Welcome to the Home of Tri-County Triangle Trail, Inc.
A Non-Profit Supporting Recreational Trails in Ross and Fayette Counties
Visit our Facebook Page for more information on the trail
and the Ross County Parks and Trails Web Page
The Paint Creek Recreational Trail (map) is a scenic 32-mile trail from Chillicothe to Washington Court House passes through the Historic Village of Frankfort, the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park/World Heritage Site, Pleasant Valley and Chillicothe. The trail is maintained by the City of Chillicothe, the Ross County Park District, City of Washington Court House and Tri-County Triangle Trail. CLICK HERE for link to a Google interactive map of the trail. Parking is available at the Shaw Wetland, Austin, Frankfort Brad Lightle Park, Hopewell Culture National Historic Park and Christman Park in Washington Court House and several locations in Chillicothe. Shaw Wetland, Frankfort and Hopewell Culture Historical Park and Yocktangee Park in Chillicothe have water, picnic shelters and toilets available. Restaurants are available in Washington Court House, Frankfort, Peasant Valley and Chillicothe. Austin Mills Brewery has recently opened (limited hours and days) at Austin Road and SR 138, located along the trail 3.5 miles west of Frankfort. For a regional look at trails follow this LINK.
Trail Maintenance Complete! Tri-County Triangle Trail Volunteers have completed work in removing the root bumps from Hopewell Mound Group on Sulfur Lick Road west to the Fayette County Line a distance of 16 miles. Tri-County Trail rented steer-skid with an asphalt shaving machine attachment to plane the trail root bumps then cracks will be sealed. Trail users will no longer need to be wary of bumps and the ride will be much improved. Thanks to the Ross County Park District for allowing us to do this work and Friends of the Little Miami River Trail for technical assistance on this project!
Trail Update on Temporary Closing and Detour Between Austin Road and Austin Mill at SR 138: The Ohio Department of Transportation will be replacing culverts along SR-138 and the Paint Creek Recreational Trail at Austin Crossing of SR 138 to replace culverts across/under the trail. SR 138 will also be closed between US 35 and Austin Mill Crossing. The work is nearing completion with an end date no later than October 21st. For the entirety of this project, the trail will be closed from Austin Crossing to Bridge number 9. The Ross County Park District will post signage for the detour via low traffic Austin Rd. Please stay off the trail while work is completed! The detour runs parallel to and is the same distance as the trail. Detour Map If driving to the Austin Mills Parking area from US 35: go south to Old US 35 and turn right. Take next left onto Austin Road and then left at stop sign then left onto SR 138 to trail parking (on right at Austin Mill Brewery.
The Annual Fall 14 Mile Pie Ride On The Trail on October 3 was a HUGE success! Over 130 riders enjoyed the 14-mile round trip from Hopewell Parking lot west to Frankfort on the trail for pie and ice cream. Weather was perfect and as well as the Pie and Ice Cream! Thanks to everyone who participated and TTT volunteers who made the event possible in this popular annual event.
About Us: Tri-County Triangle Trail is a 501(c)3 non-profit (all volunteer!) promoting and assisting improvement of recreational trails in Ross and Fayette Counties including the Paint Creek Recreational Trail. Our mission is to provide support to assist in the routine maintenance of the trail as requested and in cooperation with the Ross County Park District and the Village of Frankfort in Ross County. In Fayette County, Tri-County Trail owns and is responsible for the trail from the Ross County Line to Robinson Rd. a distance of 5.5 miles. We receive valuable support in Fayette County from the Fayette County Engineer and Wayne Township Trustees for mowing and brush removal. Fayette Travel and Tourism supports the trail with annual grants for improvements. Our volunteers help in removal of fallen trees, cleaning the trail and general maintenance in coordination with the Ross County Park District. Trail volunteers also mow the trail head parking lot area at the Shaw Wetland.
A Brief History of the Paint Creek Recreational Trail: It began as the Dayton & Southeastern Railroad. Colonel S. N. Yeoman of Washington Court House created the railroad in 1871 hoping to build a standard gauge railroad to connect Dayton, Xenia, Washington Court House, Frankfort, Chillicothe and Wellston to connect to the coal mines of southeast Ohio. The railroad would provide a good way to move coal from southeastern Ohio to shipping west to Dayton and beyond. There was a railroad bed that had been graded 25 years earlier connecting Dayton and Washington Court House.
Yeoman was able to gain the rights to this roadbed to build the railroad but was unable to gain financing for the project. Three years later he hired a promoter to raise interest and funds to start construction. Ultimately, he was able to raise funds to start the project but in 1875 he was discharged at a directors meeting and replaced by the railroads chief engineer. Construction began in 1875, and the first train ran on the tracks from Dayton and Washington Court House in 1877. The section from Washington Court House through Frankfort to Musselman Rd was completed in November of 1877 and onto Chillicothe in 1879. This included at 1,000’ bridge over the Scioto River. The railway between Chillicothe and Washington Court House was abandoned in the early 1970’s by CSX who had acquired the rail from the Baltimore and Ohio Line and is now the Paint Creek Recreational Trail. The trail is approximately 32 miles in length from a trail head at Shaw Wetland on Robinson Rd 2 miles east of Washington Court House to the east side of Chillicothe at the Scioto River. We are awaiting an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Clean Ohio grant approval submitted by the City of Washington in March 2024 to complete the final 2.4 miles from Robinson Rd/Shaw Wetland to the City of Washington Court House.
By 1890 the railroad was extended southeast to Richmond Dale and onto Wellston in 1891. Then by 1892 the railroad reached Ironton. The dream of Colonel Yeoman was finally realized to connect the coal fields of southeast Ohio to the shipping port of Ironton and west to Dayton and beyond.
In 1990 Tri-County Triangle Trail, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit was created with the vision to convert the abandoned railroad right-of-way to and convert the abandoned rail bed to a recreational trail (commonly known as a rail-trail) to connect Chillicothe, Frankfort, Washington Court House. The group worked tirelessly to raise funds from supporters and businesses and were successful in purchasing the right-of-way from Washington Court House to National Park Service Hopewell Mound Group on Sulfur Lick Road a distance of 24 miles. The Ross County Park District acquire the right-of-way from Hopewell to Chillicothe a distance of 7 miles. The trail was constructed in multiple phases with Tri-County Trail assisting with local fund matches for grants, construction of amenities like covered benches and other rider amenities, maintenance such as mowing, trail repairs, pavement sealing and other improvements. Tri-County Triangle Trail has continued to support trail development in Fayette and Ross Counties and partnered with the Ross County Park District to assist with maintenance. In addition, Tri-County Triangle Trail has been able to purchase abandoned rail right-of-way from Washington Court House east to New Holland (the Pickaway County Park District owns the right-of-way from New Holland to Circleville and southwest from Washington Court House to Clinton County line (Clinton County Park District owns the right-of-way from Fayette County line to Wilmington (approximately 7 miles of this trail has been completed.)
When all these connections are completed the Paint Creek Recreational Trail will be connected to a regional and national trail system that consists of hundreds of miles of rail-trail extending across the United States!
If you are interested in assisting with volunteer trail maintenance, have questions, making a donation or becoming an active member email us. Thank you!