Explore the best rated trails in Columbus, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Hoover Scenic Trail and Blacklick Creek Greenway Trail. With more than 49 trails covering 4514 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The developing Big Walnut Trail follows its namesake creek through Columbus and its eastern suburbs of Westerville, Gahanna, and Whitehall. Several segments of the paved pathway are open, though...
The North Lewisburg Trail lies about 40 miles northwest of Columbus in the Village of North Lewisburg. The trail runs northeast from the community park in a wooded corridor that once housed train...
The Alum Creek Greenway Trail takes you through a scenic landscape from Westerville through Columbus to Groveport, with easy access to adjoining neighborhoods and a multitude of public parks to enjoy....
The Jim Simmons Trail is a multipurpose trail in Marysville, north of Columbus, Ohio. The trail starts near Northwood Elementary and heads south along the creek, cutting a tree-lined path through Mill...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a colossal project, not just for the state of Ohio but also nationally. Dreamed up more than 25 years ago, this route will eventually connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to...
Located in Grove City, a suburb of Columbus, this shared use path follows along Buckeye Parkway in Grove City for approximately four miles. On the east end, the park passes by two large shopping...
The Thomas W. Hopper Legacy Trail follows a former rail bed from the Blackhawk golf course to Miller Park, which offers a small playground. Of historical significance is the nearby Galena Shale and...
True to its name, the Heart of Ohio Trail lies in the central part of the state, extending from Mount Vernon southwest to the Knox-Licking County line just south of Centerburg. Along its nearly 16...
The Hoover Scenic Trail continues north from the paved Genoa Trail to Weise Road just south of Galena. The trail follows the northwestern shoreline of the sprawling Hoover Reservoir within a scenic...
The Springfield Branch Trail was built on a former railroad corridor and travels east-west for 1.4 miles in Delaware, Ohio. The paved trail is friendly to walkers, bikers and roller bladers. The trail...
More than half of the smooth, flat, 6.1-mile Heritage Rail-Trail has a parallel 4-mile horse trail. The equestrian corridor starts at Hayden Run Road and continues northwest to the Cemetery Pike...
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Columbus’ Downtown Connector Trail provides a vital link between neighborhoods and schools on the city’s east side and the downtown area. On its east end, the paved pathway begins adjacent to I-670...
The Blackhand Gorge Trail, the only bike path in the Ohio nature preserve system, features some of the best scenery in the state. Perhaps this is to be expected from a trail that passes through a...
The Little Miami Scenic Trail is a jewel in the crown of Ohio rail-trails, spanning just over 78 miles from the outskirts of Cincinnati to Springfield over historical bridges and through tranquil...
The Kokosing Gap Trail delights visitors with its rich railroad history, which is on display throughout the paved route. Once the corridor of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the rail-trail now connects the...
Opened in 2017, the Clinton-Fayette Friendship Trail, spanning 7.1 miles, is the longest rail-trail in central Ohio's Clinton County. Following a former railroad corridor, the rail-trail spans the...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
The Camp Chase Trail plays a role in two of Ohio’s most exciting trail projects: it is a key piece of the cross-state Ohio to Erie Trail and an integral part of the Central Ohio Greenways network...
This nearly 5-mile trail system weaves throughout historic Canal Winchester, Ohio, a southern suburb of Columbus. The extensive network links residents with parks, businesses and the city’s high...
Seamlessly spanning the 35.5-mile distance between the Ohio communities of Bellefontaine and Springfield, the Simon Kenton Trail presents visitors with ample opportunities for recreation and wildlife...
The Buckeye Scenic Trail, a recent addition to the expanding Licking County trail system, stretches roughly 6 miles from the northern reaches of Heath to Lakewood High School on US 40. In the north,...
The Springfield Branch Trail was built on a former railroad corridor and travels east-west for 1.4 miles in Delaware, Ohio. The paved trail is friendly to walkers, bikers and roller bladers. The trail...
