OHIO RIVER TRAIL COUNCIL
Conotton Creek Trail — Jewett, Ohio to Bowerston, Ohio
Conotton Creek Trail 23-Mile Bike Ride
Come out for a ride! This is part of a trail ride series sponsored by the Ohio River Trail Council (ORTC) intended to bring awareness to the wonderful trails in our quad-state region (Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia). All cyclists are welcome for this rails-to-trails, moderate-paced ride.
Join us, as the Ohio River Trail Cycling Club visits the Conotton Creek Trail. This scenic ride is a 23-mile round-trip ride from Jewett to Bowerston, Ohio. The Conotton Creek trail was designated a National Millennium Trail in 2000 by the George W. Bush Whitehouse.
Do not forget your camera!
Trailhead
Conotton Creek Trailhead: 300 Water Street, Jewett, OH 43986
GPS: 40.366332, -81.000969
Features and Points of Interest:
The Conotton Creek Trail is an 11.4-mile rail-trail of scenic serenity that is located in northern Harrison County Ohio. The eastern trailhead in Jewett, Ohio is near the headwaters of Conotton Creek, a stream that flows to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Conotton Creek and the trail meander through small villages, farmlands, pastures, and the rolling hills of eastern Ohio.
A multitude of wildlife is present near the trail, as well as domesticated animals of a tamer variety; horses and cattle graze on the rolling hills of neighboring farms along the trail's southern edge. East of Bowerston are several ponds that draw beaver, ducks, geese and great blue herons. Lining the sides of the trail between Bowerston and Jewett, more than 40 birdhouses attract tree swallows and bluebirds.
The trail's crown jewel is the covered bridge in the town of Scio, the approximate midpoint of the trail. Bridge aficionados will appreciate the fine craftsmanship of this structure.
This unique covered bridge spans a short section across Conotton Creek, complementing rural Ohio.
The trail's right-of-way was used as a railroad from the 1860's until the early 1990's, when the line operated by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad was merged with the Ohio Central Railroad line that ran parallel through the valley for approximately 12 miles. The railroad transported wool, ferried troops during wartime, shipped iron ore from the Great Lakes ports to the steel mills of the Ohio Valley and, for over a century, they hauled coal mined from Harrison County, Ohio. Jewett was, not only an important stop on the railroad, but it was also once home to a streetcar manufacturer and an opera house.
Social
Half-way throught the ride lunch at Hugo's Restaurant, Walnut St, Scio, OH 43988 or following the ride, dinner at Ja-Lin's Food and Drink, 106 E Main Street, Jewett, OH 43986. (740) 946-5040
