Parking Suggestions
An adventure on the Ohio to Erie Trail does take creativity, navigation tools and problem solving skills to find your way and that includes finding a place to leave a car during your trip. Both ends of the trail are in large cities and parking spots are at a premium. Be wary about leaving your car in an unattended area for an extended period of time as car break-ins are a regular occurrence throughout the state, not just in big cities. The lowest risk option is to have a friend drop you off and drive your car to their home for safe-keeping.
For other creative options, you could look up a WarmShowers.org host in Cincinnati or Cleveland and ask if they have ideas on where a car could be parked in an out of the way area.
Other options would be to use long-term parking at the airport or convention center and ride or take a ride share or public transportation from the parking spot to the trail starting point. If you are utilizing the Trail Shuttle and Luggage, ask if they have ideas about parking options that are not on this list.
DO NOT leave your bicycle Overnight in a Park
If you are considering leaving your bike overnight at the south or north end to start your ride the next day, DO NOT DO IT. Even with a good lock, your nice touring bike is a tempting target to thieves.
If you need to find a place to leave your bicycle overnight, contact one of the bike shops near the trail. BIKE SHOPS
Cleveland:
If you are staying at a hotel the night before your trip, the hotel may offer long-term parking. Check with them.
Cleveland Federal Reserve Garage
1405 E 6th St, Cleveland, OH 44114 (Corner of Rockwell Ave and E. 6th St.)
PNC garage located at 750 Vincent Ave managed by AllPro Parking.
Note that this information is subject to change.
Cost is $13 per day as long as you leave by midnight. The garage is self-service – open 24 hours. The business office will need to know you are parking there for multiple days so if you arrive M-F 5:30 am – 6:00 pm, stop by the office and give them your car make/model/license plate number. If you don’t arrive during business hours, call the garage during business hours and let them know this info plus how long you will be parking there. The garage number is 216-357-2634.
Cincinnati:
Newport on the Levee Garage, One Levee Way, Newport, KY 41071, www.newportonthelevee.com, Parking garage is open 24/7 call parking office at 859.888.2455
Kenton County Garage, Covington Address: 220 Madison Ave. , Covington, KY 41011 www.parkabm.com
Holiday Inn Express Bellvue Address: 110 Landmark Dr, Bellevue, KY 41073 Phone: 859-957-2320
Reser Bikes Address: 648 Monmouth St, Newport, KY 41071 Phone: 859-261-6187
Little Miami Golf Center, 3811 Newtown Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Purchase a Parks pass before your trip for $16 and and check in at the clubhouse to leave your license plate number. Purchase Parking Pass
Columbus (free):
Overnight Trailhead parking in Southwest Franklin County:
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park allows parking overnight (or a few nights) as long as you fill out the registration card.BDCMP Reg form
Fill out the form and drop it in the box near the ramp to the westbound trail. If you forget this form, the cards should also be available at the drop box.Parking Lot Location:
8465 Alkire Road, Grove City, OH 43123
(Sometimes listed as 8465 Alkire Rd, Galloway, OH 43119)
Drop Box Location: 39.893442, -83.216204
The parking lot gate is closed at night.
For Columbus, you could park at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, fill out the the Registration Card and take the Shuttle to Cleveland or Cincinnati for your starting point. Of if you have time, you could do the whole trail both ways and end up back at this spot.
Getting to the Trail by Greyhound/FlixBus
As of February 22, 2023, you’ll have both FlixBus and Greyhound rides to choose from when you visit flixbus.com or use the FlixBus App. FlixBus services remain unchanged, and you can expect the same travel experience on board FlixBus. Some FlixBuses have bike racks on the back for 5 bikes. If the bike spaces are full when you reserve, you have the ability to pack a bike and put it in the luggage hold (no e-Bikes or recumbents permitted).
Visit: https://www.flixbus.com/greyhound
STATIONS:
Cleveland Bus Station, 1465 Chester Ave, 44114 Cleveland, OH LINK
(3 miles from Wendy Park)
Akron Bus Station, 631 S Broadway St. Akron, OH 44311 LINK
(1/2 mile east of the trail on W. Bartges St.)
Columbus Bus Station, 845 N Wilson Rd. Columbus, OH 43204 LINK
(1.5 mile north of the Camp Chase Trail
(Easiest access: go South on Wilson Rd, east on Valleyview Dr and south on Sylvan Ave and it will cross the trail by the RRx, north of Broad St.)
Cincinnati Bus Station, 398 E Galbraith Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45237 LINK
(11 Miles west of the trail at Miamiville)
Getting to the Trail by Amtrak
Although there is not currently a passenger rail that parallels the Ohio to Erie Trail, there are east-west Amtrak routes that stop in Cleveland and Cincinnati and you can bring your bike for an extra charge.
For more information: https://www.amtrak.com/bring-your-bicycle-onboard
Rental Cars and Moving Vans
Some riders found that the Shuttle was not available or convenient when they wanted to travel and used a one-way rental car or moving van to accomplish their goal. If you need help figuring out this option you can visit the enthusiasts fb group to ask how people arranged it. Join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/365793010917596.
Deciding on Direction of Travel:
When you are deciding which end to begin, you can decide if you want a tailwind (northbound) or a headwind (southbond). Of course, Ohio's weather is never the same day twice and often we can experience all 4 seasons in the course of a week, but in general, the primary wind direction over much of Ohio is from the southwest, as measured at National Weather Service sites at larger cities.
Some variability occurs but most weather stations report long-term average winds from a direction between south and west-southwest. The wind can blow from any direction on any given day however, primarily due to Ohio’s location with respect to the position of large high pressure areas and storm systems that are continually moving across the continent. The average daily wind velocity around Ohio is approximately nine mph. Wind velocity varies however by season and location, being faster in winter than in summer and faster in the northern half of the State than in the southern in any given season. Specifically, higher velocities average 12 mph in winter in the north while lowest speeds are six to eight mph in summer in the south.
This page was updated: May 17, 2024 https://ohiotoerietrail.org/parking