This trail is amazing! It is peaceful, scenic with very little noise from traffic.

Caught the trail at Old Acadia Park in Spencerville. 8 mile ride up to Delphos where trail abruptly changed to grass. Nice crushed gravel, well maintained flat trail, no benches or rest stops in this section though. Canal on one side and fields on the other, a pleasant ride.

Such a nice trail going a good distance. It's behind my house and I see many people on it all the time. Great history information about the old railroad and Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg. Love seeing it used for is intended purposes.

This is the best trail I have ever ridden!

I rode the two segments of the Stillwater River Bikeway back in July of this year, but forgot to review here at TrailLink.

I rode this trail a month and a half after a devastating Category F4 tornado tore through the area. Before my trip to Dayton, I just couldn't believe that I kept reading online that the trail was still closed. However, when I rode the southern section of the trail the destruction of what must of been a beautiful tree lined river pathway became more and more evident as I traveled north from Island MetroPark. It will take decades for the trees to grow back to the same conditions you see along the northern section of the trail. The trail it self is in good shape but becomes somewhat rough as the trail shares the park road north of the Wegerzyn Center. Here the road is marked with a number of potholes and rough patches.

In contrast, the northern section of the Stillwater River Greenway in Englewood MetroPark was not affected by the Memorial Day storms. The trail here is heavily shaded but has an excellent surface. There is one significant climb if you want to travel south of the of Englewood Dam but it is eased by one switch back in order to pass by the dam's spillway. There are several beautiful lakes both above and below the dam. One slightly disturbing aspect of the trail in Englewood Park is that in some areas of the park you have to share the single lane roadway with cars. Fortunately, for a Saturday I didn’t feel that the park was particularly busy.

It saddens me to think of how the weather has changed the face of the southern portion of the trail. Here's hoping that the damage caused by the Memorial Day tornado might spark the desire to connect the two sections in this trail. It might now be easier to complete the gap between the two sections of trail. First of all, the downed trees will have to be removed because as the piles of dead trees dry out they will become more and more of a fire hazard. Because these trees are such a jumbled and tangled mess, heavy equipment will need to be called in to remove the debris. This heavy equipment will create pathways for the equipment to move around in the debris field and perhaps these pathways can be turned into a good portion of the missing section of trail. Only time will tell.

I've ridden the Ohio to Erie Trail (OTET) three times; first in July of 2013, again in May 2016, and most recently in October of 2019. It is interesting to note the progress that has been made in filling in the on-road gaps in the trail between each ride. However, it is frustrating to witness the glacial pace at which this trail is being completed.

Currently, the largest on-road gaps in the OTET exist between the end of the Sippo Valley Trail in Dalton and the beginning of the Holmes County Trail in Fredericksburg; between Killbuck and Glenmont on the Holmes County Trail, and between the end of the Heart of Ohio Trail southwest of Centerburg and the beginning of the Sandel Legacy Trail in Sunbury. There are a few smaller gaps in the OTET among which include, the bike lane in the Ohio River Trail in Cincinnati, the missing bridge over Little Miami River at the end of the Little Miami Scenic Trail needed to connect to the Lunken Airport Bike Path and a less than 1 mile gap between the Prairie Grass Trail and the Roberts Pass Trail in London.

The Ohio to Erie Trail is a paved trail except for the portion of the Ohio & Erie Towpath Trail that runs through northeast Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is unlikely that the National Park Service will pave this portion of the trail due to the canal's historical significance in developing the Ohio territory and helping to expand our nation from the original 13 colonies.

This trail links the three C's of Ohio -- Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. These are Ohio's 3 largest cities. In between you will encounter a variety of cities and towns; rivers, wetlands, and forests; industrial, commercial, and agricultural areas; and different types of topographies. This variety makes the Ohio to Erie Trail unique when compared to the nation's other long-distance trails.

It is important to understand that the OTET is still a work in progress. While some locations have embraced being a part of the trail, others seem to have completely ignored it. Communities that embrace the trail offer bike friendly establishments whether they be bike shops, hotels, Bnb's, restaurants, or trailheads. There just are not enough of them. The state of Ohio should be looking into promoting such businesses along the trail. One thing that is certainly needed are more official, recognized campsites along the trail. Whereas riders of C&O/GAP Trail, or Missouri's Katy Trail can expect to see a campsite roughly every 8 to 12 miles, the OTET has some areas where such campsites are 60 miles apart. Such distances don't make the trail appealing those that would prefer to camp. It also doesn't give riders much wiggle room in their itineraries to explore around the trail or deal with the unexpected such as a flat tire. Perhaps more campsites and other amenities will become a priority once the trail is fully completed.

