The Holmes County Trail joins the Mohican Valley Trail at its eastern end in Brinkhaven, Ohio. From there it extends northeastward through Holmes County to a point near Fredericksburg, roughly 29 miles away by trail.
Two Trail Configuration
The trail is a work in progress. Most recently five additional miles of paving were completed in autumn '07, bringing the total to about 15-miles of paved, finished trail. The remaining 14-mile corridor from Killbuck to Glenmont is closed at this time. Check the Holmes County Trail web site for the latest updates.
We rode the 10-mile section of finished trail that now extends from the Walmart in Millersburg to Sterling Road on the southern edge of Fredericksburg. This path consists of two trails constructed side-by-side. The crushed stone lane is specifically for horse & buggy use, while the asphalt lane is for everyone else. The two trails take up about 14 feet in width at their widest points.
The separation of stone and asphalt is accomplished by adding an extra layer of asphalt on the paved side. The small curb this produces in the middle of the trail does a fine job of keeping the dust from traveling across both surfaces. Along sections where a powdered surface was not desirable, such as over bridges, both lanes feature asphalt.
At first glance I thought the buggy side was towpath-like crushed stone. It is. But when I looked more closely I discovered that it differed from towpath in that it has an asphalt foundation. The thin coating of stone dust gives the buggy lane a completely different look, but is essentially just asphalt in disguise. This new configuration is not only unique among Ohio trails, it's practical as well.
Future plans are to extend the trail to Orrville where it could eventually be connected to the Sippo Valley Trail, via Dalton, or the Towpath in Clinton. As the Holmes County Trail is part of the Ohio-to-Erie Trail project, at least one of these connections will certainly become reality.
I began my ride from the Walmart in Millersburg, though this is not an official trail parking area. The trail connects directly with the parking lot to allow Amish horse & buggies to enter from the trail.
The trail bed here had been built up with sandstone, slate and slag. It provided a fine base for the new trail surface that was put down in '05 and extends north to Sterling Road just south of Fredericksburg.
I headed south toward Killbuck by turning left onto the trail. The newly laid asphalt surface now extends to Killbuck. Previously it was a double track with dirt, grass, cinders and large and small gravel. These surfaces are still likely to be found between Brinkhaven and Killbuck, but that section is now officially closed.
Previously I had commended the trail builders for allowing the public to use certain portions of this trail before construction is complete. It was a great opportunity to see a trail project coming to life, and goes a long way toward building interest and support for the Holmes County Trail project. Now it remains to be seen if the final 14 miles of trail will be handled in a similar fashion as that entire stretch is closed at this time.
This open section ends in Killbuck at the old yellow train depot near the intersection of Elm and Main Streets. The weathered sign on the depot still reads "Columbus 67 mi," "Hudson 66 mi." Hudson? Oh, well. The depot is easy to spot if you're looking for the trail in Killbuck.
The trail will continue westward to Glenmont when construction allows. But at this time it's pretty much an impassable forsaken stretch. But if you're interested in what it's like, check out Day 3 of my 2004 Ohio-to-Erie adventure.
We rode north from Millersburg to Sterling Road just south of Fredericksburg to experience the 10-mile trail section. The side-by-side trail configuration (described above) was nicer than expected. After reading that one side would be a "chip & seal" surface, we expected something similar to the tar & chip county roads that thrill us skinny-tire enthusiasts. Fortunately our expectations were more than exceeded.
The new section alternates between all-asphalt to a combination surface as it moves northward. The two trails flip-flop on occasion moving the horse & buggy side from the left to the right-hand side and visa versa. I don't know if this was a construction mistake or done deliberately, but it adds interest to your ride as you move to opposite sides of the corridor as you travel along.
Hipp Station in Millersburg, OH
As the trail nears downtown Millersburg it bends to avoid a large parking area just before it moves under Rt. 39. The new Millersburg Depot along the trail, named Hipp Station, is just past the highway bridge and is a finely restored landmark. Look for the Holmes County Trail headquarters there. A break station for travelers would also be a logical choice.
The trail heads out of town and works its way through the countryside. I should mention that this rural trail passes through its share of woods and brush. And further on toward Holmesville it passes through wide open fields on either side. But what is unique about the Holmes County Trail is the wetland it passes through. In fact, you may want to ride early in the day during warm weather months. I would think mosquitoes could be an issue, though we had no problems riding through during the afternoon.
