Federal grant will fund Holmes County trail renovation, upgrades underway

A federal grant is paying for a facelift on the Holmes County Trail, a more than 26-mile paved corridor that already separates bike and pedestrian traffic from horse-and-buggy travel. For people who use the route every day, the most visible change will be simpler: smoother asphalt, cleaner riding surfaces and a more dependable trail between the county’s villages and rural stretches.

The Holmes County Trail runs through one of the county’s most distinctive transportation networks. The Holmes County Park District says the trail has one lane for bikes and pedestrians and an adjoining lane for horse-and-buggy traffic, a design that has made it a regional draw as part of the Ohio to Erie Trail. It has also been described as the first recreational trail in the United States built to accommodate Amish buggies, giving Holmes County a trail system that serves walkers, runners, bicyclists, horse riders and buggy traffic on the same corridor.

Recent work shows how the money translates into concrete improvements. An Ohio Department of Transportation project for the Glenmont-to-Killbuck segment calls for about four miles of trail on an abandoned railroad bed, with the finished asphalt trail generally 16 feet wide. County work has also targeted resurfacing and repair of nearly four miles between Holmesville and Fredericksburg. Those phases matter because they directly affect the parts of the trail users feel underfoot and under tire: the rough patches, worn pavement and uneven stretches that can slow down recreation and make travel less comfortable.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says Recreational Trails Program grants are federally funded and can reimburse up to 80 percent of project costs, helping stretch local dollars on a corridor that functions as both recreation space and a practical link through Amish Country. Support for the trail remains active locally as well, with the 21st Annual Holmes County Rails-to-Trails Benefit Auction set for June 13, 2026, at Harvest Ridge in Millersburg. For residents and visitors, the payoff will be visible on the pavement itself: a trail that is easier to use, easier to share and better prepared for the traffic Holmes County puts on it every day.