Huron County Progress

5/15/12 by Joe Mantey

Bellevue-Monroeville-Norwalk (10 miles) will be complete by July 1.

More construction in the works between Norwalk and Collins also.

Completing The NCIT In Sandusky County

4/20/12 by Ohio Bikeways

From toledoblade.com, "Sandusky County Park District commissioners awarded a nearly $1 million contract Thursday for construction of the county's final leg of the North Coast Inland Trail."

Construction is expected to be completed by September.

Genoa Trail Plans On Hold

1/12/12 by Ohio Bikeways

From PressPublications.com, "With no defined route in place, the Rails-to-Trails Committee has nixed plans to submit a funding application this year for the Genoa leg of the [NCIT] trail.

"The committee has until Feb. 1 to turn in a pre-funding application to the state for the North Coast Inland Trail project that would link Genoa to Elmore. A more defined version is due in March."

More Huron County Updates

11/11/11 by Joe Missler

Huron County portion has some updates. The double track section East of Monroeville has been graded and resurfaced with limestone.

A scenic overlook has been constructed by the Norwalk Kiwanis West of Norwalk at the Huron river viaduct.

Construction will begin in the spring to close the gap between Rt 99 and Peru Center Rd. Construction will begin in the spring from Medusa Rd to Rt 601 East of Norwalk.

Huron County Construction Update

10/29/11 by Ohio Bikeways

A 9.5-mile trail section is nearly complete from Norwalk to Bellevue, with a small gap remaining between the Huron River bridge and Peru Center Road in Monroeville, Ohio.

The bridge has been completed, with only the connection to Peru Center Road to the east yet to finish. This route avoids crossing an active rail line just beyond the east end of the bridge.

3.5 miles of trail is now complete in Collins as well. See the FRTTI newsletter for more details.

Elmore To Lorain

5/5/11 by Ohio Bikeways

From the Toledo Blade: "By mid to late next year, enough links between growing bike trails [along the NCIT] should be in place so cyclists can ride from Elmore into Lorain County on dedicated paths.

"...The linkages are all really close to coming together now to making this a truly national trail," Steve Gruner, director of the Sandusky County Park District, said."

Clyde To Bellvue By 2013

1/9/11 by Ohio Bikeways

From the Sandusky County Park District web site, "The Sandusky County Park District announces that the long awaited Clyde to Bellevue segment of the popular North Coast Inland Trail is coming soon...

"...The Park District plans to have a design engineer hired by December 31 of this year [2010]. The engineering and design portion of the project is expected to take up to 12 months to complete. Upon completion of the design documents a contractor will be selected to construct the trail, which may take an additional 12 months. Once complete, the Clyde to Bellevue trail segment will provide a 10 foot wide paved surface ... .... [that] will provide a safe 25-mile trail connection between Elmore, Lindsey, Fremont, Clyde and Bellevue.

"In Bellevue, trail visitors will be able to access the Huron County trail segment managed by the Firelands Rails to Trails with connections to Monroeville and Norwalk."

More Trail Miles In Huron County

1/9/11 by Ohio Bikeways

According to the Huron County fall newsletter for 2010, the NCIT has reached Prairie Road, on the east edge of Bellvue. Nearby parking can be found at the Bellvue Reservoir #4.

In Townsend Township, near Collins, Ohio, 1.2 miles of new trail spans between W. Collins and Medusa Roads. When the through-Collins trail is finished in summer 2011, the segments will combine for 3.5 miles of continuous trail.

The trail "gap" in Monroeville is expected to be closed by late 2011.

Huron County Update

7/13/10 by Ohio Bikeways

News reports state that the Collins, Ohio trail section will grow to 3.5 miles in length, when construction is completed by the end of summer 2010.

Construction to close the gap in Monroeville also begins this summer on the 225' bridge over the Huron River there. The $300k project is expected to take about 9 months. There is also an active railway crossing that will have to be addressed before the Monroeville and Bellevue trail sections can be joined.

Roughly 15 miles of trail will reside in Huron County. Currently 10 miles are open to the public.

NCIT Report - Sandusky & Huron Counties

4/7/10 by Jim Birt

I rode from Akron to Toledo this last weekend. I very much enjoyed the newly opened asphalt sections from Clyde to Fremont and then to Elmore. More signage is needed. I didn't know where to pick up the bikeway again when I exited it in Fremont.

Also, the crushed limestone section from Norwalk into Bellevue [in Huron County] stops in the middle of cornfield! Why not put up a sign at the entrance to the last section saying that it's not a thru route?

We asked Jim whether road bikes with skinny tires could manage the limestone section. Here's his reply:

I have a Trek 520 touring bike with 32 mm tires that I keep at medium (70-80 psi) inflation pressures. The tires I have on my touring bike are not knobby, but designed for road, and I still didn't have any issues that day with my front wheel washing out.

I would not attempt it with anything that might be on a racing bike that would be equipped with a 23-25 mm tire. The limestone path is too young and it's not packed firmly enough yet.

Elmore Summary & Car Traffic Problem

9/4/09 by Ryan

The Elmore portion starts at the Portage River with nearby parking at Walter Ory park - If you are starting in Elmore. If you are riding into Elmore there are places to eat here. There is "Ice Cream on your Left" along the bike trail. In town there is a restaurant and a bar that serves food also. Elmore also now boasts a Bike Shop - Elmore Cycling.

