Ohio to Erie Trail Bike Tour

Day 1: We’ll meet in Cleveland on the shores of Lake Erie. Our hotel is within walking distance of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you’ve never had the chance to explore this wonderful museum, be sure to get your ticket ahead of time and arrive earlier in the day. We’ll meet for a rental bike fitting at 2:00pm followed by an orientation at 5:00pm and then dinner. 0 miles.

Day 2: We officially begin our Ohio to Erie Trail bicycle tour after breakfast at picturesque Edgewater Park on the shores of Lake Erie. With the famous Cleveland sign and the downtown skyline as our backdrop, we’ll take a quick group photo and then get on our way on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

Completed in 1832, the canal connected Cleveland on Lake Erie to Portsmouth on the Ohio River, creating the state’s most important superhighway. More significantly, it connected the Ohio frontier with New York and New Orleans and helped fuel westward expansion.

We’ll bike through gorgeous Cuyahoga Valley National Park and finish the day in Akron within walking distance of the Akron Art Museum. You should have time to visit on your own before dinner if you have the energy. 46 miles +1248’/-976’.

Day 3: We’ll leave Akron behind as we savor the forests, fields, and wetlands that flank the trail. Eventually, we’ll go off trail and onto picturesque rural roads with rolling hills. You’ll start to glimpse Amish farmers working the land with their horse-drawn plows. Then it’s a gentle downhill into Massillon, our home for the night. 30 miles ±520’.

Day 4: Today’s ride takes place in the heart of Ohio’s Amish country, and the second largest settlement of Amish in the United States after Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County. Expect to share the trail with local residents traveling by horse and buggy.

Perhaps the most photogenic part of the day is when we cross the Mohican River near Brinkhaven via the Bridge of Dreams. This 370-foot covered bridge is the third-longest covered bridge in the country. Listening to the clip-clop of horse-drawn buggies traveling the bridge is a sound to cherish. We spend the night in Millersburg, known for its Victorian architecture. 38 miles +1039’/-1156’.

Day 5: Today’s cycling is a sampler plate of urban, suburban, small town and park-like surroundings along multiple regional trails that are part of the Ohio to Erie Trail system. Of note is the Alum Creek Multi-Use Trail, with its woodsy surroundings and multiple boardwalks that make it hard to believe you are not in the wilderness.

Be sure to set aside time to visit the Ariel-Foundation Park on the outskirts of Mount Vernon. The old glass factory has been repurposed into a charming green space and public art venue with an observation tower, park museum, labyrinth and three lovely lakes that were once gravel quarries. We’ll be staying the night in Mount Vernon, a well-groomed college town. 41 miles +1422’/-1280’.

Day 6: More Ohio Farmland! Corn, soybeans, grain silos and outposts for the state’s robust agricultural industry are apparent for much of today’s ride. You’ll also get a real taste for small town Americana as you pass through rural communities and ride along forests, prairies, and wetlands.

Soak it in while you can, because the landscape changes dramatically as you approach Ohio’s largest and fastest-growing urban area, Columbus. We’ll be staying in the heart of the Arch City’s downtown, with plenty of great restaurants for you to explore—dinner is on your own. 52 miles +806’/-1030’.

Day 7: We ride to the Bicycle Capital of the Midwest today! Xenia prides itself on being the regional hub where four major paved bike trails converge. The city’s name comes from the Greek word meaning “hospitality,” and its inhabitants have always taken it seriously. It was once a safe haven for enslaved people traveling to freedom along the Underground Railroad. 59 miles +952’/-783’.

Day 8: We leave Xenia for our final ride across Ohio, passing a hauntingly beautiful abandoned munitions factory that was active in World War II. As we continue south, we eventually meet the Little Miami River. The trail skips back and forth over the river under shady sycamores, with wildflowers in bloom.

As we approach Cincinnati, the ride is enchanting, with photo ops at the International Friendship Park and Sawyer Point. Finally, at Smale Riverfront Park, we’ll arrive at Mile 0 of the Ohio to Erie Trail. From there we’ll cross the river one last time to get to our final hotel in Newport, Kentucky near the bike path. If you’re a state counter, you can check another one off your list! We’ll celebrate the completion of our ride across Ohio together at dinner tonight. 70 miles +1386’/-1814’.

Day 9: You’re free to take a taxi or ride share at your leisure to the Cincinnati airport or train station. If you need to return to your car, we will shuttle you back to Cleveland, arriving by 2:00pm.

Echoing the state song, let’s sing a happy farewell: “Beautiful Ohio, thy wonders are in view, land where my dreams all come true!” 0 miles.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

• Traffic-free cycling on bike paths
  
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Little Miami State Park
• Amish Country
• Underground Railroad history
• Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron, and Cleveland
• Small town Midwestern hospitality