By John Springfield

In April I was pouring over maps, looking for a long rail trail, preferably paved.
Lo and behold, I discovered the Ohio-To-Erie Trail, a 300-mile abandoned railroad route going from Cincinnati to Cleveland, Ohio.

Except for a 15-mile stretch south of Cleveland, the whole route was flat and paved.

Now, when to go?
In early April it was still snowing in parts of the Northeast.
But the second week of April presented Ohio with an unusual warm spell.
So, I rented a car and drove my bike to Cincinnati.
I had to drive through snow squalls on the New York Thruway.
Was this a mistake? Would the Ohio trail be covered with snow and ice?

Luckily, Cincinnati was snow free.  In fact it was quite warm (60s).

The Ohio-To-Erie trail incorporates a bunch of rail and community trails.
I started on a riverfront trail in downtown Cincinnati and headed northeast.
I linked up with the Little Miami Trail and stayed on it for two days.
The Little Miami is a linear state park and well maintained.
As advertised, it was flat, paved, and shaded by a tree covering for many miles.

The first few days i had perfect riding weather.
I went through quaint towns, dined at local cafes, and enjoyed the car-free trail.
Since this was a former train route, many towns had converted the train stations to visitor centers.  Some displayed old cabooses along the way.

As I approached downtown  Columbus, the route took me along the Scioto River.
Here is where the signage was a little confusing.  But after a few wrong turns I quickly returned to the quiet path. 

Northeast of Columbus the trail became the Heart of Ohio Trail.
I particularly liked this area as I traveled through Westerville, Galena, Sunbury, and Centerburg.  Going through these towns transported me back to the mid west of my youth.

As I biked through an Amish area I encountered a few buggies.
(The buggies are permitted on the rail trail.)

There were some areas where construction had me backtracking.
But I guess they have to work on the trails sometime!

I watched the weather forecasts as I headed north to Cleveland.
Fortunately, all the rain came at night.  So far, I avoided daytime rain.
However, a strong wind/rain band from the southwest was predicted.

So I decided to take the fastest route to Cleveland by using roads instead of the trail.

After biking  the traffic-free bike trail for 7 days, using the roads took some adjustment.
I ran into a series of rolling hills.  My cardio system was not pleased.

But once I spied the tall buildings of Cleveland, all was flat again.
I located one of the "Cleveland Script" signs and took a picture.
To get to my downtown hotel I biked the trails along Lake Erie.
I passed by parks, a yacht club, and an industrial area.
Then there was a series of bridges to get over to downtown.

After I checked into my hotel, I washed up and fell asleep for an afternoon nap.

When I awoke I turned on the news.
To my surprise I had just missed a major hail storm with golf-ball chunks of ice!

Anyway, this was one of the most enjoyable trips I have taken.
The trail was flat and peaceful and the temperatures stayed in the 60-70s.
And let's not forget the friendliness of the mid western diners.

For daily journal and photos:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/OTE2026