Bike Portage County and Beyond
  • County Info and Trail Connections
    • Portage Parks Trails
    • Portage County Road Resources
    • Road Info for Nearby Counties
    • Connecting to the Western Reserve Greenway
    • Connecting to the Mill Creek Metroparks Bikeway
    • Connecting to the Towpath Trail
    • Connecting to the Maple Highlands Trail
    • Mahoning Valley and Iron Horse Trails
    • Connecting to Parma and the Northern Tier Route at Lakewood
    • Future Trails and Connections
  • Longer Trips - Cycle Touring
    • Planning a Bike Tour
    • The Ohio to Erie Trail
    • Ohio to Erie Trail Alternate to Ashtabula
    • The Erie Canalway Trail
    • North Bend Rail Trail, WV
    • Greenbrier River Trail, WV
    • Ghost Town Trail (and Hoodlebug)
    • Pine Creek Rail Trail (PA)
    • The GAP and C&O >
      • Connection by Trail to Reagan Airport
    • Cleveland Bypasses for the Northern Tier Route
    • Overview Maps
  • Beer:30 on the Bike Trail
  • E-bike Regulations
  • Contact
  • Blog


Connecting Northeast Ohio 

​​to the ​Regional Cycling Network
​​
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Portage County: A Base for Exploration...and a Trail Connector
The BikePortage website is intended to help local and through-biking cyclists connect to local and regional trails via Portage County road routes.  Many local trails can be linked to larger trail systems and long-distance cycling routes that are ideal for bike touring.

As I explore further afield, I've added numerous pages on various trails that are great destinations, but hard to reach by road from NE Ohio.  Most are just 2-5 hours away by car.  You can find more on these trails under the pull-down menu "Longer Trips - Cycle Touring."  


Beginners to Cycle Touring or Bikepacking may find useful tips on the "Planning a Bike Tour"
 page, also locate within the "Longer Trips - Cycle Touring" heading.

Portage County is a nexus of local recreational trails and is also near a couple of road routes created by the Adventure Cycling Association.  Off-road trails and the use of quieter roads are optimized on the connections featured here.  While there are organizations planning future connectivity by trail throughout the region, this site is devoted to what is available TODAY.

Portage County is home to a couple of fine bike trails 
This page (click on above heading) describes The Portage (Kent to Ravenna), and the Headwaters Trail (Mantua to Garrettsville).  Mostly quiet road connections between these trails and those in neighboring counties can quickly expand this network to Cleveland, Akron, Ashtabula, and New Philadelphia.   Those willing to include longer road segments on trips can connect to the Erie Canalway Trail (beginning in Buffalo and ending in Albany, NY), the Great Allegheny Passage (starting in Pittsburgh and ending on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canalway in Washington, DC), or the Ohio to Erie Trail (joining  the Towpath Trail near Massillon and ending in Cincinnati, OH).   Nearby Adventure Cycling Association "trails" (mostly roads) include the Underground Railroad and Northern Tier Routes.

This website focuses mostly on local and regional trails and road connections between them.  When I explore more distant trails, I add pages for those as well.   I've also started to add links to popular stopping points for a cold brew, camping, lodging, etc. ​

Portage County is also a favorite for road cycling  
This page (click on above heading) includes some practical and safety tips on riding local roads.    The townships along the southern and eastern borders of the county offer many quiet rural roads.   A few favorite area loop rides may also be included in the future.
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  • County Info and Trail Connections
    • Portage Parks Trails
    • Portage County Road Resources
    • Road Info for Nearby Counties
    • Connecting to the Western Reserve Greenway
    • Connecting to the Mill Creek Metroparks Bikeway
    • Connecting to the Towpath Trail
    • Connecting to the Maple Highlands Trail
    • Mahoning Valley and Iron Horse Trails
    • Connecting to Parma and the Northern Tier Route at Lakewood
    • Future Trails and Connections
  • Longer Trips - Cycle Touring
    • Planning a Bike Tour
    • The Ohio to Erie Trail
    • Ohio to Erie Trail Alternate to Ashtabula
    • The Erie Canalway Trail
    • North Bend Rail Trail, WV
    • Greenbrier River Trail, WV
    • Ghost Town Trail (and Hoodlebug)
    • Pine Creek Rail Trail (PA)
    • The GAP and C&O >
      • Connection by Trail to Reagan Airport
    • Cleveland Bypasses for the Northern Tier Route
    • Overview Maps
  • Beer:30 on the Bike Trail
  • E-bike Regulations
  • Contact
  • Blog