Explore the best rated trails in Springdale, 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 43 trails covering 4434 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 Stillwater River Bikeway winds through Dayton's northern suburbs, following the tree-lined eastern shore of its namesake waterway for much of the way. Two disconnected segments of trail are...
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 Judy Gano Trail travels the length of the J.W. Denver Williams Memorial Park in Wilmington, Ohio. The trail begins on Rombach Avenue and travesl past the skate park, tennis courts and baseball...
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...
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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 Sharon Woods Loop Trail encircles a picturesque lake in popular Sharon Woods in Sharonville. The county park offers a visitor center, boathouse, golf course, picnic areas and athletic fields over...
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 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...
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...
This recreational path connects the Armleder Park Trail in Otto Armleder Memorial Park to the 5-mile Lunken Airport Bike Path. The trail begins at the parking lot south of the dog park, and heads...
D Street Trailhead Park is nestled along Richmond’s waterfront on the East Fork of the Whitewater River. From the park, travelers can go north on the Cardinal Greenway (which, at 62 miles, is...
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When complete, the Ohio River Trail in eastern Cincinnati will be an important 23-mile connector between downtown, riverfront parks, the city's municipal airport and many neighborhoods. Currently,...
The growing Mill Creek Greenway Trail follows one of Cincinnati’s most important urban waterways and will one day stretch 14 miles through the city's northern neighborhoods. Groundwork Cincinnati is a...
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 Armleder Park Trail loops along a wide, paved route through the open meadows of the park, located east of Cincinnati. At the southeast end, you'll find an overlook of the Little Miami River....
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 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...
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The Greendale segment runs 1 mile between Walnut Street and Hollywood Boulevard at Eads Parkway, paralleling Eads Parkway/US 50 on the east side. There's a short gap (0.6 mile) in the trail between...
The Lebanon Countryside YMCA Trail offers 8 miles of paved pathway winding through Lebanon, from downtown to a connection to the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail. The trail begins in the north near...
This smooth asphalt path on the side of Wetherington Boulevard invites residents of the nearby communities out for fitness and recreation. The trail stretches from US 42 to Mt. Zion Road and connects...
The Sharon Woods Loop Trail encircles a picturesque lake in popular Sharon Woods in Sharonville. The county park offers a visitor center, boathouse, golf course, picnic areas and athletic fields over...
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...
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...
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...
When completed, the Wasson Way trail will span 7.6 miles from Victory Parkway (near Xavier University) to the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Newtown. The latter spans 78 miles from Cincinnati to...
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 Luther Warren Peace Path is shady 1.2-mile journey along a level paved surface, delightfully cool in summer. The trail includes two old railroad bridges, one covered and built as a local Boy Scout...
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...
D Street Trailhead Park is nestled along Richmond’s waterfront on the East Fork of the Whitewater River. From the park, travelers can go north on the Cardinal Greenway (which, at 62 miles, is...
The Williamsburg to Batavia Hike/Bike Trail connects its two namesake communities on a paved route that winds through East Fork Wildlife Area and along scenic William Harsha Lake. The experience is...
The Mad River Trail offers a paved route connecting a handful of parks along its namesake river in northeastern Dayton. The scenic pathway is also part of one of the nation's largest network of paved,...
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 Judy Gano Trail travels the length of the J.W. Denver Williams Memorial Park in Wilmington, Ohio. The trail begins on Rombach Avenue and travesl past the skate park, tennis courts and baseball...
This smooth asphalt path on the side of Wetherington Boulevard invites residents of the nearby communities out for fitness and recreation. The trail stretches from US 42 to Mt. Zion Road and connects...
Opened in 2017, the Clinton-Fayette Friendship Trail, spanning 7.1 miles, is the longest rail-trail in central Ohio's Clinton County. Following a former railroad corridor, the rail-trail spans the...
To cover the five miles suggested by the name of this trail, one has to travel out to the opposite end and back again. The trail is located in Anderson Township, about 13 miles southeast of...
The Lebanon Countryside YMCA Trail offers 8 miles of paved pathway winding through Lebanon, from downtown to a connection to the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail. The trail begins in the north near...
This shared use path may only be 2.3 miles long, but it is appreciated by residents in Florence as a place to exercise. It travels alongside Aero Parkway, which borders the Cincinnati/ Northern...
The Luther Warren Peace Path is shady 1.2-mile journey along a level paved surface, delightfully cool in summer. The trail includes two old railroad bridges, one covered and built as a local Boy Scout...
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 Greendale segment runs 1 mile between Walnut Street and Hollywood Boulevard at Eads Parkway, paralleling Eads Parkway/US 50 on the east side. There's a short gap (0.6 mile) in the trail between...
The Lunken Airport Bike Path offers a 5-mile loop around Cincinnati's municipal Lunken Airport. Much of the trail sits atop the levee that protects the airport from flooding of the Little Miami River....
The Fairfax Trail is 1.5 miles long and parallels the north side of Murray Ave, between Settle Street and Red Bank Road. The Murray Road portion overlaps with the Murray Road Hike/ Bike Trail. There...
This recreational path connects the Armleder Park Trail in Otto Armleder Memorial Park to the 5-mile Lunken Airport Bike Path. The trail begins at the parking lot south of the dog park, and heads...
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 Lebanon Countryside YMCA Trail offers 8 miles of paved pathway winding through Lebanon, from downtown to a connection to the 78-mile Little Miami Scenic Trail. The trail begins in the north near...
To cover the five miles suggested by the name of this trail, one has to travel out to the opposite end and back again. The trail is located in Anderson Township, about 13 miles southeast of...
