The Erie to : Building the Spine Across the Buckeye By Lee Chilcote State Photos by Leonardo Carrizo

The travels 300 miles from the Ohio River in downtown to the rolling hills of rural Amish country and on to the sandy shores of Lake Erie in downtown . When the trail is fi nally complete— more than 70 percent of it is open for use—it will be the longest paved off-road trail in the country. Along the way, it showcases the best of Ohio. >>

Known as “Howard Tunnel,” the stone archway carrying U.S. Route 36 over the in Knox County provides a perfect frame for Ohio’s scenic charm.

railstotrails N fall.13 9 At left, a runner and her faithful companion stride out on Scioto Trail at North Bank Park, Columbus.

!e trail navigates through charm- ing, historic towns such as London and captions radiate from Xenia like sunbeams, Mount Vernon, and traverses pictur- including the Little Miami Scenic Trail, esque areas where Amish buggies can be Creekside Trail and the Prairie Grass Trail. seen rolling alongside bikers and hikers. Surfn Cycle and, above, , are Linking the “3C” cities—Cleveland, well-known stopping points in this hub for Columbus and Cincinnati—the Ohio to trail users. Below, participants in the Earth Day Challenge walk on the Kokosing Gap Trail Erie also allows users to travel between outside Mount Vernon. Ohio’s rural areas and the state’s major metros, which are now undergoing a For instance, on a short, 0.6-mile time from Columbus to scenic villages remarkable revitalization. stretch of trail now under construction farther south, creating more opportuni- Built on hundreds of miles of in Cleveland’s Flats—the historic birth- ties for tourism in Ohio’s small towns as reclaimed rail-trails and canal towpaths, place of the city—the once-decimated well as the state capital. the Ohio to Erie Trail was conceived Cuyahoga River is slowly coming back !e value of rail-trails in the heart of more than two decades ago as a focal to life, with blue herons roosting on the Columbus is already well established. point for recreation opportunities. Yet riverbanks where new fish habitat is being !e Olentangy Trail north of downtown the benefits have proved much broader. created. Nearby, $275 million is being draws thousands of joggers, walkers and Today, the trail is known for spurring invested in redeveloping the Flats East bike commuters each workday, foster- economic development, attracting tour- Bank commercial district to incorporate ing a morning and evening “rush hour.” ists and providing a valuable amenity to offices, housing, parkland and entertain- Increasingly, communities along the trail locals. ment venues. are considered desirable locations, a trend !e late Ed Honton, an avid In Columbus, the Camp Chase rail- that has encouraged fresh investment in Columbus cyclist considered the trail’s with-trail is taking shape along a historic the core city. visionary, would no doubt be delighted. railroad line. Once the trail bridges the !e Ohio to Erie Trail’s big impact From Cincinnati to Cleveland, the grad- formidable Interstate Highway 270, users has impressed Jerry Rampelt, executive ual, mile-by-mile progress of the Ohio to will be able to travel off-road for the first director of the Ohio to Erie Trail Fund, Erie Trail is building a statewide network that is revitalizing communities big and small.

Wealth of Connections “What was once a nice city or local project now becomes a project of much broader importance, because of the wealth of connections and the potential of these connections,” says Eric Oberg, manager of trail development with the Midwest office of Rails to Trails Conservancy, which has helped local communities complete the trail.

10 railstotrails N fall.13 90 e CONNECTING THE r i L a k e E OHIO TO ERIE 80 90 cuyahoga Cleveland Ohio to Erie Trail Recent major construction highlights (From south to north) Total trail length: 320 miles 80 Map Illustration summit • Four-mile extension of the Little Miami Trail surface: Asphalt or 76 by Danielle Marks crushed limestone Akron Scenic Trail, south from Milford to Newtown. 71 wayne stark Danielle Marks Design • Creation of the 6.5-mile 364 Lakeview Drive Trail in Madison County, from London Hartfield, VA 23071-3110 holmes northeast to the county line. OHMt. Vernon IO • Completion of Phases 1 and 2 of the Camp 804 238-1539 Centerburg knox coshocton Chase Rail-Trail, from the eastern end [email protected] delaware of the Roberts Pass Trail to Georgesville, 75 licking 270 west of Columbus. www.daniellemarks.com 70 clark London Columbus • Construction of a 9.4-mile paved franklin 70 connection between Centerburg in Knox All artwork © 2013 madison Xenia 77 County, to the western terminus of the Danielle Marks 71 greene Kokosing Gap Trail in Mount Vernon. • A 6.4-mile extension of the Holmes warren County Trail, from Millersburg to Killbuck. 275 Loveland hamilton • Completion of the Ohio & Erie Canalway 01020304050 map illustration Cincinnati by daniellemarks.com Towpath Trail (Summit section) through clermont MILES downtown Akron.

