Explore the best rated trails in Lima, OH, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Triplett Pathway and Ohio-to-Indiana Trail (River's Edge Trail) . With more than 26 trails covering 346 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Been riding this trail for decades and have noticed that sections between Franklin and Dayton have pavement cracks every 30-50 ft that are 2-4 inches in width. It looks like at in the past they were filled in with asphalt, now the asphalt has sunk down in. Yesterday was a jarring and unsettling ride, probably will start in downtown Dayton and ride north until they fix these cracks.
I live close to Fallen Timbers and pick up both the north and south paths often and I have road the whole south trail a couple times. I ride both a full suspension and no suspension mountain bikes from the early 2000s. Either is adequate for the parts of the trail I’ve road on. I find the trail beautiful. I’d like to make it out to Montpelier but have only made it just past the detour between Delta and Wauseon. The posted detour has you going about 4-5 miles on county roads. This is very dangerous. I would not recommend as the traffic is very fast and if cars come from both directions you have to get off and the off often ends up in a ditch and not easy. I’ve found it better to just continue on the path and avoid the detour. But this places you along the railroad tracks and it’s very difficult to ride. They are active tracks also and trains will come by. Riding on the trail though the detour is possible but rough and the part that goes over the tracks and along them is not marked well. It took some exploring to figure it out. I can’t speak for the trail after wauseon to Montpelier as I haven’t made it that far but the parts I’ve road are a great path for all day riding. You will have to cross streets along the way so you will have starting stopping.
Nice paved trail along the river; across a railroad bridge; thru town; around Hospital and several lakes/ponds.
This was a fairly decent trail, if you like straight paths and wide open spaces. I ran this trail in February 2024. I divided it up in to 7 days and started in Springfield. The first mile or so is road side and there is a specific lane to stay in. This turns to some wooded areas and over some busy roads while in town. The path from lagonda to Eagle City was probably the most scenic part of the trail, crossing over the Buck Creek trail. Once past Eagle City soccer fields the terrain seems to be newly paved but there are a lot of little dips that I was very aware of since I was on foot and not on a bike. Coming in to Urbana there were some wooded areas and I am sure in the early spring and summer there may be more to look at, but it wasn't very scenic in February. There was little to no signage other than the SKT mile markers noted sporadically along the trail. It seems like once you get past Railroad street in Urbana there isn't much to look at other than railroad tracks. This is also where the trail changes from asphalt to the chip and seal. I hadn't ran this kind of terrain but was pleasantly surprised how smooth it was. I was concerned about flipping bits of stone in to my shoes but that didn't happen. There is another segment of roads to run and again, there is no signage to direct you on the right path. I did see bike signs, which to most of you reading this will take as signage, however, I would like to see signs of the actual trail listed. The map listed here on trailink shows the red line to insinuate the trail, however, when looking at it more closely, there is more route around a park in Urbana that was missed. Again, after Railroad rd in Urbana the path is straight and there is no place to stop for rest or parking and that makes for a lengthy run/ride for anyone on the trail. There is always a safety concern in this regard too. Overall, the trail is decent, however, I wouldn't run it again...maybe the part from Lagonda to Eagle City...but that's it. This was trail #35 for me, and I would say it wouldn't make the top 10 for me.
This was a fairly decent trail, if you like straight paths and wide open spaces. I ran this trail in February 2024. I divided it up in to 7 days and started in Springfield. The first mile or so is road side and there is a specific lane to stay in. This turns to some wooded areas and over some busy roads while in town. The path from lagonda to Eagle City was probably the most scenic part of the trail, crossing over the Buck Creek trail. Once past Eagle City soccer fields the terrain seems to be newly paved but there are a lot of little dips that I was very aware of since I was on foot and not on a bike. Coming in to Urbana there were some wooded areas and I am sure in the early spring and summer there may be more to look at, but it wasn't very scenic in February. There was little to no signage other than the SKT mile markers noted sporadically along the trail. It seems like once you get past Railroad street in Urbana there isn't much to look at other than railroad tracks. This is also where the trail changes from asphalt to the chip and seal. I hadn't ran this kind of terrain but was pleasantly surprised how smooth it was. I was concerned about flipping bits of stone in to my shoes but that didn't happen. There is another segment of roads to run and again, there is no signage to direct you on the right path. I did see bike signs, which to most of you reading this will take as signage, however, I would like to see signs of the actual trail listed. The map listed here on trailink shows the red line to insinuate the trail, however, when looking at it more closely, there is more route around a park in Urbana that was missed. Again, after Railroad rd in Urbana the path is straight and there is no place to stop for rest or parking and that makes for a lengthy run/ride for anyone on the trail. There is always a safety concern in this regard too. Overall, the trail is decent, however, I wouldn't run it again...maybe the part from Lagonda to Eagle City...but that's it. This was trail #35 for me, and I would say it wouldn't make the top 10 for me.
What a relaxing ride! This was my first “big” ride on my Recumbent bike. It was easy to navigate, smooth and well marked. There’s several distance options you can choose from to ride, walk or jog. I would recommend the Slippery Elm for families or just soloists.
A very pleasant & relaxing ride in the shade. It’s not super long but if you supplement it by riding around Coldwater and also adding the very beautiful Westbank trail in Celina, it makes for a wonderful little ride. There’s a couple of benches along the path, but they’re all in spots where there’s no shade which I found really odd. Hey, let’s take a break right here in the beating hot sun. Dumb
Beautiful little ride that follows the western shoreline of grand lake. It’s short but if you tag on the Celina/Coldwater trail, which is really close by, it makes for a really sweet ride.
Short little straight stretch that is very nicely paved. Not much on the scenery unless you like cornfields. I supplemented the trail by riding around in the sleepy lil town of Ohio City. It’s very much a little town… Not a city. Ohio City. Them folks must’ve stayed up all night to think of that one.
I rode the trail today from Bowlusville to just north of Urbana. It was a sunny morning with temps in the upper 70s to low 80s. I parked at the Access Point at 580 West County Line Rd. which had a shelter and a port-a-pottty. Several other folks parked in the same lot, but it was never full. I rode the trail from Springfield to Bowlusville a couple of weeks ago.
The trail from Springfield to Urbana is paved and, for most of the distance, has a tree canopy to provide shade and block the wind. When I got north of Urbana it changed to chip seal and there was no tree cover. The surface was noticeably rougher but still tolerable with 28 mm tires at 60-70 psi. Between the chip seal and the sun, it's a different experience.
Two other notes for potential riders:
1. The trail seems a little shorter than the advertised 35.5 miles. The official description states that Bellefontaine to Urbana is 16 miles. Based on my rides, I'd say Urbana to Bowlusville is 7 miles and Bowlusville to Springfield is 9.5 miles. That's three miles shorter than the overall claimed distance. Maybe they included the 6-mile Buck Creek Trail in the claimed distance for the Simon Kenton Trail or maybe my numbers are off.
2. Going southbound into Springfield the connection to the Little Miami Trail is difficult to detect. If you recall to turn left at South Center Street at the end of the Simon Kenton Trail, you will make the connection, but there is no sign there if you don't remember. Going northbound from the Little Miami Trail, there is a sign that directs you to the left on South Center Street to make the connection with the Simon Kenton Trail.
This is a nice trail. It had some bumpy spots but not a big deal. Mostly shaded. We saw 2 Bald Eagle, a Great Blue Heron and other wildlife. Worth the ride.
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