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The Midwest has many calling cards that serve to define its identity, from its agricultural roots to Ohio’s central location within the Industrial Heartland to the region’s contributions in the areas of music, aviation, engineering, navigation, and other cultural and scientific pursuits. All these attributes come together to make the Midwest section one of diverse opportunities for people exploring the Great American Rail-Trail.
Stretching from the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia to the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River, the Midwest portion contains everything from large, bustling cities to remote and rural communities.
In Ohio, the Great American makes its way from the border of West Virginia to the Wolf Creek Trail in Verona. In the east, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail follows a route where mules once pulled boats from New Philadelphia to Cleveland and Lake Erie from the late 1820s to 1913. The full canal route, inspired by the Erie Canal and linking to Cincinnati, was created to connect ports on the Great Lakes with inland cities and eastern markets like New York City. The canal vastly cut down on transportation time to the east, and its heyday served as a boon for the mineral, agriculture, wool, and whiskey industries.
A large section of Ohio’s Great American, nearly 160 miles, travels along the developing 326-mile Ohio to Erie Trail, which is made up of 24 independently operated, named trails, all offering unique opportunities for cultural and historical exploration. On its trajectory between Fredericksburg and Xenia, this section features Amish country; the lively city of Columbus, with its extensive trail network around the Scioto River; multiple communities that played a role in the Underground Railroad in the 1800s; and Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park, a central hub of America’s aviation history.
The Whitewater Gorge Trail, a short connector trail offers access to the Cardinal Greenway and features the Gennett Records Walk of Fame, which celebrates the people who recorded there and had a major influence on American music.
Heading into north-central Indiana, the Great American passes through to another city with big performance roots: Peru, along the Nickel Plate Trail. The city boasts the unusual and proud distinction of being the onetime “Circus Capital of the World,” having served as a host and winter headquarters for some of the largest and most renowned circuses in the United States between the 1800s and 1940s.
Former canal routes—which now serve both as transportation corridors for pedestrians and cyclists and as economic and tourism boosters for the surrounding communities—dominate the Great American route through Illinois. A significant portion of the route follows the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail. Another canal trail, the sixty miles of the Hennepin Canal Parkway form the Great American from Bureau Junction to Colona
To view an interactive map of the route, go to greatamericanrailtrail.org.
The Midwest portion of the Great American Rail-Trail is made up of the following trails:
There are numerous parking options along the Midwestern portion of the Great American Rail-Trail. Please check the individual trail records to see all available options.
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