London East to Wilson Road

The London to Wilson Road Section of the Prairie Grass Trail runs 1.5 miles through London and then 6.5 miles from London at Maple Street to Wilson Road Here we are coming into the West side of London at the Prairie Grass Trailhead at 280 West High Street in London. In the foreground is the memorial to Bill Young, a much missed member of the organization. There is parking behind the Senior Center as well as a indoor restroom and water. There are also restrooms inside the Center you can use and a soda machine by the back door. I am informed that you can park overnight at the Senior Citizens Center. However, it is recommended that you call either the London City Police at 740-852-1414 or the Madison County Sheriff at 740-852-1212 and tell them who you are and your license plate if you plan to do this	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	As we go by the Prairie Grass Trailhead (riding East) here's how it looks. The FMCPT have added a lot more parking as well as the memorial and wonderful flower beds

One of members of FMCPT told me that cyclists would come into the Prairie Grass Trailhead and ask: : *Where are We?* The sign with two bicycles and the name LONDON tells them exactly where they are!	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	We have left the Prairie Grass Trailhead and have come to Midway Street (Ohio Route 38). The trail turns right here (South) and follows Midway Street for about 1/3 of a mile before turning left onto West Center Street. Note. In this picture we are looking back towards the Prairie Grass Trailhead (West).

At right we see the corner of Midway Street at West Center Street. We are looking back towards the Prairie Grass Trailhead in this photo. We will be traveling East on West Center Street.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	We have reached South Main Street also known as Route 56 South. From here if you look North you'd see the County Count House. The trail continues on West Center Street. We are about 1 mile from the Senior Center.

Here is a picture of the handsome Madison County Court House. From the corner above it doesn't look like this. I took this downtown near where we had lunch.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	Continuing on West Center Street we cross Walnut Street at the railroad tracks and a large grain elevator.

Following West Center Street we finally come to Maple Street. We are 1.53 miles from the Prairie Grass Trailhead. You turn left onto Maple Street. This photo is taken after we made the turn. We are almost onto the new trail. The trail is parallel to West Center Street which is SR-665.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	This photo was taken at the new trail start on Maple Street. As you can see the grain elevator dominates the skyline of London. We are looking back (West) to the elevator and downtown London.

In this photo we have turned around and are looking at the trail entrance. We are on Maple Street and we are looking North. There is a sign here that says the trail was "adopted" by the local Boy Scout Troup 102.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	A restaurant alongside the trail is Gee's China Lantern. It is right on the corner of Maple Street and West Center Street. Gee's China Lantern 165 East Center St. London, Ohio 43140 740-852-3055

Here we have a typical photo of the trail. The trail is sunny with large shady section and is mostly level. As of December 2007, the 6.5 miles of trail from Maple Street to Wilson Road (current trail's end) is completely paved in asphalt.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	The trail crosses Spring Valley Road at 4 miles from the start. Here we are at the trail crossing and I took a photo to South of a grain truck at the corner of SR-665.

In this picture we have reached the bridge over Deer Creek. The bicycle bridge is built on the foundations for the old railroad bridge that was once here. From the South side of the bridge you can see the highway. We are 4.7 miles from the start of this section at Maple Street.	I Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	We have crossed Glade Run Road in this photo which looks North. We are 5.8 miles from the trail's start.

In this photo we are crossing another bridge over the Silvia-Wilson Ditch. We are 6.2 miles from the trail's beginning.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	In this photo we have reached the end of the current trail at Wilson Road SE, (AKA CR-103). The trail widens into a staging area for parking. We are 8.16 miles from the Prairie Grass Trailhead (Maple Street) and about 2 miles West of the Franklin County line. From here the trail will cross into Franklin County and (Columbus, Ohio). The Franklin County Parks District will connect to the Camp Chase Rail Trail which is not yet built. Then the trial will connect to downtown Columbus. To see where things are please click on Columbus Dispatch Map , Look at the bottom left to see "Prairie Grass Trail - London".