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 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 Stillwater River Bikeway winds through Dayton's northern suburbs, following the tree-lined eastern shore of its namesake waterway for much of the way. Two disconnected segments of trail are...
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...
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 growing Mill Creek Greenway Trail follows one of Cincinnati’s most important urban waterways and will one day stretch 14 miles through the city's northern neighborhoods. Groundwork Cincinnati is a...
The Lowe's Connector Trail parallels Lowe's Drive in Wilmington, OH, and links Rombach Avenue with Prairie Road; however, this is no sidewalk once you reach Prairie Road. The trail is best used to...
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 4C Bicentennial Trail is one of several throughout Wilmington, OH, and runs between Southeast Neighborhood Park and Fife Avenue (CR 82), just across the road from the south end of Denver Williams...
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...
I discovered this trail at the southern end of the Cardinal Greenway, and figured why not check out the trail by the gorge? It may well be the most scenic part of the entire connected trail system, going up to Gaston and including the White River Greenway Trail in Muncie. There's lots of green, a river (albeit usually hidden from view), and a good amount of elevation change in a short time. Definitely worth adding on to a Cardinal Greenway ride if you have the stamina to spare.
There also are some nice parks along the way, including by the piano/record factory, and at the veterans park near the northern edge, where you can see the difference in size between a light tank and a main battle tank in real life.
Still, there are a couple shortcomings that make this a trail that could easily be a 5, but isn't quite there yet. The largest is that there is a section near the southern end where the pavement is quite rough, which also corresponds with the steepest area, making it potentially hazardous. The connector up to the high school is even steeper and in rougher condition. There should be the next priority for fixing up.
There also was a tree across the trail almost at the southern terminus, which appeared to have been there for some time, and several of the wooden benches in the southern section were not in great condition any more.
It did look like the section by the veterans park was pretty new trail, and that the overseers were still working on an overlook above that park, so this trail may well still be receiving investment. With a little TLC on the southern section as well, it would definitely be a 5 star trail.
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 came from Florida to do this trail. It’s very well maintained, sections have shade with other areas open, and it’s not crowded.
I did a total of 16 miles along the levy by the Casino Hotel and the Dearborn Trail. I didn’t do the first part that starts in Glendale because of the .6 mile break in trail. Very pleasant, well maintained, and not crowded on a Thursday.
Good for walking and running, a little narrow and cracked up in spots for cycling. No roller skates allowed around the lake.I took the Gorge trail and Walnut Falls trail to add some distance. Recommend.
I parked at the train station in Trotwood and rode north west to the end of the trail in Verona and back. Trail is in good condition with places to take a break. The trail goes through the country and is very scenic. If you’re looking for a nice easy enjoyable ride this is it.
This is a trail of considerable contrast. The central part of the current trail encircles Austin Landing, a mixed-use retail district that includes retail stores, restaurants, motels, office buildings and contemporary apartments. There is lots of traffic in and around this mall as commuters enter and exit Interstate 75 at adjoining Exit 41. The trail along Austin Pike (or Boulevard, in front of the Mall) is very busy. At each intersection between trail and roadways there are crossing buttons at the crosswalks. However, with the exception of the crossing at the intersection with Springboro Pike none of these buttons work. You’ll just have to wait for the automated timing for the crosswalk signals to activate in order to cross these streets and highway ramps. My suggestion is to avoid riding along Austin Boulevard as much as possible by riding the portion of the trail that loops around Austin Landing.
There is much less traffic as you move toward either the current eastern or western end of the trail. To the east you will ride around the Miamisburg Soccer Association soccer fields and then through the Medlar Conservation Area. The conservation area is a preserve of over 400 acres that contains mature woods, fields, shrub-scrub habitat and wetlands that protects some of the last quality open space in southern Montgomery County. When you enter the Medlar Conservation Area after coming from Austin Landing it’s like you are in an entirely different world. The trail meanders through this preserve as it makes its way toward the Great Miami River Trail on the eastern bank of the Great Miami River. Once you enter the Medlar you will quickly become aware that you are dropping in elevation. That's not so bad if you are only traveling westward, but challenging if you know you will have to climb back out to return to your start. Fortunately, the planners of this trail put in enough switchbacks into this portion of the trail to make the climb reasonable for most adult riders. Young children would find this climb difficult.
The trail east of Austin Landing runs for about 2 miles along Austin Boulevard/Pike. This portion of the trail is less developed and mostly residential. It passes by Dayton Wright Brothers Airport, a small public civil aviation airport, and ends near Robert F. Mays Park in Washington Township, Ohio. This trail is intended to connect the Great Miami River Trail with the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The trail will be extended further east into either Greene or Warren County depending on the route selected to connect it to the Little Miami Scenic Trail. When this connection between the two river trails will be completed is unknown at this time.
I ride the southern segments regularly. A good mix of small towns, urban, and scenic areas. The section along the canal to Rentchler forest is one of my favorites. Hopefully, construction on the Third Street Bridge in downtown Dayton will be finished soon, as the trail is closed on both sides of the river.
Did a 50 mile out and back from trailhead start off highway 32. I’d say 80% in the shade even in the heat of the day. A few places to get water. Lots of places to eat right off the trail. Pretty easy to ride hard, not a lot of traffic. I’m not a big trail rider but this one is pretty good.
My wife and I did the section from Middletown to Miamisburg today. Parked at Carmody Road lot and traveled to downtown Miamisburg. Total time was 5 hours, however this includes a lunch break, sightseeing in Miamisburg and a historic log cabin. Scenic and well maintained we highly recommend this trail! Plenty to discover and enjoy!
Most of the path is paved now, except the last 1/2 - mile from the south end near Melvin Rd. Great flat path riding thru corn fields and some tree lined areas.
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