Posted February 10, 200619 yr From ThisWeek Big Walnut, 2/5/06: County will seek grant to fund trail Section of Delaware County among final pieces of Ohio to Erie route Sunday, February 5, 2006 By NATE ELLIS ThisWeek Staff Writer A project to create the longest, continuously paved trail in the nation soon could receive a significant boost if Delaware County can land a $500,000 Clean Ohio Trails grant. The Delaware County commissioners last Monday voted to seek a $500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to partially fund construction of the county's portion of the Ohio to Erie Trail. http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=Sunbury&story=thisweeknews/020506/Sunbury/News/020506-News-91747.html
February 10, 200619 yr My geography professor at Ohio Wesleyan has used his GIS class for the past several years to address issues of bike trails in Delaware County, including this one, in order to assist the local planners of these things. I didn't realize that Delaware County was one of the final pieces. The pressure's on!
February 10, 200619 yr This would be awesome! I can't say that I'd ever travel the whole trail (I can't say that I wouldn't either!), but the thought that I could is pretty amazing!
February 11, 200619 yr That would be fantastic. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 9, 200619 yr Galena adds land so you can go take a hike Paths part of 460-mile network of trails Monday, May 08, 2006 Dana Wilson THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH GALENA, Ohio — There was a time when Bob Kane wouldn’t have considered selling off a slice of his 5-acre wilderness in eastern Delaware County. "I guess I was selfish for a while," he said. "I wouldn’t want anybody else back there." http://dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/08/20060508-B1-02.html link to map of the above section.... http://www.ohiotoerietrail.org/OnTheTrail/HeartOfOhio/default.htm
November 25, 200816 yr Good news from the Franklin County Metro Parks board meeting: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/11/24/parkbudget24.html?sid=101 The district will begin building what eventually will be an 11.4-mile trail from western Franklin County into Madison County, much of it along the Camp Chase Railroad right-of-way. It will be a link in the Ohio to Erie Trail connecting Cleveland and Cincinnati. The first 7.3-mile section will cost $4.2 million, including $2.55 million in state money. The trail is to link Columbus to the southern leg of the Ohio to Erie Trail by 2012.
June 24, 20204 yr Whooo boy, this thread is quiet. I'm planning on cycling from Cleveland-Cinci over the July 4th weekend (and then some). Looking forward to seeing Ohio from a different perspective (cough cough, not via 71 ?). I've cycled to Akron via the towpath but not much further outside of that- any tips or must see spots along the trail network? Hoping this helps shed some of the COVID-19 weight I've put on in hibernation....ugh.
June 24, 20204 yr I ride in 10-ish mile segments sometimes longer if taking advantage of the CVSR which is not operating this year. So I’m really riding 20+ since i have to ride back. I’m riding a mountain bike for building stamina so speed and distance aren’t a huge concern. Using a road bike should be no problem until getting to Bolivar from Cleveland. I haven’t been much further than that to know the conditions. The trail becomes more of a wide single track once it crosses over I-77 south of Bolivar. I’m not sure there is much of a trail past New Philadelphia to get to Columbus. I have not investigated further. Stops from Akron south i like are both R Sheas breweries and the peanut shop on Main st. i mix the summit county brewpath tour with my own tour of the towpath which is another benefit of doing the towpath in stages. So i also try to hit the other Akron breweries along the towpath including lock15, missing falls and magic city brewing in south akron. I popped into Ignite brewing in downtown barberton a couple weeks ago. Not part of the brewpath but great brewery stops are in Massillon Paradigm shift and in Bolivar Lockport brewing. Both are a mile or so away from the towpath. Sublime Smoke in Bolivar is considered one of the better bbq joints in the region and its a block from the towpath trail. Putting sokolowskis to sublime smoke into google maps is 85 miles and a 7hr ride. That seems like a long enough day of riding to me.
