Barrettscv 

Hi,

Has anyone developed and published a connector between the southern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail at New Philadelphia, Ohio and the Montour Trail near Coraopolis, Pennsylvania? My goal is to connect the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail and the Allegany Passage.

I've seen the ACA Cleveland to Pittsburg Connector, but it bypasses the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

Rob_E

I haven't done it, but I have looked at it. There's 10+ miles of trail from Bowerston to Jewett (https://www.traillink.com/trail/conot...eek-trail.aspx), which should be about 20 miles of road riding from New Phillie. Another 30 miles on the road to Steubenville/Weirton where a trail picks up to take you right in to the Pittsburgh network (https://www.traillink.com/trail/panhandle-trail.aspx).
While I haven't biked around New Philadelphia in years and years, I would guess that any route you found from there to Bowerston would be decent. It's all country roads, I believe. The only part that might require input/planning is Jewett to Weirton. The more straightforward roads look bigger, and probably options to cross Ohio are limited and of varying degrees of safety. But 50 on-road miles from one trail to the other doesn't sound bad. Although that's a full day's riding for lots of folks, and I have no clue about overnight options at either end of that trip.

spinnaker

Last I checked the panhandle was pretty rough west of Bavington. Old Steubenville Pike is not awful bad as far as traffic.

There is no legal camping anywhere on the Panhandle.

Barrettscv 

Thanks for the info on the trail from Bowerston to Jewett and the trail from Weirton, WV to Carnegie, PA. Those trails cover 40 of the 100 miles and help to form a direct link.

I mapped a route on Mapmyride that connects Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail and the Montour Trail near Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The route includes the 10 mile trail from Bowerston to Jewett and the 29 mile trail from Police Lodge Rd. at US 22 (Weirton, WV) to Walkers Mill Rd./SR 3028 (Carnegie, PA). I have not traveled these areas, so the route is a concept only. Any feedback?

https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/73059550

I also found an existing route on Mapmyride: https://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/44738270 that covers the same general ground and connects to the Great Allegany Passage (or so it appears).

Rob_E

Spinnaker is the Pittsburgh expert. The stretch of trail spinnaker talks about being rough looks to be about 10 miles. Depending on your bike and what constitutes "rough," that may be a stretch to route around. Anything I've said is based on my own map studying and no current experience. I biked through New Philadelphia in the early 90's, so even if my memory were clear, it would be outdated, plus I was going soutwest. But I'll follow this thread with interest because I have a a lot of family in north east Ohio, and I've been contemplating a trip that starts out visiting them and has me returning home to Raleigh by biking the C&O + GAP to DC where I can catch a train the rest of the way.

Barrettscv 

Hi Rob,

I would like to do a Cleveland to D.C. trip, using the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail, the Great Allegany Passage and the C & O. I would also like to return using a route in the Allegheny Mountains.

I might drive from Cleveland to Jewett, Ohio and cycle the leg between Jewett and and the Ohio river just for research. It would be a 60 mile cycling roundtrip and a chance to look for the best route between those points. If I do so, I'll report what I find.

If you ever make it to NE Ohio, let me know!

spinnaker

Rough is big chunks of gravel. If the trail is not too mushy this weekend, I'll take a ride down there and see if there are any recent improvements.

If you guys need any help on this end, tour guide, place to stay, whatever, just PM me.

spinnaker

Well I promised to check out the section west of Burrgettstown. But I just did not make it that far. I misjudged distance combined with trail conditions. I started on the Montour and headed toward Burrgettstown. The trail was very soft and the wind against me most of the way. It was rough going and I did not get as far as I liked.

The good news is the Panhandle is in very good condition from Burrgettstown to Mcdonald. The surface is a bit soft but I imagine it should be firming up a bit in the next couple of months as long as we don't get much rain. There are a few washed out sections but nothing to worry about.

I did talk to a couple of locals in Burrgettstown and they told me west of there was pretty much still a mess but they did not seem like serious cyclists so I want to see for myself. I'll try to get back out there next weekend.

Barrettscv 

Hi Spinnaker,

I appreciate your effort and taking the time to check the route. I’m planning on cycling the connector between Jewett, OH and the Ohio river and will pass on any info.

Do you have a route map of the connector from The Great Allegany Passage to the Ohio River?

spinnaker

Where on the Ohio do you want to go? The start of the Montour trail takes you pretty mush right up to the Ohio in Coraopolis. The other end of the Montour connects with the GAP.

But the Ohio also passes right near Stuebenville. Maye that is what you mean

First it is the Panhandle

https://www.panhandletrail.org/maps.html

Then it is the Montour

https://montourtrail.org/

Be warned that there are lots of detours on the Montour. Some I am not some aware of as they are new, Check their website.

Also note that getting to the GAP via the Montour will be nearly twice the distance. If you come my way and go through town it is just a little over 30 miles. Both routes are well worth seeing.

Barrettscv 

At this point I'm targeting Stuebenville, But I would be willing to cross as far north as Toronto if that makes for a more bike friendly route. I would like to avoid narrow roads with fast or heavy traffic. Finding a direct route is not a priority. I will eventually join the Conotton Creek Trail at Jewett, OH.

