St. Clairsville: Bikeway, Nature, and National Road

St. Clairsville offers several very different reasons to explore the area: a bikeway with a distinctive tunnel, nature experiences along the Newlin Falls Nature Trail, and traces of National Road history. Memorial Park also brings together a range of opportunities for recreation and leisure. Deciding which of these will shape your stay can help guide your trip planning from the outset.

Cycling the National Road Bikeway

The National Road Bikeway in St. Clairsville is the only rail-trail in Ohio with a tunnel. This unusual feature makes it a distinctive destination for anyone looking to combine their trip with a bike ride. The tunnel is 532 feet long and 40 feet high—two specific measurements that describe the tunnel as part of the route.

Beyond the tunnel, the National Road Bikeway includes three miles of paved bikeway. It is also connected to a one-mile extended bike lane. If you plan to visit the bikeway, you can take these sections into account as distinct parts of your ride: the tunnel, the paved bikeway beyond it, and the connected bike lane. This kind of ride offers a different focus from a stay centered on the park, nature trail, or local history.

Park amenities and nature at the Newlin Falls Nature Trail

Memorial Park offers pavilions, an outdoor pool, playgrounds, and a hiking trail. It also has facilities for basketball, baseball, pickleball, tennis, and disc golf. The options range from various sports to play and gathering areas. As you plan, you can decide whether to focus on a particular sport or include several of the park’s different amenities.

The Newlin Falls Nature Trail offers a distinct nature experience. It connects the northeast corner of Memorial Park with a densely wooded, undeveloped property. The trail features two waterfalls and a bridge over a winding stream. This means the area offers both a park with a wide range of recreational amenities and a nature trail with waterfalls and a bridge over a stream, appealing to different interests. If you want to combine scenery and activity, you can include the trail in your plans; if you are more interested in sports and play areas, Memorial Park offers other options.

Local history and the National Road

The St. Clairsville Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. The Belmont County Heritage Museum is located in the St. Clairsville Downtown National Historic District. Its tour takes visitors through eight rooms and explores the history of Belmont County’s communities. The eight rooms give the tour a clearly defined structure; its focus is not limited to St. Clairsville but extends to the communities of Belmont County as a whole.

Another historic building in the Downtown Historic District is the Clarendon Hotel. The historic Clarendon Hotel was built in 1890 and is associated with the Historic National Road. This connection can be considered alongside another date in the road’s history: construction of the National Road in Ohio began on July 4, 1825, near the Belmont County Courthouse in St. Clairsville. The museum, Historic District, Clarendon Hotel, and courthouse connection thus offer different ways to explore local and road history.

Tailor your stay to your interests

When choosing a vacation rental in St. Clairsville, you can start by deciding which aspect of your trip matters most: the National Road Bikeway with its tunnel and bikeway, the recreational opportunities at Memorial Park, the Newlin Falls Nature Trail, or the history of Belmont County and the National Road. These options offer different ideas for your itinerary without requiring you to commit to just one way of exploring. Another place to research is Bethesda.

For an overview of the wider area: Belmont County.