Bikepacking routes near Ohio

[iforgotmename]

Looking for suggestions for some routes in or near Ohio. I have toured before but never bikepacked. I am looking for a fun not too technical multiday ride. The only bike I have is a 26" Surly LHT so I would imagine that would limit me a little bit. Thanks for any and all repliey...look forward to getting off road this year.

[jhl99]

You don't say what part of OH... but if you in the NE, head to PA and the Allegheny National Forest.  Put some cheap knobbies on the LHT and you are set to ride the forest roads.  There is also a network of snowmobile trails that make a big, 100 mile loop that somewhat share the FRs.  Also, there are ATV trails you can ride on.  Even better to ride on them now, because they don't open to ATVs until around Memorial Day.   If you don't want to primitive camp, there are forest service campgrounds.  The Reservior and dam are different attraction.  Kane, Warren, Bradford, Mareinville all offer full services.

Here is a route to get you started:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fhome.windstream.net%2FJHLange%2F2010-05-PA-ANF00.kml&sll=41.656497,-79.020538&sspn=0.516096,1.229095&ie=UTF8&t=p&z=10
 

[caseygreene]

It would be sweet to try the southeast section of the Buckeye Trail. Since so much of it is on backroads, your LHT wold be the perfect bike for the occasion.

Also, i think i may have seen something posted in the forums here, but Elkins-Senneca Rock-Franklin area of West Virginia seem like it would have some potential. I've never ridden there but have been on some knarly dirt backroads in my car.

Here is a route to get you started:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fhome.windstream.net%2FJHLange%2F2010-05-PA-ANF00.kml&sll=41.656497,-79.020538&sspn=0.516096,1.229095&ie=UTF8&t=p&z=10

This route seems awesome!

[iforgotmename]

Thanks for the responses. I am in NE Ohio so the Allegheny looks good, I am going to start planning. I was out yesterday trying out some tires, I have a set of Schwalbe Duremes and they did a decent job both on and off road. Now to start planning...Thanks again guys.

[jhl99]

Also, i think i may have seen something posted in the forums here, but Elkins-Senneca Rock-Franklin area of West Virginia seem like it would have some potential.

More than some potential.  North Fork Mtn Trail, Davis/Canaan Valley Area, Durbin/Glady Rail trail, Greenbrier Rail Trail, plus spilling over into VA, there are a lot of trails and riders in George Washington NF.

Another suggestion for OH is in the Athens/ Marietta area...the Wayne National Forest... I did an offroad weekend tour there on an ATV trail... need to pay a trail use fee, the public land seemed chopped up in small parcels... I thing the Allegheny NF or WV are better choices.

[eec]

If you want to stick to rail-trail type stuff, try the Cuyahoga Valley National Park/Erie Canal Towpath trail. They completed the section from Rockside Road in Independence up to Lake Erie. If you started in Cleveland you can ride it down to Bolivar, which is about 80 miles. A better place to start is the trailhead at Rockside Road in Independence, which is also the northern terminus of the scenic railroad. From there you can go south to Bolivar, then hit another connector to Zoar, giving you a total of about 80 miles. Not sure about camping in Zoar, but there's a canoe livery in Bolivar where you can camp for $5. There's also a primitive camp site just north of Massillon at the Franklin Trailhead. The Big Bend trailhead also allows camping (from Rockside it's about 23 miles). If at any point you want to get off the bike, you can wave down the train at any of the stations and ride to any other station for $3.

The downside is that it's out and back, and the trail can get a little boring at times. There are a couple short, steep climbs on the detour through Akron, but other than that it's relatively flat. Prepare for it to be a little crowded on weekends, especially near trailheads. The section between Massillon to Bolivar is especially nice, probably more so once the leaves start changing. It's a great way to get your feet wet with bikepacking, and to test out gear and such without having to worry about car traffic, wayfinding, etc.

https://www.nps.gov/cuva/index.htm
http://www.ohiobikeways.net/erietowpath.htm

[swampboy62]

I'm also in NE OH.

