10 Days Cycling From Cincinnati to Cleveland on the Ohio to Erie Trail

The Ohio to Erie Trail is a 326 mile trail in Ohio that links the Ohio River in the south to Lake Erie in the north, mostly on dedicated bike paths. It goes through four major cities, a lot of small towns, and countryside as well. We start in Cincinnati, a city we’ve never visited before. Before leaving on the ride, we spend a couple of days seeing the sights and tasting the local adult beverages.

Cincy Reds Stadium — Cincinnati Reds stadium as seen from our boat tour of the Ohio River.

Rhinegeist Brewery — This Cincinnati brewery is located in the old German part of town known as OTR (Over The Rhine) because so many German immigrants lived here at one time.

Day 1: Cincinnati to Xenia, 70.6 miles

We leave our van in a parking garage, get our bikes together and head out on the trip. We make our way a couple of miles through the city to the riverfront, where the trail crosses the river and turns northeast. After we escape the outskirts of Cincinnati, the trail becomes shady and flat. That is fortunate, because our ride today is one of the longer ones we’ve taken in awhile.

Start of trail — We find the official starting point of the trail.

Shaded path — Taking a break on the Ohio to Erie Trail. So far the trail is flat and 100% paved.

Day 2: Xenia to Columbus, 57.7 miles

Our friend, Craig Clark meets us on the trail outside of Columbus and rides into town with us. As a bonus we also have Kathleen O’Dowd join us for dinner. Craig and Cat are friends we met in 2022 when cycling the C&O trail. We look forward to spending an extra day here and learning more about the city. Total miles to date 128.3.

Rest stop — We find a cool park and stop for a little break on today’s ride.

We have dinner with Kat and Craig, whom we met when we were all cycling the C & O Canal Trail from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC.

We have a great day off in Columbus. It is Pride Day so there is a very impressive parade and festival. Thanks to Craig, we also get to attend a Columbus Clippers (Cleveland AAA) game.

The Columbus Pride parade lasts well over 2 hours. It is enormous and very well done.

We have great seats for the Columbus Clippers vs. Iowa Cubs game.

Day 3: Columbus to Mt. Vernon, 53.7 miles

Our friends Kat and Craig ride the first 12 or 13 miles out of Columbus with us today and we enjoy breakfast together. Then we’re back on our own as we finish up in Mt Vernon. Along the way we cross the halfway point of the trail. Total MTD 183.1.

Leaving Columbus — We say so long to our cycling friends, Kat and Craig. They are ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ tour guides of Columbus.

Centerburg is pretty tiny, yet aptly named. Its claim to fame is being the halfway point of the Ohio to Erie Trail.

Day 4: Mt. Vernon to Millersburg, 44.5 miles

Just like pretty much the rest of the country, Central Ohio is hot today. The temp and humidity, as well as some unexpected climbing make today’s mileage a bit tough. We’re only about 100 miles from the endpoint in Cleveland. Total MTD 227.6.

Lunch break — Lunch is a chance to try to dry at least some of the sweat.

The shade of a covered bridge brings a bit of welcome relief. Most of the trail is actually pretty shady but today includes some on-road, sunny sections.

Day 5: Millersburg to Massillon, 38.6 miles

The ride today is HHH–hot, humid, and hilly. But we start the day with a great breakfast, see lots of pretty Ohio countryside along the way, and end in a friendly brewery. Total MTD 266.2,

Shady rest — This little treasure is a cyclists’ rest stop that some thoughtful homeowner has set up in the corner of their yard. Ice cold water and shade are just the ticket to help us finish the ride.

Most of the trail is paved. Today we have our first section of packed gravel and dirt. At least it is fairly shaded.

Day 6: Massillon to Akron, 29.6 miles

The ride today is our shortest of the trip. We have lots of time for breaks and sightseeing along the way. This section of trail primarily follows the old Erie and Ohio canal towpath. It’s hard to imagine how busy these paths must have been before the railroads put them out of business. Total MTD 285.8.

Canal b.oat — This restored boat once plied the waters of the canal we cycle along all day today.

Canal lock — There were something like 146 locks on the canal along its entire length during its heyday. Now there’s only one left.

Statue — This statue in Akron marks part of the 1798 western boundary of the US. It seems odd to be in Ohio, yet what would have been outside the United States.

Day 7: Akron to Cleveland, 40.9 miles

We are officially 326ers. Our miles from Akron to Cleveland complete the Ohio to Erie Trail . We love every minute of the ride although navigating downtown Cleveland right after the Guardians game is over is a challenge. Even if you can only do the first couple of sections, we highly recommend this trail.

Cycling into unfamiliar cities, especially those that are not particularly bike friendly can be frustrating and involve lots of wrong turns.

Celebratory pint — We raise a celebratory point after successfully completing the trail.

Krause Travels