Explore the best rated trails in Sidney, OH. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Triplett Pathway and Great-Little Trail . With more than 39 trails covering 4524 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.
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The Miami & Erie Canal was built between 1825 and 1845, an engineering marvel stretching from Cincinnati to Toledo. This canal was heavily used until competition from the railroad caused the decline...
Hydraulic Canal Run begins in picturesque French Park, where stands of mature trees provide the perfect shady spots to picnic. From here, you can also connect to Piqua City Linear Park, a rail-trail...
The Little Miami Scenic Trail is a jewel in the crown of Ohio rail-trails, spanning just over 78 miles from the outskirts of Cincinnati to Springfield over historical bridges and through tranquil...
The Canal Feeder Trail begins at Graceland Cemetery on the south end of Sidney and continues southwest on a former historical canal towpath dating back to the 1840s. The paved trail parallels the...
The Towler Road Spur is a short but pleasant route in the trail hub of Xenia, Ohio. Although the paved pathway parallels the roadway, it's separated from traffic by a wide grassy median dotted with...
The North Lewisburg Trail lies about 40 miles northwest of Columbus in the Village of North Lewisburg. The trail runs northeast from the community park in a wooded corridor that once housed train...
The Xenia–Jamestown Connector links these two eponymous communities and travels east beyond Jamestown to the Greene–Fayette County line at Rosemoor Road. It’s part of Ohio’s Miami River Valley trail...
The Tecumseh Trail Multi-use Pathway offers a pleasant route, partially on the former Pennsylvania Railroad's Columbus-to-Saint Louis freight mainline. The rail route was also once used for Lincoln's...
The James Ranch Connecting Spur provides an important link between two major trails spiraling out of the trail hub of Xenia. On its east end, the trail connects to the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
More than half of the smooth, flat, 6.1-mile Heritage Rail-Trail has a parallel 4-mile horse trail. The equestrian corridor starts at Hayden Run Road and continues northwest to the Cemetery Pike...
How can a trail be great and little? When it connects two of the Miami Valley's most popular regional trails, the Great Miami River Trail in the west, to the Little Miami Scenic Trail in the east. The...
The Dayton Kettering Connector combines a historic rail-trail and bike lanes, and shared road riding for 7 miles between the two municipalities. The off-road portion is 1.9 miles long and sits in the...
The Triplett Bikeway both figuratively and literally paved the way for more bike paths in the Village of Bluffton. The trail was built as a result of citizen organizing in the 1980's, led by Ropp and...
The Creekside Trail is part of a network of more than 340 miles of trails that travel throughout Ohio’s scenic Miami Valley. The route follows a nature-filled corridor offering many opportunities for...
The Lima Rotary Riverwalk trail follows the southeast bank of the meandering Ottowa River between Heritage Park southwest of Lima and Schoonover Park northeast of city center. At its north end, the...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a colossal project, not just for the state of Ohio but also nationally. Dreamed up more than 25 years ago, this route will eventually connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to...
The short Union City Gateway Trail is significant in that it was the first trail to cross the Indiana–Ohio border. A highlight along the paved pathway is the beautifully landscaped park on both sides...
The Marion Tallgrass Trail is a developing rail-trail which will extend from Marion westward on a former Erie Lackawanna Railway corridor. The line was part of the Erie Lackawanna’s main line that...
The paved Tecumseh Trail skirts the quaint city of New Carlisle. The trail takes users through some beautiful wooded areas along a former railroad corridor and connects to Smith Park. At the popular...
The Roberts Pass Trail runs from downtown London, Ohio, to rural Fairfield Township. The trail passes through farmland for 6.5 miles, although dense tree cover shades the route at all...
The Wright Brothers Huffman Prairie Bikeway runs from South Street in downtown Fairborn, along the north side of Kauffman Avenue adjacent to an active rail line, to National Road. At that point, the...
The Franklin Township Greenway Trail runs on flat terrain through conservation, agriculture and residential areas just beyond the southern shoreline of Grand Lake, Ohio’s largest inland lake. Portions...
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The Buck Creek Trail runs between Buck Creek State Park and Plum Street by Wittenberg University. At its eastern end in Buck Creek State Park, the trail makes a loop and heads into 2 different...
The Triplett Bikeway both figuratively and literally paved the way for more bike paths in the Village of Bluffton. The trail was built as a result of citizen organizing in the 1980's, led by Ropp and...
The 29-mile Prairie Grass Trail is one of four rail-trails that radiate from Xenia Station, the hub of a vast, paved trail network in southwestern Ohio. The site is a former Baltimore & Ohio (B&O)...
