The Camp Chase Trail is a paved

multi-use trail A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is "designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists". Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. A ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. It serves as the Southwest

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

segment of the

Ohio to Erie Trail The Ohio to Erie Trail is a dedicated multi-use trail crossing Ohio from southwest to northeast, crossing of regional parks, nature preserves, and rural woodland. The trail, named after its endpoints, extends from the Ohio River at Cincinnati ...

. The entire length of the Camp Chase Trail is part of the

Great American Rail-Trail __NOTOC__ The Great American Rail-Trail is a planned cross-country rail trail in the United States. The trail will run between Washington D.C. in the east and the state of Washington in the west. The planned trail is already more than 53% comp ...

, U.S. Bicycle Route 21 and U.S. Bicycle Route 50.

History

Camp Chase Trail is named for the Camp Chase Railway it parallels. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Camp Chase Camp Chase was a military staging and training camp established in Columbus, Ohio, in May 1861 after the start of the American Civil War. It also included a large Union-operated prison camp for Confederate prisoners during the American Civil Wa ...

was a military staging and training camp for Union forces, and a prison camp for Confederates. All that remains of the camp today is a Confederate Cemetery containing 2,260 graves, located at 2900 Sullivant Ave. It was named for former Ohio Governor and

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

's Secretary of the Treasury

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States from 1864 to his death in 1873. Chase served as the 23rd governor of Ohio from 1856 to 1860, r ...

. Four future Presidents passed through Camp Chase as Union soldiers:

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch Abolitionism in the Un ...

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...

, and

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

. To create the Camp Chase trail, the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District worked with the Camp Chase Rail Company to manage the regulations and construction requirements needed to acquire an easement alongside active railroad tracks,Ohio's Camp Chase Trail
by Christina Sturdivant Sani, ''America's Trails'', November 2021,

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is an American nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works with communities to preserve unused rail corridors by transforming them into rail trails within the United States. RTC's purpose is to c ...

, 11/10/21 . finalizing the easement in 2009. The trail was completed in 2015. Camp Chase Trail Steel Enclosed Bridge

The bike trail is one of the few in the United States that is a

rails with trails Rails with trails (RWT) are a small subset of rail trails in which a railway right-of-way remains in use by trains yet also has a parallel recreational trail. Hundreds of kilometers of RWTs exist in Canada, Europe, the United States, Australia, ...

, meaning the trail runs within an active railroad right-of-way. The Camp Chase Trail has more than 12 miles of the bike trail existing within the railroad right-of-way. As of 2018, there were 343 identified rails with trails in the United States, comprising 917 miles of trails in 47 states. By comparison, there are currently 2,404 open rail-trails across the United States comprising a total of 25,723 miles along with 867 rail-trail projects planned for an additional total of 9,147 miles. A number of design elements separate the twelve-foot-wide trail from the rail line, including fencing, grade separation and ditching. As part of the agreement that resulted in the creation of the bike trail, the trail owners

indemnify In contract law, an indemnity is a contractual obligation of one party (the ''indemnitor'') to compensate the loss incurred by another party (the ''indemnitee'') due to the relevant acts of the indemnitor or any other party. The duty to indemni ...

the railroad company. A bridge built for the bike trail provides a way for pedestrians to cross Interstate 270 instead of trespassing on the railroad bridge, as frequently happened before the trail was built. The trail manager is required to provide the railroad with advance notification of work on the trail and trail maintenance staff "attend railroad safety classes to adequately prepare them for the responsibilities and limitations of working within an active rail corridor." The trail has seven railroad crossings, the most of any rails with trails.

Location

*West terminus west of Lilly Chapel (and east terminus of

Roberts Pass Roberts Pass is a paved multi-use trail in Madison County in the U.S. state of Ohio. Along with the Prairie Grass Trail it serves as the Madison County segment of the Ohio to Erie Trail. Bicyclists, hikers, runners, rollerbladers and other group ...

): *East Terminus in Columbus at N. Eureka Ave:

Route

The Camp Chase Trail is , with in Madison County and in Franklin County. The Camp Chase Trail extends from Lilly Chapel (

Trail) to the Columbus Hilltop Neighborhood where it connects to the

Scioto Greenway Trail The Scioto Greenway Trail is a multi-use greenway trail in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The route is along the downtown riverfront on the east and west sides of the Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern ...

. The approximate midpoint of the trail is in Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park where it crosses the confluence of the Big and Little Darby Creeks. The follows alongside the Camp Chase Railway except for a short stint along

Big Darby Creek Big Darby Creek is a scenic river located in northwestern central Ohio, and an important tributary to the Lower Scioto River. The river's major tributary is the Little Darby Creek. The river runs from its source near the Champaign- Union cou ...

and a one mile diversion along Georgesville Road in Columbus.''American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition'' by Edward A. Lewis,

Kalmbach Publishing Company Kalmbach Media (formerly Kalmbach Publishing Co.) was an American publisher of books and magazines, many of them railroad-related, located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. History The company's first publication was ''The Model Railroader'', which be ...

, 1996, , page 57. The Camp Chase Trail has been complete from the conjunction with the

trail at the Wilson Road Trailhead in

Madison County, Ohio Madison County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,824. Its county seat is London. The county is named for James Madison, President of the United States and was e ...

to the intersection with Sullivant Avenue in Franklin County since 2015. The City of Columbus approved funding for the final 3 miles of the Camp Chase Trail from Georgesville Road to North Eureka Ave. on November 3, 2014. and completed it December 2016. In July 2019, the trail connector parallel to Georgesville Road and Sullivant Ave was opened and replaced the Industrial Mile Road section of the trail. From the trail access at Georgesville Road, the trail continues north to N. Eureka Ave where the

route continues on N. Eureka Ave (North) to Valleyview Dr (East) which changes names to N. Highland Ave, then Harper Rd where the route crosses McKinley Ave. and utilizes the Hilltop Connector bridge to connect to the

. The

is marked on the short road route to the Hilltop Connector bridge, where it joins the

. For the most part, the Camp Chase Trail is paved, with the exception of the 0.33 mile connector through the Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, which is crushed, packed limestone. For navigation, it is important to note that Camp Chase trail is in proximity to two roads named "Wilson Road", one in each county, Wilson Road Park is in Columbus (Franklin County) at 275 S. Wilson Road.

