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Status: Open
County: Bartholomew
City: Columbus
Endpoints:
Although the People Trails system is designed to circumnavigate the entire
city, for practical purposes the off-street trails can can be divided
into 4 parts:
West-side Asphalt Trail: Runs from Goeller Blvd. & SR46 under I-65,
then north through Mill Race and Noblitt Parks. Length is perhaps 3 miles.
Easy to follow; also includes several trails within the two parks.
North-side Trails: Run from Westenedge Park to airport area; mostly
asphalt. The airport area has streets with generous sidewalks and asphalt
sidepaths. Around 2-3 miles total. Easy to get around on, but the particular
route mapped below can be difficult to follow.
Haw Creek North Trail: Rockyford Rd. to 25th Street - about 2 miles.
Easy to follow. Crossing 25th Street to the south side of this trail section
is not recommended, as the area is extremely congested and cars are not
expecting to see bikes here. Give 'em a few years maybe!
Haw Creek South Trail: Lincoln Park to the Cummins Plant at State
Street- about 3.5 miles. Easy to follow. Crossing 25th Street to the north
side of this trail section is dicey and not recommended.
Trailheads:
-parking at Noblitt Park
-parking at Millrace Park
-parking at Lincoln Park
-parking at Westenedge Park
Connections:
Activities:
biking
walking
rollerblading
Surface:
asphalt
Length: 11
miles total in 4 segments
Descrption:
The Columbus People Trails is a network of trails which attempts to connect
significant points in and around the city. There are 4 primary stretches
of off-road, asphalted trail, described above. Following the entire route
as mapped below is quite difficult, as it uses many streets and sidewalks
and is unsigned. For a complete tour of the city and its many interesting
places by bike it is probably better to follow the on-street "Archipedal
Tour" route. Get maps at the Visitor's Center at 506 Fifth Street.
On the west-side trail section, a wide asphalt trail runs behind
the sprawling development along SR46 just east of I-65, allowing employees
and patrons of the strip bikeable access to downtown Columbus. A tunnel
allows easy passage under I-65 and its cloverleaf. This section of the
trail is smooth and the surroundings are surprisingly pleasant. Birdhouses
and wetlands grace the trail behind the Holiday Inn. While satellite development
along interstates near to downtown areas is to be found all over the Midwest,
finding a high-quality multi-use path to follow between the two areas
is almost unheard of.
Once across the White River bridge on the east edge of the city, one can
begin to experience one of the USA's premier architechtural destinations.
Downtown Columbus is a true gem in design, from its magnificent 1874 courthouse
to its one-of-a-kind 20th century buildings like the 1942 First Christian
Church on 5th Street. There are literally dozens of incredible, world-class
sites to visit here, and fortunately Columbus rates among the best of
the Midwest's most walkable cities, affording the pedestrian generously
wide, tree-lined sidewalks and gracious storefronts throughout its downtown
grid.
Through Millrace and Noblitt Parks the trail follows the Flatrock River,
where many loop and spur trails lead through the area. The trail is most
scenic here but is prone to drainage and mud problems.
On the north-side trail section which begins at Westenedge Park
and head to the airport, the asphalt trail is mostly parallel to streets.
Several streets have concrete and asphalt sidewalks/sidepaths so getting
around is easy, but following the route mapped below is a bit tricky and
is not signed.
On the Haw Creek North Trail: the asphalt trail begins at the corner
of Rockyford and Marr Road and heads south. There is a north loop planned
also but it dead-ends for now. The trail heads south along Marr Road,
then cuts west and follows Haw Creek to 25th Street. Crossing 25th Street
to Lincoln Park and the south side of this trail section is not recommended,
as the area is extremely congested and cars are not expecting to see bikes
here.
On the Haw Creek South Trail: this is the longest section of continuous,
easy-to-follow asphalt, beginning at Lincoln Park, passing the Columbus
Regional Hospital campus and the Cummins plant.
Future Plans: An
additional trail segment is planned from State Street west to White River,
which would connect the Haw Creek south trail section to the west-side
section.
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