The Xenia–Jamestown Connector links these two eponymous communities and travels east beyond Jamestown to the Greene–Fayette County line at Rosemoor Road. It’s part of Ohio’s Miami River Valley trail...
The Little Miami Scenic Trail is a jewel in the crown of Ohio rail-trails, spanning just over 78 miles from the outskirts of Cincinnati to Springfield over historical bridges and through tranquil...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a colossal project, not just for the state of Ohio but also nationally. Dreamed up more than 25 years ago, this route will eventually connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to...
The East Bank Path sits, as its name suggests, on the east shoreline of Grand Lake St. Marys, a whopping 13,500 acre man-made reservoir that is Ohio's largest. The trail travels 1.4 miles south from...
The North Lewisburg Trail lies about 40 miles northwest of Columbus in the Village of North Lewisburg. The trail runs northeast from the community park in a wooded corridor that once housed train...
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The 7-mile Iron Horse Trail (open in two disconnected segments) utilizes approximately 2 miles of former Penn Central right-of-way, providing users a pleasant route through neighborhoods, as well as a...
The James Ranch Connecting Spur provides an important link between two major trails spiraling out of the trail hub of Xenia. On its east end, the trail connects to the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which...
Piqua City Linear Park was constructed on an abandoned railroad bed from the city's easternmost point to its westernmost point. Midway, it connects to the Great Miami River Trail and is part of the...
The Celina Coldwater Bikeway is an early rail-with-trail project from the 1980s. Long a popular trail, users follow the Penn Central Railroad between the village of Coldwater and the city of Celina,...
The Great Miami River Trail is the backbone of one of the nation’s largest paved trail networks, spanning 340 miles throughout Ohio’s Miami Valley. The route connects beautiful natural areas, small...
The paved Tecumseh Trail skirts the quaint city of New Carlisle. The trail takes users through some beautiful wooded areas along a former railroad corridor and connects to Smith Park. At the popular...
The Steve Whalen Boulevard Bikeway is a short neighborhood trail in East Dayton. The trail parallels the boulevard of the same name, starting at its intersection with Hamilton Avenue, and then heading...
Celina's West Bank Trail follows the shoreline of the Grand Lake St. Marys, Ohio's largest inland lake, and offers beautiful views of the lake and Rotary Lighthouse, as well as providing access to...
The Triplett Bikeway both figuratively and literally paved the way for more bike paths in the Village of Bluffton. The trail was built as a result of citizen organizing in the 1980's, led by Ropp and...
The Miami & Erie Canal was built between 1825 and 1845, an engineering marvel stretching from Cincinnati to Toledo. This canal was heavily used until competition from the railroad caused the decline...
The Jim Simmons Trail is a multipurpose trail in Marysville, north of Columbus, Ohio. The trail starts near Northwood Elementary and heads south along the creek, cutting a tree-lined path through Mill...
The Wright Brothers Huffman Prairie Bikeway runs from South Street in downtown Fairborn, along the north side of Kauffman Avenue adjacent to an active rail line, to National Road. At that point, the...
The North Lewisburg Trail lies about 40 miles northwest of Columbus in the Village of North Lewisburg. The trail runs northeast from the community park in a wooded corridor that once housed train...
The paved Tecumseh Trail skirts the quaint city of New Carlisle. The trail takes users through some beautiful wooded areas along a former railroad corridor and connects to Smith Park. At the popular...
The 7-mile Iron Horse Trail (open in two disconnected segments) utilizes approximately 2 miles of former Penn Central right-of-way, providing users a pleasant route through neighborhoods, as well as a...
The short Union City Gateway Trail is significant in that it was the first trail to cross the Indiana–Ohio border. A highlight along the paved pathway is the beautifully landscaped park on both sides...
The Franklin Township Greenway Trail runs on flat terrain through conservation, agriculture and residential areas just beyond the southern shoreline of Grand Lake, Ohio’s largest inland lake. Portions...
Hydraulic Canal Run begins in picturesque French Park, where stands of mature trees provide the perfect shady spots to picnic. From here, you can also connect to Piqua City Linear Park, a rail-trail...
The Ohio to Erie Trail is a colossal project, not just for the state of Ohio but also nationally. Dreamed up more than 25 years ago, this route will eventually connect the Ohio River in Cincinnati to...
The Great Miami River Trail is the backbone of one of the nation’s largest paved trail networks, spanning 340 miles throughout Ohio’s Miami Valley. The route connects beautiful natural areas, small...
The Steve Whalen Boulevard Bikeway is a short neighborhood trail in East Dayton. The trail parallels the boulevard of the same name, starting at its intersection with Hamilton Avenue, and then heading...