Did a 4 day route with my son this summer, mostly on the paved trails around the Allegheny River in western PA.  There are several trails that are connectable, and give you a chance to spend a couple of days riding and camping.

I started putting this map together to help plan the trip, and then put some more effort into it afterwards. It shows some routes and resources.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WlUsXlCWBn7swipaUxqDKew2sPc&usp=sharing

Steve Z

[eec]

I'm also in NE OH.

Did a 4 day route with my son this summer, mostly on the paved trails around the Allegheny River in western PA.  There are several trails that are connectable, and give you a chance to spend a couple of days riding and camping.

I started putting this map together to help plan the trip, and then put some more effort into it afterwards. It shows some routes and resources.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WlUsXlCWBn7swipaUxqDKew2sPc&usp=sharing

Steve Z

Steve, that map is great. Do you know of any routes within the Allegheney National Forest, geared towards 2-3 days, preferably not paved? Years ago my wife and I backpacked the North Country Trail through the forest (about 112 miles), but a lot of it is either not open or suitable for bikes. I know there's a lot of forest roads and ATV trails within the park, but I'm not sure how to connect them for a circuitous 2-3 day route.
Thanks!

[swampboy62]

Don't have a route ready, but might be able to make some suggestions.  How many miles a day sounds good, considering that most will be either forest service road or abandoned road (double track)?

Jhl99 who replied above, has a ton of experience in ANF riding, and probably has forgotten more than I know. 

BTW jhl, your map link above doesn't work.  Got another by any chance??

Steve Z

[eec]

Don't have a route ready, but might be able to make some suggestions.  How many miles a day sounds good, considering that most will be either forest service road or abandoned road (double track)?

Jhl99 who replied above, has a ton of experience in ANF riding, and probably has forgotten more than I know. 

BTW jhl, your map link above doesn't work.  Got another by any chance??

Steve Z

Ideally I'd like to tackle anywhere between 60-100 miles/day, for a 3-day, 2-night trip. I'm not opposed to some pavement if it connects forest roads, either.
That map link jhl put up didn't work for me, either.

[swampboy62]

That's a good deal of distance, considering that the whole Nat'l Forest is something like 60 miles wide.

I put a couple of scanned maps on my Google Drive that might help out.  These are the official ANF maps from like 20 years ago, and they show most of the forest service roads. I scanned it in two parts to avoid having too big of a file.  Don't count on the trails on the map necessarily actually being there (not that you're allowed to ride on most trails in the ANF anyways). 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1PMw3B4br9WSjlfa2E1WkoyWFU

The first thing that comes to mind is to try to map out a perimeter ride, in order to maximize distance.  But the roads that are actually on the perimeter of the ANF are mostly paved, and have a good amount of traffic.  Looking at the map, there aren't lots of gravel roads that run parallel to them, but there are ways to link together forest service roads, both open and gated, to make connections.  But as you'll see as you look at the ANF maps, these are mostly shorter sections of road, 5 to 10 miles long, so you'd have to link together quite a few to make a route.

But let me make a few suggestions.  I'm more familiar with the southern half of the forest, so take that in consideration.

The paved road along Clarion River, from Irwin Run west to Cooksburg, is a great ride as long as you're not doing it during a good weather weekend, when the west end gets kind of busy.  Heading north from Clarion River on Millstone Road (just west of Belltown) you can take gravel north, past Loleta campground, onto the dead end of road between Loleta and Lamonaville (passable for bikes as of this summer) - lots of camping possibilities there.  Continue north through Duhring and Pigs Ear to route 66/948 near Chaffey.  You can continue your way north through Windy City towards Ludlow, but keep in mind that the gravel roads back there can be like a maze - be careful with navigation.  From Ludlow you can work up onto the plateau above the reservoir in the Jake's Rocks area, then work your way west towards Warren - but if you go into town remember you're going to have to climb a good ways to get back into the forest.  It is possible to connect to Weldbank on route 6 without heading down to Warren, saving a few climbs.

From there work further west, past Chapman Dam SP, then south towards Hearts Content, and then past Hickory Creek Wilderness. You can connect from the south edge of Hickory Creek to route 666 on gated NF roads, but once again, watch the navigation.  From there you can continue towards Tionesta before heading east again.