Communities adjacent to the trail

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Trail * Lilly Chapel * Georgesville *

Galloway Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...

* Cherry Creek, Columbus * Georgian Heights, Columbus * Holly Hill, Columbus * Hilltop, Columbus * Westgate, Columbus * Highland West, Columbus * Valleyview enclave of Columbus * Grandview Heights -

Trailside amenities

* Southern Trail head:

Trail Wilson Rd London, OH 43140 ortable Restroom, Bike Rack, Car Parking, No Water * Lily Chapel Trail side Shelter: overed 2-Sided Shelter, Picnic Table, Bike Rack * Battelle Darby Creek Trail head: 8465 Alkire Rd, Galloway, OH 43140 estrooms, Picnic Area, Canoe Access, Car Parking, Indian Ridge Pump (well) water * Columbus Wilson Road Park, 275 S. Wilson Road, Columbus, OH 43204 rinking Fountain, Portable Restroom, Lighted Picnic Area, Bike Repair Station and tire pump, Parking Lot * Northern Trailhead: north o
Columbus Holton Park
Columbus, OH 43204, approximately at 375 N Eureka Ave.

Local attractions

* Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park. 8465 Alkire Road, Galloway OH 43119; *

Confederate Cemetery *

Granite Monument 301 N Hague Ave, Columbus, OH 43204; *

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

Historical Markers
Columbus Recreation and Parks, Wilson Road Park
trail head to Camp Chase Trail *

Hollywood Casino Columbus Hollywood Casino Columbus is a casino located in Columbus, Ohio. It opened on October 8, 2012 and is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn Entertainment. History Ohio voters approved a state constitutional amendment in Nove ...

* Movin' & Groovin' Mural, by artist Roger J Williams commissioned for the 2017 Summer Jam West; visible from the trail just east of N. Sylvan Ave. * Columbus Recreation and Parks, West Side
Big Run Park and Athletic ComplexWestgate ParkWestmoorParkHolton ParkGlenview Park

Milestones

* March 21, 2012: Trail bridge over Darby Creek brings the trail into Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park * October 10, 2013: The Friends of the Camp Chase Trail held their first meeting at the Haydocy Automotive Community Room. Area citizens met with members of the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails to discuss creating a similar function for the Camp Chase Trail. * November 15, 2013: Completion of the Trail segment east of Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park * April 8, 2014: Friends of the Camp Chase Trail introduced the trail at the Westland Area Business Association Meeting at

Darby Dan Farm Darby Dan Farm is a produce, livestock, and thoroughbred horse breeding and training farm founded in 1935 near the Darby Creek in Galloway, Ohio by businessman John W. Galbreath. Named for the creek and for Galbreath's son, Daniel M. Galbreath ...

. * July 14, 2014: WSA Studio presented to the friends of Camp Chase Trail and Community Stakeholders regarding the Wilson Road Trailhead at the Haydocy Community Room. * October 12, 2014: Camp Chase Trail partnered with the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails to host a table at Darby Creek Days at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park an event held annually in the Indian Ridge section of the park. * November 3, 2014: Columbus City Council approves funding to construct the Camp Chase Trail between Georgesville Road and North Eureka Ave. * November 13, 2014: Paving completed on the Camp Chase Trail between Alton Road and Galloway Road. * March 28, 2015: Camp Chase Trail Day was celebrated at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park * October 30, 2015, Friends of Camp Chase Trail hosted the Opening Trail Ride on the newest 3 mile section between Galloway Road and Sullivant Ave, including the 100 Yard bridge over Interstate 270. 36 trail friends were in attendance. * December 5, 2015, The Camp Chase Trail Hilltop Action Team was established to monitor conditions in the trail corridor for the trail area from Georgesville Road to N. Eureka Ave. The Columbus Westside Running Club was formed by meeting attendees and began holding group runs at Columbus Westgate Park on January 12, 2016. * December 1, 2016, The Camp Chase Trail is fully paved between Georgesville Road and N. Eureka Ave which represents the conclusion of the major construction of Camp Chase Trail. * July 20, 2017, City of

Recreation and Parks Department hosted the dedication of the new Wilson Road Park and Camp Chase Trailhead at 275 S. Wilson Road, Columbus, OH 43204 *July 7, 2018, the Hilltop U.S.A. 5K is the first timed race on the Camp Chase Trail. * May 8, 2019, Camp Chase Trail was one of four locations to host a route reveal celebration for the

* July 2019, City of

Recreation and Parks completed the half-mile trail segment along Georgesville Road and Sullivant Ave. * May 2020,

Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks The Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks are a group of 20 regional park, metropolitan parks in and around Columbus, Ohio. They are officially organized into the Columbus and Franklin County Metropolitan Park District. The Metro Parks system ...

completed the new 1 mile segment through the woods in Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.

References

Bibliography

; Reports * *

Darbydale, Ohio Darbydale is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in central Pleasant Township, Franklin County, Ohio, Pleasant Township, Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It w ...

Bike paths in Ohio Rail trails in Ohio Hiking trails in Ohio Protected areas of Franklin County, Ohio Central Ohio Greenways