A severe winter storm has shut down business as usual in my neck of the woods and provided me some much needed time to catch up on updating web pages here. The long awaited dead-map cleaning is finally finished. Many of the deceased have been replaced with trail map links. To get an overview on the cleansing, checkout map notes
I've posted the first day of my 4-day trek across Ohio on the Ohio-to-Erie Trail. The story is listed in the "topics" section on the Trailside page.
As another summer comes to a close it's time to catch up on trail-related developments and news. No updates here since January -- yikes! I'll work on changing that in the coming cool weather months, as well as getting caught up on emails. A report on the Ohio-to-Erie Trail is coming soon. It's a chonicle of my 2004 ride across the Buckeye state.
Let's get started with an update on the Kokosing Gap Trail as well as some news on possible trail development from Fredericktown to Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
Some praise for trail builders, as well as a trail update. Check it out on the Sippo Valley Review page.
Phil Samuell has sent news regarding the Kokosing Gap Trail. And Steven Myers has provided a full report on the Huron River Greenway. Thanks for your contributions!
The Richland B & O Trail review has been updated and given a new map. New maps have also been posted for the Kokosing Gap Trail and the connecting route between the Kokosing and the Mohican Valley Trail in Danville.
Thanks to Keith Vetter for sending in a report that the Thomas Evans Trail has been repaved! Trail builders in Newark have been working for some time to connect three trails that reside within their city. To see Keith's update and the latest on the connectors, check out the Thomas Evans Trail pages
Thanks to Randy Lavy for an update on the Conotton Creek Trail, as well as some info on a new trail here at Cycling Ohio Rail-Trails & Bikeways, the Olde Muskingham Trail.
Also, thanks to Roger James for an update on the Little Beaver Creek Trail.
My apologies for being late in posting some of these updates. Please keep those trail updates coming!
Apparently the Bike-Hike Trail has received an extensive face lift. My thanks to Charles Bashforth for providing an update on the Akron Bike-Hike Trail!
Are you following the progress of the Ohio-to-Erie (or Towpath Trail)? It's an Ohio River to Lake Erie journey that is destined to end at or near the Flats on Lake Erie in Cleveland. Read the latest on the final leg of trail development to Lake Erie.
So far the weather this season has stayed cool, but things are heating up here at Cycling Ohio Trails & Bikeways! Lots of new postings this week. A trail has been added to the Ohio Trail List. Checkout the new review of the Mill Creek Bikeway.
The Holmes County and Mohican Valley Trail reviews have been updated again, along with the Little Beaver Creek Trail.
Thomas Conte was kind enough to send in a road route that connects the Towpath Trail at Center Road, just north of Clinton, to the Snyder Road trailhead in Barberton. Thanks Thomas!
And last but certainly not least, new pics have been added to the following reviews: Sippo Trail, Little Beaver Creek Trail, Holmes County Trail, and to the Barberton, Akron, Zoar and Massillon sections of the Ohio-Erie Canal Towpath.
It's been long over due, but it's finally here. A review of the Holmes County Trail -- with pics! Also, an update of the Mohican Valley Trail along with a new trail access map.
The Sippo Valley Trail review is now complete and includes a trail access map. Finally, new maps are coming back to Cycling Ohio Trails & Bikeways!
Here are the latest updates and additons: Richland B & O Trail review updated; Zoar section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath reviewed; Barberton & Summit Park in Akron towpath reviews; as well as an update on the new section of towpath in Massillon that connects with the Sippo Trail.
It's time to update some trail reviews for the 2003 season. Here are some updates on the Kokosing Gap, Thomas J. Evans, Heritage Trail and Conotton Creek Trail. Also, another trail has been added to the Ohio Trail list. Check out the Muskingum Recreational Trail.
Many thanks to: Brad Hollingsworth, Jim Toth, Sarah Neff, John Youger, John Morris and others for sending in trail updates and other trail related info.
Look for a new review of the Sippo Valley Trail to be here soon.
Yes, many of the maps are still down here at Cycling Ohio Rail-Trails & Bikeways. But new alternatives are slowly being integrated. There are a number of good map links on the Trail News & Maps page. And since there are more trail maps online than ever before, links to these maps will be provided on updated review pages in 2003.
Do you have a good online Ohio trail map that you can't find here? Send in the link!
New trail pics have been added to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Review and to the Trailside page. The new Trailside photos are of the Holmes County Trail.
I've also received word that the Olentangy-Scioto Bikeway in Columbus has been completed.
What's the longest Rail-Trail in the US? How many open miles of trails does Ohio have? To find out, check out the links to national and Ohio trail stats that have been added to the news page. You'll also find links to good interactive map programs to check out the ever-growing number of Ohio trails!
The updated page is now called Ohio Trail News & Maps. And yes, you can still find trail news there as well.
I've posted a review of another section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. It covers the trail section between Canal Fulton and Bolivar. To check out maps of various Towpath Trail sections, start here.
