Explore the best rated trails in Defiance, OH, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the University/Parks Trail and Triplett Pathway . With more than 28 trails covering 289 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
It was nice seen some wildlife ate few bugs! Overall I wouldn’t come back it’s too short for me! But good for title kids with parents!!
We rode the whole trail, and it was nicely groomed.Wonderful rest areas, and restrooms. Beautiful scenery, and a few shady areas. Thank you for all the work that everyone does to keep this trail looking good. No litter anywhere.
We love this trail for all the reasons the other reviewers mentioned. If you start in Bowling Green, put Rosenbloom Cylinders in your gps. The bike parking lot is on S Maple Street behind the factory. Flush toilets. All close to smoothies on Wooster St. when you finish. Worth the drive.
The trail is getting widened so it will no longer be a glorified sidewalk. The surface will be asphalt. I can't wait to give it another chance!
If you want nature this is not the trail for you. Spent most of the trail crossing roads and watching out for cars.
It was hot and muggy, but under the canopy of trees it was wonderful. Some hills, but not too bad. This is one of my top three bike trails.
Very nice shaded trail. Would ride it again
I’m not sure how this trail is a 5 star trail? The surface is mediocre with fragments, roots, and bumps. It’s confusing with multiple turns and trail closures. It’s unsafe with crossings at busy intersections and sections running along side busy roads. My husband and I used our road bikes. We were disappointed with the section we rode. Maybe other sections are better? We will not be returning or recommending this trail to others for biking.
I rode a total of 6.8 miles on two out & back rides on the two sections of the Lions Way Bike & Pedestrian Pathway in Bluffton, Ohio. I first rode 4.61 miles on an out and back ride on the eastern section of the Lions Way Pathway. I later rode an additionalI 2.19 miles out-and-back on the western portion of the trail, labeled as the Augsburger Path.
I started near the center of the trail. I parked at the Village Arboretum on Lake Street next to Cobb Lake. I first headed east on the trail toward Commerce Lane. This portion of the trail leads to a commercial area next to Bluffton’s I-75 exit. Here you will find the Bluffton Inn & Suites Motel, a couple of gas stations along with several fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s. TrailLink.com maps show the trail ending before it reaches Jefferson Street, the main drag, where the exits of I-75 connect. However, this end of the trail now has been extended out to Jefferson Street where an additional trail section has been built along Jefferson toward the center of town. It seems to extend to the end of this commercial area where it crosses over Jefferson. I’m not sure where it goes after crossing Jefferson St. as I chose not to explore the parts not documented here at TrailLink.
Next, I rode back to Cobb Lake and then started riding the trail toward the Bluffton University. At Cobb Lake the trail is actually Lake Street so you may encounter an occasional car as you ride along here. When you reach N. Main Street you will come to a street crossing that leads to a parking lot for Buckeye Lake. This is another park. The city pool and the local YMCA is located next to this lake. If you follow the trail around the lake you will reach Spring Street. There is no indication that the trail/bike route continues from here, but if you head west on Spring Street you will eventually arrive at the Bluffton University Campus.
TrailLink's current map for Lions Way Bike & Pedestrian Pathway shows Rosenberger Road crossing through the Bluffton University's campus. I was looking for this street as it would lead to the western portion of the trail known as the Augsburger Path which runs along Augsburger Road. Unfortunately, there is no longer a drive through the Bluffton U. campus as the addition of Lincoln Hall has removed that through street. Ultimately, after trying to find an alternate on-street route on my battery drained phone forced me to return to Cobb Lake, recharge my phone, and find a parking lot along the Augsburger Path in order to ride that segment. When I eventually rode that segment I found it somewhat disappointing it seems to be mostly a commuter route connecting residential areas to the university campus with few interesting things to see.
It appears that the main purpose of the Lions Way Bike & Pedestrian Pathway is to connect Bluffton University students and Bluffton residents with the village's parks, restaurants (mostly fast food), and other village locations. The off-road portions of the trail are fairly new and are in very rideable shape. The on-road portions of this trail are on lightly trafficked streets, but are not well-marked with signs. If you plan on riding this trail having a map app would be helpful to find your way should you get lost.
With the Lions Way Bike & Pedestrian Pathway and the Triplett Pathway the Village of Bluffton seems to be creating a multi-use trail loop that will connect Bluffton students and residents with the village's amenities. I would like to return to Bluffton again, to see if I could complete this potential trail loop.
I rode a total of 2.84 miles on two out & back rides on the two sections of the Triplett Pathway in Bluffton, Ohio. I started by riding the southern portion of Triplett Pathway that runs out of Bluffton Village Park which passes under Interstate 75 along the edge of Riley Creek, and enters into a residential neighborhood at East College Avenue where the trail actually ends. To connect to the northern section of the pathway you would have to ride on some residential streets but the route was not marked with a sign at the E. College Ave. intersection. Thus, I had to drive to the northern section trailhead located at the Village Arboretum next to Cobb Lake in order to ride from there to see if I could find the street route to this southern portion of the trail. Riding from the arboretum, the trail and the on-road route is better signed and was easy to connect to the section leading to Bluffton Village Park.
It appears that with the Triplett Pathway and the Lions Way Bike & Pedestrian Pathway the Village of Bluffton is creating a multi-use loop that will connect Bluffton University students and Bluffton residents with the village's parks, restaurants (mostly fast food), and other village amenities. The off-road portions of the trail are fairly new and are in very rideable shape. The on-road portions of these trails are on lightly trafficked streets, but are not necessarily well-marked with signs so at this time having a map app would be a must to find your way should you get lost. I would like to return to Bluffton again, to see if I could complete this potential trail loop.
We bike this nearly every day. Easy access from our home. Great shad and wind block with only a few hills.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
