West Branch State Park

West Branch State Park is located on the west branch of the Mahoning River in Portage County. The river was named for the Delaware Indian word mahonink meaning "at the salt lick." In early days, a salt works was located southeast of present-day Warren along the river. The salt, which attracted a variety of wildlife, was harvested by Indians and early settlers.

In 1965, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of the Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir. The reservoir was developed for flood control, water supply, recreation and fish and wildlife management. West Branch State Park was formally opened in 1966.

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Location and Driving Directions

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Trail Maps

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Description and Review

Overview: This state park is located in Portage County, approximately 5 miles east of Ravenna. Most of the trails here actually started out as snowmobile trails but soon accommodated mountain bikes in the summer as the sport grew and park management saw the need for mountain bike trails. CAMBA has now bypassed most of the snowmobile trails with true singletrack tread. These trails are accessed by Cable Line Road which is a gated fire emergency road. Cable Line Road runs east and west through the park and allows for only cyclists and hikers with loops to the north and south of it.

Trail Description: From the trailhead parking lot (gravel/grass), riders head up a short double track corridor, then turn left on Cable Line Rd., to reach the trail entrance. The trail starts out along the lake (on the North side of Cable Line Road), and consists of flowing single-track that traces along the shore of the reservoir. With a new 1-mile extension built in the winter of '05/06, the lakeside route now represents about 5.5-6.0 miles of singletrack (and some snowmobile) trail. This section of trail features many short climbs and descents in and out of the ravines that line the lake. You'll also find some large log piles, narrow log bridges, the Serpentine bridge, the Curved bridge, the Skinny bridge, and a variety of roots. This portion of the trail is suitable for most riders, from beginner to expert, although there are some [short] challenging downhill sections that may be a bit much for the absolute beginner.

After exiting the lakeside trail, riders have the option of taking Cable Line back to the parking lot (east), or heading to the south side of Cable Line for more technical trails (follow the brown Carsonite signs). This section is quite a contrast to the lakeside ride, mainly because of all the rocks & boulders (glacial till) that the trail navigates through. Although this trail has some great scenery, it's definitely challenging and geared more at the advanced/skilled rider (intermediate-to-expert). one famous section of this area is the "Rock Gorge Trail", which offers some very scenic riding with singletrack that drops the rider into a gorge with a flowing creek below and also includes several very steep rocky sections.

After exiting the Rock Gorge Trail, riders will have a couple of options; 1) continue down the snowmobile trail to access other technical singletrack (just follow the signs), including 'Bit-O-Honey', which is a rocky technical loop (1-mile), that dumps you back onto the snowmobile trail, or 2) continue straight ahead down the "Rock Wall Trail" (signage indicates 'Experts only'), which offers some extremely challenging rock riding. Although less than half a mile, this section includes some tricky downhills and difficult climbs that consist entirely of large rocks. This trail should NOT be attempted by beginners.

Suggested CAMBA loop: Navigating the trails is simple, by just following the arrows on the brown signs that follow the CAMBA Loop.

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