Winter is a great time to work on new projects as trail riding, construction and news activities slow to a crawl. While work is continuing on the Gmap, we've also started another venture. We are currently developing classes for Ohio bikeways and encourage you to take part in the process. Take a look at the new "Trail Classifications" page.
At present, it is still under development and will not be finalized or implemented until spring 2008. That means there's plenty of time for you to provide input to help further refine the categories. You might find it a pleasant diversion on those cold winter days while waiting for the weather to break. Check it out!
A sincere thanks to everyone that has sent in news, updates and photos during the past few months. If you haven't seen the nice shots that Lynda Warner provided, check out the Ohio & Erie Towpath pics and the Fun Stuff page.
Keep those submissions coming and be sure to check the Gmap Notes page to learn how you can add stuff to the new map!
Updates to the Gmap have already started since its debut on 10/10. Though we may refer to them here from time to time, to check ongoing progress, be sure to bookmark the Gmap Notes page where all updates are posted.
More bikeways will be added as we plot additonal trails over time. We expect the map to fill in substantially in the coming months until we reach a point where GPS waypoint collection requires us to venture out to retrieve more data. We've yet to decide how complete the map will be, but our initial goal is to plot all the major trails and trail networks. As the project evolves, long-term goals for the application will become clearer.
A new page for user input and data collection will be posted soon, making it easier for users to help build the map. With your help, our goal is to develop one of the most comprehensive and useful tools on the web for Ohio trail users! Please join us in this effort. Until the new page is up, check out the Gmap Notes regarding some objectives and email us with your thoughts and suggestions, or to get started sending data.
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Gmap! Initially we didn't plan on building our own, but it soon became obvious that this is not only a cool tool, but a tremendously useful one when it comes to planning a trail trip. So it became a matter of "how can we NOT use this?"
The map has been posted while it's still a work in progress. We look forward to your input as new trails are added and the format is refined.
For you GPS aficionados, send us your take on which handheld GPS units are the most accurate for collecting data to plot maps. Read more on the Gmap notes page.
A barrage of new stuff has been added. Let's start with new photos and revamped reviews for the following trails, as well as a new listing tossed in for good measure:
We've dumped a bunch of new shots into the Huron River Greenway Trail pics page as well as the Lake Shore Electric Railway Trail photo gallery. Enjoy!
The new Ohio-to-Erie Trail web site is now up complete with a new interactive map that uses the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform. If you're into the aerial photo views that these maps provide, you'll want to check this one out. This version offers clearer closeups of more of Ohio than the Google platform, which only seems to give good detailed views of the larger metropolitan areas at this time.
We've added a link to the new map on our map page under 'Cross-State Trails' in the left margin menu.
We moved the News Board to a more prominent spot. It's now front and center on the main News page. For those of you who are familiar with the news section, you'll find that the Web Site News has simply traded places with it and now resides at the top of the right-hand margin menu.
A new category has been added to the links page. Check out the Ohio Bike Routes!
A couple of recent outings allowed us to visit the Kokosing Gap Trail & the T.J. Evans Newark to Johnstown Bikeway. Both trails have received new surfaces in recent years. Read the reviews or simply check each trail's comments/updates page for the latest on how the new surfaces are holding up.
We are pleased to say that the Canalway Ohio web site is once again up & running. They provide maps that give a good overview of the Ohio & Erie Towpath corridor.
We've added a number of maps to the Regional Map List page. The purpose of the resource is to include as many Ohio trail maps as possible in one convenient location. If you know of a good online map that we've missed, be sure to let us know.
New interactive trail maps based on the Google platform are quickly becoming the sought after standard for mapping major Ohio trails. The Ohio & Erie Canalway web site was first on the scene with their map of the Ohio & Erie Towpath. Recently the Great Miami River Trail joined the fray with this example courtesy of DriveLessLiveMore.org.
What makes these maps so desirable? The format allows you to explore an entire trail corridor (and its surrounding areas) and zoom in to view points of interest such as trailheads, in standard map format or via satellite images, or both! The map makers had the foresight to color code finished trail sections so you know exactly where trail sections start and connecting routes or unfinished sections begin (the canalway map doesn't offer this feature). These tools are great for planning trips or finding points of interest along or near trails!
We found the Great Miami map more intuitive and easy to use, while the Ohio & Erie Canalway map takes a little time to master by checking or unchecking display boxes and exploring the drop down menu. The latter was also more glitchy and doesn't appear to show the entire trail, but that could have been due to a number of factors which may have been resolved since we last visited. Both maps have been added to the Map page under the Major Trail Maps category in the margin menu.
