Great American Rail-Trail In Ohio

Ohio’s Ohio to Erie Trail | Photo by TrailLink user epet4mail

Several iconic trails play host to the Great American Rail-Trail in Ohio—the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail and the Ohio to Erie Trail.

The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail connects two major metropolitan areas and one of the country’s most-visited national parks—and comprises a major portion of the Cleveland-to-Pittsburgh corridor of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition, one of RTC’s TrailNation™ projects, which will connect Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York via a developing 1,500-miles-plus trail network.

In Clinton, the Great American route branches off on the Ohio to Erie Trail, which—connecting to Cincinnati through Columbus—is composed of many trails that link the state’s diverse communities, including that of the largest population of Amish in the country. Along the route, commemorative sites pay homage to the state’s rich historical attributes, including the role that it played with the Underground Railroad and as an innovator in American aviation.

Ohio stories along the Great American Rail-Trail

Ohio’s Wolf Creek Trail

Dayton’s Wolf Creek Trail is just over 16 miles and runs northwest from the city’s downtown to nearly the Indiana border.

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Ohio’s Camp Chase Trail

Ohio’s Camp Chase Trail is a 16-mile pathway traversing bountiful farmlands, calming countryside and invigorating city scenes.

The “Great American” Route Through Ohio

331.9

Total Miles

234.9

Existing Miles

97.0

Gap Miles

70.8%

Complete

Great American Rail-Trail Route Assessment 2024 Ohio map

Download Route Analysis

Economic Potential of Ohio graphic by RTC

Download Economic Impact

Trails Along the Route

Click the links below to view full trail descriptions on TrailLink.com.

Tap thumbnail to view photo gallery.

Ohio's Ohio to Erie Trail | Photo by TrailLink user epet4mail

Ohio's Ohio to Erie Trail | Photo by TrailLink user crasahilk

Ohio's Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail | Photo by TrailLink user crableg300

Ohio's Heartland Trail | Photo by TrailLink user jennijjr

Ohio's Alum Creek Greenway Trail | Photo by TrailLink user madcowpro1980

Ohio's Great Miami River Trail | Photo by TrailLink user troymarwehe

Listen To Oral History:

TrailLink · History Along the Great American Rail Trail: Ohio

Gateway Trail

Ohio to Erie Trail

While not quite stretching sea to shining sea, the Ohio to Erie Trail will connect two major waterways: the Ohio River in Cincinnati and Lake Erie in Cleveland. Cutting a diagonal across Ohio, the developing project offers some 326 miles of trail on the ground already. The Holmes County Trail, one of many gems in the route, is a bucolic beauty known for its use by one of the largest communities of Amish in the country.

View Blog Feature

Explore on TrailLink

Route Reveal Celebration

Completing the Great American Rail-Trail: Catalyst Initiatives in Ohio

In every state along the preferred route of the Great American, needs for completing the trail vary. To spur trail completion, RTC has identified initial catalyst initiatives—projects or challenges that would most benefit from RTC’s national breadth of resources. (View the complete list of catalyst initiatives and criteria here.) Through these initiatives, RTC will support local and state partners, investing time, expertise and organizational resources in specific projects that are critical to the ultimate completion of the Great American Rail-Trail.

Statewide Trail Network Funding

Ohio's Holmes County Trail | Photo by Calvin Holderbaum — Ohio’s Holmes County Trail | Photo by Calvin Holderbaum

Great American Rail-Trail Gaps #14 (Wolf Creek Trail Extension—Dayton to Trotwood), #15 (Preble County Line to Ohio-Indiana State Line) and #16 (Ohio-Indiana State Line to Richmond)

Ohio's Wolf Creek Trail | Photo by Amy Forsthoefel, courtesy Five Rivers MetroParks — Ohio’s Wolf Creek Trail | Photo by Amy Forsthoefel, courtesy Five Rivers MetroParks

RTC will work with local partners—Preble Trails, Five Rivers Metroparks, the City of Richmond and the Preble County Park District—to provide the expertise and resources necessary to complete the combined 31.8-mile trail gap. Activities will include identifying local match funding for the Wolf Creek Trail Extension and coordinating with Preble County and the City of Richmond on activities including a corridor feasibility study, cost estimation, trail design and engineering, local stakeholder engagement, funding strategy and ultimately construction of the cross-state connector project.

Great American Rail-Trail branded map (2022) by RTC

Great American Rail-Trail Preferred Route

Explore Interactive Map

Download Map

Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition

The vision of the Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition (IHTC) is to establish the Industrial Heartland as a premier destination offering a 1,500-miles-plus multiuse trail network experience.

^{Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail, part of the IHTC | Photo by Jason Cohn}

Learn more about IHTC

Be a Part of the Movement to Complete the Great American

Like you, we can’t wait to see the Great American Rail-Trail vision come to life—but we can’t do it alone. Help us reach 1 million pledges for the Great American, showing the strength and solidarity of the trails community.

Take Action