Another possibility would be riding into the National Forest on rail trails from the west, spend a night in the forest, then ride back.  The Clarion Highlands Trail is an unpaved trail through the state game lands that comes towards the ANF, but doesn't quite connect, so there would be some route finding.  The road route on the map I linked, from Cooksburg to Shippenville, is mostly very low traffic unpaved roads, but requires a few miles on paved Miola Road.  The paved Sandy Creek Trail, that connects end on with Clarion Highland Trail, has a nice shelter near it's east end, and there are also a couple of shelters on the Allegheny River Trail, on the other end of Sandy Creek Trail.

Couple of additional things:  if you're craving more challenge, try riding Rimrock or Morrison Trail down to the waterside campground.  This is old school singletrack to a sweet camping area, but the climb out with a loaded bike might be a bit much.  Also, there is a dispersed campsite map in that Google Drive folder that shows the legal roadside campsites - sometimes a bit easier than backcountry camping, but depending on the area there can be more people around than you'd want.

When you try to plan your route, use the Google maps aerials to try to see if the roads on the map are still existing. If you can't see them through the trees, try using Google Earth and dialing the photo data set back to an earlier date in the fall or spring, when the leaves are off the trees and you can see the roads.

If you have questions about particular areas, post 'em up - it's possible I might have an answer.

Good luck!

Steve Z

[eec]

Wow, Steve, thanks for the great info! Your time spent is much appreciated. I've backpacked Morrison several times and love the trail, but that climb out from the reservoir would be a bear on a loaded bike.
Again, thanks for the above and beyond, and I'll study this map. If there's a good weather weekend this year I'll try something, but it will probably be an early spring trip. I'm looking at a TDR attempt next year, so that will be some good prep.
Eric

[silverdome]

I found this web site   www.swallowbicycleworks.com/rides  and am thinking about doing a modified Buckeye Trail for my 65th birthday next year. The route has several state parks that my family camped at when I was growing up.  I am from Mansfield and got home and rode the Mohican 25 mile loop which was so much fun. Living in Phoenix I don't get to ride through the trees very often, just cactus.

Paul

[eec]

Steve, I can't access that map/info without permission. Sent a request through my gmail account.

[swampboy62]

I thought I made it public, but I guess not.  Sorry for the delay.

If you're Eric, then you should have access now.

Steve Z

[eec]

I thought I made it public, but I guess not.  Sorry for the delay.

If you're Eric, then you should have access now.

Steve Z

Thanks Steve, got it!

[sXeXBMXer]

I am planing on doing the GAP/C&O Canal trail that goes from Pittsburgh to Washington DC...not really close to Ohio, but P-burgh is not a bad drive to me to do that trail. I live in C-bus. The ANP suggestion has also piqued my interest...

[eec]

I'm looking at doing the Buckeye Trail Bicycle Route this Spring. 622 miles from Cincinnati to Cleveland. I've read a few write ups for that GAP/C&O Canal trail and it sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!

http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/buckeye-trail-bicycle-route/

[sXeXBMXer]

I'm looking at doing the Buckeye Trail Bicycle Route this Spring. 622 miles from Cincinnati to Cleveland. I've read a few write ups for that GAP/C&O Canal trail and it sounds like a great trip. Enjoy!

http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/buckeye-trail-bicycle-route/

Thanks man! It isn't super technical, but I think it will be a good one  to get my chops going in that kind of riding.

The Buckeye Trail is also on my "to-do" list, but I know I will need some more leg stamina for some of the eastern part of the state. And a longer period of time. The cool thing about the GAP/C&O is that it can be done in less than a week.

It will be cool to see any write ups or pix from your ride for aure!

[eec]

In addition to the Buckeye Trail Bicycle Route, which is 622 miles, there is the Ohio to Erie Trail, which is roughly 320 miles (Ohio River in Cincinnati to Lake Erie in Cleveland). I plan to do both this year, but if I can swing the time off work, I might consider the Ohio to Erie southbound, then the Buckeye Trail northbound.