The Ogden Trail, or Elizabeth J Looney Trail, is a 3.3-mile trail that runs through Wilmington, OH reaching its western end at Ogden Road.
About the Route
This trail has four bridges that cross Todd's Fork as the creek winds back and forth across the trail corridor. The entire route, although paved, winds through scenic woodlands and farm fields, and has a distinctly rural feel to it.
Connections
At the eastern end of the trail, trail users can continue along the Luther Warren Peace Path.
The Ogden/Elizabeth J. Looney Trail runs between S. Nelson Ave. (Wilmington) and Ogden Rd. (Wilmington).
There is no designated parking for this trail. Please see TrailLink Map for detailed directions.
I rode an out-and-back ride on the OgdenTrail/Elizabeth J. Looney Trail located in Wilmington, Ohio. This 3.34 mile-long rail trail is also identified as simply the Ogden Trail or the Elizabeth J. Looney Trail, and on a posted map of Wilmington Trails it was named the Elizabeth J. Looney Ogden Trail.
The trail is built on an old Cincinnati and Muskingum Valley Railroad Line which was later operated by the Pennsylvania RR, the Penn Central RR, and Conrail during different times of its operational history.
The Ogden Trail/Elizabeth J. Looney Trail connects to one end of the Luther Warren Peace Path at South Nelson Avenue and runs southwest until it reaches Ogden Road, where it presently ends. This is a nice trail; probably the best trail in the Wilmington trail network. The pavement is in great shape because it is new. The trail travels along Lytle Creek and crosses over it four times over its 3.34 miles. When you start your ride at South Nelson Avenue, you’ll quickly pass by the Wilmington Waste Water Treatment Plant and the Wilmington Landfill. After 6/10ths of a mile you are out of the city. For the remainder of the ride, the landscape along the trail toggles between wooded areas and farmland. On this particular weekday afternoon I encountered only two runners out using the trail – no cyclists. I imagine that you would likely encounter more users on the trail during the weekend. This was a peaceful ride and different from some of the other trails in the developing Wilmington trail network. If you live outside of the Wilmington area and you are considering coming to Wilmington just to ride this particular trail, I don't think that the trail is long enough to make your trip worthwhile. If you are coming to ride all or most of the trails in the city’s trail network, then that would be a more rewarding endeavor.
I have hiked this trail about 30 times and 3.3 miles is point to point the total mileage down and back is 7 miles. If you combine this trail with the Luther Warren peace path it is a little over 9 miles.
If you are looking for a quiet woodland and rural trail, this is it. Very well maintained pavement with benches for resting. Bridges that cross a quiet creek. Lots of wildlife to see. Open areas with rural views. It’s the Goldie Locks trail…not too long, not too short.

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