Mill Creek MetroParks

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MetroParks Bikeway

Photo from MetroParks Bikeway The MetroParks Bikeway runs from Western Reserve Road in Canfield Township to the Mahoning County/Trumbull County Line in Austintown Township. This 11-mile paved trail offers a variety of scenery for hikers, skaters, and bicyclists. Parking is available at the MetroParks Farm in Canfield Township and at the Kirk Road Trailhead and Mahoning Avenue Trailhead in Austintown Township.

Click to view the Map [PDF format - 7.25" x 14.07"]

FROM RAIL TO TRAIL
Railway History

Originally constructed in the 1860s as the Niles and Lisbon Branch of the Erie Railroad Company, the rail line served as an important link between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. In its heyday, the track bustled with passenger trains and freight trains hauling coal, steel, iron ore, produce, and dry goods. Each community along the line boasted its own passenger depot, freight house, and telegraph office.

Patrons of the Canfield Fair depended on the line as a way to the fair. Improvements to the highway system resulted in the demise of rail lines all across the country. By the late 1930s the passenger service was discontinued on the Niles and Lisbon Branch. Subsequent bankruptcies resulted in its eventual closing. The tracks and ties were removed in 1989.

Photo from MetroParks Bikeway The conversion of the rail line to a biking and hiking trail was recommended in the 1990 General Plan for Mill Creek MetroParks. The establishment of the trail could once again connect the communities as the rail line had done over one hundred years ago. The MetroParks, working with Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, was able to secure Federal Highway Administration and Ohio Department of Transportation funding to acquire and construct the trail.

The MetroParks Bikeway opened in 2000. This 11-mile paved trail offers a variety of scenery and experiences for hikers, skaters, and bicyclists. The trail has been warmly embraced by the community and used by the young and the young at heart.

The MetroParks Bikeway is one section of the proposed 100-mile Great Ohio Lake to River Greenway, a developing corridor that will allow trail users to travel from Lake Erie to the Ohio River.


ALONG THE WAY . . .

Leave your car behind and experience a wide variety of scenery as you reconnect with nature, the community's history, and each other. Enjoy the MetroParks Bikeway for the health of it!

Kirk Road Trailhead
This award-winning trailhead provides a fifty-car parking lot, restrooms, water fountains, a picnic pavilion, and a location for educational and trailside activities. Funds to develop the depot-themed facility were provided by Eastgate Regional Council of Governments, Federal Highway Administration, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Mahoning Avenue Overpass
Constructed in 2005 and funded in full through the Federal Highway Administration, the overpass provides bikeway users safe crossing over Mahoning Avenue. This unique structure was designed to resemble a historic railway trestle and mimics architectural features found along the former Niles and Lisbon Branch of the Erie Railroad Company.

Brocker Preserve at Sawmill Creek
Acquired through a grant from Ohio EPA, the 154-acre forested preserve serves a critical function in the natural environment. The trees and shrubs filter and trap sediments from entering Sawmill Creek, a tributary to Meander Reservoir--the major source of drinking water for 300,000 residents. This forested stream ecosystem also provides a habitat for diverse species of wild and aquatic life.

Canfield Fairgrounds
Initiated in1847, the Canfield Fair blends the agricultural heritage of Mahoning County with spirited festivities, popular entertainers, and the gaiety of a county fair for all to enjoy. The Canfield Fair is the second largest fair in the state and is recognized as one of the finest county fairs in the country.

MetroParks Farm
Photo from MetroParks Farm Located on Route 46 across from the Canfield Fairgrounds, this 402-acre working farm is operated by the MetroParks. Classrooms, agricultural exhibits and displays, and an animal barn are part of the facility. McMahon Hall, a multipurpose hall, is available for year-round rental. Mill Creek MetroParks' administrative offices are open at this location from 8 a.m -4:30 p.m., Monday - Friday. Tours of the MetroParks Farm are by appointment only.
The trailhead at MetroParks Farm provides parking, water, restrooms, and access to the phenology garden and MetroParks Farm Trail--a primitive hiking trail.

Elevation Information
The grade along the Bikeway is typically very gentle. The lowest point of the Bikeway is at County Line Road. The Bikeway's grade increases to the highest point at Lisbon Street in Canfield for an elevation difference of 180 feet.

The Bikeway is regularly patrolled by the MetroParks Police and Bike Patrol volunteers. MetroParks Police 330-744-3848.



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