Find the top rated birding trails in Kettering, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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As far as the Dayton-Kettering Connector goes it is a pretty easy trail to ride. Trail may be an exaggeration, it is more like a route. Most of the this trail is an on-road route using sharrows or bike lanes with a 2 mile rail trail in the middle. The rail trail portion heads south from the University of Dayton's RecPlex and ends at Wiltshire Blvd. in Kettering. The route continues further south on residential streets and connects with other bike routes but most specifically with the Iron Horse Trail.
The Miami Valley Trails organization says that the Dayton-Kettering Connector (DKC) is an ideal commuting route for individuals working in downtown Dayton while the rail trail portion provides a gentle climb into the south suburbs, not found on any of the roadways heading the same way. I found the 1.9 mile rail trail section is a climb but not a strain. There was one additional sustained climb up Ackerman Blvd. beside climbing the rail trail when heading south. The trail is well signed with frequent bike route signs with direction arrows at turns and every other sign seemed to have the bike route number at the top of them. In this case the Dayton-Kettering Connector is Bike Route 19.
When I reached the Iron Horse Trail in Kettering I turned around and rode the back the same way I came but continued through the University of Dayton campus and followed the bike lanes on Brown and Jefferson Streets to RiverScape Metropark along the Miami River in downtown Dayton. It seems that the Dayton public has a more enlightened attitude about sharing the road with cyclists. I felt safe in the bike lanes, although I was not riding in them during rush hour. Getting back to the UD campus from RiverScape MetroPark is a bit tricky because there is no southbound bike lane on the roads you just traveled on to reach RiverScape. I suggest returning to the UD campus by traveling on the Great Miami River Recreational Trail until it rises from the river at W. Stewart Street. From there you can take a bike lane that runs parallel to Stewart Street back to Brown Street and then into campus where you need to go.
The only reason I sought out this trail was because it was listed as one of Ohio’s trails listed on TrailLink.com and it is my goal to ride every Ohio trail listed there. This trail at this point can only be considered a commuter or local recreational trail. It is only 0.7 miles long and parallels Steve Whalen Boulevard between Wyoming Street and Hamilton Avenue. I started at Highland Park off of Wyoming Street. There is parking there but it doesn’t much look like a parking lot, so be warned. The asphalt trail surface was in good shape as this trail can't be very old. However, like many urban trails there were several areas where their was broken class on the trail which could have punctured my tires.
I don’t know if this is phase one of a much larger planned pathway or route (similar to others in the Dayton area), but at this point this is such a short trail I say leave it to the local residents.
Very nice first time bike ride for the person who is just getting into riding and trying out a bike
Another Ohio TrailLink.com-listed trail checked off my list. This time a 3.2 mile round trip on the Fairfax Bike Trail between Mariemont and Madisonville in the Cincinnati area of Ohio. This is not much of a trail right now and appears to me as being something a commercial/retail developer threw in in order to sweeten a deal with the city in order to develop a particular piece of land. Apparently there are plans to connect the Fairfax Trail to another trail planned to run between Cincinnati and Cleveland. Could that other trail be the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which is part of the Ohio to Erie Trail route? There are several other biking trails in the area: the Little Miami Scenic Trail, the Armleder Park Trail, The Ohio River Trail, the Lunken Airport Trail, and Wasson Way. This trail could be a part of a much wider developing trail network, but at present I see no signs of this trail being expanded any time soon nor any reason for you to go out of your way to seek this trail out. Definitely a trail for just the local residents.
I rode this trail in my ongoing quest to ride all of the Ohio trails listed at TrailLink.com. This trail was listed late in 2018 after I had thought I had ridden all of the TrailLink.com-listed trails in the Cincinnati area.
This 0.6 miles of trail is the first phase of a trail designed to run about 7.2 miles from Xavier University east toward and connecting to the Little Miami Scenic Trail (part of the Ohio to Erie Trail route.). The trail stretches from Madison Road near the Rookwood Commons & Pavilion shopping plaza to Tamarack Avenue near the Withrow High School Athletic Fields. Phase 2 of this trail is currently under construction which will feature a bridge over I-71 and head west, hopefully to its final destination of Xavier University. If phase 3 is to expand eastward, the first obstacle to be overcome will be navigating through the traffic on Madison Road which seems very busy.
At this point I don’t think this trail is worth a trip to walk or ride until more phases of the trail are complete, or unless you live in this neighborhood.
We rode 2 days 2 different sections. First day started at xenia station & rode to Corwin & then back. About 32-34 miles round trip.Ate lunch at a cute place in Waynsville right on trail.Pretty flat,nice scenery. Second day parked at Milford on hill. Little tight ,small parking lot. We rode to almost morrow. 40 miles round trip. VERY busy.Some parts are alittle narrow.Pretty flat mostly & some inclines. Loveland was a really cool town. Had a great lunch there.
Started at xenia station. Rode about 20 miles,10 one way & 10 back.Nice trail,paved.Have a few rode crossing,have to watch because cars have right of the way.Follows stream,but can't see a lot because of all the leaves.Was pretty fat most of it.
My wife and I bike this trail multiple times throughout the year and we've ridden (in sections) nearly every mile of it. We're leisure riders, so the (mostly) flat, shaded nature of this trail is perfection. There are so many spots along this trail to stop and enjoy life.
From the Milford trailhead, 50 West Brewing and the Schoolhouse Restaurant are just a short ride. Additionally, downtown Milford is full of charm
Downtown Loveland is an amazing spot to hit this trail, with an entire section of town seemingly centered on the trail with multiple restaurants, bars, bike shops, etc. Just to the north of Loveland is the Monkey Bar which is an extremely cool little watering hole. And a little farther to the north, the historic Peters Cartridge Company, which is slated for renovation into a brewery/taproom in late 2019.
If you're not able to bike as far north as Yellow Springs, we highly recommend driving up for a ride there. It's a very cool little town with the Yellow Springs Brewery right on the trail and the Glen Helen Nature Preserve just to the south. It is well worth parking your bikes and taking a hike through the preserve to visit the famous Yellow Spring.
Just can't say enough good things about this trail.
Rode this trail in June of 2019. It is a very nice, well-maintained trail. It mostly runs through scenic open meadows. There are a couple of underpasses with a rippling stream if you enjoy stopping and exploring areas like that.
My only caution is that, on a sunny summer day, this turns into a very hot ride, as there is little to no shade for the majority of the trail.
I have traveled to ride this trail several times, and will continue to do so as it gives you open space to speed up your pace for a good workout. The trail is smooth with not too many cracks or crevices in the surface, and lends itself to really getting your speed up. Wolf Creek is like a lot of other rural trails in the Midwest which are mostly flat with some gradual inclines. Most of the trail is located in rural setting, and gives some good distance between road crossings.
I have only ridden the Verona-Trotwood portion and find that it is not too busy when I have been here. Brookville is a nice town with several places to eat, and convenient trailhead parking just off of I-70. The trail is marked very well with mileage between places, and you can also easily access Sycamore State Park.
My bike riding partner and I enjoy riding the trail from Bellefontaine, the northern part, but it is challenging on the rough stone path really meant for erosion protection of the rails. It is too bad that this part of the trail hasn't been developed yet except for 3 miles at the beginning in Bell. If this what the finished trail will look like, it will be great! The stretch from Bell to W Liberty is beautiful and full of wildlife. Only a short way out of Bell one will encounter Deer, Wild Turkey, Rabbits, and enough birds to satisfy any avian enthusiast! Looking forward to the completion of the trail!
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