Tunnel under Rt. 83
As you near Rt. 83, you get a glimpse of the lighted tunnel under the roadway. This is an important landmark, not just for being the first completed bikeway tunnel on the trail, but it marks the point where a restroom and food stop is nearby. Take the asphalt spur to the right, just before you enter the tunnel, and ride uphill to Skip's Trail Depot just a few yards out of sight of the trail.
The trail continues on to Benton Street in Holmesville. There's a short road ride over to the next trailhead via the route on this map. For those of you who prefer written directions, it's left on Benton, right on Market, then right again on Jackson. Ride time to the next trailhead is about 5 minutes. The trail will pickup on your left.
Finding enough room for tandem trails can be a challenge, particularly when private property and public roads squeeze along both sides of a former railway. The Holmes County Trail utilizes adjacent lanes to accommodate buggies and keep them alongside the trail. This creates another new look and feel as the two are not always on the same plane.
Easy access is available where split sections begin and end enabling a smooth transition from public lane back to the trail.
Another improvement can be seen in the trail bollards. They are noticeably shorter than previous designs, eliminating the risk of catching your handlebar as you ride through. A wider space is provided for buggies as well.
New Bollard Design
Like the Mohican Valley Trail that connects with this trail, the Holmes County Trail configuration is intended to feature two trails, side by side. Trail signs show the preferred traffic patterns for horse & buggies and hikers and cyclists along these shared corridors. While the Mohican Trail ambitiously installed both trails at the same time, it had limited success as the initial surfaces were less than ideal for users. The Holmes County Trail, however, has had no such problem. Although that may largely be due to more adequate funding, proper design and layout of this trail must be recognized as well.
As for the finished section from Millersburg to Fredericksburg, it's smooth enough to rollerblade!
[Important note: This section is no longer officially open.]
This trail section is about 8 miles long. We started out from the Bridge of Dreams Trailhead in Brinkhaven, along the eastern end of the Mohican Valley Trail. Turn right onto the trail (head away from the bridge) to ride east into Holmes County.
The finished surface soon comes to an end as the Mohican Trail enters Holmes County. The double track that greets you (closed section) marks the beginning of the Holmes County Trail. At this point the trail bends right to run alongside the embankment of Rt. 62. This is one of three areas where railroad tunnels underneath roadways have been filled in along this trail. Though one new bikeway tunnel has been established in Holmesville, the other two require riders to detour around these obstacles.
Double Track
Follow the double track until it comes to what looks like a driveway connecting a farmer's field with the adjacent road. This is your signal to turn left and cross Rt. 62 to pickup the trail on the other side. There are no signs to direct you.
On the other side you'll see the trail pickup again. Turn right to continue on. (If you turn left you're heading back to the opposite side of the filled tunnel.) The trail is mostly a cinder surface here, with some preliminary grading work completed.
An interesting section of trail resides just over the next filled in rail tunnel. You climb a short, steep hill up to street level, cross the road and plunge back down into a cool, cave-like stream bed where run-off water flows around you after a rain. You feel like you're riding in a cavern rather than on a former railway, as you pick your way along around the water and soft ground.
On a previous visit we encountered small black mounds alongside the trail further along toward Glenmont. At first they appeared here and there, then became more numerous and took on different shapes and sizes. At first glance it looked like small piles of dirt or cinders. But as the piles became more widespread, we stopped to get a closer look. The mounds were ant hills! Apparently the conditions were perfect for these insects to do their work along this mile or so stretch of trail. Some of the mounds looked like shallow graves, while others were smaller and round.
As you near County Road 25 in Glenmont, you may notice signs of 4-wheelers sharing the corridor. Beyond County Road 25, also known as Clinton Street, the trail is closed, mainly due to unsafe bridges and a breach in the trail just prior to Killbuck. To read an account of this section, check out Day 3 of my 2004 Ohio-to-Erie ride.
A word of caution about exploring the Holmes County Trail: Previously some unfinished sections were open for use. However, now according to their web site, the final 14 miles of unfinished trail is closed. As this can change over time as trail construction continues, determine which part of the trail you wish to ride and then contact the overseers to get more details on that particular section.
Note that the bikeway is currently classified as a stand alone trail. That will change when construction connects it with the Mohican Valley Trail.
Brinkhaven Glenmont Killbuck Millersburg Holmesville Fredericksburg
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