The Darby Creek Trail is currently available in two disconnected segments that parallel Big Darby Creek, a State and National Scenic River on the western outskirts of Columbus. The northern 3.5...
This nearly 5-mile trail system weaves throughout historic Canal Winchester, Ohio, a southern suburb of Columbus. The extensive network links residents with parks, businesses and the city’s high...
The North Lewisburg Trail lies about 40 miles northwest of Columbus in the Village of North Lewisburg. The trail runs northeast from the community park in a wooded corridor that once housed train...
Beginning at a connection with the T. J. Evans Trail, this 3-mile paved pathway heads through Newark's western neighborhoods along the scenic Raccoon Creek to Flory Park. For much of the route, the...
The Old Town Creek Trail is a short but scenic pathway in Logan, the gateway to the Hocking Hills region of southeast Ohio. The trail links the county fairgrounds not far from Logan’s downtown to...
The Genoa Trail runs between Northgate Way in Westerville and Plumb Road south of Galena, paralleling the east side of State Route 3. The trail is separated from the road by a nice corridor of trees,...
More than half of the smooth, flat, 6.1-mile Heritage Rail-Trail has a parallel 4-mile horse trail. The equestrian corridor starts at Hayden Run Road and continues northwest to the Cemetery Pike...
The Camp Chase Trail plays a role in two of Ohio’s most exciting trail projects: it is a key piece of the cross-state Ohio to Erie Trail and an integral part of the Central Ohio Greenways network...
The Fairfield Heritage Trail winds through and connects the community of Lancaster. It links a college, high school, junior high school and elementary school, as well as numerous parks and shopping...
The Little Miami Scenic Trail is a jewel in the crown of Ohio rail-trails, spanning just over 78 miles from the outskirts of Cincinnati to Springfield over historical bridges and through tranquil...
Roundtown Trail is a greenway in Circleville, Ohio which opened in July of 2017. It is a linear trail, despite what its name might suggest. The trail stretches from the northwest corner of the Ohio...
The Hellbranch Trail offers a paved route of just over 5 miles in the northwestern Columbus suburb of Hilliard. The pathway connects residential neighborhoods and schools with recreational parks, a...
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Fredericktown's Owl Creek Trail is a mile-and-a-half of smooth asphalt pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. The trail's starting point is the Fredericktown Community Park, which hosts many town...
The Roberts Pass Trail runs from downtown London, Ohio, to rural Fairfield Township. The trail passes through farmland for 6.5 miles, although dense tree cover shades the route at all...
The Village of Sunbury makes its own contribution to the expansive Ohio-to-Erie Trail with the Sandel Legacy Trail. The trailhead on Columbus and Vernon Street offers an early treat: a model railroad...
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The Buck Creek Trail runs between Buck Creek State Park and Plum Street by Wittenberg University. At its eastern end in Buck Creek State Park, the trail makes a loop and heads into 2 different...
The developing Big Walnut Trail follows its namesake creek through Columbus and its eastern suburbs of Westerville, Gahanna, and Whitehall. Several segments of the paved pathway are open, though...
Located in Grove City, a suburb of Columbus, this shared use path follows along Buckeye Parkway in Grove City for approximately four miles. On the east end, the park passes by two large shopping...
Beginning at a connection with the T. J. Evans Trail, this 3-mile paved pathway heads through Newark's western neighborhoods along the scenic Raccoon Creek to Flory Park. For much of the route, the...
The Village of Sunbury makes its own contribution to the expansive Ohio-to-Erie Trail with the Sandel Legacy Trail. The trailhead on Columbus and Vernon Street offers an early treat: a model railroad...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
Seamlessly spanning the 35.5-mile distance between the Ohio communities of Bellefontaine and Springfield, the Simon Kenton Trail presents visitors with ample opportunities for recreation and wildlife...
