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HomeNewsletter 74 Fall 2024

Newsletter 74, Fall 2024 

Photographer: Andy Spessard


Autumn scene in Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park

CAMP CHASE TRAIL

September, 22, 2024

www.andyspessard.com

Please support the Ohio to Erie Trail


We are grateful for our trail donors and members. People who join as members or give an annual donation to the Ohio to Erie Trail Fund are the reason the trail gets better every year!


Your donations go toward our mission to promote, preserve, and enhance the network of regional trails linking communities across the state from the Ohio River to Lake Erie.


The vision which guides our work is of the Ohio to Erie Trail as a world-class connected multi-use trail network encouraging all to discover the unique experiences of Ohio. The trail provides adventure, tourism, health and well-being, recreation, and connections to nature and history.


Please support this important work to secure the long-term future of the Ohio to Erie Trail. Donations can be made with credit card, PayPal or you may print an invoice and mail a check to the address provided. You can scan the QR Code with your phone's camera to go directly to the donation link or click the button here.


Mailing Address

Ohio to Erie Trail Fund

118 Graceland Blvd. #146

Columbus, Ohio 43214


Donate Today


Make a Donation


Bright Green Cycling Jersey



Our Primal Prisma jersey has a full zip front with back pockets.

It is sold in men's and women's versions.

If the online store is out of your size, check back in mid November.


For SIZING read this detailed post: JERSEY DETAIL


OR Buy Online at District Image


SCAN THE CODE FOR JERSEY DETAILS


326 Club as of October 2024

Ohio to Erie Trail Office - 10/15/2024


326 Club '24 at a Glance


October 15, 2024


The graphic below shows the home state of people who have completed the Ohio to Erie Trail end to end during 2024.  

Here is the info through October 15, 2024.  


56% live in Ohio and 44% are from 29 other states or countries!

State People State People
AL 2 MO 2
AR 2 NC 3
AZ 2 NH 1
CA 2 NJ 3
CO 2 NM 1
DC 1 NY 10
IA 2 OH 112
ID 1 PA 8
IL 2 SC 2
IN 10 TN 2
KY 12 TX 4
MA 2 VA 1
MD 1 WI 2
MI 4 WV 1
MN 3
CANADA 2



See the 326 Club lists on this page:326 Club Names  

Tell Us 
when you finish and we will add you to the list
 





Facebook Posts and News Articles

Click each Image to Read the linked Facebook Post or visit www.facebook.com/OhiotoErie

Brochure in nl74
Ohio Bikeways
Centerburg Trail Souvenirs
HOOT Water at Updike Rd
Zipi Transit Rider Photos
Centerburg Trail Lounge Visitors

Watch Videos


2024 Rider Video playlist has 58 videos:

Rider Videos 2024

Oasis Trail 2027

FLMSP Trail Mail, September 2024

Friends of the Little Miami State Park - 9/16/2024









Cuyahoga Valley National Park 50th Anniversary

Ohio to Erie Trail Office - 9/5/2024



Cuyahoga Valley National Park is celebrating 50 years since the parks founding in 1974. CVNP 50 kicks off in September 2024 and continues through 2025. Diverse anniversary activities will showcase many ways to experience the park and enjoy the pleasures it offers today. 

Here’s how to get involved:
  • Start with 50 Ways to Experience the Park.
  • Attend CVNP 50 programming.
  • Read about our history. New articles will debut on this page throughout the year.
  • Follow CVNP50 on social media and use #CVNP50 for your posts.
  • Share photos and memories by emailing cuva_info@nps.gov.
  • Shop for CVNP 50 merchandise at Conservancy stores and sport it with pride.
Partners can find resources in our CVNP50 Toolkit.

Source:  cvnp50 website


Navigation Tools - Videos and Printable Handouts

Cleveland Handout
Sunbury Handout
Westerville Handout
Recent Articles
Newsletter 74, Fall 2024

Question and Answer Section

Accordion Widget
Trail Name and Local Names
Trail Name and Local Names

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

Accordion Widget
Riding half the trail
Riding half the 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

Accordion Widget
Changes due to Trail Construction
Changes due to Trail Construction

QUESTION:

Why isn't there a signed detour for every trail construction closure?


ANSWER:

We do share your frustration when closures occur during the busy Trail season.  Unfortunately if the area surrounding the trail does not have an equivalent trail experience nearby, there will not be an official marked detour.


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. 


In an ideal scenario, the entity doing the work will designate a project detour route for bicycles and pedestrians. If there is not a detour, our organization will make an effort to provide a workaround, bypass or major reroute option. These won't be signed detours, but we will give an update on the interactive map and alerts pages.


The Enthusiasts facebook group is the best place to ask for advice on the current situations for the various construction zones along the trail.


Ask Trail Questions

Accordion Widget
Construction Alerts
Construction Alerts

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



Accordion Widget
RWGPS File Updates
RWGPS File Updates

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, now on their own page:


https://ohiotoerietrail.org/OTET_RWGPS

or GPS LINKS


MORE


Looking for the Interactive Map? ohiotoerietrail.org/interactive-map


Accordion Widget
Camping
Camping

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


Accordion Widget
Printed Trail Guide
Printed Trail Guide

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.


326 Club - 2024

Ohio to Erie Trail Office - 3/1/2024

Join the 326 Club, Class of 2024!

Did you ride the whole trail on consecutive days or hike it within the same calendar year? 

First add yourself to the list, then go to the online store at 
ohiotoerietrail.org/Shop and order your 326 Club sticker.Order Sticker     


The sticker is FREE with another purchase in the store.  Add the item named "OTET 326 Sticker 4" x 6" - COMPLIMENTARY FOR 326 CLUB MEMBERS ONLY" to your cart and purchase any other item to compete the order. 

  
 

  326 Quick Start Steps:


Login to your ClubExpress account

Update your profile photo and achievements

View the 326 Club, Class of 2024 list under Interests

Join the Discussion Forum to share your story

View Interests      Write about it 

.


326 Club Page is at 326 Club

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