Cedarville To London Trail

Open from South Charleston to London, Ohio 10.4 miles
1.5 miles through downtown London (shared path)
6.5 miles Maple St. to Wilson Road (East of London)

South Charleston to London Trail The 10.4 mile trail extension from South Charleston to London is completed and was dedicated Saturday 26 June 2004 The Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails have completed the Prairie Grass Trailhead behind the Madison County Senior Center and the paving from Maple Road East to Wilson Road is complete (dedicated December 2007).

Surface Trail is paved from South Charleston to East of London. The trail is 10' wide, paved in asphalt and dedicated December 2007.

Route The trail from South Charleston to East of London is Northeast and parallel to US Route 42.

Map The Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails (FMCPT) was able to build a map of downtown London with every Restaurant, Quick food stops, Groceries and Supplies, Pharmacies, ATMs and every place to stay in the area. It also has the trail outlined and all the streets. I understand we have the Wilson Printing and Graphics Company in London to thank for this splendid map. Click Here (or above) to download the 5Mb Adobe Acrobat file, which you can print. Here is a another map from Google Maps of London Ohio

Park and Ride Locations There is parking at the South Charleston Station. Shelter #1 is complete and is behind the Senior Citizens Center at the West end of London. 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. And finally, there is a small staging area at the far East of the trail on Wilson Road.

Restrooms At Shelter #1 behind the Madison County Senior Citizens Center on West High Street. You can obtain water by going in to the Senior Citizens Center.

Impressions The trail is complete. The town and surrounding area are a beautiful rural landscape. Madison County Ohio is an agricultural county and London is it's county seat; London, is a small but beautiful example of rural America. I'd recommend you go see London even without the trail.

Trail Review See below. We rode the trail a few days after dedication and our photos and description is below.

We started our review of the new South Charleston to London Trail from the South Charleston Station at right. The new building in the foreground is a restroom building that has been built in the same style and color of the existing Station. There is water, restrooms and parking and South Charleston Station.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	See the map from Yahoo at left. I have marked the Station and the route in red as well as the Trail Start. To reach the new trail turn right out of the Station (NorthEast) and go up Mound Rd East. After about 1/2 mile you'll come to Chillicothe St. (Route 41). Turn right and follow Chillicothe to Woodward Street. Left on Woodward Street past the giant mill on right. Cross Church Street when Route 41 turns right to reach the Trail Head in .8 miles. Follow the signs on the old fashioned street lights to get to the continuation of the trail.

The star on the map (above) is the location of the: The Famous Houstonia B&B 25 East Mound Street P.O. Box 363 South Charleston, Oh 45368-0363 937-462-8855 E-Mail 888-462-8855 (toll-free)

Click on photo for larger image Photo Friends of Madison County Parks & Trails	Just up the street to the East is the "Purple Monkey Restaurant" a new establishment along the trail. Purple Monkey 25 W Mound St, (937) 462-8440

Surf N Cycle 150 W. Mound Rd. (937) 462-7873 surfncycle@aol.com Just across the street from the Station and new restrooms is Surf N Cycle a new bicycle shop in South Charleston. They are open on the weekends so drop in and see them. You can use their restroom, fill your water bottles and they do minor repairs. Note the soda machine next to the building.	Click on photo for larger image Photo courtesy of Surf N Cycle

Click on photo for larger image	This part of South Charleston is dominated by a very large feed mill. You'll go by it to get to the Trail Head. The picture at left is looking back down the trail (Southwest) at the railroad sidings and the mill in the background. You'll ride by all the sidings before you leave South Charleston.

Here we see again the feed mill in the background. The trail goes through a "S" turn to get around the set of railroad sidings that you can see here and in the photo above. This photo is also shot facing Southwest.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	As we ride Northeast from South Charleston to London one old railroad siding is on our right (left in this picture facing Southeast). The old siding is about 3' above the trail and you'll ride along it for about a mile until it quits.

