Kokosing Gap Trail

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Kokosing Gap Trail

The Kokosing Gap Trail is a 14-mile paved path along a former Pennsylvania Railroad line, running beside the Kokosing River in Knox County, Ohio. It travels from Mount Vernon to Danville, via Gambier and Howard. Opened in 1991, the 10-foot-wide trail is for biking, walking, and rollerblading.

Trailheads and surface: Start at Phillips Park in Mount Vernon (with parking) and head toward Gambier, Kenyon College, Howard, and Danville. The surface is asphalt with some wooden boardwalk sections.

Elevation and grade: The trail is mostly flat, with about 19 feet of total elevation change (highest point around 978 feet, lowest around 898 feet). Grade is essentially 0%.

Maintenance and use: It follows the old railroad right-of-way and is the longest paved rail-trail in the United States maintained entirely by volunteers and donations. It’s also among the first 500 rail trails in the country.

Highlights: In Gambier you can rest and view a restored 1940s ALCO steam locomotive, along with its tender, flatcar, and caboose. The route goes northeast toward Howard, passing under Route 36 through a stone-arched tunnel, then continues to Danville. Mile markers help visitors track distance and fitness progress.

Wildlife and flowers: Expect white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, mink, wild turkeys, great blue herons, bald eagles, hawks, and owls. In spring and summer, wildflowers like trillium, mayapple, and jack-in-the-pulpit bloom along the trail.