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GOING SOUTH: NEARBY TRAIL | GOING WEST: NEARBY TRAIL | 
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DESCRIPTIONThe Griggs Reservoir area is both a public park and a water management area. There is no dedicated trail, per se, though it comes into this section by virtue of the fact that there are, I believe, plans to extend the Upper Scioto trail at least through the parklands on the east side. And because it is a popular running venue.
The route can be varied by choosing any other several parking areas as a start point and running in either direction. Generally, going south to north: There is a small parking area off Riverside at the dam. South from there, it is a short downhill to the waterline. The road strings several parking areas together going fairly straight along the water. The run is fairly flat. It is probably best to run on the water side of the roadway--it is two-way to Fishinger Rd and all the access roads come in on the other side. Negotiating some of the parking areas can be interesting given there is no real road marking to indicate where the roads and the lots are. North from the parking area, you head down a fairly good hill to the flats where the frisbee golf course is located. The road is closed to vehicular traffic about halfway down (the access the lower spillway observation area is on the river side.) Once on the flats, the road meanders slightly along the course. You should be watchful for golfers as some of the "greens" cross the roadway and getting hit with a power toss is not pleasant. The road eventually reaches the southern parking area (there is no access for vehicles on this side either) and rises up sharply to Riverside Dr.
Once the road turns in and goes under the Fishinger Rd bridge, it becomes one-way going north. So you can run for a while and turn around and find that you have a parade of vehicles behind you. (!) The setting is more park now. No more boat launches. The road slides inland a bit and goes over a rise (there is a beaten path which cuts directly across bypassing this) where there are also parking areas and then edges back out to the river. It flattens and runs into a more heavily wooded section. There is another access road to another parking area up a hill. Finally, the road narrows a bit, goes down a small gully with a blind turn, runs into a gravel turnaround (for runners and cyclists only--the road is still one-way for vehicles) and then turns and exits back onto Riverside Dr at Lane Ave.
The "trail" as such consists of the asphalt access roads, parking areas and some beaten short-cut paths which run along the east side of the reservoir. This means running with some vehicular traffic though I do not believe that it is a serious issue as the posted speed limit of 15 mph and the one-way status for the northern half of the route as well as the relatively ample road shoulders keep dangerous interactions to a minimum. There is the issue of automotive exhaust so I'd probably keep to generally uncrowded times and days--particularly since there is a marina and several boat launch ramps. The frisbee golf course area is very flat and without traffic (aside from the occasional disk whirling by).
There have been plans to continue to the Upper Scioto north to Griggs Reservoir, a popular recreational area. The current COG map shows the proposed trail extending north along the east side of the river as far north at I-270 which would permit access to the extensive network of Dublin recreational trails. It would also connect with a new proposed trail: the Hayden Run Trail which would connect to system to Hilliard and pass near (via Cosgray Rd) the Hilliard Heritage Park and the existing Heritage Trail. The Upper Scioto will also be the linking trail to the incoming Ohio-to-Erie trail as it enters the area from the south-west. (The route of the OTE will utilize sections of the Upper Scioto, the I-670 Trail and the Alum Creek Trail)
06/02/2008