The Ohio to Erie Trail is a dedicated multi-use trail for non-motorized vehicles that traverses the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, from southwest to northeast, crossing of regional parks, nature preserves, and rural woodland. Construction began in 1991, with sections completed as recently as 2022. Named after its endpoints, the trail extends from the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

to the

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

. Primarily integrating former

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetc ...

s and other

multi-use trail A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...

s into a dedicated trail, some segments fall into "route" status, with on-road segments in anticipation of future

segregated cycle facilities Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except whe ...

. The entire Ohio to Erie Trail is intended for bicyclists and hikers, with sections along the path allowing equestrian and

horse and buggy ] A horse and buggy (in American English) or horse and carriage (in British English and American English) refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two ...

traffic. The trail has multiple surface types including asphalt, cement, concrete, crushed limestone and hard-packed earth.

History

The Ohio to Erie Trail began in 1991 as an outgrowth of the Ohio Bicycle Advisory Council, and was envisioned that year by Edward Franklin Honton, a former Franklin County engineer, who subsequently founded and served as president of a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

dedicated to developing the trail. After his death in 2005, his legacy continued through the organization he founded, ''The Ohio to Erie Trail Fund''. The historic Bridgeview Bridge was dedicated in Honton's memory at the opening of the Alum Creek Trail near Innis Park on July 15, 2011. The bridge is a fully restored 1902 structure which originally carried Beach Road and Lucas Road over the Big Darby Creek.

Path

The trail is divided into four separate sections: *Northern leg:

Massillon Jean-Baptiste Massillon, Oratory of Jesus, CO (24 June 1663, Hyères – 28 September 1742, Beauregard-l'Évêque), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death. Biography Early y ...

*Heart of Ohio leg: Massillon to

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

*Central Ohio leg: Mount Vernon to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

*Southern leg: London to

The trail passes through regional parks, nature preserves, and other rural woodland. The trail is planned to be in length. Of that number, are complete and in daily use, are either under construction or in engineering design, as of Nov 2016. By the end of 2022 the Ohio to Erie Trail will have over 90% dedicated bike trails and 3.6% streets and 5.9% rural roads. Of the remaining 31 miles of off trail riding 17 of those miles are on the Fredericksburg to Dalton road section through the scenic Amish countryside. hio to Erie Trail Newsletter, Spring 2022.

References

External links

Ohio to Erie Trail: Official websiteOhio to Erie Trail: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Trail LinkOriginal Ohio to Erie Trail websiteOhio to Erie Trail Paper MapA Path Through Ohio, Second Edition
{{authority control Bike paths in Ohio Hiking trails in Ohio Central Ohio Greenways Rail trails in Ohio State parks of Ohio Greenways Protected areas of Hamilton County, Ohio Protected areas of Clermont County, Ohio Protected areas of Warren County, Ohio Protected areas of Greene County, Ohio Protected areas of Clark County, Ohio Transportation in Hamilton County, Ohio Transportation in Clermont County, Ohio Transportation in Warren County, Ohio Transportation in Greene County, Ohio Transportation in Clark County, Ohio Cycling in Cincinnati 1991 establishments in Ohio

History

Path

See also

References

External links