Last year my husband and I decided to get new bikes as an alternative to running and hiking. Biking during a hot and humid Columbus summer day is more enjoyable than jogging.
Naturally, we explored bike trails to find different places where we could ride our bikes. I don’t like to ride on normal Columbus streets. Heavy traffic on 2-lane roads make them very dangerous – not talking about the exhaust you inhale while riding on roads.
I discovered that Columbus has a decent network of paved biking trails. As a matter of fact, the City of Columbus plans to expand trails and the City bike friendly, by adding bike lanes to streets and improving signage and signals along the trails.
In his 2012 capital budget, Mayor Coleman proposes to invest $6.4 million for bikeways, bike paths and bike pavement markings.
Where are Bike Trails in Columbus?
Columbus has 4 major bike trails traversing the City. You can find detailed maps at the Columbus Recreation & Parks and Touring Ohio websites.
You can find a detailed network of bike trails on Google Maps. Simply display a map of the area you are interested in and select Bicycling from the drop down menu. All bike trails of that area pop up as green lines on top of the map. You can even calculate the distance and directions between two points using bicycles.
The 4 major Columbus bike trails are:
- Alum Creek Trail
- Olentangy Trail
- Scioto Trail
- Heritage Trail
There are many bike trails or dedicated bike lanes in Columbus suburbs, most notably in Dublin, Westerville and New Albany. The City of Dublin offers bike trails from Tuttle Crossing in the South to Glacier Ridge Metro Park in the North. Westerville features the trail at Sharon Woods Metro Park and a dense network of bike paths throughout the City that connect to the Alumn Creek Trail.
Bike Trails Around Columbus
Outside of Columbus, the Ohio to Erie Trail offers access to bike trails in other counties.
On the West side it starts at Georgesville and goes more than 30 miles to Xenia, where it connects with the Little Miami Scenic Trail that leads all the way to Cincinnati.
On the North end of town you can follow the extension of the Alum Creek Trail North to Galena (the Northern tip of Hoover Reservoir). Another extensive section of the Ohio to Erie Trail starts in Centerburg and leads you through Mt. Vernon to Danville.N
Newark has a great network of bike trails. You can get there on a trail from Johnstown and go all the way through the City of Newark to Hanover. The trail ends at the Longaberger Golf Club.
Best Neighborhoods for Biking to Buy a Home
With hundreds of miles of biking trails in Columbus and neighboring suburbs, you may ask yourself, “where’s the best place to buy a home for a bike enthusiast?”
Obviously, there are so many subdivisions that have access to bike trails that we can’t list them here. Instead, I suggest you look at the trail maps then pick a neighborhood that has one of the trails near you.
Let me point out a Columbus neighborhoods that are particularly bike friendly.
Dublin
With its dense network of biking trails throughout the city, Dublin may be the most bike friendly place in Central Ohio. Dublin builds separate trails (not just sidewalks) along most new roads. So, you can get almost anywhere on a bike.
The disadvantage of the trail network in the City of Dublin is the many intersections you encounter while your ride your bike. They have built under and overpasses at major thoroughfares, however, at many neighborhood streets you have to stop before you can cross.
Clintonville/OSU Area
The progressive lifestyle of OSU students and young professionals make Clintonville (and most of the Olentangy Trail corridor for that matter) a biker’s paradise. Clintonville consists of a network of streets that are easy to enjoy some biking. The Olentangy trail does not have too many crossings.
You will find many nice homes along the Olentangy Trail with large backyards overlooking the Olentangy River, anywhere from Ackerman Road (North of OSU) to I-270 in Worthington.
Westerville
The Northern part of the Alumn Creek trail goes right through the City of Westerville. As a matter of fact, there two branches leading through the city. It is easy to reach downtown with your bike without having to ride on a road. The trail runs almost parallel to North State St.
Westerville’s trail network connects to the Ohio to Erie Trail in the North, which offers a nice ride to the Northern tip of Hoover Reservoir near Galena. There are many new subdivision right along this trail with homes in the $200,000 to $300,000 range.
Schrock Road has bike lanes on both sides and connects the trail network to Sharon Woods Metro Park, which has its own 3.5 mile loop.
Hilliard
The Heritage Trail starts on Main Street in Old Hilliard across from the First Responders Memorial. As you’re biking to the West, you will find new subdivisions to the left and right of the trail until your reach Homestead Park at Cosgray Road.
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park
This park offers a gravel bike trail from which you can watch a herd of bisons. The Ohio to Erie Trail starts in Georgesville at the South end of the park. It is paved all the way to London, South Charleston, and Xenia. This trail is not very busy and a pleasure to ride.
If you want to buy a house in this area, you are looking at larger rural lots with mid-sized home. With the exception of London, there are no subdivisions along the trail. You may have to ride from your house to the trail along country roads.
There are many place to bike safely in Central Ohio. I can help you find the perfect home that will allow you to fully enjoy your passion for biking. If you are looking for a bike-in, bike-out home on or close to a trail, please give me a call at (614) 975-9650.