August 17, 20213 yr Fundraising continues for section of Ohio to Erie Trail in Delaware County Paul Comstock - ThisWeekNews - July 29, 2021 "The project’s website – ohiotoerietrail.org – says that as of November 2019, 274.8 miles of the trail's eventual 326 miles were completed. Most, but not all, of the trail's section in Delaware County also is completed. To help fund the remaining costs, Delaware County Friends of the Trail held its 18th annual Community Ties Bicycle Tour on July 24 as a fundraiser. ... 'We've been diligently acquiring right of way and slowly building trail over the last several years,' he said, adding that Preservation Parks uses grants, park-district funds, contributions from groups including DCFT, and in-kind volunteer work. Last year, we built 2.5 miles and this year we're going to build another 1.4 miles. That will bring us down to Hartford Road, which is just outside of Sunbury,' he said. Also next year, a 1,500-foot section between Harford Road and Sunbury will be completed."
June 1, 20232 yr On 6/24/2020 at 8:35 AM, GISguy said: Whooo boy, this thread is quiet. I'm planning on cycling from Cleveland-Cinci over the July 4th weekend (and then some). Looking forward to seeing Ohio from a different perspective (cough cough, not via 71 ?). I've cycled to Akron via the towpath but not much further outside of that- any tips or must see spots along the trail network? Hoping this helps shed some of the COVID-19 weight I've put on in hibernation....ugh. hmmm apparently I never posted my ride writeup, here ya go: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1e8c9772dd204bcfb220edccf6f0d4d8
June 1, 20232 yr I did the trail in 2020 as well. I went CLE - Apple Creek - Sunbury - Xenia - Cincy, 4 days.
June 1, 20232 yr 31 minutes ago, Balkmusic said: I did the trail in 2020 as well. I went CLE - Apple Creek - Sunbury - Xenia - Cincy, 4 days. Kind of regret riding the Xenia to Cinci part in the dark, the Little Miami trail seemed pretty awesome from what I was able to light up haha
July 17, 20231 yr A new bicycle underpass is u/c right now at The Cartridge Factory. I don't know of any car-bike accidents at this crossing, but it's definitely the hairiest spot between Cincinnati and Xenia. Here is how it looked for many years: The new bike underpass is being built as part of a brand-new bridge across the Little Miami. It's on a new alignment several hundred feet north of the old bridge. I don't know if the old bridge is being kept for bikes or not. There's the old bridge: Here's the new bridge: A traffic circle has been built as part of this project to slow traffic and avoid putting up a traffic signal for the Cartridge Factory apartments: It looks like they could have the new underpass open by September, but I'm not aware of the schedule. The bridge looks like it won't be done until the late fall. Edited July 17, 20231 yr by Lazarus
July 17, 20231 yr Excellent news. I haven't ridden that trail in close to 20 years, but even then I always hated dealing with that intersection. Worse than even downtown Loveland. I'm sure it's gotten much worse, the cartridge factory was basically abandoned then.
July 17, 20231 yr 1 hour ago, mrCharlie said: Excellent news. I haven't ridden that trail in close to 20 years, but even then I always hated dealing with that intersection. Worse than even downtown Loveland. I'm sure it's gotten much worse, the cartridge factory was basically abandoned then. The main problem with Loveland isn't the street crossings, it's the pedestrians who aren't paying attention. Lots of people park on one side of the trail and walk across it randomly, with kids straggling along and not paying attention. I don't expect to be able to zoom through the area, but it's like nobody realizes the trail is there despite bicyclists being in full view. I remember one year when they set up about 20 port-o-potties alongside the trail, meaning the people waiting to use them were literally blocking the trail.
July 17, 20231 yr 53 minutes ago, Lazarus said: The main problem with Loveland isn't the street crossings, it's the pedestrians who aren't paying attention. Lots of people park on one side of the trail and walk across it randomly, with kids straggling along and not paying attention. Oof I forgot just how bad that section of trail was for that very reason, I recall more than one skidding stop because an oncoming kid with oblivious parents crossed the line in front of me. Consequently we are extremely vigilant about making sure our son rides safely (and pays attention) on the trail that is local to me, but it's NOWHERE near as busy as downtown Loveland. Also not as long, scenic, or interesting.
