is a bit of a climb to reach downtown Akron. This is a long trail maintained by several different entities so the surface and quality of the trail varies depending on where you are. My experience were the lowest quality portions were in the Massillon area but all were passable.

We did a 8.45 mi round trip between Harvard Rd and Warren Rd overhead bridge. Being in a wheelchair we had no issues whatsoever with the surface of the trail.

January 2024 huffy9718

Day 3

A wonderful trail that slowly climbs out of Xenia. It begins with a canopy of trees and later turns to fields. An Inn on the trail in Cedarville warmly welcomes cyclists for a rest stop. It saved us from a passing thunderstorm.
Five Stars. We rode 51 miles.

One of My Favorites

June 2020 brianaalbert528

I love this trail. It's not the most scenic trail out there, but still beautiful; lots of densely covered areas and wildlife. It's mostly flat and straight. At the end of the trail is the city of London, a cute little town with some local shops that are worth checking out. This is probably the least crowded trail I've been on - I rarely see walkers and maybe about 5-10 cyclists every time I have ridden the trail to London and back. Definitely recommend trying this one out.

Forms a great link from Sunbury to Galena but is sometimes confusing

Two issues I have with the Sandel Legacy Trail is it is hard to tell which parts of the trail linking Galena and Sunbury are [1] There are THREE TRAIL NAMES associated with this trail. Riding southwest to northeast, you pick up the Galena Brick Trail in Galena, either from Dustin Rd which is county road 104 or from N. Walnut Street in Galena proper if you followed West Columbus Street into Galena to go to The Coffee Vault or Galena Diner or simply through central Galena. Once you catch the Eastbound{Northeast bound} Galena Brick Trail , you pass through a park and playground, Miller Park and continue eastbound through residential Galena. Follow the trail straight into Sunbury and exit and you see the sign that says Sandel Legacy Trail . But as you are riding along on this trail, some of the streetsigns labeling the trail say Thomas W Hopper legacy Trail. Thus on a short 2.5 mile trail, you see three name changes and the transitions are not clear. Sandal Legacy is only named prominently on a sign at the east trailhead. [2] The continuation of the Ohio to Erie Trail from the Sandel Legacy is not clear from the map or from wayfaring signs at the Northeast trailhead of the Sandel Legacy. The map suggests you turn to S Columbus Street to follow a path to the North through Sunbury to Rainbow Street. However doing so requires a n unmarked LEFT TURN after crossing the Bridge over S Columbus Street to leave the trail and roll down to that street. The trail continues east to where the actual Sandel Legacy Sign is posted then ends in gravel through which you cut to the north to find yourself on N Vernon Street then you have to make a LEFT TURN {No sign informing you of this} onto E Cherry Street to get to North Columbus Street which you can then take to Rainbow Avenue. Signs for Ohio bike route 1 are pretty clear once you make it onto North Columbus Street, they will guide you to Rainbow Ave to High Street and then to Hartford Rd which gets you out of Sunbury, up a little hill, then you are ready for the actual Delaware County Preservation Parks Ohio to Erie Trail, all trail as of 6/3/2022 and it takes you onto the Heart of Ohio Trail. Sandel Legacy Trail itself is pretty nice but it is confusing, poorly signed especially at its transitions into Sunbury and it is unclear where it becomes Thomas W Hopper or Galena Brick.

Not too bad for being down town Columbus. A few spots were we saw some homeless folks. But no one gave any troubles.

September 2023 gr73murdoch

Trails connected

March 2021 sjf0809

I rode this trail on March 9, 2021 after having parked at the Depot in Sunbury. The Sandel Legacy Trail started just NE of the depot, went behind the building and seamlessly connected to the Thomas W. Hopper Legacy Trail, also or previously called the Galena Brick Trail. Only because of the signs alongside the trail, did I know that I was on a different trail. Signs identify various trees are along the trail. There are also many extensions going into the subdivisions being built. It also went by the Galena Shale and Brick Factory. Once I got to the end of the trail where it met the road in Galena, I turned around, pedaled past the Depot and on some of the streets in Sunbury until I got on the Meredith State Road Trail. Then I turned around and went back to my car. The total distance on the three trails was 6 miles.

A Great Network of Trails Serving the City of Westerville

November 2019 orangedoug

The Westerville B&W is more a network of trails rather than one single trail. They are not necessarily all rail-trails, though the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) in this trail system certainly seems like one because of how straight it was and how gradual the changes in elevation were. I rode just two of the trail routes in this network: The Ohio to Erie Trail (The Towers Trail on some maps) and the County Line/Schrock Trail. I rode the Ohio to Erie Trail south from Maxtown Road where the Genoa Trail ended, to County Line Road where I crossed over the street on a bridge and then circled back to pick up the County Line/Schrock Trail. I headed west on the County Line/Schrock Trail in order to get closer to the Polaris area where my hotel for the evening was located. The County Line/Schrock Trail definitely is not a rail-trail as the it rises and falls as it runs parallel to County Line Road. The ascents and descents were not too bad but they were not railroad grade hills. As I rode these trails I was struck by how wide they were, and how well they seemed to fit in with local infrastructure. Part of me thinks that one reason for the many wide trails in this network was that they were built as the city transitioned from a farm community to a Columbus suburb before many of the buildings and homes in the area were built. Or perhaps the community had a visionary City Council and Mayor that knew that these trails were something that a growing community would want to attract new residents and pushed for their construction despite the cost and barriers that had to be overcome.

The next day I rode the same trail routes out of town. I rode south on the Ohio to Erie Trail until I reached the Westerville Bike Depot. The Bike Depot was an interesting place to stop. It has a very clean and awesome display of now and then pictures of Westerville. There are water fountains, bike racks, rest rooms, lockers, a picnic table, and a fireplace. It is located behind the Westerville Public Library in Hanby Park. The southbound OTET route in Westerville is well signed and easy to follow. You follow the Ohio to Erie Trail south until you reach Schrock Road, then follow the bike lane on Schrock which leads you to the Alum Creek Trail.

I plan to come back to Westerville to check out the rest of the trails in this network.

Best kept secret!

September 2023 usc.ahollar

My wife and I rode this trail on Labor Day and it was fantastic. We began at the train station in Trotwood and rode to Verona and back - just over 24 miles round trip. The trail has many farms, a few parks and very peaceful. Brookville is charming and is about the half-way point. We only passed a few riders and joggers. It was a great ride!

Apr 2024 - Trail under water from Lock 9 (Before MM82+) to Route 800 (MM86)

April 2024 crableg300

Hi

I want to first say, I love this trail and it is a fantastic and quiet place to go for a nice walk or bike ride (11.4 round trip from Ft Laurens to Route 800). I have let some folks know when there are trees / debris on the trail and they are removed quickly. The town of Zoar is a very close by (5 minutes or so away) and I would encourage folks to check it out and also the Wetlands area too which is a hidden gem in the town. Also Ft Laurens (in Bolivar) has a museum and they have a Revolutionary War re-enactment each year that is well done with so many people explaining things too - it is a must to attend. With that said, the trail is under water for the most part from MM82+ to the end at Route 800 because of the recent storms. This is very sad and it will take a long while for the water to recede. A few places to eat that are great are the Canal Street Diner and the Towpath Tavern - they are in Bolivar and that is 5 minutes away from Ft Laurens. Both have great service and good food.