My complaints are not intended to be a trashing of this trail but rather constructive criticism designed to help improve this into one of America's great trails. With the Rails to Trails Conservancy designating much of the OTET as part of its route for the Great American Rail-Trail through Ohio, I'm hoping that improvement and completion of the trail will become more of a state priority. If you are considering riding the Ohio to Erie Trail, don't hesitate. It is worth every pedal stroke.

The Little Miami Scenic Trail (LMST) is one of my favorite trails in Ohio. It has length (78 miles), scenery, wildlife, trail towns, amenities, lodging, camping, dining and shade. I've ridden this trail numerous times but this is my first review of the trail. I consider my home trail to be the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail that runs through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Little Miami Scenic Trail probably should be considered my home away from home trail as it is so close to where my daughter lives. During my 2019 Ohio to Erie Trail ride, I rode the LMST from Xenia to Loveland and from Loveland to Avoca Park before having to road ride to get to Lunken Airport and the trail that circles the airfield there.

I rode part of the Simon Kenton Trail from Buck Creek into Springfield, Ohio back in July. The northern part of the LMST travels through Springfield and on to Yellow Springs before moving on to Xenia. Since this trail runs through both cities, farm land and the Little Miami Valley, there is quite a variety of scenery to look at. The city and towns vary as well. The trail towns range from some that have seen better days, to others that seem to be very trendy, and some that appear to be stuck in time. There is something for everyone along this trail. You won't be disappointed when riding this trail. Yellow Springs and Loveland are towns with restored train stations and dining and other amenities.

The trail surface is asphalt and is in very good condition with just a few spots where river bank slippage has caused some undermining of the riverside edge of the trail. The trail has numerous road crossings but once you get out of the larger cities you can ride for miles before having to cross another road. South of Xenia, because the trail parallels the Little Miami River in the narrow Little Miami Valley you feel as though you are in a much more isolated area than you truly are. There is plenty of wildlife. One of the highlights of my ride south from Xenia this time was having 3 deer cross the trail in front of me and ran down into a gulley that paralleled the trail only to race me along the trail route for about half a mile. My one complaint about the trail is this. The Little Miami River has been designated a National Scenic River. However, that designation must only apply if you are canoeing or kayaking on the river. From the trail you rarely get an unobstructed view of the river. Sometimes I think to myself, "Would it hurt to cut down a few trees here and there to let users of the trail enjoy the sights of the river, too?"

South of Loveland, the trail continues following the Little Miami River through Miamiville and Milford before reaching Avoca Park outside of Mariemont, Ohio. Once you reach Newtown Road you will have to ride out of the park and cross US-50 and ride through Mariemont to Wooster Pike before trying to connect to the Lunken Airport Bike Path. I should note that the Little Miami Trail does not end at Newtown Road. It actually passes under a bridge there and then goes across the Little Miami River and heads toward Lunken Airport. The problem is that the bridge that is supposed to be built over the Little Miami River to connect to the Lunken Airport Bike Path has not been built yet. I read about bridge construction of this bridge would start this summer, but there is absolutely no sign as to when this will happen. When this bridge is built the trail near Mariemont will be shorter and safer.

Most of the trail is nice with the beauty of nature, flat pavement, fun tunnels and bridges. All that is nice for the family. But it would be better if it were all connected without having to go on the road. That part scared my 9 year old. Otherwise, It was nice to get ice cream in Aurora and there’s a strongs pizza right by the lawrenceburg trailhead. And parking is free and plentiful.

My wife and I took up cycling earlier this year and have logged over 100 miles on the area trails. The northern segment of the Stillwater River Trail is one of our favorites. The uphill grade by the Englewood Dam spillway can be tough (especially on a hot day) but the rewards can be worth it. We often see several American Bald Eagles, Blue Heron, Osprey, and a myriad of other birds fishing on the lake at the Englewood MetroPark until the lake dries up in late August. also, the downhill grade from the spillway to Bower’s Lake is the best and longest downhill coast in the area. It’s personally my favorite stretch of trail in the area.