Roundtown Trail is a greenway in Circleville, Ohio which opened in July of 2017. It is a linear trail, despite what its name might suggest. The trail stretches from the northwest corner of the Ohio...
The Rocky Fork Trail is a developing pathway in Westerville and New Albany, which are northeastern suburbs of Columbus. The paved trail is currently available in five disconnected segments. The...
The developing Big Walnut Trail follows its namesake creek through Columbus and its eastern suburbs of Westerville, Gahanna, and Whitehall. Several segments of the paved pathway are open, though...
The Westerville B&W (Bike & Walk Route) is an extensive system of paved multi-use paths throughout the Columbus suburb, stretching from Hoover Reservoir on the east to as far west as Worthington Road....
The Hoover Scenic Trail continues north from the paved Genoa Trail to Weise Road just south of Galena. The trail follows the northwestern shoreline of the sprawling Hoover Reservoir within a scenic...
The Hellbranch Trail offers a paved route of just over 5 miles in the northwestern Columbus suburb of Hilliard. The pathway connects residential neighborhoods and schools with recreational parks, a...
The 29-mile Prairie Grass Trail is one of four rail-trails that radiate from Xenia Station, the hub of a vast, paved trail network in southwestern Ohio. The site is a former Baltimore & Ohio (B&O)...
True to its name, the Heart of Ohio Trail lies in the central part of the state, extending from Mount Vernon southwest to the Knox-Licking County line just south of Centerburg. Along its nearly 16...
The Ohio Canal Greenway extends south from Hebron on an old Penn Central Railroad right-of-way. Farm fields border the trail on the west, while remnants of the historic Ohio and Erie Canal are to the...
The Buckeye Scenic Trail, a recent addition to the expanding Licking County trail system, stretches roughly 6 miles from the northern reaches of Heath to Lakewood High School on US 40. In the north,...
The Darby Creek Trail is currently available in two disconnected segments that parallel Big Darby Creek, a State and National Scenic River on the western outskirts of Columbus. The northern 3.5...
Columbus’ Downtown Connector Trail provides a vital link between neighborhoods and schools on the city’s east side and the downtown area. On its east end, the paved pathway begins adjacent to I-670...
Opened in 2017, the Clinton-Fayette Friendship Trail, spanning 7.1 miles, is the longest rail-trail in central Ohio's Clinton County. Following a former railroad corridor, the rail-trail spans the...
The Blacklick Creek Greenway Trail runs interrupted for nearly 18 miles between Reynoldsburg and Groveport on the southeastern edge of Columbus. The trail parallels Blacklick Creek for the vast...
The Paint Creek Recreation Trail is the flagship pathway of a planned trail network in the Ohio counties of Fayette, Ross and Highland. Nearly 35 miles of paved trail are currently open linking the...
The Buck Creek Trail runs between Buck Creek State Park and Plum Street by Wittenberg University. At its eastern end in Buck Creek State Park, the trail makes a loop and heads into 2 different...
This recently was extend north and connects to Heart of Ohio.
It’s a commuter path from plain city to Hilliard. Nothing really great about it.
It’s not well maintained, busy, and short. It does have beautiful scenery though.
Had a very enjoyed day on the trail. There were more users on the trail, than I thought there would be… but everyone was spread out and hardly noticeable. The trail had some debris all along the trail, but nothing that made the trail impassable. Plenary of benches spread out… but the only restroom facility was an port-a-John at the very beginning of the trail in Marion.
I took the part of this trail formerly known as the I-670 trail, from Cleveland Ave. until it meets up with the album creek trail. The path was in poor condition, with many bumps and cracks as well as a large amount of glass I had to avoid. I would not recommend using this trail.
FWIW I use this trail a lot and enjoy it. However, certain parts are in need a a repaving as it’s either dirty or cracked (and soon after a rainstorm parts remain flooded for up to a day). Additionally, it’s crowded but not enough to hinder my ride normally.
