THE OLENTANGY TRAIL
THE PARK NORTH (of Clintonville) SECTION
SR 161 to Northmoor Park

ADJACENT TRAIL

DESCRIPTION

I call it the "Parks North" section because it runs through all of the parks north of the
Clintonville Connector section of surface streets: Antrim Lake, Olentangy Preserve,
Whetstone/Park of Roses and Northmoor. 

At around 4 and a half miles, this section is the longest of the six and may be
subdivided into three distinct segments: the trail in and around Antrim Lake;
the trail through the preserve to Henderson Rd; and from Henderson Rd through Whetstone Park to the southern trailhead in Northmoor Park.  Each segment is a little different in character.

The trail throughout is asphalt with a centerline and the quality is very good. There aren't any significant hills along this section. The trail rises up going along the last half mile to the northern end of the section. There is a knoll just south of the Antrim Lake deck which has a tighter rise going into it from the north side. This section has its steepest climb, going south, at the loop around to Henderson Rd. And, of course, there are a few long, gentle rises and falls along all the route.

Parking and rest facilities and, on hot days, water, are available at Antrim Lake Park, on the west side of SR315 and at Whetstone Park. Parking is also available at Northmoor, at Thomas Worthington High School or on surface streets around Dublin-Granville Rd, or Henderson Rd.

There are a couple of spots worth mentioning here (and both these are pictured in the Photo Page Section). The first is the crossing at Antrim Lake Park. The under-freeway walkway intersects the trail at a point where the gravel lake ring trail also merges and, on the lake-side, there is the big sun deck that a lot of runners use for stretching and cooling down. As might be expected, on busy weekend days this can create a fairly heavy traffic pattern. This is exacerbated by the fact that the crossing sits at the bottom of a depression so traffic going into it from either side is traveling downhill (and speeding up) and traffic out of it is going uphill (and slowing up) so it is not unusual to have to jump lively to avoid a stroller or blader and the squeal of cycle brakes happens a lot.

The other place worth mentioning  is the loop-around and sidewalk at Henderson Rd. Going south, the trail passes under Henderson Road and then turns sharp right, rising up to road level over about a hundred feet and then makes a 180º turn at the top onto the sidewalk of the road as it passes via bridge back over the trail and the Olentangy River. Complicating this is the fact that the the sidewalk on the bridge is narrow with the bridge barrier on the river side and a chain link fence on the road side. So the possibilities for a bottleneck all along this section are good. It is not unusual to have to stop and wait for the sidewalk chute to clear though two runners can generally pass if the ease by each other. At the top of the turnaround, bikers and bladers generally slow down when faced with the grade and everyone usually slows up going the other way. 

IMPRESSIONS

As I said, this section has three distinct segments. From north to south:

The Antrim Lake Area

For my money, the busiest part of the Olentangy trail which makes it, pretty much, the busiest part of any trail in the area. Lots of folks use the gravel loop trail around the lake for running or walking or pet exercise or just strolling. The gentle grades on the main trail encourage bladers. The sun deck encourages runners to congregate. It's about 2.5 miles north to the trail head in Olentangy Park (Worthington) and about 2.5 miles south brings you to Whetstone High School so 5 mile-fanatics like me have nice out-and-back in either direction. There's a lot of parking on the west side of Antrim Park though it can fill up very fast on a nice weekend. The area around the lake and along SR315 is not well-shaded or protected from the wind so the weather can play a role here in the comfort level. Also, the trail north and south of the lake runs close enough to the busy roadway that a large, fast-moving truck can easily toss slushy snow far enough over the median to reach the trail--and you, so watch out. For a close up look at the gravel loop trail, click on the button:

As of May 2008, there is a new connector bridge to Broadmeadows Blvd just south of MP 10. This opens up the trail to users on the east side of the river who would, otherwise, have to go up to SR161 or down to Henderson Rd and around to Antrim Lake park. This connection also is the first step in a cross-city bike connector which will eventually join the Olentangy here with the Alum Creek Trail at Schrock Rd.

As of late 2007, there is a connecting feeder trail to Troon Trail Rd and Olentangy Highlands on the west side of SR 315. An existing short bike trail on the west side of SR 315 with access to the Olentangy Trail has been upgraded and expanded. The improvements consist of signing, crosswalk painting and the new asphalt section. For more go here: OLENTANGY HIGHLANDS 

The Olentangy Preserve Area

Once south of MM 9.5, the character of the trail changes to a more remote, more forested one. It moves away from SR 315 and follows the river as it meanders east into the woods. It quiets down and there are long curving glades alternating with heavier wooded zones. The trail is bracketed by the river and the freeway and the only way to get in and out of this segment is at the ends. It rolls a little but gently and crosses some creeks via wooden bridges.  (Note, there is a break in the fence near the Bethel Rd intersection with SR 315. I don't recommend trying to get to the trail from Bethel as the partial interchange with SR 315 does not have any walkways and, even if you get to the east shoulder of the interchange, you have to climb down a fairly steep embankment overgrown with brambles and brush.)

I have seen the park lands in this area variously referred to as Olentangy Preserve, Delawanda Park and/or Rush Run Park on maps.

The Whetstone/Northmoor Area

After climbing out of quiet woods onto Henderson Road, and navigating the sidewalk chute over the Olentangy, the trail turns right and resumes its asphalt parkland character. It passes by Whetstone High School and its athletic fields and under a pedestrian overpass of SR 315, through Whetstone Park and Park of Roses (okay, non-native question: is it one park or two?) There are big open fields through here and the trail is pretty flat so you can crank it up. There is some canopy overhang on the west side so you get shade later in the day. There's a lot of parking here too. At the south end of the trail, you go through a short woody section between the two parks and then straight south to the parking lot at the south end of Northmoor. Again, flat and fast. A little shadier. 

TOP OF THE PAGE

06/02/2008