Another beautiful, sunny fall day so we ventured to Swanton, OH to explore a new-to-us trail, Wabash Cannonball Trail. What we found is a well-maintained wooded rail trail with horse trails through the woods. It runs right through the Oak Openings Preserve, which is one of our favorite Toledo-area parks. Read more about our first adventure to the Oak Openings Preserve by clicking HERE.
History of Wabash Cannonball Trail
The Toledo & Illinois Railroad opened a section of railroad from Toledo, OH to the Ohio-Indiana state line in 1855. At the same time they were building this section of the railroad, the Lake Erie, Wabash, & St. Louis Railroad built tracks that carried the line through Indiana. In 1856, the railroads merged to form Toledo, Wabash, and Western Railroad. And in 1889, the companies were merged into the Wabash Railroad Company. Local passenger service continued until 1959, but the Wabash Cannon Ball Express train ran a daily route between Detroit and St. Louis until 1971. Freight operations continued throughout the 1980’s, primarily transporting grain and other agricultural commodities. In 1990, the railroad announced the abandonment of the line and started removing the tracks.
In 1991, the Friends of the Wabash Cannonball Trail was formed to save the former railroad corridor. In 1994, the corridor was purchased to develop the trail. The Wabash Cannonball Trail is a 63 mile rail trail in northwest Ohio. It is divided into two branches that meet in Maumee, OH. The north fork runs 46 miles west toward Montepelier while the south fork runs 17 miles southwest toward Liberty Center.
Our Adventure
After parking at the Oak Openings Springbrook Parking, we found the trail behind the restroom. The trail continues in both directions, but we followed it to the left and across the road. A short distance after crossing the road, we noticed a trail in the woods on the right side and decided to follow it. The trail meandered through the woods, eventually ending at the asphalt Wabash Cannonball Trail.
As we continued along the rail trail, we crossed a bridge over the Swan Creek. The views of the creek from the bridge were lovely.
A little while after crossing the bridge, we found trails in the woods on either side. On the right side we found the South Loop and followed it into the woods. The trail meandered through the woods until it ended at Reed Road. At this point, we turned around and retraced our steps back to the rail trail.
Directly across from the South Loop trail, we found the North Loop trail. This was our favorite trail. We walked deep into the woods and were surrounded by beautiful trees. We found a pile of logs that Sunny enjoyed exploring. Eventually we decided it was time to turn around and retrace our steps back to the Wabash Cannonball Trail.
After exiting the woods, we followed the Wabash Cannonball Trail until we came to Girdham Road. At this point, we turned around and followed the rail trail back to the Springbrook parking lot. We walked nearly 5.5 miles, with over half of it in the woods. This was a great adventure and we hope to return to further explore the trails in the woods.
Sunny’s Perspective
I loved this trail! The best part is when we left the rail trail and found some horse trails in the woods. I even found some horse poop! There were some squirrels too so the smells were amazing. We wander far into the woods and that was truly the best part. Sure hope we come back to visit this trail again.
Our Rating
Sunny and I give the Wabash Cannonball Trail 3.5 out of 4 paws up. It was absolutely beautiful, especially when we walked into the woods. We were able to walk deep into the woods which was so peaceful. There were some sections that ran close to the road, but also sections that were deep into the woods. The parking area at Springbrook was convenient and had a restroom. The rail trail was well-maintained and the trails in the woods were fairly easy to follow. All in all, this was a beautiful and peaceful hike. We hiked 5.5 miles, but we could have many, many more miles.
How Do I Get There?
Use 4646 Waterville Swanton Road or Oak Openings Springbrook Parking in GPS. From I-90 take exit 39 for OH-109 South and continue for less than half a mile. Then turn left onto County Road H and continue for 3.5 miles. Turn right onto County Road 5-2/Township Road and continue for a mile. Then turn left onto US-20A east. After 5 miles, turn right onto OH-64/Waterville Swanton Road. Follow for just under 2 miles and turn right into Oak Openings Springbrook parking lot. The trail starts behind the restroom. We took the trail to the left, but you can also follow it to the right.
For more information about the Wabash Cannonball Trail, check out these websites: