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Print Friendly MapFindlay lies at the heart of Hancock County's 17-mile Heritage Trail. From the city center, the trail extends west to Litzenberg Memorial Woods and east to Van Horn Cemetery. The trail mostly follows the course of the Blanchard River and offers scenic views through wetlands, woodlands, and open space. Along the way, it connects several parks, historic sites, neighborhoods, recreational areas and downtown businesses.
In Findlay itself, the trail is also called the Old Mill Stream Parkway and the Blanchard River Greenway (locals recommend traveling west to east). Most of the surface is dirt, gravel, and grass but some portions through the city are paved. Outside of the city, the trail parallels roads. Yellow trail markers with black directional arrows lead the way.
NOTE: The western end of the trail through Litzenberg Memorial Woods is closed during hunting season, September 1 to January 31.
From west to east, parking can be found in the numerous parks along the trail, including:
Great trail to hike!
For cycling? Bringing your bike here will be a total waste of time.
The trailhead at the Litzenberg parking lot gave zero information that this is a trail for bicycles. There was no signage, kiosk text or graphics about bikes.
The trail started behind a gate next to the lot as a vehicle trail, then changed to a mowed path for a good distance through an open meadow. No paving, just cut grass. Ok, I have a mountain bike, so I thought I'd continue for a bit. Then it formed into a narrow footpath that turned sharply as I came onto wetlands. End of journey. Turn around.
Folks, what I saw was a nice hiking / nature trail for walking; it is not at all appropriate for a bike.
I can imagine cyclists plowing into slo-mo hikers, maybe mom- dad and kids. I would give zero stars as bike trail is possible.
I do not recommend this trail to the faint of heart or to families. The majority of this route is on roads with minimal shoulders. Some of these roads are lightly travelled by cars but there are several points that I highly recommend that you do not risk riding.
The quaint county roads are joined by some very dangerous segments:
-Route 206 is a lightly travelled but the vehicles travel fast on this road.
-Carey Road (Route 568) should be avoided. It is a direct route into town and is very busy. There is no shoulder and has a pinch point midway that forces cyclists into the road. Do not attempt to ride this segment.
On the positive side, the Riverbend Park area is a delight. There are trails through the forest for off-roading action. The view from the reservoir is awesome. You will have to carry your bike up about 4 flights to get to the top of the reservoir.
Riverside Park is also very nice. Concerts happen every Wednesday night in the summer. This segment has a bike only trail.
The Rawsen Park area is undeveloped and a mountain bike is needed to traverse the “trail.”
Overall, enjoy the country roads, but be wary of the segments I highlighted.
http://www.hancockparks.com/portals/17/archive/pdf/HeritageTrailCtyMap.pdf
http://www.hancockparks.com/YourParks/LMWHeritageTrailCenter.aspx
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