July 17, 20231 yr 2 hours ago, mrCharlie said: Oof I forgot just how bad that section of trail was for that very reason, I recall more than one skidding stop because an oncoming kid with oblivious parents crossed the line in front of me. Consequently we are extremely vigilant about making sure our son rides safely (and pays attention) on the trail that is local to me, but it's NOWHERE near as busy as downtown Loveland. Also not as long, scenic, or interesting. The park around the trail in Loveland is a serious hub of activity, and the trail was the catalyst. Loveland has gone from being a joke (because of its name and blue collar history) back in the 70s and 80s to a higher-class area that isn't particularly pretentious. For whatever reason the motorcycle crowd co-exists with the yuppies in Loveland and further north at the Monkey Bar and up in Oregonia more smoothly than anywhere else I can think of. I think it's because the yuppie encroachment was very slow.
September 12, 20231 yr Well, I just completed my second ride of the OTET (I did it first in 2020). I went: Cleveland -> Millersburg Millersburg -> Columbus Columbus -> Cincinnati Some things I noticed: * The detour around the waste treatment plant near the Botzum trailhead in CVNP has been removed. * Just before Summit Lake, there is a closure where the trail used to go under I-76/I-77. You have to go under the overpass on surface street sidewalks. * The trail connecting the Heart of Ohio Trail to Sunbury is complete and is a huge improvement. The on road section in Sunbury is now just a couple blocks. * I still hate the connection from the path through Westerville to the Alum Creek Trail. * There is a major bridge out near Easton called "Champion Bridge." There is no detour so I just walked across the creek on some rock bridge created by the construction crew. Not sure that would be possible on a weekday. * The 670 bikeway is the worst. * The sidewalk riding on Georgesville Rd. sucks. * The construction at The Cartridge Factory, mentioned above, is still ongoing. I just rode through the construction site and ignored the detours. * The rerouting through Cincinnati is an improvement. You no longer have to go on road through Mariemount, up that giant hill. Edited September 12, 20231 yr by Balkmusic
September 13, 20231 yr 15 hours ago, Balkmusic said: * The rerouting through Cincinnati is an improvement. You no longer have to go on road through Mariemount, up that giant hill. The new connection was extremely expensive - something like $6 million. Unfortunately, some idiot on the construction crew drove a Bobcat or other tracked vehicle on the asphalt before it was dry and created track prints. This means that if you try to take the curve at high speed, your teeth chatter as if you're riding over a highway rumble strip. The signage near Cincinnati continues to confuse the hell out of visitors. Specifically, there are sections where there are two parallel paths, with GPS not matching the signed path. The first and less-serious section is on the downtown riverfront. The other, and surely more irritating, is about four miles west, where a very short section of the "Ohio River Trail" was built about 10 years ago close to the riverbank, but away from the continuous Riverside Drive bike lanes. Also, the "Ohio River Trail" is now signed on the east side of Lunken Airport, where it dead-ends about 10 miles later near Coney Island. That's *not* the Cincinnati-Cleveland trail, but no doubt confuses people since maps just told them to ride the "Ohio River Trail" about 2 miles earlier. They really need to simplify the signage. Get something completely distinctive, like some sort of interstate highway-looking Ohio-shaped reflective sign, and post about 1,000 of them at every cross-street and trail junction between Cincinnati and Cleveland.
September 13, 20231 yr 5 hours ago, Lazarus said: They really need to simplify the signage. Get something completely distinctive, like some sort of interstate highway-looking Ohio-shaped reflective sign, and post about 1,000 of them at every cross-street and trail junction between Cincinnati and Cleveland. I definitely got mixed up a few times while doing it - some areas are definitely great while others are...lacking. Honestly if it wasn't for your tips of getting into Cincy I would've been really mixed up and riding on major roads. Also bummer about the asphalt - they did that here in Cle on one of the new phases of trail but eventually it smoothed out, hopefully someone takes a steamroller to it or something (really should be on the contractors' dime) but that's probably wishful thinking...