These trail maps are a relatively new breed that will be refined with time, so look for future versions to be even better!
Currently GPS data is being collected to add the Ohio-to-Erie Trail to a Google interface as well. Promised completion will be sometime this summer on the Ohio-to-Erie web site. Check out the News Board to learn more.
Speaking of maps, we should mention that our links to the canalwayohio.com web site are currently down. Apparently the domain is pending renewal or deletion. We'll keep our links intact and hope that these fine maps are soon online again.
Tom Bower sent along a link to his recent photos of the Sippo Valley Trail. Check them out in the comments section.
Joe Chase sends word of new facilities along the Portage Hike & Bike Trail.
Thanks to Bill Watts for submitting some Kokosing pics and comments.
Check out the new 'Planning A Trail Trip' page. It offers a number of tips as well as some destination recommendations. It also covers how to make best use of various trail resources.
A new category has been added to the links page. It's the 'Trail Forums' section. Forums are great for exchanging info and getting the latest 'on the trail' news. For the moment we list only one, Pedalopolis, that covers southwestern, Ohio. Please email us if you know of more and we'll add them as well.
Thanks to Jim Bentley and Billy Helfrich for adding pics to the Little Beaver Creek & Simon Kenton photo pages.
Thanks to Mark Thomas for submitting more info -- including a photo of the proposed trail expansion -- regarding his Bridgewater Trail Expansion post on the News Board.
Be sure to checkout this important story on the News Board as it may affect trail building in your area!
Thanks to Billy Helfrich's contributions, we've posted a review and photo page for the Simon Kenton Trail!
If you only check this page for news, you're missing out! The primary page for Ohio trail news, press releases and ads is the News Board. The Web News shown here is all about the latest updates and changes on the OhioBikeways.net web site. This includes new articles, reviews, pics, and other changes or additions.
In the past there's been quite a lot of overlap between these two pages. While that might still prove to be the case at times in the future, for the most part each page will now have its own purpose and separate news stories.
Occasionally we receive submissions that we don't have a place to post or display because they defy any of the categories on our pages. It can be trail-related stuff that's wacky, funny or just plain strange. Well, we've decided to make a place for such items and created the Fun & Wacky Stuff! page. Join in on the fun!
A special thanks to Billy Helfrich for his "Scooby sighting" photo and inspiration for the new page.
A photo page has been opened for the Thomas J. Evans Trail (Newark to Johnstown Bikeway).
Thanks to Billy Helfrich for adding a Buck Creek Trail pic.
Some recent trail news stories and briefs have been posted to the News Board.
Another tool has been posted for your site navigation needs. Check out the new Site Map.
A belated Happy New Year and greetings to all! It's been a long time coming, much longer than expected, but OhioBikeways.net is finally online. We look forward to an exciting year here as we put our new pages to the test. Please visit our welcome and navigation pages, as well as others in our homepage section that explain what's happening here at our new site. We're likely to be working out the bugs for a while, so feel free to give us a hand by using the email link at the bottom of any page to report any problems.
We think you'll enjoy some of the interesting tools we've put together. The review pages, for example, are setup so that you can find almost anything about a featured trail from its main review page. From current trail weather, updates and parking info, to maps, links and photos, all within a click or two for your convenience!
Another useful tool is the revamped Region Map List page. It not only lists the trails by region, but it shows all the available map links for every trail! Again, all in one place.
Be sure to let us know what you think after you've had a good look around. Happy Trails!
ODOT has posted their latest bikeway news for 2007.
Checkout the latest developments on the Ohio-to-Erie Trail in Genoa Township.
Look for a revamped Ohio-to-Erie Trail web site sometime in 2007.
The Ohio Greenways web site is back up and running. In fact it looks like it's been back for quite some time. It snuck in under our radar as we were watching for the .org we've come to know, which has since been changed to a .net domain, as in OhioGreenways.net.
We've reestablished links to their fine maps.
A new trail is featured here at OhioBikeways.net thanks to Joe Chase. Checkout the Portage Hike & Bike Trail review and photos!
See the plan to connect the bikeway to the larger Akron Bike-Hike Trail by checking out this map.
Read Tom Bowers update on the new towpath trail section between Barberton & Clinton, Ohio.
John Hess sends news regarding the Little Miami Trail extension south of Milford. Check it out the details on the news board.
Many thanks to David Lee Bolman for the Celina-Coldwater Bikeway photos. You can find them on the review page. Enjoy!
