Because you asked…
7 must-knows about the Ohio to Erie Trail
Bicycle touring season has started on the Ohio to Erie Trail. I see that in the number of bikes with panniers and bikepacking gear. Seeing tourists on bikes is part of my life living outside of Mount Vernon. Trailheads are alive with day trippers enjoying a ride or hike in Knox County and beyond.
I frequent the trail and enthusiasts’ social media in my role as president of the Ohio to Erie Trail. I want to understand who, what, where, when, and why people choose the trail as a place outdoors. To lead and guide, you must understand your audience and their needs.
Common threads arise in social media, emails, and during my speaking about the trail. Planning a visit is no different than planning a road trip. You want to understand the amenities, experiences, and must-knows of the trail for a day or week. Here are seven common threads I see.
Closures
Most of the trail is on former railbeds and a canal towpath. Native Americans traveled this path followed by boats, wagons, and railways. Travel then and now follows the path of least resistance. Water, unfortunately, follows that path.
Water and nature can cause damage from storms, wind, and wildlife. The force of water is tireless. Storms down trees and limbs. Varmints toil to reclaim their home. Closures are inevitable to repair and clear the trail.
Trails work tirelessly to keep the trail open. Replacing bridges and shoring up the encroaching river or stream involves engineering, funding, and more technical work leading to longer outages. Closures are inconvenient but part of remedying the problem and preserving the trail.
Detours
Visitors expect a detour to be provided with a closure. This is true for cars on roads. Trail road crossings are limited by water, terrain, and suitable roads. Busy pre-interstate cross-Ohio roads are common on the trail path. Cycling infrastructure is sparse or nonexistent, making for a dangerous alternative.
Every attempt is made to provide a safe low-traffic detour with visibility across acceptable terrain. With no safe corridor, trails ask visitors to find an option through the closure. Trails prioritize the safety of trail users and do not expose visitors to danger. Always follow the guidance of locals familiar with the trail and alternative routes.
Maps and guidance
We expect a map to exist when we embark on a trip. It may be Google Maps or another mapping app for those living life on their mobile device. The folded paper map may be favored by traditionalists who find comfort with something on paper that they can hold, follow, and mark up.
The Ohio to Erie Trail provides Google Maps for the mobile device explorer. Ride with GPS files are provided for on-the-bike guidance that can be customized. These mapping and guidance features are kept up to date and reflect the current route, alerts, and closures.
Traditionalists find comfort in the official trail guide, a collection of four hybrid maps highlighting the need-to-knows on the map panels. It is not mile-by-mile but focuses on trail connections and detailed maps of trail sections requiring tuns and confusing intersections. Each panel includes a written route narrative.
The Ohio to Erie Trail website provides guidance sheets on locations where visitors typically experience difficulty navigating. The green oval Ohio Bicycle Route 1 signs are plentiful across the route’s 326 miles.
Not a single trail
The Ohio to Erie Trail is not a trail managed by one organization. As with most long-distance trails, it is a collection of 20+ trails that connect to provide a diagonal path across Ohio. The Ohio to Erie Trail Fund leads the effort to connect the trails, now 90% complete with 100% in our sights.
The Ohio to Erie Trail Fund advocates for the long-distance trail encouraging visitors to experience a larger view of Ohio. The trail in partnership with regional trails aims to make the visitor experience more welcoming. The trail seeks to grow tourism and the economic vitality of trail communities
Expectations in planning
There are many flavors of outdoor tourism from the bare-bones explorer primitive camping to the credit card tourist enjoying bed and breakfasts supported by outdoor tourism guides. The Ohio to Erie Trail website features plan-your-trip web pages to answer most visitor needs.
At times a person’s expectations do not match what is available along the trail. Trail visits are growing as it nears a seamless end-to-end experience. That growth spurs communities to provide services and welcome visitors. This is happening but maybe not to the pace and level of your expectations.
Rural crossroads and small towns are common on the trail. That results in some resources being limited and requiring more planning. Remember you are traveling at the speed of a bike in nature and not on an interstate at 70 miles per hour. Plan based on your abilities, speed, and daily distance.
Shuttles and luggage transfer
These often-requested services are expected, particularly for explorers of long-distance trails. These services are limited but growing along the trail. The logistics of moving people and luggage along 326 miles with tourists traveling in different directions with a variety of time and distance requirements is monumental.
These services grow as the outdoor economy supports them. Trails, communities, and businesses are working to grow tourism and the economy along the trail. I expect more services to be available in five years. More visitors translate into more needs which translates into more services.
Staffing
The Ohio to Erie Trail may be large in miles but not in staffing. The trail has a single part-time employee who manages the everyday world of the trail, responding to visitors’ requests, managing social media including enhancing the website, paying bills, and working with trail partners.
A 13-member board of directors manages the trail’s long-range direction. They are strong trail advocates, many in leadership roles in regional trail and bicycling advocacy. They look after the future of the trail. The board is nearing the completion of a three-year vision for the trail’s direction and future.
In conclusion
I cannot emphasize enough the magnitude of efforts in Ohio to grow trails, communities, and the outdoor economy along the trail. Former industrial urban centers and rural towns and villages see the value that the trail delivers to their doorsteps.
They are reinventing their past to offer unique experiences with local flavor. They see the value of the trail and work to address the seven threads highlighted above.