September 13, 20231 yr 3 hours ago, GISguy said: I definitely got mixed up a few times while doing it - some areas are definitely great while others are...lacking. Honestly if it wasn't for your tips of getting into Cincy I would've been really mixed up and riding on major roads. Back in July I was stopped by some visitors from Massachusetts who flew(!) to Cincinnati with their bikes and planned to ride the trail to Cleveland. They were thoroughly confused by the parallel trails. I made a poor choice of words when I described the wayfinding to Lunken Aiport as "hairy". They looked scared, as if I was directing them to ride onto an interstate highway. What I meant is that they somehow have managed to make what ought to be a very easy and very straightforward section of the cross-state route as confusing as possible. Until you actually try to give verbal instructions to someone, you don't realize how odd the whole setup is. Another problem with the signage is that it doesn't indicate where water fountains and restrooms are. There is no way for a newcomer to plan for these stops. There are places where a water fountain lurks just out of sight of the trail...there need to be signs.
September 13, 20231 yr 15 minutes ago, Lazarus said: as if I was directing them to ride onto an interstate highway Psh that's what the Columbus section is for! And yeah, seriously signs, and I like your idea of distinct signs and noting where things are. When I did it, it was a million degrees out and didn't realize how much I'd be screwed without water in areas like Bridge of Dreams section (Killbuck to Danville). I actually came off trail and biked around Brinkhaven looking for a spigot I could grab water from, no dice...it wasn't until I got to Danville that I could stock up at the store. So glad I didn't opt for the up and over strategy by Killbuck (520/CR6 split) and went around that hill.
September 13, 20231 yr 2 hours ago, GISguy said: And yeah, seriously signs, and I like your idea of distinct signs and noting where things are. The route is designated as "Ohio 1", with small green signs. I never paid attention to these signs until I purposefully drove to Xenia and rode the trails other than Ohio 1. Up there, Ohio 2, 3, and 4 intersect Route 1 at Xenia Station. It's the only part of the state where this numbering is useful. Otherwise, why do you care what numbered route you're on? They really ought to rename/rebrand the whole trail, since "Ohio to Erie" doesn't mean anything specific. It doesn't necessarily mean "Ohio RIVER" and "Lake ERIE" as it could instead mean anywhere in the state of Ohio to Erie, PA.
November 5, 20231 yr I noticed this sign yesterday...it's outdated, without the new bridge over the Little Miami. Plus, it illustrates the problem with differentiating between the "Ohio River" Trail and the others. I'll repeat what I posted here a few months ago - the actual Ohio to Erie path ought to to have its own name and that name should override all of the local bike trail names. Nobody can keep all of those names straight, and there's no reason to have so many names when even people like me, who have ridden some combination of these trails 200+ times, can't keep their names straight.
July 28, 2024Jul 28 Today a group of 200+ riders rode southbound on a portion of the trail from Cleveland as part of something called the Pan Ohio Hope Ride. They managed to traverse the state without using much of the Ohio-Erie trail. Pretty much the only part they used was from Xenia south to Cincinnati: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47261793 Links to the rest of the route are here: https://secure.acsevents.org/site/TR/ACTIVEFundraising/CFPCY24NER?pg=entry&fr_id=107183 It looks like they don't use the trail north of Columbus because they overnight at the College of Wooster.
August 13, 2024Aug 13 On 11/5/2023 at 1:54 AM, Lazarus said: I noticed this sign yesterday...it's outdated, without the new bridge over the Little Miami. Plus, it illustrates the problem with differentiating between the "Ohio River" Trail and the others. I'll repeat what I posted here a few months ago - the actual Ohio to Erie path ought to to have its own name and that name should override all of the local bike trail names. Nobody can keep all of those names straight, and there's no reason to have so many names when even people like me, who have ridden some combination of these trails 200+ times, can't keep their names straight. A few months late, but I agree - at least super clearly marked that THIS IS THE OTET - I ran into issues when I did it a while back in Massillon: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1e8c9772dd204bcfb220edccf6f0d4d8#ref-n-D0jpoH
August 13, 2024Aug 13 On 11/5/2023 at 1:54 AM, Lazarus said: I'll repeat what I posted here a few months ago - the actual Ohio to Erie path ought to to have its own name and that name should override all of the local bike trail names. Nobody can keep all of those names straight, and there's no reason to have so many names when even people like me, who have ridden some combination of these trails 200+ times, can't keep their names straight. I don't agree with this, at least not for the longer trails on the route. From a Cleveland perspective, renaming the Towpath trail is a nonstarter. It's a well known name with historic significance. A proposal to cover up the name with OTET wouldn't be well received. And while I understand your point, the number of people that are through riding this trail is miniscule compared to people doing individual sections. Covering up the local trail names might cause more confusion overall, since far more people are relying on local trail signage (and I'm sure they're less experienced at way finding on average as well).
