LOUDONVILLE — Ashland County Park District will expand into Loudonville for the first time with a new kayak launch on the Black Fork tributary of the Mohican River.
The kayak launch will be located on the West Bank of Black Fork off of the Loudonville Bike Path and Riverside Park land along Wally Road.
The site will include a paved parking lot with an estimated 48 parking spots, according to Ashland County Park District Director Eric Schneider.
Schneider said he expects to break ground on the project early next year, but he is hopeful that the project can break ground in 2025.
Park commissioners plan to lease the land from the Village of Loudonville. Once the Ashland County Park District agree on lease terms, the city and park commissioners can apply for grant funding to support the project.
Schneider said the Park District will apply for an upcoming grant in November and potentially others in 2026 to support the project.
There are also funds from the Ohio Department of Transportation to support the parking lot’s construction, Schneider said.
This project represents a long-time desire to expand park operations to Loudonville, he noted. The village has no parks managed through Ashland County Parks District.
“Loudonville has always been on our radar to put in a park,” Schneider said.
Loudonville Village Councilman Matt Armstrong acknowledged there is already an unofficial kayak launch on the Loudonville Bike Path. He said people will park at the Wally Road soccer fields.
“It’s already kind of tight if we’re having sporting events and then you add two dozen cars and people loading their personal equipment,” Armstrong said.
So, Armstrong expects the new, official kayak launch and adjoining parking lot will be popular with residents.
Armstrong says the site will also feature a picnic table area near the parking lot and a canoe/kayak rack at the launch site.
The attached design plan was provided by Environmental Design Group.
Why a kayak/canoe launch?
Ashland County parks conducted a survey asking for residents’ feedback and interest for parks. Schneider said hiking and paddling opportunities were the top interests from survey respondents.
But the idea for a kayak launch came from Jordan Lance, Mohican Area Growth Foundation President.
Lance has been trying to extend the Loudonville Bike Path to eventually connect with the Ohio to Erie Trail, which is a 326-mile path that stretches from Cincinnati to Cleveland.
The effort, dubbed the Mohican Greenway Corridor, started as a partnership between Knox, Ashland and Holmes counties.
The project did not end up getting federal funding, so each county has tackled efforts individually since.
Lance said MAGF has been working slowly but surely to continue to expand trails to eventually merge with the Ohio to Erie Trail.
The biggest focus has been connecting the Loudonville Bike Path, which ends near Mohican State Park, to a one-mile trail that goes through the Spellacy Covered Bridge in Holmes County.
Lance said that would be a roughly three-mile connecting trail, and it would cost an estimated $12 million to complete.
MAGF is also working to connect the Loudonville Mohican Bike Path directly into Mohican State Park.
Schneider has been interested in getting the Ashland County Park District involved since Lance introduced it to him in 2023, when he became director.
The partnership with Ashland County Parks and the popularity of the kayak launch will hopefully leverage funding efforts to expand the Loudonville Trail, Lance said.
“The vision is that Ashland County Parks eventually will help with the trail extension piece as well,” Lance said.