Wabash Cannonball Trail
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Fulton County: 26 mi.
Lucas County: 22 mi.
Henry County: 6 mi.
Total: 63 miles
Northwest Ohio
United States| Wabash Cannonball Trail | |
|---|---|
 Westbound tandem with picnic basket at Rotary Park | |
| Rails to Trails | |
| Length | Williams County: 9 mi. Fulton County: 26 mi. Lucas County: 22 mi. Henry County: 6 mi. Total: 63 miles |
| Location | Northwest Ohio United States |
| Established | 1995 |
| Designation | North Country National Scenic Trail[1][2] |
| Trailheads |  Parking available in all counties |
| Use | Hiking, bicycling, cross country skiing, equestrian |
| Highest point | 879 feet (268 m) |
| Lowest point | 640 feet (200 m) |
| Grade | flat to gentle railroad grades |
| Difficulty |  Wheelchair accessible[3] |
| Months | 12 |
| Waymark |  |
| Sights | Oak Openings Preserve Metropark Fraker Mill Covered Bridge Wabash Railroad caboose[4] |
| Hazards | US and State Route crossings |
| Surface | Lucas County: all paved[5] Fulton County: 6 miles paved[6] remainder: gravel[7] |
| Right of way | Wabash Railroad |
| Website | http://wabashcannonballtrail.org |
The Wabash Cannonball Trail is a rail to trail conversion in northwestern Ohio, U.S. It is 63 miles (101 km) long.[8] The North Fork of the Wabash Cannonball Trail is part of the North Coast Inland Trail, which plans to fully connect Indiana to Pennsylvania,[5][9] and portions of the trail are included in the North Country National Scenic Trail.[1][2]
The Wabash Railroad line used by the trail was first built in 1855, and service continued until 1969. The Norfolk Southern Railway then purchased it. The rails were finally abandoned in 1990. Local enthusiasts developed the idea of creating a public recreational trail and utility corridor. On March 24, 1994, the corridor was purchased from Norfolk Southern.[10]
The name Wabash Cannonball stems from an 1882 American folk song about an imaginary train.[11] No train actually had the name until 1949, when the Wabash Railroad actually named its Detroit-St. Louis day train the Cannon Ball.[12]
Other rail-to-trail conversions of the Wabash Railroad in the Midwestern region include the Kiwanis Trail in Adrian, Michigan, the Wabash Heritage Trail in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the Wabash Trail in Sangamon County, Illinois.