Walter Ory park in Elmore has public restrooms during park hours - with another public restroom at the police station.

The trail is now paved from the river all the way to its end in Fremont on Walter Ave. There are benches along the way with two covered structures.

One very important thing I would like to add about the Elmore section: People drive cars down it. The section that runs parallel to Maple Street and runs the length of the effective Boulevard where the park is - its not guarded [too] well. Just tonight I ran down to get the cop as some IDIOT was driving 25 MPH right down the bike path and almost hit some kids on their bikes. This is a constant issue in the small section! Someone needs to get something done about this before someone gets hurt seriously.

Elmore Bike Shop

7/22/09 by Bill Summers

There's now an ice cream store and a bicycle shop near the end of the trail in Elmore. A couple of restaurants are located in the nearby downtown area.

Great Folks & Upcoming Bike Tour

6/19/09 by Albert Garcia

My girl and I have done the Elmore to Lindsey and the Lindsey to Fremont portion of the NC Trl. Awesome. Toilets in both Elmore & Lindsey. The mayor of Elmore noticed that we could not get into the one along the park trail and unlocked the doors himself and talked to us for about half hour. Nice guy.

Volunteers in Lindsey were walking along the trail picking up garbage on a beautiful Sunday pm...........what great folks. The trails themselves are really great. Scenery, openest, safe are just a few words I can use to describe the trls. Great job! We're going to the June 28 bicycle tour along the Portage River and have more fun in Elmore. Please attend.

Elmore Section Awesome!

5/28/09 by Albert Garcia

We did the Elmore portion of the NC Trl. and it was awesome. I grew up in both Lindsey and Elmore in the '60.s and '70's so I know the area very well. Nice job on the trail. Great idea as well.

Lindsey Facilities & Food Stop

11/3/08 by Robert Soper

I rode to Lindsey today and there is a public restroom at the city park along the trail but it is closed. It may be because of the winter coming on. There is a drinking fountain there. When you get to State Route 590 and go a block to the right off the trail there is a place to buy sandwiches, etc. It looks like a convenience store. There was no open or close time on it.

Fremont To Elmore Trail Details

10/26/08 by Robert Soper

...You have to go through part of Fremont (3 miles) to get to the finished Fremont to Elmore part of the trail... The new 10.5 mile trail section starts at Walter Avenue on the west side of Fremont off of route 20. As far as going across the river in Elmore the paved section stops on the bridge giving a great view.

Collins Section Opened

10/26/08 by Ohio Bikeways

A new 1.3-mile stand alone trail section was recently opened in Collins, Ohio. It extends from Heartland Center Road east to Derussey Road. This expands the Huron County portion of the NCIT to 3 sections totaling approximately 8 miles. Visit the Ohio Trail map to view the layout.

Fremont To Elmore Section Completed

10/8/08 by Ohio Bikeways

The NCIT in Sandusky County has been expanded 10.5 miles northwest into Ottawa County. The new section extends from Fremont to Lindsey to Elmore, Ohio.

We don't have any details yet regarding new trailheads, exact start and finish points of the new trail, etc. Contact us if you have some info.

Huron County Updates & Future Plans

9/27/07 by Fritz N. Kuenzel, FRTTI Trustee

Work was completed yesterday on our new section of trail at Monroeville from Jackson Street west to Rt. 547 and from Williams Rd. west to Sand Hill Rd. We have an open house scheduled at Monroeville on Oct. 21, I think from 1:00pm until 4:00pm.

As for the unfinished portion of trail going west from Peru Center Road which stops at the W & LE RR., plans are in the works to someday cross the RR then utilize the old LS & MS/NYC 1902 built bridge, built by The King Bridge Company of Cleveland which spans the west branch of the Huron River there at Monroeville which we hope to make into a covered bridge similar to the one down at Brinkhaven Ohio on the trail there. This may take several years but look for it to happen!

As for the river crossing at the gorge just west of Norwalk. That is the east branch of the Huron River where the LS & MS 1871 built stone arched viaduct crosses the river valley. It is far more impressive than the active steel W & LE RR bridge alongside to your south. Most people don't even know the stone arched bridge is there while riding over. Thanks for the nice things said about our trail that we manage.

[To learn more about this trail section, visit their web site.]

Kipton Trailhead

5/21/02 by Tom Bowen

There is extensive parking alongside the NCIT (North Coast Inland Trail) at the Kipton Community Park parking lot (1/4 mile east of Baird Rd) along with porta potties, playground equipment, picnic tables and park benches. Many trail users use this park as the trailhead. The park is located just off Rt. 511 in downtown Kipton. The park and parking area is directly alongside the bikeway. The Kipton Police station and town hall is also directly beside the trail in a converted bank.

The NCIT is patrolled by Park Rangers from the Lorain County Metro Park District who owns and maintains the trail so you may see park rangers in white marked pick up trucks or maintenance vehicles on the trail. This trail is popular with families on the weekends but it is still an uncrowded ride for an inline skater or biker.

Trail Specs:

Class: A3-

Length: Approx. 270 miles - when completed (The well-defined portion of the route from Lorain to the Indiana border is shown below.)

Condition: Varies from Fair to Excellent

Facilities: See the review Trail Specs for facilities in each county along the route.

Food: See review Trail Specs.

Parking: See review Trail Specs.