The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
City asks residents, visitors to take a hike
Buckeye Trail Town designation offers dual tourism promotion
Not all paths may lead to Mentor, but the city can boast that at least a couple of notable ones run through it.
City Council recently passed legislation to help highlight hiking and biking opportunities in the community.
On Aug. 25, a formal presentation was held at CityFest to tout the city’s designation as a Buckeye Trail Town. The 1,444-mile Buckeye Trail is the nation’s largest loop trail and extends from Mentor Lagoons and Headlands Beach State Park to a hilltop overlooking the Ohio River in Cincinnati.
The Buckeye Trail Town program is a way that the Buckeye Trail Association honors communities “for accepting, hosting and taking great pride in Ohio’s state trail,” said Executive Director Andrew Bashaw.
The partnership serves to increase awareness of the trail and boost tourism.
“I’m excited that Mentor has joined the family of the Buckeye Trail Town program,” Bashaw said. “This is only the beginning of a relationship that the Buckeye Trail Association is offering, to work with the city of Mentor more and more to fully develop the Buckeye Trail and its experience for the people of Mentor, but also visitors to Mentor.”
Signs with the signature “blue blazes” will be prominently displayed along the trail in the city.
“From here, you can connect with the Buckeye Trail to other great, iconic places around Ohio,” Bashaw said, “Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Muskingum Watershed District and all of its lakes, the Wayne National Forest in southern Ohio, Hocking Hills ... all the state parks and state forests through Appalachian Ohio. …
“That was the original idea of the Buckeye Trail —
that we should have an Appalachian Trail experience of our own.”
The Buckeye Trail dates back to the 1950s, when a link was envisioned from the Ohio River to Lake Erie. The city’s resolution noted that the trail is a major component of the North Country National Scenic Trail and American Discovery Trail, and that it provides recreation for an increasingly health-conscious society.
“Casual walkers, day hikers and weekend backpackers want to enjoy the Buckeye Trail, and the City of Mentor can provide the gateway to their experience,” the legislation reads. It also encourages residents and visitors to take a hike on the trail.
“Why this is important is that, again, it’s recognizing our community for the treasure of natural resources we have here and for all of the benefits that those natural resources bring to our community, such as opportunities for tourism and visitation,” City Manager Ken Filipiak said. “We’re so blessed to have our community be close to the lake. And I think our City Council,
The Buckeye Trail Town program is a way that the Buckeye Trail Association honors communities “for accepting, hosting and taking great pride in Ohio’s state trail,” said Executive Director Andrew Bashaw.
along with City Councils in the past, have done a fantastic job of preserving literally thousands of acres for community use ... so that not only is that a draw for our residents, but it’s also an opportunity for people from outside of our community, outside of the state to be able to look to Mentor as a destination location and one that is meant for families.”
In an effort to appeal to biking enthusiasts, Mentor City Council on Aug. 21 approved the Ohio Department of Transportation’s plans to designate a portion of its streets as U.S. Bike Route 30.
The route is part of a state and national network of bike routes and follows state Route 84 from the east corporation line to Hopkins Road, along Hopkins to Munson Road, to Civic Center Boulevard, to Center Street, to Munson Road and along Lake Shore Boulevard to the west corporation line.
The route will be publicized by ODOT via internet maps and tourism agencies.