The Dayton Kettering Connector combines a historic rail-trail and bike lanes, and shared road riding for 7 miles between the two municipalities. The off-road portion is 1.9 miles long and sits in the...
The Cardinal Greenway, the longest rail-trail in Indiana, connects Marion, Muncie, Losantville, Richmond and a host of other small towns in rural northeastern Indiana. The trail takes its name from...
The Marion Tallgrass Trail is a developing rail-trail which will extend from Marion westward on a former Erie Lackawanna Railway corridor. The line was part of the Erie Lackawanna’s main line that...
Piqua City Linear Park was constructed on an abandoned railroad bed from the city's easternmost point to its westernmost point. Midway, it connects to the Great Miami River Trail and is part of the...
More than half of the smooth, flat, 6.1-mile Heritage Rail-Trail has a parallel 4-mile horse trail. The equestrian corridor starts at Hayden Run Road and continues northwest to the Cemetery Pike...
The Little Miami Scenic Trail is a jewel in the crown of Ohio rail-trails, spanning just over 78 miles from the outskirts of Cincinnati to Springfield over historical bridges and through tranquil...
The 29-mile Prairie Grass Trail is one of four rail-trails that radiate from Xenia Station, the hub of a vast, paved trail network in southwestern Ohio. The site is a former Baltimore & Ohio (B&O)...
Had a very enjoyed day on the trail. There were more users on the trail, than I thought there would be… but everyone was spread out and hardly noticeable. The trail had some debris all along the trail, but nothing that made the trail impassable. Plenary of benches spread out… but the only restroom facility was an port-a-John at the very beginning of the trail in Marion.
Mel and I rode our tandem on 14-15 April. We ride an old Pacific Tandem Fat Tire bike. It is not geared for climbing hills. On Thursday we rode from Tingler Rd trailhead to Richmond and back-15M. On Friday we rode from same trailhead in opposite direction 7.5 miles out, just passed the Williamsburg trailhead and back-15M. The weather was just right cool. We were extremely pleased with the mild terrain grade on both days! The other plus is how far apart the trail sections are from each stop sign. We love this trail! Beautiful farm country USA. Next week On our way back to Raleigh NC, we plan to ride another 2 days. We stayed at the Holiday Inn at Richmond IN. It was very convenient and a great place. We will stay there again next week.👍👌🤓
The OTET is not the ETOT. I found out why when cyclists were flying past me Northbound as I fought headwinds Southbound. Yes the winds wind up the Ohio Valley hence the trail is named Ohio To Erie Trail. I was southbound because after my glorious arrival and celebration in Cincinnati I continued through Louisville, Mammoth Cave and Nashville to our daughters horse farm in Shelbyville TN totaling 721 wondrous miles of memories and new acquaintances both 2-legged and 4-legged. I suggest using credit card
Nice easy path. There was one tree down that was easy to get around. We did our route on horse back.
I ride from my house starting at iron horse trail going north across Linden to creekside trail connector and follow it to Xenia Station which gives me a total of 30 miles up and back. The last 2 times I have been on my ride I have seen a total of 6 deer. I seen 4 deer today crossing the bikeway at Factory Rd. I ride this trail 3 times a week for a total of 90 miles. If you have not biked on this trail it is well worth it. The trail is mostly flat with lots of scenery along the way. It is a little crowded on the weekends so I bike m-w-f and just a few walkers and bikers. I will be 70 the end of this month and biking in my opinion is a great way to stay in shape.
A huge shoutout to the organizations that put this trail together, maintain, and promote it - its remarkably well done. There are a few spots that could use some more signage (Westerville is pretty bad) but overall from top to bottom it's hard to get lost. I did this trail in 4.5 days from Cincinnati to Cleveland the last week of October with almost no bike experience. I also used a busted up old mountain bike from the 90s and had pretty much no problem with it.
I rode the section of the trail from Richmond to Gaston over two days - essentially, all except the part above the gap to the north. It's a really good trail, but there are just enough shortcomings that I hesitate to put it at 5 stars, particularly compared to trails I've been on in West Virginia and Pennsylvania earlier in the year.
First, I'll note that I didn't notice any pig farms, despite expecting to on the southern section, nor any Rottweilers. There were some cow farms and a horse farm, but the only hazard were the many walnuts on the trail. I did see two cats, a lot of chipmunks, and quite a few blue jays, though ironically not a single cardinal.
The scenery is mostly fairly narrow wooded areas, with farms on the other side, though there are a few areas of denser wooded areas, notably by the nature preserve south of Muncie. This can be pretty, but it's also only partially shaded, and the afternoon sun slices through the trees pretty effectively. If you're doing a longer section, I recommend going northwest in the morning, and southeast in the afternoon if possible. I was going northwest and west in the afternoon of the first day, and the sun was doing an admirable job of trying to blind my left eye.