What is your opinion of the Panhandle Trail? It ends near Stuebenville.

CCrew

Barrettcsv, I'm assuming that in planning from New Philadelphia you're looking to do the Ohio and Erie Canal? Only reason I ask, is that I'm also assuming that you realize that anything south of Zoar is pretty much cowpath...?

Rob_E

Without having ridden that stretch on bicycle, I'd be tempted to abandon the path in Bolivar and take the road that runs more-or-less straight from Zoar to Bowerston. My memory tells me that it's 212, but Google is not backing me up on this, and my memory has been known to take unexpected detours from reality.

Barrettscv 

Yes, I'll start on the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath near the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and leave the Tow Path near Zoarville. From there I'll take local roads to the Conotton Creek trailhead at Bowerston, Ohio. The bike will have off-road tires suited to the trails expected.

spinnaker

Well I started in Burrgettstown today and rode west toward Steubenville. The good news is that for 3 miles west of Burregttstown the trail conditions are excellent. The bad news is after 3 miles the trail is completely shutdown for resurfacing. They seem to be pretty serious on keeping ypu out as there are both barriers and digging equipment blocking the trail.

If you went during the weekend you might sneak through but it would still be rough going. They have the trail down to the base layer for as far as I could see which was about a mile.

I tried looking for a detour around the work area. There is a road I followed for several miles and I could see the trail pretty much the whole way but could not get access to it. In fact I was even able to cross under the trail and still not get to it.

I did not spend much more time exploring as I was getting over the flu and it really threw me for a loop. I was exhausted after 15 measly miles. I have the data on my GPS. I will see if I can see a viable route on my map tomorrow.

megalowmatt

I don't have anything to add other than we vacation in Sugarcreek every 5-6 years.

Love that area!

mzu2006

I just did Cleveland, OH to Pittsburgh through New Philadelphia, OH and Steubenville, OH. Hope, someone find it useful:

1. Very good trail Independence, OH -> Bolivar, OH. 3 detours: 1 minor, 1 near Akron, 1 around unfinished part of the trail in Massillon, OH.
2. New Philadelphia to Bowerstown, very pleasant ride, rural roads, suggested rest place: park in Sherrodsville, OH with picnic benches and a restroom right before the bridge.
3. Bowerstown -> Jewett by Conotton Creek trail was very pleasant experience. Trail is in perfect shape.
4. Jewett -> Steubenville. I took a route suggested by google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/j0Z61 (with my corrections to avoid Route 22)
this route has a number of problems:
* huge climb about 2 miles out of Jewett. A lot of hazmat trucks back and forth with very narrow shoulder.
* Route 22 although not a limited access highway before Bloomingdale, OH , but looks and feels pretty much like it. Avoiding it means some not very steep climbs.
* Small part of route 22 is unavoidable without making huge detour.
* Very steep climb on Caditz road at the end seems unavoidable as well.
This path is doable but I would look for an alternative
5. Steubenville -> Pittsburgh. With the demolition of Ft. Steuben bridge the only legal bridge out of Steubenville is Market street bridge. I took it, made a right and took the Archer Hill road.
This is a doable climb even with a loaded touring bike, I expected it to be much worse than that. Nice decent onto a panhandle trail, and following google maps from the end of the trail to Pittsburgh. https://goo.gl/maps/Fpoc3
Steep climb in Crafton.

Feel free to ask questions.

mzu2006

Somebody asked me about the starting point and the mileage. I can not respond by PM due to forum rules limitation, so I am responding here:

I started at Cleveland Amtrak station. For me it was:
10 to Independence OH
41 to BarberTown, OH
10+41 to Dover, OH
34 to Jewett, OH
25 to Steubenville, OH
46 to Pittsburgh, PA
(rounded up to whole miles).

Quite frankly, I would look for a different route to cross Ohio River, those 25 miles (Jewett->Steubenville) were not a good, pleasant ride.

Couple more comments came to mind:
2 useful camping sites:
1st in the park: around mile 33 of the trail, near metro park office. I did not have a chance to check the location out.
2nd near Massillon, Oh: nearest off-trail address would be: 3466 Erie Ave NW, Massillon, OH 44646, USA. Primitive campsite with no water. Fire ring. place for 2-3 tents.

mzu2006

both routes in RideWithGPS:
Steubenville to Pittsburgh - A bike ride in Steubenville, OH
New Philadelphia to Steubenville - A bike ride in New Philadelphia, OH

OldZephyr

Thanks very much mzu2006 for the comprehensive post, especially the stretch from Jewett to Steubenville.

I see from google maps what you are saying about Route 22 feeling like a limited access highway, probably wouldn't be all that pleasant. But did Route 22 feel unsafe? Or were you comfortable from a safety standpoint given the shoulders?

mzu2006

Route 22 did not feel extremely unsafe, but at some points the shoulders are narrower than comfortable. Part of the shoulders is taken by a rumble strip.
I avoided route 22 except a tiny stretch. I would have taken it had I been in a hurry