Trumbull County MetroParks

Trumbull County, Ohio

Two trailheads named for 19th and early 20th century communities provide parking, restrooms and picnic facilities. Sunside Trailhead is at State Route 305 in Champion Township, and Oakfield Trailhead is at Hyde-Oakfield Road in Bristol Township.

Summer in Trumbull County, on the Western Reserve Greenway

Activities & Amenities
Bicycling, walking and inline skating are the primary Greenway activities. Others include nature observation and horseback riding on non-paved surfaces. Winter activities include cross country skiing. Several picnic tables and grills are available at trailheads. Benches are located at various spots along the Greenway. Portable restrooms are at the trailheads year round. Handicapped parking spots are available in the paved parking areas.

Visit Trumbull County Tourism Bureau for overnight accommodations.

Events

® World Of Wildlife Bicycle Tour 2011 Sponsored by the Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway and Trumbull County MetroParks.   ® Hope Ride (on the Western Reserve Greenway) Saturday August 25; registration begins at 8 a.m. Sponsored by the Cortland Relay for Life Committee. For more information: Michael Birmingham, 330-282-2035   ® Watch for more upcoming 2012 events!

Group/Event Request Form - Release and Waiver Form, March 2010 [MS Word OR PDF 3 pages] Submit this form to reserve facilities in any Trumbull County MetroPark.

Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway
The goal of the Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway is to convert the former Conrail 714 rail line from the south side of Ashtabula to the northern boundary of Warren, about 50 miles in length. The Greenway is about half of the Great Ohio Lake-to-River Greenway that will extend from Lake Erie to the Ohio River. The current chair of the FWRG is Charlie Kohli; the co-chair is Ada Callahan-Sutter. A committee sponsors the World Of Wildlife Bicycle Tour each June to raise funds for the Trumbull County portion of the Greenway. Membership form [PDF 1 pg] Recent copies of Trail Matters, the quarterly newsletter, are linked from this site's Document Library.

Plans for the Future
Through the efforts of the Trumbull County Commissioners and the Trumbull County Planning Commission (TCPC), Phase 3 of the Western Reserve Greenway has been funded by various agencies. Phase 3, approximately 2.5 miles, will extend from the southern end of the existing Greenway at Champion Avenue East to North River Road, where the City of Warren has proposed its Warren Bikeway northern terminus near the Warren Commerce Park.
Proposed route, September 18, 2009 [PDF 1 page]

TCPC applied for and received a $100,000 Clean Ohio Recreational Trails Grant through the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2006. These funds are matched with $34,500 dedicated by the Trumbull County Commissioners and $3,500 dedicated by donations generated through fundraising activities organized by the Friends of the Western Reserve Greenway and Bike Patrol members. In 2007, TCPC requested an additional $552,000 through the Eastgate Regional Council of Governments’ (ERCOG) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Federal-Aid Program. ERCOG’s Technical Advisory Committee authorized the use of these funds for the purposes of implementing Phase 3 of the Greenway on March 1, 2007. TCPC is awaiting federal authorization through ERCOG in order to begin the project. It is estimated that federal authorization will be granted sometime after July 1, 2007. Trumbull County will then select a professional engineering firm through the Quality Based Selection Process to conduct preliminary engineering activities for Phase 3 of the Greenway, including legal title and deed preparation, survey work, environmental studies and design engineering. TCPC will serve as the designated Local Public Agent (LPA) for Phase 3.

The Trumbull County MetroParks board is considering other Greenway enhancements, including additional benches and additional parking at the Sunside Trailhead; these plans depend on acquiring adequate funding.