The Ohio Trails Google map is a work in progress. Below you'll find the latest updates, followed by notes on the map features. To fully explore all the map capabilities, see the User Guide.

Recent Updates - Latest Revision - 8/27/10

• Our first 'How-to' Gmap video demo has been posted to the blog. More to come.
• The Buck Creek Trail has been added to the map.
• The radio buttons for the trails listed below the Gmap have been modified. Now when you click a trail button, the map moves to roughly the mid-point of the selected trail. The zoom is not changed, so you may have to adjust it to see more or less of the surrounding area.
• The Celina-Coldwater Bikeway, Ohio Canal Greenway & Heath, Ohio trails have been added to the map. Select 'T.J. Evans Trails' below the map to view the Heath POIs.
• The SE & SW Ohio trails vector lines and POIs have been updated. All mapped trails are now linked to more comprehensive info. See the Map Blog for more details.

The 'Out-Of-Sync' Glitch

Ideally, the trails and markers will appear accurately positioned on the map, regardless of the zoom level or view you choose. And they often do, however we've found there are some hiccups to be aware of. Occasionally a trail may wander out into a highway or try to make its way upstream through a river, rather than alongside it. This can result when Google's photo imagery does not line up perfectly with their 'map' view. In this case, switching to satellite or hybrid view may help.

In other instances the photo imagery can even deviate from a route collected by a GPS recorder. Fortunately when this occurs, the images are close enough to show the actual position of the trail.

The Wandering Railroad Tracks

In 'map' view the old railroad lines still shown along bikeway corridors are sometimes out-of-sync with bikeway routes. In many cases the tracks actual position has been estimated rather than accurately mapped. Other cases, where a trail deliberately deviates away from the corridor, will show a similar result.

Updated Google Aerial Views

Recently Google updated its close-up satellite imagery for many rural Ohio regions, providing a better view of trails, parking lots and other landmarks.

GMap Markers

Map markers cover the basic trail facilities for users which include parking, restroom and water information. Green markers are used to easily identify this group. Others services may be marked as well, but the primary goal is to include the facilities and amenities that are right along the bikeway.

You'll notice a deliberate overuse of the marker, particularly when different facilities -- restrooms, water fountains, parking lots, etc. -- are all located at the same spot. Be sure to check the word bubbles -- the info windows associated markers -- to get further info regarding trailheads, additional facilities and other points of interest. A useful tool for trip planning.

Local Search Feature

To find other amenities or services (lodging, restaurants, etc.), use the local search box in the lower right-hand corner of the map. Results appear on the map as mini-markers. See the User Guide to learn more about this feature.

Construction & Closed Trail Sections

Construction alerts will be posted on the map when we are aware of them. Report one if you know of one. However, don't assume a trail has no closed sections if none appear on the map! A thorough trip plan may include checking with trail overseers to anticipate such problems.

GPS Data

Find a new trail or trailhead? Send in the GPX file or long/lat coordinates and we'll add it to the map. First check in to make sure we don't have the data yet.

As the map evolves, we'll continue to tweak the interface by improving usability and adding new features from time to time. The main objective being to bring you the premier Ohio Bikeway map on the web!