Find the top rated hiking trails in Independence, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The volunteers do a good job of managing the trail, thank you to the reviewer who helps keep the trail maintained. Yes, after a storm, there will be branches and leaves, but it's all part of the experience.
I am one of those riders who uses headphones while I ride. I do not turn my music up loudly, and can clearly hear if someone calls out to pass. They also come out of my ears when crossing a road. I also call out when passing. Only thing is, maybe 50% of folks actually tell you they're passing.
I've ridden the entire trail, not all at once though. My favorite ride is Spring Valley - Corwin - Spring Valley - Xenia
Grateful to have this gem in my county. We utilize this entire trail for walking & biking whenever the weather allows.
This is a great trail. The surface is in good shape and the route is well signed. Despite traveling through the suburban/urban setting of the Great Miami River watershed much of this ride feels as though you are in a park like setting. Worth checking out more than once.
I have ridden the trail several times both as a part of a link in the Ohio to Erie Trail and as a destination trail itself. The last time I rode this trail was on May 24, 2017.
The Lunken Airport Bike Path is a 5 mile loop that essentially follows the perimeter of the airfield. It is flat path except for two short climbs onto the levees that protect the airport from floods of the Ohio and Little Miami Rivers. For those of you that have or will bike the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) I have found that the part of the Lunken Airport Bike Path that crosses through the Reeves Golf Course at the end of the runway, is a much safer way to go than the on road route suggested for the OTET to get from Lunken Airport to the Village of Marimont as it will help you avoid what I found to be a very troublesome and dangerous Beechmont traffic circle. It may add a few extra miles to your trip, but I have found that I do not enjoy negotiating this traffic circle with it's driver blind spots. Someday, according to a sign at the corner of the Lunken Playfield at the end of the Lunken property along Wilber Avenue, the OTET will be connected directly to Little Miami River Trail so that OTET riders will be able to avoid riding along very busy Columbia Parkway (US Rte. 50). If you are going to ride the OTET this is definitely an area you want to look at in Google Maps.
Last May I once again rode through this park. I have previously ridden through this park twice on journeys along the Ohio to Erie Trail. Using the trails of the park and its airport connecting trail is a good way to avoid a difficult-to-navigate-safely double traffic circle near Lunken Airport where Wilmer Avenue and Wooster Road intersect with Beechmont Avenue.
The Otto Armleder Memorial Park and Recreation Complex is a Hamilton County MetroPark that sits along the Little Miami River and in the landing and flight path of Cincinnati's Lunken Airport. This airport serves primarily private planes and corporate jets and because of this the land the park occupies probably would not be a good fit for residential housing.
The park consists of soccer fields, picnic areas, a dog park, a 1.9 mile biking/hiking loop and a few addition pathways along the athletic fields that can be added to the primary bike/hike loop for variety and additional length. There is also a 1.2 mile connector bike/hike route that connects to the Lunken Airport Bike Path.
This is a nice little park, and riding the primary loop trail was fun but it certainly didn't take very long to complete. Adding in the additional pathways in the athletic fields and taking some pictures took up some additional time but it was a pretty quick ride. If you are looking for a safe, flat pathway to work on speed and distance this very well could be the trail for you. I was here on a Tuesday afternoon and there were only 4 other riders/walkers I encountered. It may be much more crowded at other times or on the weekend. Multiple laps would add to your mileage totals. After finishing a once around all the parks pathways, I took the connector trail and rode around Lunken Airport. Parts of that trail seemed much busier than the one in the park.
I rode this trail during the last week of May, 2017. The Williamsburg to Batavia Hike Bike Trail is a planned 13.5-15 mile trail that will link these two Ohio towns and also provide access to parts of the East Fork State Park and the Harsha Lake Reservoir. Currently, there is about 5.5 miles of this trail completed. I parked at the East Fork State Park Campground Entrance and rode out to Williamsburg and back and then out to the other trail endpoint at Zagar Road. There is an additional trail section that is not yet open (gated) that goes to Greenbriar Road which I also biked. Future plans for the trail are to use Greenbriar Road to connect to Batavia and other parts of the Harsha Lake Reservoir via Slade Road. Whether these roads end up being abandoned like Williamsburg Bantam Road is unknown by me.
I found this route confusing as the map given to me by the park ranger at the campground was just in black and white and did not distinguish between park roads, abandoned roads or trails. She simply highlighted the route and suggested that the trail toward Batavia followed the park roads at least as far as the trail has been completed. You will find that there a number of climbs between the campground and Williamsburg. In hindsight, had I paid more attention to the map sign in Willamsburg, I may have actually ridden a bit further down Greenbriar road to see if the Slade Road portion of the trail was accessible.
I rode this trail near the end of May, last year. This loop trail within Sharon Woods MetroPark is a very pretty little trail around a man-made lake. The loop is about 2.5 miles long, with extensions to overlook the lake's harbor and to a lakeside lodge. I rode two laps around the lake as well as taking side trips to the harbor overlook and to the Lakeside Lodge for a total of 6.1 miles. The trail actually passes underneath I-275. There are a few short climbs that should not give anyone who bikes every once and a while any trouble. The path is paved but narrow (7-8 feet wide) with quite a bit of pedestrian traffic. I can't image how busy it must be on the weekends. If you're from out of town you will have to pay a one-time use fee of $5. Different levels of season passes are available for locals. This is run by the Hamilton County Metroparks. Definitely, worth a look. I'll be back.
Blacktop all the way. Some moderate hills. More enjoyable or easier to walk, than bike. Very scenic along Little Miami. Lots of trees. Take a friend along. Very remote area.
On April 2, 2017, I rode the southern portion of the Great Miami River Trail from Fairfield, OH to Rentschler Forest MetroPark at the Reigart Road Entrance northeast of Hamilton, OH. Here the trail ends as there is a gap from here to the northern portion of the trail which picks up south of Middletown, OH. The round trip was just over 20 miles. This section of the trail is well marked. I was especially impressed that almost all of the driftwood and litter debris that the Great Miami River had deposited along the trail when the water level had been higher, had been moved off of the trail by either volunteers or City of Hamilton workers. It is nice to see the pride in what the trail means to the community. I'd love to see the gap between the Hamilton and Middleton sections of this trail completed and the GMRT become one continuous trail.
While not a rail trail, I rode the Shaker Trace Trail in April of 2017. This trail is found in the Miami Whitewater Forest northwest of Cincinnati in Hamilton County, Ohio. Upon entering the park, there is a $5 user's fee, $3 if you are a Hamilton County (Ohio) resident. Season passes are available. The trail consists of two loops. I rode both of them twice for a total of 19 miles. The trail is relatively flat and the area is generally wide open. Riders could encounter strong head/tailwinds on windy days. This early in the season I passed just a few walkers on the inner loop of the trail. I had entire trail to myself throughout both laps of the outer loop.
My grandson and I rode our bikes on the trail. Too many hills. My sister and I walked the trails and it was really enjoyable. Enjoyed the walk not the bike ride.
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