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Scenic Byways
Program
"A Sunday Drive Anyday" is the slogan
of the Ohio Scenic Byway program and it is an appropriate tag line. The
State of Ohio currently has 14 designated scenic byways throughout the
state, meaning that wherever in the state you are visiting or driving,
you are near one of the most scenic routes you may ever take. A driver
can enjoy the hills of Appalachia, travel along the national road across
the state, or follow one of Ohio's beautiful rivers along its path. Each
route has its own unique story and characteristics, making it different
from all of the other byways. From the Ohio Department of Transportation
and Ohio Byway Links' brochure on Ohio's Scenic Byway, here is a brief
description of each one.
- Accommodation Line Scenic Byway- Runs
from Waynesville to Spring Valley, retracing a portion of stagecoach
route from the 1820's an 1830's that ran from Cincinnati to
Springfield.
- Canalway Ohio- Runs from Cleveland to
Dover, along the path of the Ohio and Erie Canal, spanning an area
rich in culture and recreational sites.
- Heritage Corridors of Bath- Connects
many 19th century hamlets and the Cuyahoga Valley National
recreational area near Cleveland, protecting the scenic rural views
that have come to characterize Bath Township.
- Jefferson County Southern Scenic Byway-
A 15-mile route in Jefferson County, passing through Mt. Pleasant, a
historic Quaker town with many buildings on the National Register of
Historic Places.
- Land of the Cross Tipped Churches-
Running through rural areas of western Ohio, the route is named
after large numbers of Catholic and Protestant Churches with tall
spires topped with crosses that dot the flat landscape in the area.
- Maumee Valley Scenic Byway- Running
along the Maumee River and northern portions of the Miami and Erie
Canal, this route also passed the site of the Battle of Fallen
Timbers.
- Miami and Erie Canal Scenic Byway-
Runs along the remnants of the Miami and Erie Canal, connecting with
the Land of the Cross Tipped Churches byway in the middle of both
routes.
- Morgan County Scenic Byway- 39 miles
of hills and breathtaking scenery typify this route, which runs from
the Wilds to Burr Oak State Park.
- National Road- The first federally
funded road in America, US Route 40 runs east to west across the
heart of the state.
- Ohio River Scenic Route- This route
is the first nationally designated scenic byway in Ohio. It runs a
total of 462 miles, from Cincinnati in the west to East Liverpool in
the east, along the banks of the Ohio River.
- Ohio's Amish Country- Also known as
the Scenic Byways of Holmes County, this route covers all the state
routes in Holmes County, home to the world's largest Amish
settlement and beautiful scenery.
- Scenic Olentangy Heritage Corridor-
Paralleling the Olentangy River, this route is ten miles in length,
just north of the state capital, Columbus.
- Tappan-Moravian Trail Scenic Byway-Coring
part of a trail used by Native Americans and Moravian missionaries,
these fifty-five miles of road travel alongside Tappan and
Clendening Lakes in Harrison County.
- Welsh Scenic Byway- Crossing through
the countryside of Gallia and Jackson county, this route eventually
connects to the Ohio River byway, after passing through several
historic Welsh settlements from 1818.
The Ohio Scenic Byway program is administered
through the Ohio Department of Transportation. For more information,
contact Mr. Paul Staley,
the head of the byway program at ODOT.
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