Ohio to Erie Trail - What to Expect - Short Video

Quick Tips on what to expect on the 326-mile trail route.
View and download the map image at ohiotoerietrail.org/brochure or in our 2023 Year in Review Letter.
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a 326 mile non-motorized multi-use hard surface trail which connects the Ohio River to Lake Erie.
3 TIPS:
1 - Plan for variable weather conditions
2 - Be adaptable to route changes
3 - Prepare ahead of time by reviewing trail transition points
Weather in Ohio is variable, we get 4 seasons in Ohio and sometimes they are all in the same week! You won’t be able to predict the weather far in advance, so bring options for heat, rain, cold, etc. The most variable weather is typically in spring and summer and the lower 75% of the trail will have more dramatic weather changes than the upper 25% which is generally stabilized by Lake Erie. Ohio’s weather typically moves from west to east, so starting at the Ohio River and going northbound will have a greater probability of a tailwind than a headwind.
Be Adaptable:
Be ready to adapt if a trail closure happens. The Ohio to Erie Trail is impacted by planned and unplanned closures due to construction and maintenance. If a closure is planned, it will be noted on the alerts section on the website, but unplanned maintenance due to down trees, high water and washouts can happen too.
Familiarize yourself with the transition points:
The Ohio to Erie Trail mostly follows former railbeds and canalways, so the terrain is typically “flat” which means elevations increase and decrease gradually. The exception is the steep areas in and out of river valleys and at Baddow Pass. Also, there are rolling hills where the trail follows the roads for 17 miles in Amish Country.
Most visitors would probably say trail navigation is more challenging than the terrain. The challenging parts of the trail are where it transitions between sections. The more you research ahead of time the more confident you will feel navigating the transition points. We provide several tools to help with navigation such as the paper trail guides, the Interactive Map and the Ride with GPS files. Study up ahead of time or work with an experienced guide to help with the confusing sections. You can download the special navigation handouts for Westerville, Sunbury and Cleveland linked in the Fall 2023 newsletter.
In the video description is a link to a blog post about expectations and links to 2023 visitor videos.
That concludes this short video on what to expect on the Ohio to Erie Trail!
Speaker: Jody Dzuranin, Executive Director of the Ohio to Erie Trail Fund.
Blog Post on Trail Perceptions and Expectations
www.ohiotoerietrail.org/conte...
Navigation Tools - Printable Handouts (3 options)
ohiotoerietrail.org/nl70
Trail Visitor Videos 2023
www.ohiotoerietrail.org/conte...
Video Playlists
www.youtube.com/@OhiotoErieTr...
Trail Visitor Videos (87 on list)
• Trail Visitor Videos
Helpful Links
www.ohiotoerietrail.org/
/ ohiotoerie
/ ohiotoerietrail
Frequently Asked Questions ohiotoerietrail.org/faq

[@BufordDuckworth]

There needs to be more free camping options before I even bother. I'm not paying hotel prices to camp in someone's backyard ten miles away from the trail.