O • A 1-mile extension of the Ohio & Erie h i o R i v e r N Canalway Towpath Trail (Cuyahoga section) through the Steelyard Commons in Cleveland.

On the horizon a nonprofi t organization that coordinates, Adding Value manages and raises funds for trail devel- When Don Mills became involved in (From south to north) opment across the state. pushing for completion of the Little • The Ohio River Way project to connect “I often joke that trails are like potato Miami Scenic Trail, a rail-trail that runs the southern terminus of the Little chips—I’ve never eaten just one,” he says. through fi ve counties in southwest Ohio, Miami Scenic Trail and the Ohio River in “Once a trail has gone in, people want to some of his neighbors in the Cincinnati downtown Cincinnati. know, ‘How come we don’t have more? suburb of Terrace Park stopped speaking • Completion of the fi nal 4 miles of the Why isn’t it fi nished yet?’ We’ve had all to him. ! ey feared a trail through their Camp Chase Rail-Trail through Columbus’ kinds of development activity going on community would cause home values to west side. along the trail.” Rampelt cites a major decline. A decade later, however, they’re • Closing the gap between northern housing project under way along the humming a new tune. Franklin County and the southern end trail in Akron and the redevelopment “People have taken me out to dinner of the Heart of the Ohio Trail in Knox of downtown Loveland, about 20 miles and apologized,” he says. “! ey’ve real- County. northeast of Cincinnati, with bike shops, ized I’ve not devalued their house but • Completion of the Ohio & Erie Canalway restaurants and new stores. actually increased the value of their prop- Towpath Trail through Scranton Peninsula “We’re moving from ideas and long- erty.” Indeed, a 2011 study completed by term projections to actual mileage on the researchers at the University of Cincinnati in downtown Cleveland. ground, and that’s exciting,” adds Oberg. showed that for every foot closer a house • Completion of the Ohio & Erie Canalway “! ere’s knowledge in cities now—they is to a trail, its value goes up by $9. In Towpath Trail through the Cuyahoga understand the trail’s signifi cance and other words, owners are willing to pay a River Valley to Lake Erie. how it relates to the kind of communities $9,000 premium to be 1,000 feet nearer they want to build.” a trail.

railstotrails N fall.13 11 Below, the Holmes County Trail has made buggy travel much safer for the local Amish communities; at right, cyclists and runners share the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

captions Ryan McKenzie, a bike mechanic at Century Cycles in Peninsula, makes repairs for a visiting customer. The towpath trail runs through this picturesque village, and trail tourism supports a number of local businesses.

It took much of the last decade for the work. When it’s done, cyclists will Mills and others to succeed in getting be able to commute into downtown on the trail built through Terrace Park. an off-road, paved trail—enhancing the Now trail advocates are pushing to bike-friendliness of a city that is in the continue it into downtown Cincinnati, throes of revitalization. a planning challenge that is among the Twenty-three miles north of thorniest in all Ohio. Cincinnati, the Ohio to Erie Trail has “!is is the southern completion made the small town of Loveland a of the Ohio to Erie Trail—the last recreation destination and attracted more 3.7 miles,” says Mills. “!e City of economic activity to its center. Loveland Cincinnati wanted it next to the Ohio is now seen as an outdoor activity hub River, but the riverbank was giving way, that connects visitors to recreation oppor- and industries wouldn’t let it go behind tunities throughout the region—from their facilities for security reasons.” !e Xenia to Cincinnati, Columbus and solution, he believes, is to build the trail beyond. alongside the dormant Oasis railroad “With its amazing setting right on the line. Hopeful that the line could soon be , Loveland was primed reactivated for light rail service, officials for this renaissance,” says Oberg. “What initially resisted the idea. Now they have the trail did was turn many of the busi- embraced the idea of a “rail-with-trail” nesses’ back doors into their front doors, into downtown. “!ere are over 200 opening right onto the trail. !ey have examples of rail-with-trail around the capitalized on the trail so well that for country,” says Mills. “!e trail would many Cincinnatians, the entire trail is simply be built next to the rail, with fenc- known as the ‘Loveland Trail.’” ing; we’d probably have put up [a fence] anyway.” Local Color Ohio River Way, a nonprofit organiza- Loveland is not the only small town that tion formed to spearhead development has benefited from its proximity to the of this portion of trail, is embarking on a Ohio to Erie Trail. !e town of London, campaign to raise $4 million to complete located 30 miles southwest of Columbus,