Thanks to Joseph Chase and John Kaszowski for updates on the Akron Bike-Hike and Sippo Valley Trails.
It can now be reported that we were getting a bit cocky with the progress being made on the new OhioBikeways.net web site. Since the last report, the prediction of launching in "a few weeks" has turned into a few months and counting. Obviously we've run into a few problems. Nevertheless, we still hope to have it up and running before the end of the year.
Construction is extending the towpath south of the Mustill Store at North Street into downtown Akron. Read more on the News Board.
Thanks to Craig Morgan for submitting the news.
The new Cycling Ohio web site is still under construction, but the expected launch date is getting closer. If all goes well, it shouldn't be more than a few weeks away!
A thank you to Sue Leet for this update on the Wolf Creek Bikeway.
Property ownership issues have resulted in a gate being erected on a section of trail in Newark, Ohio. Check the News Board for more info.
Good news! I've learned that the Ohio Greenways web site, ohiogreenways.org, will be back online in a month or so. Please be patient as our links to their pages will not work until that time.
The plug has been pulled on the Ohio Greenways web site. Whether it will be coming back online soon is an open question. There are a number of links from these pages to the fine maps on that site that are hanging in the balance. They will remain in place for now, but will be removed if Ohio Greenways is shut down permanently.
Thanks to Mark Eisenbraun for his update of the Mill Creek Bikeway. Also, see his mini-review of the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail. Thanks Mark!
Another new Columbus, Ohio trail site has come on the scene. It's called Central Ohio Greenways. It's provides an elegantly simple snapshot and summary of the major area trails. This site, combined with the Columbus Trails & Greenways pages which cover the area in more detail, make a great tandem for Columbus trail coverage.
Sometimes too much information can be overwhelming, like when you're just starting to familiarize yourself with a large trail system like the 75 or so miles (existing trails when finished, more are planned!) in and around the state capital. That's when small doses of well organized bits are great to get you going. As time goes by and you become more acquainted with the network, you start to crave more detailed info such as construction and extension updates. Together, these two web sites do a fine job of covering the spectrum so no matter what your tastes, there's a format to satisfy. Be sure to check them out along with the Columbus City Parks trail pages.
I hope everyone had a tremendous holiday and is ready for a great 2006! The weather this week is downright balmy, so don't be afraid to get that bike out nice and early this year.
Big changes are in the works here at Cycling Ohio Trails & Bikeways. A new web site will be unveiled in the coming months that will not only have a new look, but a new name, domain change and much more. Expect a better organized site that is easier to navigate, along with more of the stuff you've come to expect -- good content and maps!
More user interactivity is one of many objectives for the new pages. At this time it's looking as though the new site will have to be mostly completed before it can be launched, due to some changes in layout and navigation. But fear not, it's coming soon...
The first trail update of the new year comes to us courtesy of Ruth Ann Reiner. Check out her report on the Little Beaver Trail.
Have you ever had difficulty locating an Ohio trail or finding your way between trail sections? If you've done a fair amount of trail riding you've puzzled over which way to go at one time or another. "Navigating Ohio Bikeways" examines this problem and offers some suggestions to help end the "where am I?" blues.
Thanks to Steven Myers for updating the Huron River Greenway specs on the review page.
The culvert replacement has been completed and the B & O is open once again at Millsboro Road near Mansfield, including the trail parking lot.
Thanks to the Mansfield News Journal we now have a nice map of the B & O Trail! If you plan on visiting the trail soon, be sure to check out the construction closing news as well as the map notes.
Check out the construction advisory for the Richland B & O Trail. Also, see news regarding the grand opening of the Lebanon Countryside Trail.
I've added a number of trails to the Ohio Trail List database. The newcomers include: The Alum Creek Greenway, Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, Harris Dillard Bikeway, Lake County Greenway, Lebanon Countryside Trail, Maple Highlands Trail and the Piqua Linear Park Trails.
Along with adding the new trails, I've also dropped a few. The casualties are: California Junction Trail, Darke County Parks Trail and the Huffman Prairie Overlook. The Huffman Prairie, for example, is essentially a hiking trail that's part of the Buckeye Trail System. As such, it's not really a bikeway.
The trail focus is being narrowed a bit here at Cycling Ohio Trails & Bikeways. More on that coming soon...
I'm an admitted map fanatic. I love maps that are easy to read and provide good, practical information. Most importantly, they make navigating roads and trails a breeze. Good multi-colored maps are easy on the eyes and further enhance cartography by properly separating various elements, making them even more pleasing to view and use.
