Explore the best rated trails in Kettering, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Great-Little Trail and Mad River Trail. With more than 53 trails covering 4598 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.
In the last week of October 2022, while heading to N. VA. to attend a hobby
show, I decided to bring along the bike to sample some bike trails along the way.
First stop was Richmond IN, southern terminus of the Cardinal Greenway,
another Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trail [My 4th]. It reminded Me of the Tanglefoot
Trail a bit, due to the rural region, only instead of cotton & soybeans, the crop
is corn. Quite a bit of harvesting going on. Saw lots of Fall foliage as well; a
bonus of riding there during this time of year. [Peak "Leaf Peeping" season].
Oct 24 I rode the stretch from Richmond to Losantville & back [50 miles].
Oct 25 I rode from Losantville to Muncie & back [36 miles]. I ran into some
construction near the Depot Trailhead in Muncie, so cut the ride short there,
as rain also threatened. (A detour was possible, but unsigned; too bad.)
Overall I really enjoyed this trail; very light grades made for an easy peddle.
The route parallels US 35 so trailhead access is easy, with plenty of rest stops,
though only a few have water available, so bring a good supply to start. Will return
to do the northern portion next year.
Overview:
• If you are a gravel enthusiast, you will be very disappointed as the OTET is 92% either paved or concrete.
• I would not attempt to experience the OTET without GPS guidance {bike computer or 3rd party software on a smartphone {i.e. Ride with GPS} or you will experience navigation set backs on your adventure.
• Areas that are crushed limestone/chert have a sparse covering and could be messy after a rain as there was plenty of exposed hard packed dirt due to a lack of limestone/chert covering.
Cleveland to Massillon 5 October 2022 ~ 70 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail
• Beautiful views of the Cayuga river and Canal tow path with some locks in remarkable condition.
• Detour at the city limits of Massillon and as we arrived at end of the workday and the transition through was met with heavy traffic. You will need to make the downtown transition to rejoin the OTET on the Southside of Massillon.
Massillon to Mount Vernon 6 October 2022 ~ 80 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail
o Sippo Valley Trail (10 Mile)
o Holmes County Trail (23 Mile)
o Kokosing Gap Trail (13.5 Mile)
• Expect rural road riding (20+ mile) through Mennonite/Amish communities from Dalton to Fredericksburg. This transition was well marked at every turn and you can see an example in the photo section for this trail.
Mount Vernon to Columbus 7 October 2022 ~ 52 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Heart of Ohio Trail (17 Mile)
o Alum Creek Trail (25.2 Mile)
Columbus to Xenia 8 October 2022 ~ 60 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Camp Chase Trail (15.9 Miles)
o Robert’s Pass Trail (6.5 Miles)
o Prairie Grass Trail (29.2 Miles
Xenia to Cincinnati 9 October 2022 ~ 70 miles
• Trails Experienced:
o Little Miami Scenic Trail (78.1 Miles)
o Armleder-Lunken Connector Trail (1.0 mile)
o Lunken Bike Path (5.0 Miles)
o Ohio River Trail (7.6 Miles)
• There is a detour on the Little Miami Scenic Trail halfway to Cincinnati near Kings Mill Bike Trail Access. After talking to some local runners on the Trail, they highly recommend not taking the detour due to road safety for cyclists. You can safely and easily make it through the detour and once you make it to the construction area with the buildings, head to the Cartridge Brewery and on the backside of it you can rejoin the trail.
We live just 20 miles from this path. And did it for the first time yesterday. We did New Breman to St Marys. Started out beautiful but a mile out of town we lost the path. Only to find out it is a grass path between the canal and a corn field. Would be beautiful quiet walking path. But for sure not for bikes. We cut around and did some back roads and tried again further north. But the whole way from NB to SM is grass. May need to check out further south.
Trail is now 1.15 miles in length with easy access at both ends and in the middle. Short length but pleasant ride.
The new Hamilton Beltline between Cleveland Ave and B Street needs police to be present if you want people to feel safe. Drugs, derelics and punks. Are you listening Hamilton? I just seen all three!!!
Long review for a long trail. This is my favorite trail by far in the area. I broke this trail up and completed it in sections starting from Piqua. There are plenty of restrooms and parking. Mostly shaded and cool because it runs along the river. Once you get to downtown Dayton there are several connectors to other trails along with a concession stand near riverscape if you want a quick bite to eat.
Very well maintained. Somewhat scenic. Steep hills in both directions. Very little shade, I saved this trail for a cloudy day and I’m glad I did. It was an awesome workout.
The Prairie Grass Trail is always one of our favorites! We rode the 18 miles out from Xenia to South Charleston and were pleasantly surprised to enjoy the 13 miles of NEW pavement from Xenia to the Greene County Line. Of the remaining 5 miles - only that last 1.5 - 2 miles into South Charleston has some marked "potholes" and root bumps - otherwise it is mostly smooth and enjoyable. This trail is mostly unshaded and super straight so heat and wind may be your only worries - but pick a nice and non-windy day and it is a glorious ride. This route is never crowded and the path is super wide too.
A nice ride. The hub is a good place to start.
Great diverse scenery, for the most part smooth, well-kept, asphalt pavement but there are a number of intersections that are nor clearly marked as to which direction to go. My brother and I rode from Franklin to Piqua and there is a split in Dayton you have to watch for otherwise you'll go down the Mad River trail. The next area where there were a number of intersections that were not clearly marked was when you got close to Troy. There was one intersection where you had to make a 90 degree turn after crossing a bridge that was very poorly marked. There should be clear consistent arrows at each intersection indicating the direction the main trail continues. It was too easy at many of these to go the wrong way and find out a mile later you better turn around and go back.
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