In an effort to promote an environmentally friendly community, create recreational facilities for residents, and provide safe connecting pathways, the township has built four miles of asphalt paved bike/walk paths adjacent to existing roads.  

Hudson/Judson Bike Trail: 
The Franklin Connector is the newest trail in Portage County and provides a new link into Summit County.  The asphalt trail, quietly dedicated last month, stretches 1.25 miles from Spell Road to Hudson Road north of Kent.  ``People discovered it as soon as the asphalt went down. It's getting tremendous use,'' said Christine Craycroft, director of the Portage Park District.  The hike-and-bike trail, along the old Akron Bedford Cleveland interurban railway route, cost about $450,000, she said.  Funding included $250,000 in Clean Ohio Trail money and $80,000 each from Franklin Township and the Ohio Department of Transportation, she said.  That means a bicyclist at the nine-car parking lot and trailhead at Hudson and Judson roads in Franklin Township could pedal to the west and north on the Hike & Bike Trail and end up in Walton Hills in southern Cuyahoga County. That's an 18.3-mile one-way ride.

PORTAGE HIKE & BIKE TRAIL
New! Lake Rockwell Road / Beckwith Trail Head
The trail is 2.1 miles from Crain Ave. in Kent to Lake Rockwell Rd. in Franklin Township and then goes another 4 miles to Ravenna. The new trailhead (beside Beckwith Orchard) has 16 parking spaces for convenient and trouble-free parking.  The trail is 10 feet wide, paved in asphalt and very flat for beginning riders and families looking for a fun, easy day.

The Towner's Woods Rail-Trail, now known as the Portage Hike & Bike Trail, has been extended in both directions towards Kent and Ravenna.  Vicinity: Kent (Lake Rockwell Rd.) to Ravenna (Cleveland Rd.)   
Trail Length: 4.5 miles  Surface: Smooth crushed gravel  This bike trail actually starts at the railroad tracks across from the Brady Lake School and heads east past Cleveland Ave. in Ravenna. 

The Trustees just approved a $45,000 donation (over a three year period) to the Portage Park District to extend the bike trail from Lake Rockwell west towards Riverbend.  The City of Kent is also working with the Park District to extend the trail from Riverbend to Crain Ave. where eventually it will connect with the Fairchild Road trail entrance.  The total cost to create the trail in Franklin Township (from Lake Rockwell to Riverbend (.86 miles) including the Ravenna Road trestle crossing) is $314,000.  The Park’s District is hoping to receive Federal Funding to complete this project.