Wabash Cannonball Trail

The Wabash Cannonball Trail is a rail to trail conversion in northwestern Ohio, U.S. It is 63 miles (101 km) long.[8] The North Fork of the Wabash Cannonball Trail is part of the North Coast Inland Trail, which plans to fully connect Indiana to Pennsylvania,[5][9] and portions of the trail are included in the North Country National Scenic Trail.[1][2]

Wabash Cannonball Trail
Westbound tandem with picnic basket at Rotary Park
Rails to Trails
LengthWilliams County: 9 mi.
Fulton County: 26 mi.
Lucas County: 22 mi.
Henry County: 6 mi.
Total: 63 miles
LocationOhio Northwest Ohio
United States United States
Established1995
DesignationNorth Country National Scenic Trail[1][2]
TrailheadsCar parking Parking available in all counties
UseHiking, bicycling, cross country skiing, equestrian
Highest point879 feet (268 m)
Lowest point640 feet (200 m)
Gradeflat to gentle railroad grades
Difficulty Wheelchair accessible[3]
Months12
Waymark
SightsOak Openings Preserve Metropark
Fraker Mill Covered Bridge
Wabash Railroad caboose[4]
HazardsUS and State Route crossings
SurfaceLucas County: all paved[5]
Fulton County: 2 miles paved[6]
remainder: gravel[7]
Right of wayWabash Railroad
Websitehttp://wabashcannonballtrail.org

History

The Wabash Railroad line used by the trail was first built in 1855, and service continued until 1969. The Norfolk Southern Railway then purchased it. The rails were finally abandoned in 1990. Local enthusiasts developed the idea of creating a public recreational trail and utility corridor. On March 24, 1994, the corridor was purchased from Norfolk Southern.[10]

The name Wabash Cannonball stems from an 1882 American folk song about an imaginary train.[11] No train actually had the name until 1949, when the Wabash Railroad actually named its Detroit-St. Louis day train the Cannon Ball.[12]

Other rail-to-trail conversions of the Wabash Railroad in the Midwestern region include the Kiwanis Trail in Adrian, Michigan, the Wabash Heritage Trail in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the Wabash Trail in Sangamon County, Illinois.

North Fork and South Fork of Wabash Cannonball Trail
Wabash Railroad map, showing North and South Forks of the trail in Ohio

Location

North Fork

The northern section of the trail roughly parallels both the Ohio Turnpike I-80/90 and US Route 20A for about 43 miles (69 km) starting in Maumee, and extending through Monclova, Wauseon, and West Unity, ending at its western trailhead near Montpelier, Ohio.

South Fork

An additional 18-mile (29 km) spur runs from Maumee southwest to near Liberty Center, Ohio. That trailhead has a parking area near Whitehouse, Ohio.[13]

Condition

All portions of the trail in Lucas County are paved.[7][14] A 2-mile (3.2 km) section of the trail in Fulton County, owned by the city of Wauseon, also is paved.[6][15][16] The remainder of the North Fork in Fulton and Williams counties are unpaved, as is the South Fork in Henry County.[7]

Trail section County Township Distance[17][18][19] Surface[7] Crossings Notes
(mi)(km)
North Fork























