April 24, 2018 finds it barely 50 degrees and a light drizzle. The Greenway Corridor’s northern trail head is only an 8-mile ride from my house so no transport necessary today. The Greenway Corridor in Lake Co., about 30 minutes east of Cleveland is a North/South paved bike and walking trail. The trail itself from north to south is just under 8 miles, with about 2.5 miles of the 8 being off trail. The northern trailhead is accessed off Jackson St. in Painesville (county seat of Lake Co.), just west of Richmond St. To be honest, Jackson St. can be a bit dicey for cyclist, and there is no dedicated parking for the trail head.
Going south, the first mile you will have several street crossings, and then a 1/4 mile off trail-on street (Walnut to Liberty) and then back on the trail. Once you reach the Rt. 84 / Liberty St. intersection you will find a well marked, dedicated parking lot with trail maps, and water fountain across the street (on south side of Rt. 84). For most locals, this is the most common launch point of the trail.
Heading south, you will ride in the canopy, with a few rollers, and only a few street crossings. There are also several trail access points with parking. Just past the bridge crossing over the I-90 interstate, you will see a sign for “Chair Factory Falls.” It is a 0.3 mile gravel trail, the first 1/2 “ridable” for a road bike, but you will want to walk after that as the grade gets fairly steep. I have past this several times over the years, but today, with the drizzle and riding a more leisurely pace, I thought I would check it out. See picture below.
At about 4.6 miles, not counting the Chair Factory Falls detour, you will come to the end of the paved trail at Old Ravenna Rd. For the next 2.2 miles, you are on the road, with a challenging 1/2 mile climb to Girdled Rd, then turning to the west. You will go west on Girdled Rd. with a few rollers and then re-connect with the trail just east of St. Rt. 44. Not much of a shoulder on these two roads and traffic can be heavy at 35-50 mph. Be careful. From there, the trail heads south for about 1/2 mile reaching Colburn road with the trail transitioning seamlessly to the Maple Highland Trail at the Lake-Geauga Co. border.
Going north to south away from Lake Erie you will experience a slight uphill grade so the return trip will have a little giveback with a downhill grade. Thanks again for checking out BikeOhio1000 🙂
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