Western Ohio's Historic National Road Road Trip

Views will consist mostly of corn fields on the first leg of your trip, but don’t be lulled into a sleepy state. You’ll soon enter the bustling city of Columbus. Look to the roadside and you may spot a few motels and historic buildings that were popular during the National Road’s heyday. You’ll cross over the Scioto River on the Broad Street Bridge leaving Columbus.

The landscape opens up after Columbus, with wide expanses of fields and flat land as far as the eye can see. The westbound lanes of US 40 follow the original alignment of the National Road here. Halfway between Columbus and Springfield sits The Red Brick Tavern; built in the 1830s, it served as a stagecoach inn for early travelers on the National Road.

The National Road narrows to two lanes after Springfield, passing small hills, pockets of forests and more farmland along the way. Near Dayton, the road (US 40) takes a slight detour south through scenic Taylorsville MetroPark, crossing the Great Miami River via the Taylorsville Dam.

Leaving Vandalia you’ll pass the Dayton International Airport before the road turns south again, this time to pass through Englewood MetroPark. You’ll have an elevated view of the parkland as you cross the Englewood Reservoir on the Englewood Dam. From there it’s a straight shot on US 40 to the Indiana state line.