As many of you Ohio trail riders know from experience, finding some trails can be tricky. Finding your way between completed trail sections can also be a hassle that eats up a lot of trail riding time. I've included detailed directions in this latest review to guide you between trail connecting points and around a closed trail section.
If you have helpful trail info/directions that you'd like to submit regarding an Ohio bikeway, please do!
The new H-Connector Trail review is now posted along with a newly reviewed section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. I expect to have another section of the towpath reviewed soon.
Also, the Kokosing Gap Trail & Wolfcreek Bikeway reviews have been updated.
It's been a while since I've posted anything new for the Trailside section here at Cycling Ohio Rail-Trails & Bikeways. But I did find inspiration on my recent trip to the Little Miami Trail. Checkout "A Questionable Use of Ohio Trails."
The map making program I'd hoped to use to restore the trail access maps is a no-go. The program has too many restrictions of use to be practical for this web site. The map-making search continues...
Some years are definitely better than others when it comes to visiting trails and reviewing/updating them promptly here. Time constraints often rule the day. Trail updates, as you regular visitors know, have been slow in coming this year. I'll see about turning that around in the upcoming months.
A visit to the Kokosing Gap Trail yesterday brought a pleasant surprise. The construction for the planned trail expansion into the city of Mt. Vernon has begun. A .4 mile section of trail has been completed. The new section is paved and begins on Mt. Vernon Avenue, just opposite the trail along the Kokosing River and heads west toward Route 13.
For now this segment connects the Kokosing Gap to a parking lot alongside the city's sporting fields in Memorial Park. The trail route uses the dikeway alongside the river. Look for future expansion to extend the connector further into the city.
I will be updating the Kokosing Gap Trail and Wolf Creek Rail-Trail reviews soon. I'll also be adding a new review for the H-Connector Trail.
I visited the H-Connector earlier this year. As many of you know, this trail is an important connecting route for trail users. It connects the River Corridor Bikeway in Dayton with the trails at Xenia Station in Xenia, Ohio. I've always wanted to get a mileage check between these two points and I finally did that this year. The distance on the trail from Xenia Station to the point where it connects with the River Corridor Bikeway in Dayton is about 18.3 miles. So now you can plan your Dayton to Xenia trail commute accordingly!
At times I've complained that Ohio seldom has a Spring season. The weather here often goes from cold to hot, straight into summer. Not so this year. This Spring has been unusually long and has brought flooding from loads of rain. Winds speeds have reached 20-30 mph (with even higher gusts) for days at a time and the temps... well, the temperatures have been cool to downright cold. It's May 21st today and the temps are only in the mid-40's!
Besides getting the trail riding season off to a slow start, the flooding has done significant damage to the Richland B&O Trail. Major erosion is threatening a section of the trail near its northern terminus at North Lake Park in Mansfield. A huge chunk of the trail bed's embankment has simply slipped off into a nearby creek bed, much like a mini mud slide.
At this time there are no closed trail sections due to this problem. However, the erosion has moved up to the edge of the trail surface where temporary fencing has been installed. Further flooding/erosion could jeopardize the trail itself.
In the past, when the railroad still used these corridors, they would periodically deposit gravel on both sides of the track from railroad gravel cars. This regular maintenance would help keep the rail bed intact and keep erosion at bay. I'm betting that many Ohio trails today have no such preventative maintenance plan in place. Grass usually grows trailside and gravel and other types of fill are usually only trucked in after erosion has already begun. In severe erosion situations, such as we're seeing this year, serious damage can threaten a trail bed in a short period of time, before trail workers have much time to react. Preventative maintenance is the key.
To be fair, most trail maintenance budgets are not likely to include major expenses that include trucking in trail bed fill on a regular basis. But I'm wondering if periodic inspections of trail beds to identify erosion prone areas might be preferrable to the cost of rebuilding a trail section that's collapsed from erosion.
With flooding going on in many parts of the state, my guess is that other trails may be experiencing similar problems. If erosion is threatening your trail, report it here.
Check out this update on the Huron River Greenway by Steven Myers.
As reported earlier, the mapping resource that was being used to generate trail access maps is no longer available. As a result, many of the maps on this web site are currently out-of-order. My apologies for that inconvenience.
I now have a map-making resource that I will be using to make permanent maps to attach to trail review pages. I expect the process of replacing the old maps to be a long, slow one. In the meantime, if you need a particular trail access map, contact me.
Generally there's not much going on here during this time of year, but this winter is a little different from those of the past. We've got a brand new trail review of the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail, thanks to Jim and Kaye.
More thanks to Jim and Kaye for also sending in an update on the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway. Many thanks also to Tom Bowen for his update on the Lorain County section of the North Coast Inland Trail. Keep those trail updates coming. It certainly helps us look forward to hitting the trails again this Spring!
Trail pics have been added to the River Corridor Bikeway, the Mohican Valley Trail and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath reviews. Enjoy!
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