Wabash Cannonball Trail
Wabash Cannonball Trail | |
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Westbound tandem with picnic basket at Rotary Park
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Rails to Trails | |
Established | 1995 |
Length | Williams County: 9 mi. Fulton County: 26 mi. Lucas County: 22 mi. Henry County: 6 mi. Total: 63 miles |
Location | ![]() ![]() |
Designation | North Country National Scenic Trail [1][2] |
Trailheads | ![]() |
Use | Hiking, Bicycling, Cross Country Skiing, Equestrian |
Highest point | 879 feet (268 m) |
Lowest point | 640 feet (200 m) |
Grade | flat to gentle railroad grades |
Trail difficulty | ![]() |
Months | 12 |
Waymark | |
Sights | Oak Openings Preserve Metropark Fraker Mill Covered Bridge Wabash Railroad caboose [4] |
Hazards | US and State Route crossings |
Surface | Lucas County: all paved[5] Fulton County: 2 miles paved[6] remainder: gravel[7] |
Right of way | Wabash Railroad |
Website | http://wabashcannonballtrail.org |
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]
Contents
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 as 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.
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 starting in Maumee, and extending through Monclova, Wauseon, and West Unity, ending at its western trailhead near Montpelier, Ohio.
South Fork: A second, additional 18-mile 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 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 | |
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(mi) | (km) | ||||||
North Fork North Fork North Fork |
Lucas | Monclova | 0 | 0 | Paved | Jerome Road | ![]() |
0.2 | 0.32 | Fork branches South | |||||
1.7 | 2.7 | Waterville-Monclova Road | ![]() |
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2.7 | 4.3 | Keener Road | ![]() ![]() |
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Swanton | 6.5 | 10.5 | ![]() |
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7.3 | 11.7 | Evergreen Lake Trail | Oak Openings Preserve Metropark trail. Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. Bathrooms and parking located one mile south at Ranger Station. ![]() ![]() |
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9.0 | 14.5 | ![]() |
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Fulton | Swan Creek | 15.2 | 24.5 | Cinder, Gravel, Dirt, Grass |
Fraker Mill Covered Bridge [21] | Crosses Bad Creek, near Delta Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | |
York | 15.5 | 24.9 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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19.5 | 31.4 | County Road 11 | Two mile detour on County Road F, from County Road 11 to County Road 13 Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | ||||
Clinton | 21.5 | 34.6 | Paved | County Road 13 | Paved trail maintained by City of Wauseon Parks. Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | ||
22.5 | 36.2 | ![]() |
Busy crossing Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | ||||
22.7 | 36.5 | Rotary Park, Wauseon | ![]() ![]() |
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23.5 | 37.8 | Automotive Parts Factory | Pavement ends. Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. 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. Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | |||
German | 30.4 | 48.9 | ![]() |
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32.8 | 52.8 | County Road 23 (old SR 66) | ![]() |
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33.3 | 53.6 | Tiffin River bridge.[22][23] | Large railroad bridge north of north of Archbold. Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | ||||
33.6 | 54.1 | ![]() |
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Williams | Brady | 38.3 | 61.6 | Wabash Park, West Unity | ![]() ![]() |
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Jefferson | 38.7 | 62.3 | ![]() |
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44.7 | 71.9 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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South Fork | Lucas | Monclova | 0 | 0 | Paved | Jerome Road | ![]() |
0.2 | 0.32 | Forks branch | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | ||||
0.8 | 1.3 | The Shops at Fallen Timbers | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 668: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. | ||||
Providence | 6.2 | 10.0 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
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7.5 | 12.1 | ![]() |
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10.2 | 16.4 | Neapolis | ![]() |
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Henry | Washington | 14.7 | 23.7 | Cinder, Gravel, Dirt, Grass |
Colton | ![]() |
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16.9 | 27.2 | County Road 6C | ![]() |
Note: 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 (not counting missing sections,) others say 45 miles (counting the missing sections) and others 47 miles (counting detour mileage.)
External links
- Traillink: Wabash Cannonball Trail, North and South Fork
- Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (North Fork)
- Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (South Fork)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Welcome to Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "National Park Service, North Country Trail". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Ohio Wheelchair Accessible Trails". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "WhitehouseOH.gov". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ohio Bikeways NW Region List". Retrieved 4 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "City of Wauseon: Our Parks". Retrieved 4 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "Ohio Department of Transportation Bikeways Info". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Ohio Department of Transportation Bike Map" (PDF). Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "North Coast Inland Trail". Retrieved 4 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments: Wabash Cannonball Trail Stewardship Plan" (PDF). Retrieved 4 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Wabash Cannonball, The". California State University, Fresno.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ Schafer, Mike (2000). More Classic American Railroads. Osceola, WI: MBI. p. 145. ISBN 076030758X. OCLC 44089438.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Traillink: Wabash Cannonball Trail (North and South Fork)". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Toledo Blade: Wauseon Upgrades Biking Hiking Trail". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Mileage Chart" (PDF). Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (North Fork)". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (South Fork)". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Bike Fixit Stations at Five Metroparks Locations". Retrieved 3 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Toledo Blade:Fraker Mill Bridge Dedication Set". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Trails, Festivals and Rails: Bicycling Through Ohio". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Tiffin 210". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
- ↑ "Metroparks Toledo: Wabash Cannonball Trail". Retrieved 2 April 2016.<templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>
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