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I recently rode the Gahanna Section of the Big Walnut Trail from end to end from Morse Road in the north to Price Road at the south end. This ended up being 12.3 miles for the entire round trip. This is a nice trail. Overall, the asphalt trail surface is in decent shape with little to no root uplift or potholes. The trail in this area is designed to connect residents with local parks and athletic fields. These parks (going from north to south) include Academy Park, Woodside Green Park, Lower McCorkle Park, McCorkle Park, Gahanna Municipal Golf Course, Creekside Park, Friendship Park, Gahanna Swimming Pool, and St. Matthew Athletic Fields. There are also a number of places to pick up food around Creekside Park. Thus, there is a lot of utility to Gahanna residents.
However, the lack of connectivity beyond Gahanna makes this section of the Big Walnut Trail lacking when compared to other Central Ohio Greenways such as the Alum Creek, Olentangy, and Scioto River Greenways. I also felt that signage was lacking particularly at trail intersections. Were you still on the Big Walnut Trail or had you just chosen wrong and now find yourself riding a neighborhood connecting spur? In addition, this trail seems more densely wooded than some of these other greenways which means that bike lights are a necessity if you are riding near dawn or dusk.
As mentioned by other reviewers on TrailLink, this ambitious trail project is a work in progress and is broken up into many unconnected parts. I rode six and two thirds round trip miles on this northernmost section of the Big Walnut Trail. It was a cool day so a Jacket was required this morning. The trail follows the western shore of Hoover Reservoir, one of the sources of drinking water for the city of Columbus. The trail is has nice views of the reservoir and you can cross over the top of the dam to the Brent Hambrick Memorial Disc Golf Course in Cornell Park on the lake's eastern shore. The trail surface is asphalt and is in fairly good shape. If you enjoy being near water you will love this trail. The last 3/10ths of a mile south of Hoover Dam was closed on this day so I was unable to reach North Street where the trail ends and I couldn't connect to the Chipmunk Chatter Trail; another trail in the Westerville B & W trail network. My one complaint about this part of the trail was the fact the the small loop to the tunnel that takes the southbound trail under Sunbury Road at Marlene Drive was not marked with a sign. I ended up continuing south along Sunbury Road on a much narrower sidewalk until I could cross at a traffic light at Walnut Street. Coming back north you can’t miss the tunnel as it trail leads directly into it. I rate this section pretty high, but I'm not willing to give it a great score because too much of the planned trail is broken into unconnected segments. Connect these segments and the Columbus area will really have something.
This is a great trail to ride, the newly paved Newell Preserve connector allows you to ride into Sunbury. I stopped in Galena this ride and enjoyed the trail immensely. Just a word of warning, the trail is on the downgrade from Centerburg into the Columbus area, so the return trip was a little more of a struggle but only because I overdid it for an early season ride.
I use this to commute to Midtown. There is only one cohesive portion from Fairhill down to Carnegie. At the bottom of that hill beneath the overpass, there is trash, glass, car tires and mud. It’s dangerous when coming down the hill. It then quickly turns in to a traffic mess five way stop. I don’t recommend using this for leisure.
6/5/23 path closed due to bridge construction. Bridge out between Granville and Newark. 2.7 mile detour very poorly marked.
The crushed stone was a little dusty but the beauty of the trail more than made up for it! Enjoyed a bite to eat and live music at https://szalaysfarm.com/. We will return again!
So I rode the middle section from the Zoarville Station Bridge (Rt 800) to Rt 416 (near Saltwell Western Store). I could not find the northern end of this trail section by the intersection of Old Zoarville Rd and Boy Scout Rd, so went back and took the more obvious side trail between the Zoarville Station Bridge and Old Zoarville Rd that followed the river. I later read on a trail map of Camp Tuscazoar that I had found the Lower Rail Road Bed. It was ok for the most part. More a trail I would walk my dog on than anything I would want to bike, but it is mostly passable with a few muddy sections I had to walk through. Probably not going to be the highlight of anyone's bike trip as it was a rough ride at times. I was thinking of finding a different way back. It was clear for the most part of tall vegetation (keep reading).
When I got to Dover Dam, the trail/road that went uphill was all ballast but short. At the top is where I met the actual Zoar Valley Trail. I biked south and it was a nice crushed stone access road for the dam that people can easily enjoy on a hybrid bike. The only issue is they filled potholes with ballast (which can be avoided). If you had to bike just to Dover Dam, this portion is recommended.
After turning around at Rt 416, I biked back to the dam. This time I stayed straight on the higher trail (instead of going down the ballast road) which was the route of the Zoar Valley Trail. It started out okay as a dirt trail, but as I kept going the vegetation got worse and out of control. Near the end, I had to pedal a few seconds here and there before tucking my knees up and coasting along the jungle path. However, by then I was at the point of no return and kept going until I popped out on Old Zoarville Rd in a spot I was at earlier when looking for the trail. If it wasn't for a previously missed trail post showing it was a trail for equestrian use, I would not have been able to point it out from the road. That is how bad the vegetation is.
Traveling south, if it is not flooded, I would recommend skipping the "higher" Zoar Valley Trail and taking the connected and more obvious Lower Rail Road Bed trail (take the trail to the right after the bridge, there is a sign indicating it is a trail), even if that means walking your bike up a small section of ballast near the dam. Again, the access road for the dam heading south was in overall good condition (and can even rival some trails). Traveling north, when you get to the dam take the ballast road down to the lower trail (again, if it is not flooded). The Lower Rail Road Bed ends at the path to get to Zoarville Station Bridge (turn left for the bridge).
In my opinion, if they add limestone and clear some vegetation, this middle section of the Zoar Valley Trail would make a nice addition to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. It has potential.
Perfect to find your way from the Towpath to the Cleveland Zoo and Old Brooklyn neighborhood. Massive elevation at the top of the trailhead. Kids will likely walk bikes up.
Nicely paved, smooth trails. Small elevation gains. Leisure trail with casual riders and walkers. Nice add on to a Cleveland Zoo visit.
My dog Bailey and I are always looking for a new place to go. Glad I chose this location. Beautiful, clean and great hike!
This trail has lots of potential with scenic views but is in dire need of maintenance and signage. I planned to do the full 70 mile round trip but stopped at just over 23 to avoid damage to my road bike.
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