The Holmes County Trail is a recreational trail and transportation corridor for non-motorized traffic through Ohio's Amish Country.
A few far-sighted citizens saw the potential use of the railroad bed as a recreational trail. However, raising the necessary funds for purchase of the railroad bed as a recreation trail became a major obstacle. Over the next two decades, the county prospered and the population continued to grow. The idea of a multipurpose, motorized trail also grew.
In 1996, Dr. Robert A. Hart of Millersburg, formed the Holmes County Rails-to-Trails Coalition, Inc. a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization to begin the acquisition and development of the former railroad into the nation's first recreation and transportation trail to accommodate Amish buggies and other forms of non-motorized recreation and travel. Through the efforts of the Holmes County Trail Coalition, the Holmes County Commissioners, and a group of concerned citizens, the old railroad corridor was purchased. This purchase opened the door for development of the Holmes County Trail.
Since the purchase of the former railroad in 1998, the Coalition and Holmes County Park District have received significant federal, state, local, and private grant funding along with local contributions and fundraising events, exceeding well over $7 million dollars. These funds have been used to purchase adjoining trail park land and bring the Trail to its current usable condition.
*As additional funding becomes available in the future to complete the Holmes County Trail Project, the Trail will become one of the premier recreational trails in the state of Ohio.
