The Great Guernsey Trail runs for 7 miles from the eastern edge of Cambridge to Lore City. The paved trail occupies a former CSX railroad corridor through rural wooded countryside.
Because it parallels Leatherwood Creek for much of its route, the trail provides a great opportunity for viewing waterfowl. Rabbits, bald eagles and other local wildlife have been known to make appearances as well.
Parking for the Great Guernsey Trail is available at the western end of the trail on Corduroy Road (just east of Cambridge) and at the eastern end of the trail at a park on Main Street/State Route 285 (Lore City).
I rode almost 14 miles out-and-back on the Great Guernsey Trail from just east of Cambridge to about 1.5 miles east of Lore City, Ohio. This rail trail is very flat and it has a few gentle curves which help it be a little more interesting than a few of the straight arrow trails I've ridden recently. The trail runs along the Leatherwood Creek for almost its entire length. The surface is asphalt which is in pretty good shape except that within the first mile there are numerous wide expansion cracks that have been filled with tar and there is also some washboarding of the surface. The surface the rest of the way is in fine shape.
The trail is tree covered but open enough that you don't always feel as though you are riding through a green tunnel. There is a wetland area on the side opposite the creek during the first two miles and there are some signs talking about mosquito bite prevention though I had not one bite from any of these pests throughout my entire ride. This is a nice trail that would probably be good for training as there are very few road crossings throughout the entirety of the trail. What would make this trail even better would be continued efforts toward expansion to the east of Lore City to at least Quaker City. Worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.
Very nice trail with view of wetlands. The trail is shady and scenic. Anyone who enjoys trees and nature will love this trail. Seven miles and back make a fourteen mile ride. One that is not too short or too long.
My husband and I rode this trail today. The last review of this trail was written some time ago... so I wanted to update those who are considering this trail. The construction is complete and the trail is open! Pleasant ride although there is some " road noise" as it is located along a roadway. There are a few road crossings but they are in low traffic areas. The trail boasts numerous eating area with shelter. Overall we were pleased with the trail. It is very well maintained!
Road the trail late May. Weather was great trail is not bad but two things: 1) it could be longer. We road an extra two miles at the end at Lore City on a single track. Also at the other end it seems it could be extended to Cambridge Ohio. If this trail was 20-25 miles long it would be a great ride. 2) They are working on the over pass on I-70 which the trail goes under. They have a sign that says"ROAD CLOSED". It should be that the trail is closed where work is being done. They should have a TRAIL BYPASS sign. You have to go down an embankment to the road and travel approximately 3/10 of a mile on the adjacent highway. Safety should be of concern for users. The highway does not have any Share the Road signage. A little foresight could of made the trip around the construction area safer.
Today we visited this trail for the first time. We ride recumbent trykes and prefer paved trails. This trail is very nice with a good mix of sun and shade. The scenery is beautiful. It was a weekday so the trail was not crowded at all. Currently the trail is closed at the 2 mile marker with a detour on the road. Once the construction is complete this trail will be one of our favorites.
Due to bridge construction on I-70, a short portion of trail is currently closed past the 2 mile marker coming from the Cambridge end. Although the detour is not marked, it is possible to drop down to the two lane highway at the closure point and come back onto the trail after the bridge. Person flagging said construction is scheduled to take up to 2 1/2 years but it may not be necessary to close trail for that long. Otherwise trail was well maintained and beautiful - great for recumbent bikes.
Great trail. First one I've done in Ohio. Did this at the end of the work day as I was passing through. Easy trail with little elevation change. Would definitely recommend for beginners or somebody just getting back into riding.
Wife and I were camping at Salt Fork State Park Loaded trikes up and went biking I am 64 wife 60 with two particial knee repalcements
I with one good arm. We rode our recumbents trikes the whole distance. My longest ride since I was teenager. Loved it for my first long ride. Met a lot of nice people Followed what looked like an old canal.Very well kept up with.Couple of places you could fall into a river if not carefull,stay on the trail.Couple of bridges and it is flat.East end very nice park,west end a parking lot ,that is all you can say about. West end parking drove right past it, A county worker was mowing ditches ,asked were it was. He laughed ,turned and pointed about 200 feet from where we were. We all laughed
off to Hocking Valley in two weeks
Nice trail. Smooth and straight. It would be great if it was longer
Rode the trail on 04-15-13. Beautiful day with numerous species of wildlife observed. Song birds, waterfowl, squirrels, rabbits and two Bald Eagles. Was a wonderful ride..
Need more trails like this in Guernsey County.
Very well maintained and all asphalt, plus lots of wildlife to see. Easy access from I-77 and nice trailhead parking lot.
This is a lovely trail that is enjoyed by many residents.
My family, daughter, grandchildren were there last nght and my 3 yr old grandson loves to throw rocks off the first bridge starting on the Cambridge side. It's dangerous to let him go near the ends of the bridge because on the left side going out, there's about a 10 ft drop with no fence to the creek. I would love to see a fence put up around that corner so nobody could accidently fall.
Also more benches along the trail to stop and sit if need be because there are none until you get to the 1.5 mile mark. Also another portajohn halfway would be great since little kids need to use the bathroom more often.
Last night the mosquitos were particularly bad and both my grandkids had welts all over them by the time we got back to our cars. Maybe spraying during the late evening hours when the trail isn't being used, or close it down to spray for mosquitos. The swamps along the way promote the mosquito problem so regular spraying would be appreciated.
This is a great trail for a nice family ride, paved and smooth! And YES there is a real bike shop close by - Bert's Bike & Hike has opened at 752 Wheeling Avenue in Cambridge with limited hours until a full opening in the spring. Phone Number is 740-255-5307
They have been doing some nice work on this trail keeping up maintenance. There are now post with plaques every so often along the trail that have a little picture and factoid about the rails or the area which is a nice touch and shows how much they care about the trail and their history. Parking is adequate unless its a nice summer afternoon, then its packed. Port-o-johns on both ends most of the time, plenty of bench’s and shade to rest in on the way. View of wet land area on part of trail. All paved but Cambridge side is a little rougher and older than the lore city side. Lore city side has a small park for kids and little loop around. A place called Airport Inn is nearby lore city and has drinks and shakes. Only two issues I have are I wish it were longer (There’s talk of making it longer btw), Also there’s an adjacent dirt road for a small part of the trail and sometimes someone will fly down it coating the air with dust (like I said, just over a small part). Overall a good rails trail. Beware no real local bike shop for repairs as of this writing (I think the closest one is in Zanesville). Hope this helps!
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