Owl Creek Trail

Fredericktown's Owl Creek Trail is a mile-and-a-half of smooth asphalt pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. The trail's starting point is the Fredericktown Community Park, which hosts many town events and features facilities for everyday recreation, including picnics and sports like swimming, baseball and volleyball. The park is also an access point for those interested in fishing the North Branch of the Kokosing River.

Making use of a former railroad corridor, the trail heads south from the park through a mix of residential and commercial areas. It ends on Hyatt Road, but the undeveloped corridor extends further south, and there is potential for a trail reaching Mt. Vernon (however, the corridor may not be safe or suitable for any recreational use).

Parking and Trail Access

Parking is available at the trail's northern endpoint, the Frederick Community Park located at 10 Ankneytown Rd, Fredericktown, OH.

Could This Be a Link in a Much Larger Regional Trail?

May 2021 orangedoug

I took a pleasant little ride on the Owl Creek Trail (OH) in Fredericktown, Ohio yesterday. This rail trail has been constructed from the same rail line that is now part of the Richland B&O Trail further north in Richland County. Currently, there appears to be a 6.5 mile gap between the southern end of this trail and the northern end of the Heart of Ohio Trail in Ariel-Foundation Park in Mount Vernon, Ohio. It would be great to see this gap closed, although that might be problematic as there is an active silica sand mining & ready mix concrete operation of the Olen Corporation located along the undeveloped old rail bed at the southern end of Fredericktown. Connecting to Mount Vernon and the Ohio to Erie Trail route (both the Heart of Ohio and the Kokosing Gap Trails) in Mount Vernon would be advantageous for the local residents. In addition, this abandoned rail corridor travels north to Ankneytown and eventually Butler, Ohio 8 miles away. Trail development to Butler would connect with the 18.5 mile long Richland B&O Trail. Complete development of this old B&O rail line would create a regional trail from Mansfield all the way to Mount Vernon. However, at present, driving to Fredericktown to just ride this 1.5 mile long trail probably isn’t worth the gas. It is strictly just for local residents at this time.