OHIO RIVER TRAIL COUNCIL

Western Reserve Greenway – Champion Township, Ohio to Bloomfield Township, Ohio

Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway 30-Mile Bike Trail 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 we visit the Western Reserve Greenway in Trumbull County for a 30-mile round-trip beginning at the Sunside Trailhead in Trumbull County to the Orwell State Wildlife Area in Bloomfield Township, Ohio.

Do not forget your camera!

Trailhead

Sunside Trailhead, 547 Center Street East, Champion Township, Ohio

GPS: 41.308257, -80.833079

Features and Points of Interest

The Western Reserve Greenway is a rails-to-trails conversion of the former Penn Central Railroad right-of-way, which was closed in April 1976. The line at one time was also known as the USRA 714 rail line. The right-of-way, which served industry then, is now set to help serve the recreational needs of Ashtabula County. The Ashtabula County MetroParks secured a 15-year lease agreement from the current property owner, the State of Ohio. The lease, signed by Governor George Voinovich in late May, 1997, and recorded in the Ashtabula County courts, authorizes construction of the Western Reserve Greenway on the Ashtabula portion of the former 714 roadbed.

The Western Reserve Greenway is a 43-mile, mostly rural rail-trail that cuts a north–south course from Warren to Ashtabula, Ohio. Trumbull County is home to 16 miles. The Stone Arch Bridge in Trumbull County is the true engineering highlight of the Western Reserve Trail.

However, the trail's rural surroundings provide the opportunity to enjoy nature and a multitude of wildlife. The Orwell Wilderness Area and wetlands is home to fox, squirrels, turkey, ruffed grouse, raccoons, muskrat, beaver and white-tailed deer. In addition, a great variety of both nesting and migrant birds utilizes this area like Red-tailed Hawks, Marsh and Sparrow Hawks, and Bald Eagles. In North Bloomfield, at about mile 30, stop take a break at the Mosquito Lake must-see observation deck and marvel at the scenery.

The Western Reserve Greenway is part of the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway, planned to run from Lake Erie to the Ohio River and connect to the proposed Ohio River Trail in Pennsylvania and then to Washington, D.C.

The proposed Ohio River Trail beginning at Coraopolis links the Montour Trail to the 110-mile Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway in Ohio forming approximately a 500-mile contiguous mega-trail system from the Great Lakes Region to our nation’s capitol!