On 1 December 2007 the trail was completely paved from Maple Street in London East to Wilson Road, 6.5 miles. Here boys from Boy Scout Troup #102 are Presenting the Colors at the beginning of the ceremony .	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	In this photo at the end of the (very cold) festivities, the assembled dignitary's gathered for the ribbon cutting. In the middle (with the scissors) are Mr. Gene Pass member and Mr. Wayne Roberts President of the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails, who were instrumental in building this trail .

And last, but not least, is a picture of the new outdoor restroom and shelter at the end of the trail. This shelter was built by Mr. Jacob Williams as his Eagle Scout project.	Click on photo for larger image

When you're at the end of the trail you can turn North (left) and follow CR-103 to West Jefferson. See Yahoo Maps for a view of the area. While the only accommodations are West of the town, there are several good restaurants in the area. We ate at Ann and Tony's Restaurant a fine Italian restaurant in West Jefferson.	Ann &Tony's Restaurant 211 E Main St West Jefferson, OH 43162 (614) 879-8897

Construction Plans: The trail is now completed paved to Wilson Road (6.5 miles East of Maple Street. Now the trail is in the hands of Columbus Recreation & Parks as well as Columbus & Franklin County MetroParks. The next step will be to build trail from Wilson Road East into Franklin County on what has been called the Camp Chase RailTrail that crosses the Little Darby Nature Preserve on a beautiful railroad trestle. Bulletin March 2010: There has been a blockage with the construction East of Wilson Road, as follows. The latest news received from Metro Parks (in Columbus) is that they have cleared the section from Lilly Chapel to Olmstead and plan to pave that section this year (2010). There is an issue with Wilson Road East to Lilly Chapel (W. Jefferson - Kiousville Road Route 22) . The Camp Chase Industrial Railroad didn't own the property all the way West to Wilson Road (like they thought they did). After Metro Parks did the legal work and found out the true owners, it seems that this company (the true owner) believes they have a section of right-of-way right in the middle of a gold mine of potential future businesses. MetroParks is working to: 1. negotiate with the rail owners of the property and 2. failing that, work with the farmers in the area for a alternative route. Bulletin July 2009: The Friends of the Madison County Parks & Trails (FMCPT) are proposing a new route for the Prairie Grass Trail (AKA Ohio To Erie Trail) in downtown London. The current route is a right turn from the end of the trail onto Midway Street, Left on Center Street, left on Maple Street and follow the bike route signs. Please see My Map for details. Also see the rest of this webpage. Bulletin June 2009: Work has started on this 11 mile trail that will continue the Prairie Grass Trail into Columbus. The first section of construction has started at Wilson Road. The sections and their status (June 2009) are below. Section 1 Wilson Road to Kropp Road (6 miles) - The first section has started construction (Stopped See March 2010 above) . This 6 mile section starts at Wilson Road (the current end of trail), runs through the town of Lily Chapel, crosses into Franklin County and goes through the town of Georgesville to end at Kropp Road. The builders are hoping to have this six mile section completed this year; 2009. Section 2 - Kropp Road to Galloway Road (2.4 miles)- This section starts at Kropp Road and runs 2.4 miles through the town of Galloway to end at Galloway Road. I do not have a timetable for Section 2 yet. Section 3 - Galloway Road to Columbus and Sullivant Road (3 miles) - The final section of the Camp Chase RailTrail will run 3 miles from Galloway Road crossing into Columbus. It will go under I-270 and end at Sullivant Avenue. At 2900 Sullivant Avenue is the Camp Chase Cemetery . The entire $10M construction is scheduled to be completed in 2012. "On To Columbus!"

Ohio To Erie Trail - The trail from Cincinnati North on the Little Miami Scenic Trail to Xenia . And the trail Northeast from Xenia to Cedarville, South Charleston and London East to Columbus, Akron and onto to Cleveland is collectively called the Ohio To Erie Trail

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Overall map of London to Wilson Road Source: FMCPT	Source: Wilson Printing & Graphics Click Here for Adobe Acrobat Map