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is one of the latest advances in mapping and is ushering in an exciting time for map users. It involves the layering of different types of geographic info together to produce some pretty neat results. Here's an example using aerial photos of the Scioto Trail from the Columbus Greenways web site.
Trail users are already starting to benefit from this technology as many of the new trail maps currently coming online are using GIS layering techniques. Here's a recent example of the Miami Valley Trails in southwestern Ohio from the MVRPC.
As with most new technologies, there are a couple of cons to this largely pro GIS development. Many of these new maps come in PDF form and can be fairly large files to view with slower dialup connections. Also, the map is generally only as good as its author. If that person is more interested in color and marketing flair rather than substance, the results may not provide the useful detail we've come to expect for navigation. Obviously some maps are purely for marketing purposes and that's fine. But let's hope that simple navigation is not lost as it is still the supreme goal of any map that attempts to be a practical resource for trail users. If you have to ask, "How do I get to the trailhead on this pretty map?" the map lacks sufficient detail.
GIS is a developing technology that's likely to expand and improve along with cartographers' abilities to produce both visually stunning maps, as well as detailed, practical ones. And that's something we can all look forward to.
I've posted an addendum to the Panhandle Trail review. It now includes a short trail in the Newark network dubbed here the Panhandle River Trail. Pics are also included.
Just in time for Halloween come some thoughts on Ohio's scary trails. It's lurking in the Trailside section. Readers beware...
I visited the Panhandle and Blackhand Gorge Trails recently and have updated their respective reviews and added pics.
Many thanks to Rich Koon and Craig Morgan for updates on the Hockhocking Adena Trail and the Akron Bike & Hike Trail. Keep those updates coming!
The new section of the North Coast Inland Trail from Norwalk to Monroeville is officially open, while the Prairie Grass Trail has been extended 8 miles east of London, Ohio this summer. The Prairie Grass is a link in the Ohio-to-Erie Trail chain. See the news board for more on these two cross-state trails.
A somewhat rare occurrence here at Cycling Ohio Trails & Bikeways -- new maps! Check out the new Xenia Station map, as well as the Blackhand Gorge & Panhandle Trail map with connecting road routes.
I hope to continue this trend and periodically add new maps to the site. Bookmark this page to check back to see what's new.
There are several hot spots in Ohio where something's always happening with new trail construction. Columbus, Ohio is one such spot. And keeping up with the latest extensions, connectors and construction across this ever-growing megalopolis is no small task. Thanks to a terrific new web site, Columbus Greenways And Trails, you can make some sense of the trail maze in and around the capital city. Some cool aerial photos, too!
I checked out the newly constructed portion of the Holmes County Trail. Read all about this fine section of the Ohio-to-Erie Trail on the updated review page complete with new pics.
Also, I added a better pic of the Bridge of Dreams to the Mohican Valley Review Page. Enjoy!
The Kokosing Gap and Holmes County Trails have recently completed paving projects. Check out the latest on the news board.
Repairs are close to being completed along the Little Beaver Creek Trail. In addition, the trail will have a new parking lot and be extended about .3 mile toward Leetonia. To learn more, check out the news board.
Construction updates are in on a couple of new sections of the North Coast Inland Trail and the Holmes County Trail, which is part of the Ohio-to-Erie project. Check out both stories on the news board.
Speaking of the Ohio-to-Erie, I've wrapped up the story of my cross-state trek. The journey starts here and is located on the Trailside Page where you'll also find a new musing called The Great Trail Debacle!
A thorough spring cleaning has been in the works for several weeks here at Cycling Ohio Trails & Bikeways. If you haven't stopped by in a while, you'll notice updates in virtually every area, while some older stuff has been removed.
Remember, your input helps keep the trail database updated! Please report any dead or broken links and keep those trail updates coming!
From time to time a valuable resource goes online for Ohio trail users. Such is the case with ODOT's Bike Page. It lists temporary trail closures, construction news and recently opened bikeways! If the background makes the text hard to read, simply copy & paste it into notepad or a word processor. It only takes a few seconds and is well worth the trouble. I've included a permanent link to the site on the Ohio Trail News & Maps Page.
The page also provides a list of Ohio Maps & Guidebooks which includes cross-state bicycle routes.
Judy Schaefer sends word that the Little Beaver Creek Greenway Trail is in need of some repairs. Check out the latest news.
Day 3 of my 2004 Ohio-to-Erie Trail ride has been posted.
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