The Wabash Cannonball Trail is a rail to trail conversion in northwestern Ohio, U.S. It is long. The North Fork of the Wabash Cannonball Trail is part of the

North Coast Inland Trail The North Coast Inland Trail (often abbreviated as NCIT) is a work-in-process multipurpose trail project that currently consists of several separate portions, defined by their counties, in northern Ohio, United States. Affiliates with the trail ...

, which plans to fully connect Indiana to Pennsylvania, and portions of the trail are included in the

North Country National Scenic Trail The North Country Trail (NCT, officially designated the North Country National Scenic Trail) is a long-distance hiking trail in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Northeastern United States, Northeastern United States. The trail exten ...

History

The

Wabash Railroad The Wabash Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated in the mid-central United States. It served a large area, including track in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and the province of Ontario. Its primary con ...

line used by the trail was first built in 1855, and service continued until 1969. The

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

then purchased it. The rails were finally abandoned in 1990. Local enthusiasts developed the idea of creating a public recreational trail and utility corridor. On March 24, 1994, the corridor was purchased from Norfolk Southern. The name

Wabash Cannonball "The Great Rock Island Route" ( Roud 4228), popularized as "Wabash Cannonball" and also known by various other titles, is a 19th-century American folk song that describes the scenic beauty and predicaments of a fictional train, the ''Wabash Cann ...

stems from an 1882 American folk song about an imaginary train. No train actually had the name until 1949, when the Wabash Railroad actually named its Detroit-St. Louis day train the ''Cannon Ball''. Other rail-to-trail conversions of the

in the

Midwestern The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

region include the

Kiwanis Trail The Kiwanis Trail is a rail to trail conversion in Adrian, Michigan that roughly follows the River Raisin. History The trail occupies the old Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad that extended from Ironton, Ohio to Detroit. The trail forms ...

Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County, Michigan, Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 5th congressional district. The c ...

, the

Wabash Heritage Trail The Wabash Heritage Trail is a hiking trail running from Fort Ouiatenon to the Tippecanoe Battlefield Park in Battle Ground, Indiana. It is approximately long and passes along the cities of West Lafayette and Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ...

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette ( ) is a city in Wabash and Tippecanoe Townships, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, approximately northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash ...

, and the Wabash Trail in

Sangamon County, Illinois Sangamon County is a county located near the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 196,343. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is inclu ...

Location

North Fork

The northern section of the trail roughly parallels both the

Ohio Turnpike The Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east–west for in the northern sect ...

I-80/90 and US Route 20A for about starting in

Maumee Maumee may refer to: Places: * Maumee Township, Allen County, Indiana * Maumee, Ohio, a city in Lucas County * Maumee River, a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana, United States * Maumee Bay, Ohio, on Lake Erie * Maumee State Fores ...

, and extending through

Monclova Monclova (), is a city and the seat of the surrounding municipality of the same name in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila. According to the 2015 census, the city had 231,107 inhabitants. Its metropolitan area has 381,432 inhabitants and ...

Wauseon Wauseon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Ohio, approximately 31 mi (51 km) west of Toledo. The population was 7,568 at the time of the 2020 census. History Wauseon was platted 1853 when the Michigan Southern Air ...

, and West Unity, ending at its western trailhead near

Montpelier, Ohio Montpelier ( ) is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Williams County, Ohio, Williams County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,942 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Montpelier was platted in 1845. The village ...

South Fork

An additional spur runs from Maumee southwest to near Liberty Center, Ohio. That trailhead has a parking area near

Whitehouse, Ohio Whitehouse is a village within the Toledo Metropolitan Area in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,990 at the 2020 census. History The area now known as the Village of Whitehouse was originally occupied by various Native A ...

Condition

All portions of the trail in Lucas County are paved. A section of the trail in Fulton County, owned by the city of

, also is paved. The remainder of the North Fork in Fulton and

Williams Williams may refer to: People * Williams (surname), a surname English in origin, but popular in Wales, 3rd most common in the United Kingdom * Williams Nwaneri, American football player Places Astronomy * Williams (lunar crater) * Williams ...

counties are unpaved, as is the South Fork in Henry County. Note that distance information about the trail differs slightly from one source to another based on whether missing sections of the trail are counted or not. Some sources say the north fork is (not counting missing sections), others say (counting the missing sections), and still others (counting detour mileage).

References

External links

Traillink: Wabash Cannonball Trail, North and South Fork

Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (North Fork)

Google Maps: Wabash Cannonball Trail (South Fork)
{{Toledo Rail trails in Ohio Protected areas of Fulton County, Ohio Protected areas of Lucas County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Fulton County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Lucas County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Henry County, Ohio Tourist attractions in Toledo, Ohio Protected areas of Henry County, Ohio Bike paths in Ohio Rail trails in the United States Metroparks Toledo