North Fork























North Fork		 Lucas Monclova 0 0 Paved Jerome Road Car parking Eastern Terminus, near The Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site, Maumee, parking available. 41.556741°N 83.699396°W / 41.556741; -83.699396 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, eastern terminus)
0.2 0.32 Fork branches South
1.7 2.7 Waterville-Monclova Road Car parking Parking in Village of Monclova, Ohio. 41.556656°N 83.732709°W / 41.556656; -83.732709 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Village of Monclova)
2.7 4.3 Keener Road Public washrooms Car parking Monclova Township Hall, with parking, bathrooms, and a bicycle maintenance station.[20] 41.556633°N 83.752493°W / 41.556633; -83.752493 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Township Hall, Bike Fixit Station)
Swanton 6.5 10.5 SR 295 41.556459°N 83.824994°W / 41.556459; -83.824994 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, SR 295)
7.3 11.7 Evergreen Lake Trail Oak Openings Preserve Metropark trail. 41.556390°N 83.840066°W / 41.556390; -83.840066 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Evergreen Lake Trail) Bathrooms and parking located one mile south at Ranger Station. Public washrooms Car parking 41.543583°N 83.840345°W / 41.543583; -83.840345 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Oak Openings Ranger Station)
9.0 14.5 SR 64 Public washrooms Car parking Oak Openings Preserve Metropark bathrooms and parking. 41.556333°N 83.873230°W / 41.556333; -83.873230 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Oak Openings Parking SR 64)
Fulton Swan Creek 15.2 24.5 Cinder,
gravel,
dirt,
grass		 Fraker Mill Covered Bridge[21] Crosses Bad Creek, near Delta 41.5547649°N 83.9990659°W / 41.5547649; -83.9990659 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Fraker Mill Covered Bridge)
York 15.5 24.9 SR 109 Car parking Parking. NORTA (Northwestern Ohio Rails-to-Trails Association) offices. Bathrooms available in Delta. Public washrooms 41.555918°N 84.001243°W / 41.555918; -84.001243 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, SR 109, Delta)
19.5 31.4 County Road 11 Two mile detour on County Road F, from County Road 11 to County Road 13 41.555557°N 84.076304°W / 41.555557; -84.076304 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, detour to County Road F at County Road 11, railroad crossing)
Clinton 21.5 34.6 Paved County Road 13 Paved trail maintained by City of Wauseon Parks. 41.555369°N 84.114888°W / 41.555369; -84.114888 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, County Road 13)
22.5 36.2 SR 108 Busy crossing 41.555384°N 84.134416°W / 41.555384; -84.134416 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, SR 108, Wauseon)
22.7 36.5 Rotary Park, Wauseon Public washrooms Car parking Parking 41.555336°N 84.139115°W / 41.555336; -84.139115 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Rotary Park, Wauseon)
23.5 37.8 Automotive Parts Factory Pavement ends. 41.555284°N 84.152587°W / 41.555284; -84.152587 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, automotive parts factory, Wauseon, Wauseon) One mile detour on County Road F via Krieger St.
24.5 39.4 Cinder,
gravel,
dirt,
grass		 County Road 16 Detour to County Road F. 41.555125°N 84.172869°W / 41.555125; -84.172869 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, County Road 16)
German 30.4 48.9 US 20A 41.572404°N 84.282744°W / 41.572404; -84.282744 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, US 20A, trail jogs)
32.8 52.8 County Road 23 (old SR 66) Car parking Parking in Elmira/Burlington. 41.579305°N 84.306980°W / 41.579305; -84.306980 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, SR 66, Elmira)
33.3 53.6 Tiffin River bridge.[22][23] Large railroad bridge north of Archbold. 41.583054°N 84.335466°W / 41.583054; -84.335466 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Tiffin River bridge)
33.6 54.1 US 20A 41.582987°N 84.341297°W / 41.582987; -84.341297 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, US 20A)
Williams Brady 38.3 61.6 Wabash Park, West Unity Public washrooms Car parking Parking and bathrooms. 41.583068°N 84.431586°W / 41.583068; -84.431586 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, Wabash Park, West Unity)
Jefferson 38.7 62.3 US 127 41.583116°N 84.439879°W / 41.583116; -84.439879 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, US Route 127, West Unity)
44.7 71.9 SR 15 Car parking Western Terminus, near Montpelier, parking. 41.58308°N 84.55563°W / 41.58308; -84.55563 (Wabash Cannonball Trail North Fork, western terminus) Bathrooms available in Montpelier Public washrooms
South Fork Lucas Monclova 0 0 Paved Jerome Road Car parking Eastern Terminus, near The Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site, Maumee. Parking available.
0.2 0.32 Forks branch 41.556745°N 83.703956°W / 41.556745; -83.703956 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, eastern terminus)
0.8 1.3 The Shops at Fallen Timbers 41.551229°N 83.709202°W / 41.551229; -83.709202 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, The Shops at Fallen Timbers)
Providence 6.2 10.0 SR 64, White House Public washrooms Car parking Parking and bathrooms available. Bicycle repair shop. 41.517989°N 83.803102°W / 41.517989; -83.803102 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, SR 64, Whitehouse)
7.5 12.1 SR 295 41.509384°N 83.827107°W / 41.509384; -83.827107 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, SR 295, Whitehouse)
10.2 16.4 Neapolis Car parking Parking available. 41.492799°N 83.873352°W / 41.492799; -83.873352 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, Neapolis)
Henry Washington 14.7 23.7 Cinder,
gravel,
dirt,
grass		 Colton Car parking Parking available. 41.464363°N 83.952668°W / 41.464363; -83.952668 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, Colton)
16.9 27.2 County Road 6C Car parking Western Terminus end, Near Liberty Center 41.451114°N 83.989429°W / 41.451114; -83.989429 (Wabash Cannonball Trail South Fork, western terminus)[24]

Note that distance information about the trail differs slightly from one source to another based on whether missing sections of the trail are counted or not. Some sources say the north fork is 43 miles (69 km) (not counting missing sections), others say 45 miles (72 km) (counting the missing sections), and still others 47 miles (76 km) (counting detour mileage).

References
  1. "Welcome to Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  2. "National Park Service, North Country Trail". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  3. "Ohio Wheelchair Accessible Trails". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  4. "WhitehouseOH.gov". Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  5. "Ohio Bikeways NW Region List". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  6. "City of Wauseon: Our Parks". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  7. "Ohio Department of Transportation Bikeways Info". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  8. "Ohio Department of Transportation Bike Map" (PDF). Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  9. "North Coast Inland Trail". Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  10. "Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments: Wabash Cannonball Trail Stewardship Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  11. "Wabash Cannonball, The". California State University, Fresno.
  12. Schafer, Mike (2000). More Classic American Railroads. Osceola, WI: MBI Publishing Co. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-7603-0758-8. OCLC 44089438.
  13. "Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  14. "Toledo Blade: Wauseon Upgrades Biking Hiking Trail". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  15. "Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  16. "Mileage Chart" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  17. "Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (North Fork)". Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  18. "Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (South Fork)". Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  19. "Bike Fixit Stations at Five Metroparks Locations". Retrieved 2016-04-03.
  20. "Toledo Blade:Fraker Mill Bridge Dedication Set". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  21. "Trails, Festivals and Rails: Bicycling Through Ohio". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  22. "Tiffin 210". Retrieved 2016-04-02.
  23. "Metroparks Toledo: Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 2016-04-02.


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