Find the top rated running trails in Columbus, whether you're looking for an easy short running trail or a long running trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a running trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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6/15/23 Bridge is being replaced just north of Innis rd. Must detour via Innis and Sunbury roads about 1.5 miles. Not bike friendly roads.
I recently rode the Gahanna Section of the Big Walnut Trail from end to end from Morse Road in the north to Price Road at the south end. This ended up being 12.3 miles for the entire round trip. This is a nice trail. Overall, the asphalt trail surface is in decent shape with little to no root uplift or potholes. The trail in this area is designed to connect residents with local parks and athletic fields. These parks (going from north to south) include Academy Park, Woodside Green Park, Lower McCorkle Park, McCorkle Park, Gahanna Municipal Golf Course, Creekside Park, Friendship Park, Gahanna Swimming Pool, and St. Matthew Athletic Fields. There are also a number of places to pick up food around Creekside Park. Thus, there is a lot of utility to Gahanna residents.
However, the lack of connectivity beyond Gahanna makes this section of the Big Walnut Trail lacking when compared to other Central Ohio Greenways such as the Alum Creek, Olentangy, and Scioto River Greenways. I also felt that signage was lacking particularly at trail intersections. Were you still on the Big Walnut Trail or had you just chosen wrong and now find yourself riding a neighborhood connecting spur? In addition, this trail seems more densely wooded than some of these other greenways which means that bike lights are a necessity if you are riding near dawn or dusk.
As mentioned by other reviewers on TrailLink, this ambitious trail project is a work in progress and is broken up into many unconnected parts. I rode six and two thirds round trip miles on this northernmost section of the Big Walnut Trail. It was a cool day so a Jacket was required this morning. The trail follows the western shore of Hoover Reservoir, one of the sources of drinking water for the city of Columbus. The trail is has nice views of the reservoir and you can cross over the top of the dam to the Brent Hambrick Memorial Disc Golf Course in Cornell Park on the lake's eastern shore. The trail surface is asphalt and is in fairly good shape. If you enjoy being near water you will love this trail. The last 3/10ths of a mile south of Hoover Dam was closed on this day so I was unable to reach North Street where the trail ends and I couldn't connect to the Chipmunk Chatter Trail; another trail in the Westerville B & W trail network. My one complaint about this part of the trail was the fact the the small loop to the tunnel that takes the southbound trail under Sunbury Road at Marlene Drive was not marked with a sign. I ended up continuing south along Sunbury Road on a much narrower sidewalk until I could cross at a traffic light at Walnut Street. Coming back north you can’t miss the tunnel as it trail leads directly into it. I rate this section pretty high, but I'm not willing to give it a great score because too much of the planned trail is broken into unconnected segments. Connect these segments and the Columbus area will really have something.
This trail is currently made up of 5 separate unconnected segments. The largest being that of the all purpose trail located in Columbus' Rocky Fork Metro Park located northeast of the central business district of New Albany, Ohio. Of the remaining unconnected sections, the one near the New Albany Tennis Center appears to be the second largest section. The remaining unconnected segments are located along U.S. Route 62. This makes it appear that the intention of this trail, when finished, is to connect Rocky Fork Metro Park with the Big Walnut Trail near the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course. Of course this is just speculation on my part.
I rode two and three quarter miles of trail within the Rocky Fork Metro Park. It consists of one 1.25 mile loop with spurs to the dog park at the metro park’s entrance and another spur that connects to the nearby athletic fields at New Albany’s Bevelhymer Park. I would consider this part of the trail as a destination rather than an actual trail route. The trail here has an asphalt surface and is in great shape. Although the trail within the metro park is very nice, I award only one star to the Rocky Fork Trail at this point in time, because it’s too hard to rate this trail as so little of it is contiguous.
This is a great trail to ride, the newly paved Newell Preserve connector allows you to ride into Sunbury. I stopped in Galena this ride and enjoyed the trail immensely. Just a word of warning, the trail is on the downgrade from Centerburg into the Columbus area, so the return trip was a little more of a struggle but only because I overdid it for an early season ride.
6/5/23 path closed due to bridge construction. Bridge out between Granville and Newark. 2.7 mile detour very poorly marked.
This trail has lots of potential with scenic views but is in dire need of maintenance and signage. I planned to do the full 70 mile round trip but stopped at just over 23 to avoid damage to my road bike.
Trail surface in super condition; mostly dappled shade. Quiet on a Monday in late May. Great place to stay in YS is Arthur Morgan B&B; we’ve been there several times and enjoy the town.
Three and a half stars Rode Simon Kenton trail from Bellefountaine to West Liberty and back (14 mile round trip). It is a seal and chip surface in very good condition done in 2018 (https://www.simonkentonpathfinders.org/about/). It is a rail-to-trail so it is basically flat. The trail runs alongside a set of train tracks - as noted in other reviews - no shade except in the late afternoon / evening. Not anything particularly attractive about the trail other than a new place to ride.
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