Alright, let's get the lion out of the room - this isn't a continuous trail that you can ride for hours like the Olentangy, Alum Creek, or Scioto. That's probably why it has far fewer reviews, and generally less traffic.
But if you instead look at it from the possibility of an after work ride, perhaps with dinner in Creekside Gahanna, which connects up with it very well, then it's quite nice. The sections by the river are just as scenic as the Alum Creek Trail, and the bluebells in the forest are in full bloom this time of year.
The Gahanna section is also de facto connected, contrary to what TrailLink shows. The Central Ohio Greenways map at http://centralohiogreenways.com/interactive-map/ is more up-to-date, and shows that the only on-residential-road segment is on Nob Hill Drive. There's also one very short sidewalk-or-street section on Cherry Bottom Road just north of Johnstown Road; the full-width trail resumes north of Springbook Drive, one street later. But aside from that, you can get from Morse Road to I-270 by the airport on trail the whole way.
Signage could be better; it's very good for telling you which parks different cutoffs lead to, but not so good for telling you which way to go if you want to follow the main Big Walnut Trail. Gahanna could study what Columbus has done on the Alum Creek and Olentangy Trails for the next level of signage improvements; in the meantime have your preferred map available on your phone.
Longer term, it would be nice if more of this trail were connected; Big Walnut Creek appears to have the potential to support a trail rivaling its more well-known cousins. But until then, consider checking out the Gahanna section for a nice relaxed evening ride.
I rode this trail on 4/21/2022, my second ride on it but first since 2014 or 2015. The City has made some improvements to it over the years, with one of the most obvious ones being the 2021 repaving of the eastern section along I-670 that connects up with the Alum Creek Trail. I remember that section being a bit of a boneshaker on my previous ride, but it's smooth as can be now, a very high-quality surface.
Once you are past the repaved section, the trail looks kind of like a sidepath, being concrete, but is plenty wide enough, and you have dedicated trail all the way until you are west of Cleveland Avenue. It's only once you get west of 3rd that the traffic noticeably picks up, but the routing along Nationwide Avenue is sensible - that's a high-pedestrian-crossing, low-vehicle-speed road, so it's pretty decent for sharing a lane (but stop at the stop signs and don't run anyone over on your bike!). Neil Ave is a little faster (35 mph?), but it's short before you reach North Bank Park.
Another option is to continue west on Nationwide Avenue, past Huntington Park and to New Crew Stadium. From there, you can cross the new-in-2021 pedestrian/cyclist bridge to the Olentangy Trail. It's worth seeing the new stadium if you haven't yet, shouldn't be busy if it isn't a Clippers/Crew game day, and saves you some distance if you want to go north towards Grandview or OSU anyway.
Scenery-wise, I-670 isn't at the top of the list, but it is kind of cool seeing the Downtown Columbus skyline gradually come into closer review, right up until you're at High and Nationwide looking up at a 38-story skyscraper. Fort Hayes (east of Cleveland Avenue, between all the freeways) is also a highlight, with plenty of green space, woodchucks, and great architecture on the buildings; it's worth a short diversion from the trail.
I rode this route on 4/23, for the second time overall but first this year. It's a beautiful trail. Shade most of the way, so a good option in the summer. As you get towards Newark, it parallels Raccoon Creek. The trail is in good condition, and Wildwood Park on the west side of Granville (10 miles from Johnstown) makes for a great place to stop for a break on the way.
I'd put this trail up along the top Central Ohio trails for scenery and relaxing rides, alongside the Kekosing Gap and Alum Creek trails.
Johnstown is at a higher elevation than Newark, so if you want the second half to be downhill, start at Newark. It's only about 300 feet difference, but the steepest part is by Johnstown, so if you start there you'll hit the elevation right when you're most tired.