Amenities are good, but just short of great. There are restrooms every 4-5 miles, most of them with hand sanitizer, which is quite good. There are a decent number of water fountains as well, but of the three I tried on the northern section, two smelled bad, and one (by the Hitching Post, technically off of the White River Greenway but close to the Cardinal Greenway) didn't work. The southern section was reliable in this area. Outside of Muncie, there aren't a lot of places to pick up water in the northern section either, so err on the side of packing more water than you'll need.
The trail condition is generally very good, though it can be a bit bumpy in spots in Muncie. McGalliard Road is a more highly trafficked road crossing than most trails have, but it has an island in the center so you only need half of it to be clear at a time. I recommend jogging the bike across halfway at a time if it's a busier time of day.
The elevation gain is not negligible. Including segments on the White River Greenway in Muncie, and the Whitewater Gorge Trail in Richmond, I logged over 2000 feet of elevation gain, and it was noticeable, especially on the southern section where there were moderate, but extended, hill climbs. By comparison, I logged less than 1200 feet of elevation gain on the Greenbrier Trail in West Virginia, which is also longer. So don't assume that because it's in Indiana, you won't have some decent climbs!
I also should note that it's worth going into town in Muncie, whether that's the White River Greenway, which intersects with the Cardinal Greenway in two places, or grabbing some food at some of the excellent restaurants or breweries downtown, which is easily accessible from the trail. I always try to find a cool town or city to serve as a base when exploring a new trail, and Muncie did a great job in that regard.
I tried to ride from New Bremen to St. Mary’s. I read some reviews, but it wasn’t clear. I also talked via phone to someone who lives in New Bremen and he encouraged me to take the path. Well, 1 mile north of town it was just tall thick grass. Had to do a detour on busy roads
It was shady, somewhat protected from the wind, well maintained. Just a good, basic rail-trail.
Got 6 miles in starting by Muncie.
This portion of the trail is just as the other couple parts I've experienced.
The paved trail is mostly flat, level and equally shaded/open.
The one thing to be aware of is a couple bad spots/cracks in the pavement that could result in an ankle injury or biking issue, but this should not deter one from using the trail.
So as always, if in the area and want to get a couple miles in, this should do.
I made the trek up from the Columbus area today to check out the Marion Tallgrass Trail. It's just over 12 miles long, and almost as straight as an arrow. For the first couple miles you are by farm fields, but there is at least a little bit of woods for most of the remaining 10 miles.
It's a tough call between 4 and 5 stars. Let's start with the positives. The woods make it peaceful, and shaded. And there is a lot of wildlife, especially for a trail that isn't exactly in the middle of a forest. I saw quite a few deer, a rabbits, squirrels, and a medium-large bird which walked (not flew) away from me; my best guess is it may have been a pheasant. There's more wildlife as you go west; this time of year may also be near peak wildlife season, shortly before the major hunting seasons begin. And best of all, the wildlife I encountered did not include the swarms of mosquitoes others mentioned (I visited in mid-October, on a day with a high in the low 60s).
On the not-quite-five-star side, are that it can be pretty windy (especially near the windmills on the east side; who'd have thought they'd put windmills in a windy place?), there are some bumps between miles 4 and 5 that could use smoothing out, and that aside from the wildlife, it's not an especially scenic trail. Oh, and the farm around mile 6 that uses natural fertilizer; it has usurped first place for worst-smelling place I've been by on a bike trail.
Comparing the level of scenicness to other regional trails, I'd put it ahead of the Heritage Trail in Hilliard, slightly behind the Richland County B&O Trail, and behind the Alum Creek Trail in Columbus, which despite being in a city is for the most part a very scenic trail.
Facilities are somewhat improved from what is on the TrailLink map; there is also a port-a-john around mile 8 (I didn't note the exact location), and there's a water fountain at the eastern trailhead (mile zero; I didn't verify that it is functional). The official site also lists parking at mile 8.4 (probably the same park area with the port-a-john), 1.75 (an ODNR grassy lot), and at the Espyville Baptist Church by mile 3.7, when church is not in session.
The other thing that's a bit odd about the trail is that it currently doesn't connect any population centers, despite its 12+ mile length. There are some dwellings nearby, but unless you're one of the few dozen people who live nearby (mostly in a trailer park around mile 5), you have to drive to the trail. Looking at a map, it's easy to see that the reason it can't easily be extended east is that there's an active rail yard to the east. Still, figuring out a way to extend it into Marion (population 35,000) would likely improve its visibility to a lot of people, and significantly increase ridership; it would also encourage out-of-towners like myself to stop in Marion.
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