Q: I hear many names for the same trail, what is the overall name of the 326 mile trail?

ANSWER:

"Ohio to Erie Trail"

Is the name for the trail spanning the state from the Ohio River to Lake Erie which has a distance of 326 miles.

The non profit organization which has worked for 32 years toward the multi-decade effort is The Ohio to Erie Trail Fund and continues to find ways to convert the 10% on streets or roads into trail connections. 

For content creators:  If you post videos, photos or articles about your experience, please DO use our trail name or tags.      

While you WILL see signage in places that has the trail name with hyphens between the words, the preferred notation is the name without hyphens.  (Spell check sometimes incorrectly puts the hyphens back in.)

When you travel the Ohio to Erie Trail, it will help your navigation if you know the name of the local trail segment you are on.   This is what makes the Ohio to Erie Trail different from the other cross state trail systems.  This larger trail system has been knitted together by joining with jurisdictions and friends groups to fill in the gaps.  Without the local trails, the Ohio to Erie Trail would not be 90% done, so please honor and appreciate these local trail names and their distinct identities.  Some of the larger trails are regional trails as well, like the Little Miami Scenic Trail south of Xenia and the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath trail north of Massillon.  It is good to keep in mind, the Towpath ends in Canal Basin Park, but the Ohio to Erie Trail route continues north to Lake Erie.

Hashtags: 

#ohiotoerie

#planOTET

#hikeOTET

#rideOTET

#oh2erie

#ohiotrails 

#alertsOTET

#shareOTET

#326club

Name: 

Ohio to Erie Trail

Q: If you were only riding half the trail which would you choose?

A:

It depends on your preference, both have advantages. The trail mid point is Centerburg and it has a photo op frame

(Location GPS 40.3061122909784, -82.6987444839939)

there, it also a short distance to the Ariel-Foundation Park. 

The northern half will have more elevations and varied surfaces, plus rural roads, Amish Country scenery, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and Cleveland. 

The southern half has more smooth paved surface, large stretches of flat, open trail in rural areas.  Includes 2 large cities, State Park, Metro Parks, mostly linear rail trail or closely follows Rivers. Loveland is a highlight.  Minimal road route.

The middle half is a blend of the options, Xenia to Clinton is the route of the Great American Rail-Trail and includes Ariel-Foundation Park, Battelle Darby Creek MP and Columbus. 

Zoom in on the Interactive Map

ohiotoerietrail.org/interactive-map

Centerburg Selfie Station on Google Maps:  

LINK

Distance in Miles:

Cincinnati to Centerburg 161

Centerburg to Cleveland 162

Xenia to Dalton: 171

QUESTION:

Why isn't there a detour for the spring closure on the Alum Creek Trail?

Which is the best of all alternatives?

ANSWER:

We do share your frustration with this closure during the busy Trail season.  Unfortunately the area surrounding the trail does not have roads conducive to bicycling. Stelzer Road does have sidewalks for walking, but the path is not wide enough for bicycles. 

The Ohio to Erie Trail board puts a lot of thought into the designated trail route.  We use it to create the paper maps, the interactive map and the GPS files. We gather information about lodging, restaurants and camping along the way.  During trail construction and maintenance events, we want minimal deviation from the Ohio to Erie Trail route. 

On this project, the company doing the work has not designated a detour for the project.  There is no easy answer for an unofficial bypass either, so our organization is not able to offer a close by alternative to get around the closure. 

The option that is the least deviation from the Ohio to Erie Trail route is to utilize a COTA bus.  

There are workaround options on the ACT alerts page generated with local Rider input.  These routes also have construction detours and they won't have any of the Ohio to Erie Trail signage.  The workarounds lack the scenic trail experience found on the Alum Creek Trail. 

After the closure is in effect, there will soon be Strava data showing the preferred method to get around it.  We will share that popular route once it is evident. 

ohiotoerietrail.org/ACT_ALERT

Q: How do we know if there is a trail closure because of construction? 

A: The trail does have closures at times, some are brief, but some last longer periods. When a signed Detour is provided by the project lead, we will communicate it on our alerts.   

If no official detour is defined by the work crew, then we will do our best to post a bypass or workaround, but it won't be signed. 

ohiotoerietrail.org/alerts

Question

Do the downloadable GPS files show the closures and alerts?  When are the RWGPS routes updated? 

A:

The RWGPS routes are updated as needed. It is best practice to download new files when you are ready to begin your ride. 

When there are construction or maintenance projects that close the trail and a designated detour or reasonable bypass is available the RWGPS route is modified to use the detour or bypass.

OTET Trail/Route Alerts on the website and Interactive Map should always be checked before you start your journey. 

Any detour or bypass that appears as a RED line on the Interactive Map will be part of the current RWGPS files.

ohiotoerietrail.org/interactive-map

Q:

Where are camping areas and do you have to make a reservation?   

A:

There is a layer showing some of the camping areas on the interactive map. Click on the slider in the upper left corner to see all the layers and click the OTET camping layer name to get it to display.  

On the camping page, we provide a chart with the camping places that we know of, some are along the trail and some are farther away. Some are first come first serve and some take reservations.  To view the full detailed chart, go to the area marked "View complete chart" then click "View in Google Sheets". Look at the notes section for each listing for details.   

Hikers may want to supplement overnight options with hipcamp because there are not always camping areas in a hikeable distance. 

There are no camping areas in the big cities (Cin, Col, Akr and Cle), so you may want to use the lodging list there.

ohiotoerietrail.org/camp

ohiotoerietrail.org/interactive-map

Lodging and more at

ohiotoerietrail.org/planOTET

Q:

Can I navigate the trail without the printed trail guide map?

A: People have certainly traversed the Ohio to Erie Trail without the detailed map guides, but they have to do a lot of decision making along the way.  While we do admire the folks that choose to experience the trail without devices and navigation technology, these are also the people that say the trail is hard to navigate in the cities.  Even with all the resources, there will be times of ambiguity and uncertainty. 

The trail route is not a continuous straight line and having multiple tools will help you in navigating through the tricky spots.  Do research ahead of time, especially in Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron and Cleveland, you will be more confident in the turns if you have extra tools in the cities.  

For those that want to have more confidence about making the proper turns along the way, you will probably want to have the printed guide, the RidewithGPS files and and the link to the interactive map for quick checks while on trail.

Order a trail guide (map).  

ohiotoerietrail.org/shop

Available in Northbound or Southbound version. 

Maps are in a clear pouch and come as a set (all 4 sections). We do not sell the section maps individually.