There's a connector at 40.04666448775512, -82.47659987791373 that lets you get close to downtown Newark, or to OSU Newark (the "Newark Trail" on TrailLink); or take an alternate route back via Newark-Granville Road in Granville (not on TrailLink, but a dedicated bike path most of the way). This would be a good area to add a sign with directions.
There's also a short connector to Raccoon Valley Park near Granville, which isn't on the map but would be another valid area to park and start if you aren't from one of the communities along the route.
I rode from Urbana to Bellefontaine and back today. It's a nice trail. Most of it is shaded, which compares favorably to Hilliard's Heritage Trail, and parts of the Ohio to Erie, such as Cedarville to South Charleston. It's probably pretty when it is in bloom, but it's still a bit too early in the year for that with our late spring. Still, it was a very calm ride, with only two other riders and a couple hikers spotted on the entire section, out-and-back, and all near Bellefontaine.
The surface is mostly chip-and-seal (other than 1.5 miles north of Urbana), which is fine, and kicks up much less dirt than crushed limestone, for those who haven't ridden chip-and-seal before. There is one rough spot on the paved section just south of where the chip-and-seal ends, and for the first couple miles north of Urbana you have to keep an eye out for railroad spikes on the trail, but otherwise the condition of the trail is good.
There's a well-reviewed coffee shop by the trail in Urbana, and several restaurants that look promising in Bellfontaine, including a brewery that you'll find if you continue north of the northern end of the trail on the dirt trail that continues to parallel the railway for another block, and then follow the bike route signs towards town.
Along the way, if you're paying attention, you'll see some unusual animals for Ohio trails, specifically goats and what I'm pretty sure are elk. Although Wikipedia will tell you there are no elk in Ohio, I counted eight of them visible from the trail, and my research indicates they are likely domestic elk at a farm that neighbors the trail. Now I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out exactly where they are. You might want to start soon - once the leaves are out it might be much more difficult to see them.
Overall, I'd put this slightly above 4/5. It's not as picturesque as central Ohio's top trails - the Kokosing Gap and Alum Creek Trails - but I'd put it above the Heritage, Camp Chase, and Ohio to Erie west of London. Worth the drive if you're looking for somewhere new to explore, and keep an eye out for the elk.
I re-rode the Camp Chase Trail from its eastern terminus to Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park today, and rode the section from there west last year. It's a nice trail, in good condition, and the gaps have been filled in over the years. Of particular note is that the gap orangedoug mentioned, at the Metro Park, was closed in March of 2020. It is a bit difficult to find the connection through the park from the west though; go to the roundabout at the west end of the parking lot, and find the trail branching off southwest (which would likely be the last direction you would expect to find it), and that's the connector, with an Ohio to Erie trail marker hiding in the woods.
I rated the trail 4/5 instead of 5/5 because while it is in good condition, it's the least scenic of the "big 5" trails in Columbus. I ride the Alum Creek Trail and Olentangy Trail every year; they're beautiful. Comparing this trail to the Alum Creek, the major difference is you forget you are in a city on the Alum Creek Trail. On the Camp Chase, for the first 7 miles going west, it's almost all city (there is a park area near Wilson Road). It does open up and become more scenic past Georgesville Road. Realistically, the section east of there is a "every few years" trail for me.
Parts of the eastern section were also reminders of the increasing poverty in parts of west Columbus since the pandemic; tent encampments were set up along parts of the trail and the parallel railroad, which hadn't been present the last time I rode the trail in 2020. In the afternoon of one of the first warm days of the spring, it didn't feel dangerous, but if you're planning an Ohio to Erie trip and aren't from the area, plan to be Downtown before sunset. At least the trail seems to be of use to the residents living by it; several tents had bikes by them and one man was working on his bike from the tracks when I went by in both directions.
The Hilltop Connector to the Scioto Trail at the eastern end is not a bad connector at all. Road speeds are moderate, most of it has a dedicated bike lane, and even at rush hour it didn't feel risky (and I'm not someone who rides roads).
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