Find the top rated birding trails in Xenia, 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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I drive 7 hours to cycle this trail. Typically start in Xenia, but have started in other towns. Loveland is also a favorite. This trail is one of my absolute favorites. Great surface, plenty of places to stop for breaks.
Very important trail to the different bikeways. It provides a connector between Great Miami Trail and Little Miami Trail. You can take this from downtown Dayton to Xenia to head north to Yellow Springs, south to Cincinnati, or east to Columbus.
I ride this from Beavercreek into Xenia or to Yellow Springs. The opposite direction leads through Eastwood Lake Metropark to Huffman Dam or Downtown Dayton.
It is a very wide trail, but is heavily traveled. Many other cyclists and walkers. Families and slow riders. Take it easy and expect some slow spots.
There are many parks with picnic benches and shelters along the way. Good water supply at Beavercreek Community Park (Factory Road) and Beavercreek Station (N Fairfield).
Not well known, but there is a bit of easy gravel in Creekside Reserve. Traveling from Beavercreek Station, take the side entrance on the right into the reserve. The gravel trail is approx 2 miles to Factory Road.
There are also several busy street crossings. Be careful!
Like most urban trails the two parts of the Mill Creek Greenway seemed to have started out well when new, but succumbed to neglect and lack of planning and resources. The northern section was the worse of the two. Signs have been tagged with graffiti and plants and shrubs along the trail need to be cut back in spots. The southern section was in better shape as the Salway Park was not as isolated as the Caldwell Playground Park in the northern section. Both sections suffered from a lack of directional signage as it was not clear that the path picked up on the other side of a bridge over Mill Creek in the north section and in the south the trail seems to dead end into a commercial building but continued on the other side of that building.
If you lived in these Cincinnati neighborhoods checking out and riding this trail may be worthwhile if you live nearby. Otherwise don't go out of your way. It is hard to see the gap between the two sections being bridged by additional trail considering that the trail runs along the creek and much of the break in between the two sections is filled with commercial and industrial properties that are unlikely to give an easement to connect both parts to each other.
I think that the citizens of Lebanon enjoy this trail as it is well maintained and connects the community to both the YMCA and the nearby destination trail on the Little Miami Scenic River. If you are connecting to this trail from the LMSRT then you will have a much longer ride as the closest trailheads in either direction are approximately 6 and 8 additional miles away. As mentioned by others there are a couple of challenging hills to climb on this trail. In addition, there is not much shade on this trail so riding in the middle of the day, during the middle of the summer means you're going to bake. Sunscreen a must on a sunny day.
I rode the trails in Wilmington, Ohio so I was curious about this one when I heard that it had opened last year. I started my ride at the trailhead parking lot at the corner of North College and Mound Streets in Sabina, OH. The town is essentially at the current center of the trail. The trail is very flat so it is easy in that respect. Through town the path is paved. the trail surface for last 2 or 3 miles at either end is currently railroad ballast. The limestone aggregate surface at either end of the trail is not crushed, so stones range in size from pea to half dollar-sized. This made for a slow go in the unpaved portions of the trail. I wouldn't ride a road bike at either end of the trail. Finally, despite being tree-lined for most of the trail, there wasn't as much shade on this trail as one might think.
The trail is arrow straight and apart from riding through Sabina you are surrounded by farmland the whole time. My recommendation is to wait to travel to ride this trail until it is either entirely paved or until it is connected to either Washington Courthouse or Wilmington or both.
I usually start this trail at the Scioto Audubon Park. I park in the small parking area on the left side of Whittier for easier access. There are some beautiful wooded areas that run along the river around the Audubon park, and once you go under the freeway underpass a beautiful view of downtown pops up. Stay on the lower part of the trail and ride clear through downtown along the waterfront and never have to cross a busy street. There are many spurs along the way to stop at some of the downtown parks - but many of them are pretty steep inclines. It’s about 2.5 to 3 miles from the Audubon park to the confluence bridge which offers a nice view and then connects to the Olentangy Trail. Trail can be a bit challenging at times for the novice rider as there are some slight inclines to climb, but not too terrible. I am totally comfortable, as a middle aged female, riding this portion of this trail alone during the day, especially during the week, as there is always a lot of people around. It is busy, but not crowded. I would highly recommend this portion of this trail.
I spent the week riding this trail. I think the best section was the 20 miles from Oregonia to Xenia. I parked at the diner in Oregonia. I only passed a few joggers and cyclists on the trail the Friday morning I rode. There were fewer street crossings compared with the more southern part of the trail. The trail itself temporarily disappears briefly in Xenia. However, it was fairly easy to navigate around Xenia to find a coffee shop on Main St. (and Detroit St.). The ride back (South) was definitely easier as I perceived a very slightly downward grade. Kenneth Haft, Glen Allen, VA
I started at the Hamilton Township Park ( old 3c highway adjacent to Monkey Bar and Grill ). There is parking and fairly decent bathroom facilities. On day one, I rode 18 miles to Oregonia. The trail is in excellent shape and going north, the Little Miami River was nearly always visible on my right. There were a few walkers/joggers that did hinder my 16 mph progress. There were a few rural but trafficked streets to cross over. There were several deer along the trail and many rabbits. The restaurant in Oregonia was not open Monday at 8:30am, but there were nice rocking chairs on the porch.
Well-maintained tree-lined path through beautiful country. It’s flat, so it’s an easy place to log some miles.
Rode this trail starting at Battelle (parking at the first entrance south of Alkire Rd in a very small lot to the right after entering the park) rode 3 miles east into Galloway and stopped at the tavern to cool off and have a drink. All in all this stretch of the trail was uneventful. Fairly flat with a little incline here and there. During this stretch we crossed Darby Creek Dr, Alkire Rd, Alton Rd., and finally Galloway Rd to get to the tavern. We also crossed the railroad tracks a couple of times. The trail was nicely paved and well maintained, however, there is absolutely no tree cover at all so you are riding the whole time in the blazing sun.
I’ve been riding the Little Miami trail for 20 years. Well-maintained and scenic, it’s popular here in the Cincinnati area and beyond. One note for new riders - the route running between Milford and Loveland can be congested on weekends and holidays during the warmer months; if you are looking to hammer some fast miles tread carefully. Loveland in particular can be extremely crowded on weekends and the town hosts a farmer’s market every Tuesday evening which can lead to people walking back and forth across the trail. Montgomery Cyclery is located right on the trail in Loveland so any last minute tools, food - even a new bike - can be found there. Did I mention the trail side bars and restaurants? Check it out.
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