12 railstotrails N fall.13 also saw an uptick in foot and bicycle Columbus, the numbers will rise even Piece by Piece traffic to its downtown after the trail higher. "e scenery in Knox County, 55 miles segment there was fully opened in To that end, the Columbus and north of Columbus, is among the most 2007. Franklin County Metro Parks is work- beautiful in Ohio, with sparkling rivers, Friends of Madison County Parks and ing on plans to finish the Camp Chase deep gorges and towering hemlocks fram- Trails (FMCPT) created a road route rail-with-trail segment into downtown ing the landscape. Small towns including through downtown London after the rail- Columbus. To carry the trail across I-270, Mt. Vernon, the county seat, were built trail through Madison County had been the agency must build and install a pre- along the railroad lines here more than completed. "ey chose the road route fabricated bridge just south of the Camp a century ago. However, as the railroad because the railroad company declined to Chase railroad bridge. companies quit the lines over the past grant an easement through the town, not "e bridge and the downtown leg of few decades, these rail corridors began yet comfortable with rail-with-trail devel- the trail represent “one of the biggest chal- to return to wilderness, with bridges opment. "anks to good signage, the lenges of the whole project,” says Steve decaying and saplings growing up on the road route has not only helped trail users Brown, chief landscape architect with ballast. “Railroads had a great impact on get through London, but also encouraged Columbus and Franklin County Metro small villages and hamlets on the railroad them to shop at local businesses. Parks. "e project requires building a line, and when they left, there was a nega- “When the Great Ohio Bicycling retaining wall on a side slope with a two- tive impact,” says Knox County Parks Adventure stopped here in 2011, the to-one angle to create the 12-foot-wide Commissioner Kim Marshall. group stayed two days in the London trail. “You’re working in a confined space, Yet today the rail lines in Knox area,” says Wayne Roberts of FMCPT. so it’s a tricky construction project.” County are being turned into the Heart “Some of the local restaurants were When it’s complete next year, the trail of Ohio Trail, connecting Mount Vernon delighted. "ey couldn’t believe it when between Columbus and points farther to Centerburg, at the geographic center the town was inundated with thousands south will serve bike commuters as well as of Ohio. “Now, with reusing those rail- of bike riders.” many families that prefer off-road cycling, road beds, we have an opportunity to FMCPT cites as many as 40,000 peo- Brown says. “When you’ve got families provide services,” says Marshall. “"ey ple using the trail segment over the course and kids involved, the number one thing used to be called railroad towns, but now of a year. Roberts believes that when the is, ‘How do I bike safely from where I they’re trail towns.” Camp Chase Rail-Trail improves the live and get on the trail?’ "ere’s been Applying funding from the federal linkage between London and downtown demand for this trail for a long time.” Transportation Alternatives Program

The Rogers family, Tim, Timmy and Sam, play amongst the trailside sculpture that welcomes cyclists on the Ohio to Erie Trail into the city of London.

railstotrails N fall.13 13 National Park Service Ranger Nick Roll opens the Ohio & Erie Canalway Visitors Center at the Boston Store; bottom, as he does almost every day, Bill Jenkins rides his custom bicycle by Gambier Station outside Mount Vernon.