August 13, 2024Aug 13 My wife and I just completed the GAP/C&O trail two weeks ago. I was leapfrogging a group of riders for a couple days. While chatting they learned I live in Ohio and they wanted to know all about the OTET. I think I convinved them it should be their next adventure.
August 13, 2024Aug 13 14 minutes ago, Ethan said: I don't agree with this, at least not for the longer trails on the route. From a Cleveland perspective, renaming the Towpath trail is a nonstarter. It's a well known name with historic significance. A proposal to cover up the name with OTET wouldn't be well received. And while I understand your point, the number of people that are through riding this trail is miniscule compared to people doing individual sections. Covering up the local trail names might cause more confusion overall, since far more people are relying on local trail signage (and I'm sure they're less experienced at way finding on average as well). I think a nice compromise and what I have in mind is like our road names - we know it as Euclid Ave. but nationally it's Route 20 - seems like making sure people know they're on OTET (with some secondary signage or an extra line on signs) would be super helpful.
August 13, 2024Aug 13 1 minute ago, Balkmusic said: My wife and I just completed the GAP/C&O trail two weeks ago. I was leapfrogging a group of riders for a couple days. While chatting they learned I live in Ohio and they wanted to know all about the OTET. I think I convinved them it should be their next adventure. How was the ride??
August 13, 2024Aug 13 I wish I hadn't chosen a week that was ~100 degrees. The ride was very enjoyable, long stretches that were a lot more isolated than anywhere on the OTET it felt. Obviously being railroad/towpath grade it was very flat (until you needed to climb out to go into town). The GAP had plentiful access to potable water, the C&O not so much. The GAP literally when through a bunch of towns, the C&O was more of a "green tunnel" and felt very samey at times, although it was naturally very beautiful. The surface of the GAP was totally smooth, I rode it with 32c tires no propblem. The C&O trail was much rougher, and after a rain even doubly so. I found myself wishing I had a more substantial set up when the trail became rutty, rocky, doubletrack. Overall it was a great experience, loved starting in a large city (Pittsburgh) and ending in a large city (D.C.). Also loved taking the train back home, bikes aboard (which obvioulsy you can't do on the OTET).
August 15, 2024Aug 15 On 8/13/2024 at 10:36 AM, Balkmusic said: The GAP had plentiful access to potable water, the C&O not so much. When I rode it (2019) the pumps/campsites were idk every 5ish miles, did COVID kill them? And it's funny, somehow I got lucky when I did it - it rained pretty hard my first night on GAP (I stayed in Connellsville next to the leantos), but somehow the C&O dried out enough for me to run it on 28's. A dude I was talking to kept saying my fenders were going to get destroyed on that portion, but I was fine. I agree that, when you're in the cut, you're in the cut hah if you don't have food or supplies going into some sections of the C&O you're definitely SOL. Places where you think there'd be a general store there's nothing, and if there's something around you you need to climb to them hah. Were there any washouts? When I did it you had to snag a shuttle in one of the towns past Harpers Ferry. I definitely share the sentiment that it all kind of blends in after a while, I kind of swore off scenic trails for the rest of that summer lol. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4HsHLU2C1dicntWi7 Edited August 15, 2024Aug 15 by GISguy
August 16, 2024Aug 16 The water pumps were still there, but they had signs saying not to drink it. Didn't bring any filtration/tablets so didn't risk it. We did have a detour just a few miles before Connellsville where the trail was closed for utility maintenance. I was prepared to road-ride around it, but the shuttle was right there waiting for us so I hitched a ride.
March 14Mar 14 The Bass Island trailhead near Cincinnati is being rebuilt in 2025: It's nice that they're building a full bathroom here (there has been a port-o-let here for many years) but it's only a mile away from the Avoca parking lot, which also has a full bathroom & drinking fountain.
Create an account or sign in to comment