This is the first crossing on the trail. We are crossing Botkin Road/Correll-Maxey Road (Township Road 97). I don't know why this road has two names but it does. As you will see from the photo there is no identification on this road. We are now 3.9 miles from the Charleston Station and have crossed into Madison County.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	We are now at Neil Road 5.4 miles from the Station. This is the first road that has the complete signage as you can see. On one side is the Route Number 1 and on the other is the Stop sign and the name "Neil Road."

At right is a large farm just North of the Neil Road intersection with the trail (looking South). My wife, (the farming expert, said that the silos looked too big to be a farm operation but could be a commercial feed mill This is the location of Florence Switch, a small station in a village that once had a few houses. This station provided passenger service directly to Columbus and Xenia, and was a quick method of travel before cars. There were 20 railroad switches on the Little Miami Railroad (hence the name Florence Switch) near this train station. The station opened for business in 1850, and the current station was built about 1890. The Florence station was closed sometime in the 1920’s. It was a part of the Little Miami Railroad.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	At left is the crossing of the trail at Neil Road East. As you clearly see we had to dodge several construction sites on the trail when we rode it just after dedication. We are 6.4 miles from the Station.

When we rode the trail we talked to a fellow rider going South towards South Charleston. He asked me if I had a camera. And when I said Yes, he said "Make sure you get some photos of the Belgian Horses along the trail." Here on the West side of the trail just North of Neil Road East is the farm that we think raises Belgians. They sure were pretty!	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	Here is the crossing of Roberts Mill Road with the trail 8.6 miles out of South Charleston.

The trail seemed long for some reason to me. Perhaps because it doesn't have much shade and it was hot that day. Anyway, I saw this cellular phone tower in the distance and said to my wife; "I'll bet that's London in the distance." And sure enough, it was. So when you see this tower, you're almost to the end.	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	Here we are at the Prairie Grass Trailhead that the Friends of Madison County Parks and Trails (FMCPT) have built behind the Madison County Senior Citizens Center located at 280 West High Street in London, Ohio. There is parking behind the Center, water, and a permanent restroom. In the foreground is the memorial to Bill Young, a much missed member of the organization. We are 10.7 miles from the South Charleston Station 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.

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	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	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!

At last! The end of the trail at Midway Street. We are 10.8 miles from the South Charleston Station and just past the Prairie Grass Trailhead. To continue on the trail turn right here and follow the signs through downtown London. About 1.5 miles) to the beginning of the formal trail East of town. See Page 5 to continue East.	Click on thumbnail for larger image

The motto of this website is: "Spikes to Spokes!"

Trail Description	Surface
Route	Map
Park & Ride Locations	Restrooms
Impressions	Trail Review With pictures
Downtown London Pictures	London City Guide .PDF file 5Mb from FMCPT
Hotels, Motels, B&B's and Campgrounds

Click on photo for larger image	Click on photo for larger image
Overall map of South Charleston to London	Source: Wilson Printing & Graphics Click Here for Adobe Acrobat Map
See Map from Columbus Dispatch for trails to be built in Columbus (Franklin Co.)

Place	Location	Restrooms?	Water?	Parking?
S. Charleston Station	South Charleston	Indoor	Yes	Yes
Prairie Grass Trailhead	London	Indoor	Yes	Yes
Wilson Road (End of Trail)	London	Portable	No	Yes


Click on photo for larger image	Here is a picture of the handsome Madison County Court House. I took this picture outside a restaurant uptown where we had lunch.

Almost directly across Main Street is a beautiful old home: *Alexandra's Bed and Breakfast* 117 North Main Street (740) 852-5993 Email: info@alexandrasbb.com Owners: Ron & Susan Brown See Yahoo Local for more info. In addition to normal sleeping accommodations, the Brown's have a Youth Hostel that sleeps 12 to 15 for group reservations at the back of the property. (see map for location)	Click on photo for larger image

Click on photo for larger image	No article about a RailTrail would be complete without something with a caboose in it. This caboose is at the: *Madison County Historical Society* 260 East High Street (740) 852-2977 We had a look inside and were impressed by the collections. It's worth seeing but call first since it is not open every day. (see the downtown map of London)