This route travels on beautiful and challenging trails around the William H. Harsha Lake in East Fork State Park. The entire loop is 33-ish miles. The trail is named after the famous world walker from Bethel, Ohio. This is the state park system's longest and most challenging trail. The route follows some mountain bike trails, hiking trails, and a tiny bit of paved bike trail. You will cross several creeks, giving you a chance to cool off. Some you can cross on rocks and keep your feet dry but there are three crossings where you should plan to get wet. Throughout your journey you will experience some beautiful lake views, glorious single track trails, a waterfall in a beautiful pine forest area, an open field and some refreshing creek crossings. This is an experience you don’t want to miss!
The trail is marked in green blazes. Some of the trail is shared with the Buckeye Trail, so you may see blue blazes in some sections.
Loop FKT routes can be started anywhere on the route and completed in either direction. Suggested start for this route is at the Steve Newman trail head sign. Counter clockwise will run you through the hillier part a little earlier in the run. Expect to encounter mud throughout the trail. Some parts can be tough to run due to horse tracks especially as you go past the campground. Resist the urge to leave the trail and run the road. This trail has been modified a couple times over the years. The .gpx file posted here as it is up-to-date with the current trail as of May 2025. If you download it from other sites you will find parts of the route to be incorrect.
