This is a trail I rode 3- 4 times last year and three times already this year.
All three days were good riding days and both were relatively windy, the trail runs Southwest to Northeast from Kipton to Elyria, so on both days the normal prevalent wind is from the West. We started in Kipton and rode to Elyria; hence the return route was into the wind. Not really a problem for me, but for those who have less than kind words for the wind when riding a bicycle, I would start in Elyria and have the wind at your back for the return portion.
The trail is well maintained, with minimal litter/debris on the asphalt. There is minimal cracking and I saw no holes in the asphalt. This trail falls under the jurisdiction of the Lorain County Metro Parks and they have done a very nice job keeping the trail clean, the curb grass cut, and the trail repaired when needed.
The trail is often in rural settings traveling by many farms and through several wooded sections. The distance between road crossings is par for most trails I‘ve traveled, usually a mile, often two miles. This holds true until you get close to Oberlin, and like any trail going through a town or city, the crossings become numerous. So keep an eye out for traffic…as usual.
With this trail traveling through Oberlin, a small college town of about eight thousand, and ending near downtown Elyria, which has a population of fifty-six thousand, some portions of trail pass through industrial sections which are not very visually appealing, but it doesn’t affect the trail itself in any way. Having said that, there are many sections of the trail which travel through very nice rural settings.
There is a community park in Kipton with adequate parking and a porta-potty restroom, though there is no water at the park. This park lies about ½ mile from the Western terminus. There is no parking at the very Western end of the trail.
In Elyria, there is also no parking at the actual Eastern terminus, but you must take a bike lane over an overpass to a parking lot nearby. The lot is on 2nd street across from York Manufacturing.
In Oberlin, there is parking at a community park, and there is some minimal parking at or near a few of the other crossroads.
Water stops don’t exist on this trail, but it is short enough that you can carry plenty on your bicycle for the trip. As for food stops, there is a McDonald's in Oberlin adjacent to the trail, and a short distance from McDonald's is a grocery store. In Elyria there are food establishments and grocery stores relatively close to the parking lot which can be reached by bicycle or car.
As I have said, this is a nice trail worth visiting more than once. Additional information can be found at www.loraincountymetroparks.com/ncit.htm# |