At right, the recently constructed boardwalk across Summit Lake in Akron is another improvement to the developing Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail; above, runners in Boston Township pass the iconic Boston Store and M.D. Garage, a restored gas station now used for art shows and community events.

and the Clean Ohio Trail Fund, Knox “We’ve seen companies relocating next County has been able to acquire portions to the towpath trail so their employees of the railroad right-of-way. But it hasn’t can have access to it,” says Dan Rice, stopped there. With the help of a gener- president and chief executive officer of ous business owner in Mount Vernon, the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, Karen Wright of Ariel Corporation, the which helped complete the trail. “"e county is working on developing con- project is being used as part of an eco- nector trails. Marshall says the trails have nomic development package to help brought an uptick in traffic to local busi- companies relocate and move to northeast ness, leading one to start a bike rental Ohio.” operation. “"e trail is reinvigorating a Akron had the foresight to recognize part of Mount Vernon that was economi- the importance of the trail a decade ago. cally depressed.” Since then, Rice says the city has seen Knox County also is home to the $110 million in investment along the Mohican Valley Trail, a rail-trail that is trail. “We created a beautiful park along not yet paved but is open to Amish bug- the canal, and we have over 100,000 gies and equestrians. It features the Bridge people attend concerts there in the sum- of Dreams, the longest covered trail mer,” he says. “"ere’s also Canal Park, bridge in Ohio, the second-longest in the our Double A [Akron Aeros] baseball nation and a significant tourist attraction. stadium. "e Towpath Trail goes right Ninety miles north, the 110-mile behind the left-field fence.” Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail runs through downtown Akron. "e trail, The Home Stretch which follows a historic canal that traces "e towpath trail is a key connector in the curve of the Cuyahoga River, was the Ohio to Erie Trail network. From completed in Summit County in 2011. Akron, the Ohio to Erie Trail travels 40 "e towpath trail has created recreation miles north to Cleveland. In the last five opportunities for downtown employees miles of its winding journey to Lake Erie, and residents, while encouraging revital- the trail slices beneath railroad bridges, ization of old rubber factory buildings. jogs alongside steel mills, passes through a

14 railstotrails N fall.13 captions On the Mohican Valley Trail near Brinkhaven, the Bridge of Dreams across the Mohican River is the longest covered bridge in Ohio.

shopping center and chases barges to the Neighborhoods along the trail are slowly offer a commuter route into downtown mouth of the Cuyahoga River. being rebuilt. In Cleveland’s Tremont Cleveland, the area’s biggest employment While most of the trail is now com- neighborhood, which sits along a bluff center. plete, some of the toughest challenges lie overlooking the Cuyahoga River and !e slow but steady progress of the ahead. !at’s because the hardest parts to downtown, trailside homes are going towpath trail—and, indeed, of the entire build run through Cleveland and other up in anticipation of the corridor. Ohio to Erie Trail—inspires Eric Oberg. built-out cities, where trail development Cleveland’s Flats is seeing a rebirth, with He says Ohio’s trail advocates have requires costly cleanup, infrastructure and the East Bank celebrating a new 18-story encountered and triumphed over nearly construction work. office tower. every possible challenge along the way— Although making steady progress, “!e trail has had a big impact on from negotiating railroads for rights-of- the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Cleveland,” says Tim Donovan, execu- way to crafting easements and securing Trail is still several miles from its end- tive director of Ohio Canal Corridor, the funds. With only 10 percent of the trail’s point at Canal Basin Park in downtown nonprofit group working with the city to right-of-way left to be acquired, he is also Cleveland. To get the towpath trail there, finish the trail. He points to the fact that cautiously optimistic that the Ohio to developers must burrow through an active the developer of Steelyard Commons, Erie Trail will be fully complete within industrial area of the Flats and the area’s a large shopping center on the site of a the next 10 to 15 years. crumbling infrastructure. Trail advocates former steel mill in the Flats, spent $1 “Sections of this trail have set the stan- have assembled $62 million in funding million to build the trail through the dard—not just in Ohio, but nationwide,” so far to bring the trail to the park within complex. Oberg says. the next five years, but this work is a Once the towpath trail is fully built, game of miles that can sometimes feel like Donovan says, the number of users Lee Chilcote lives in Cleveland and writes for inches. could rival that of the Cuyahoga Valley a range of regional and national magazines. Nonetheless, the impact of the National Park, climbing to some 2 mil- He enjoys hiking and biking Ohio’s trails and Ohio to Erie Trail network is palpable. lion per year. !e towpath trail will also can often be found along the towpath trail.

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